Examples Of Violence In 1984 By George Orwell

Violence is an unchangeable part of the world today, intoxicating all aspects of society from the media to the news. Despite its prominence in the community, violence is a complex issue that requires analysis and understanding of how it affects individuals. From the first page of the novel, it quickly becomes clear that violence is an important component of the world that has been created. In 1984, George Orwell uses a disturbing portrayal of physical and psychological violence to highlight the inhumanity of a totalitarian regime. Orwell paints a disturbing picture of an oppressive state where the importance of individual life is minimized and the harsh truths of total government control established.

One of the most prominent forms of violence

‘I think it spoils it when they tie their feet together. I like to see them kicking. And above all, at the end, the tongue sticking right out, and blue—a quite bright blue. That’s the detail that appeals to me.’” (Orwell 64). These violent acts have been so normalized into society that the citizens are eager and willing to see other human beings punished, no matter the act. The Party has integrated their ideals so deeply into their citizens that even children are unable to escape the propaganda placed on them. A conversation between Winston and Mrs. Parsons highlighted how her children are eager to watch the death of people in their community. “‘They do get so noisy,’ she said. ‘They’re disappointed because they couldn’t go to see the hanging, that’s what it is. I’m too busy to take them. and Tom won’t be back from work in time.’” (Orwell 30). The oppressive society created by the state allows for children to be brainwashed into believing violence is an act of justice and not an act of extremism. Additionally, Wintson Smith, the novel’s protagonist, is subjected to multiple rounds of physical torture to submit to the Party’s idealogy. As one of the older citizens of

The Party constantly rewrites history in their favour, spreads propaganda to manipulate the minds of their citizens, and controls information that are all intended to distort an individual's mind through psychological violence. For example, this propaganda influence can be seen during the Two Minute Hate. “Before the Hate had proceeded for thirty seconds, uncontrollable exclamations of rage were breaking out from half the people in the room.” (Orwell, 15). The telescreen had been broadcasting a picture of Goldstein, a traitor to the Party. They had manipulated the citizens of Oceania into believing that Goldstein’s teachings were wrong and worthy of treason, resulting in such violent reactions to seeing his face. The citizens put aside their own opinions and values to pursue the desires of the Party which have been forced onto them. Along with removing individuality, the Party created Newspeak to further narrow down their citizens' ability to critically think or create any ideas that go against the Party. In this quote, Syme perfectly explains the reasoning behind Newspeak. “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.” (Orwell, 55). As he stated, the Party aims to fully remove individual thought through narrowing down the