The word humanity refers to the human race as a whole and the qualities that make us human, such as the ability to love and have compassion. In our modern world, we take human nature for granted, but in George Orwell’s 1984, he shows us a society in which there is no humanity, and those that fight for it die trying. The totalitarian government, known as the Party, uses isolation, fear, and lies to destroy the humanity in their citizens and maintain absolute power over Oceania. The novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. By creating a totalitarian government in the novel 1984, George Orwell is able to express how important humanity is to not only Winston but also
The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. Conformity grasps the idea of accepting ideal behavior and notions. In two powerful dystopian novels, 1984 by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the main characters struggle to rise up against the standard behavior of society. However, only one succeeds, while the other accepts to conform. Both characters are similar in their desire to rebel against the masses, and in doing so, risk their lives to alter orthodox perceptions. Winston Smith and Guy Montag are alike in their characterization, but are dissimilar in their achievements. Conformity against individuality is a major theme in both books, and the protagonists
The foundation of ones autonomy consists of ones ability to think independently. As shown in George Orwell’s 1984, this ability has been stripped from the people living in their totalitarian society. In the novel, all aspects of the citizen’s lives are being influenced by the Party and Big Brother. In describing the Party’s ideology, Winston explains that “not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy” (102). Winston’s explanation of the Party and these beliefs illustrates the corruption they experience for they are unable to think for themselves and are forced to accept whatever they are told to believe. Orwell uses diction to convey a theme of totalitarianism
In George Orwell’s 1984, the government regulates the information that citizens have access to, as well as ensuring that the citizens have no knowledge of the true history or condition of the world or their own personal past. This ties into Frederick Douglass’s book, where slave owners deprive slaves of both personal knowledge and the knowledge to read and learn to ensure that slaves remain undoubtedly loyal to them, as the government did with the citizens of 1984. Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave covers his life and experiences as a slave in in the South, decades before the Civil War, including his encounters with slave owners and their attitude about educating slaves. Slave owners intentionally kept
Does one’s vote for U.S. President really count? In a U.S. Presidential Election, the American people vote for their preferred candidate; however, votes from a select group of people known as electors are the only ones that count in the election. George Orwell’s 1984 displays the dangers of giving a select group of people too much power, as it deprives the people of their voice in governmental matters. 1984 reflects how the people do not have an actual say in who becomes their leader. The Electoral College stands in the way of a true democracy in the United States; therefore, the United States needs to abolish it in order for the government to hear the voices of the American people.
Technology is overtaking society. The American poet, Allen Ginsberg, once said “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture". Many people all over the world have a piece of technology to fuse their ideas together. This is found in the author George Orwell’s 1984, Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. George Orwell’s book, 1984 warns that society should be aware of totalitarianism. People should worry about how the government abuses its power and takes away citizens' rights. In 1984, the people lost their will to fight and acted as if the society they are living in is normal, but there were only two people in 1984 who rebel against the government. However, in the modern day era, there would most
Complete government control and government spying is a fear that has been among people ever since technology has begun to advance. Totalitarian governments started to take shape in the 1930’s when there were obvious parallels between Hitler and Stalin (Gleason 150). In the 1940 's, George Orwell was one of those people in fear of rising totalitarian police states. Orwell wrote 1984 with the purpose of hoping to warn people of the dangers of the totalitarian form of government. Orwell tells the story through the life of Winston Smith and the daily oppression he goes through living in this form of government. Gorman Beauchamp describes the tone of 1984 perfectly. He says, “In 1984 Orwell provides, of course, the apotheosis of bully worship, a
1984, George Orwell’s dystopian novel provides subsantial evidence in order to infer the theme of pyschological manipulation. Orwell develops this theme in the book through the Party grasping the minds of the people of Oceania. He does so in various ways that demean them, and break them down to something less than human entirely. The Party and Big Brother manipulate the people of Oceania by changing the past, controlling people’s thoughts, and changing people’s motives; especially Winston’s.
In composing 1984, Orwell 's principle objective was to caution of the threat totalitarianism has on a society. He puts everything on the line to show the unnerving level of energy and control a totalitarian administration can obtain and keep up. In such administrations, ideas of individual rights and flexibilities and individual idea are pounded under the mighty hand of the legislature.Orwell was a Socialist and accepted undoubtedly in the potential for resistance to move society, once more and again he saw such uprisings transform out severely and shape into totalitarian run the show. In particular, Orwell saw such improvements amid his opportunity in Spain and in Russia, where he saw the ascent of socialism and the going with demolition
Although media is responsible for the longevity of totalitarian political systems, in 1984 the author, George Orwell, criticizes the influences of media in society because it has negative effects on youth, and supports the abuse of governmental power over citizens. Within the dynamics of the social environment, media is always present in life, being like parasites that live in people’s minds and feed from their ideologies. In other words, individuals are no longer allowed to regress in a kind of evolutionary scale of communication, and media discourse increases more and more. Consequently, governments take advantage of propaganda and do nothing more than expand the possibilities of political privileges, economic gains and social superiority
In the united states today the government has so much power than what people may think. They have control over innocent citizens. The kind of power the government has over us has gotten to a limit where now they know where we are at and all of our private information safe on our cell phones. George Orwell’s novel 1984 gives a great example of how the government controls the people. In the novel they tell us about the government from Oceania, and how they control every single second of the citizens’ lives. Do you think it is fair that the government has that kind of control?
A motto is essentially all-powerful. It has the ability to gain or lose support, reflect a set of values, and portray the intentions of a group of people. Some mottos are more ominous than others, which is a common theme in dystopian novels. George Orwell’s 1984 depicts the dangers and consequences of a totalitarian government. The plot follows Winston Smith, a middle-aged commoner, who is residing in Oceania or present-day Great Britain. Constant war and destruction has left The Party to rule Oceania and its inhabitants. Smith lives in a society structured from social caste, physical and mental surveillance, and loyalty to the oppressive regime. His interactions with other insurgents result in an unlikely chance for love and rebellion. At
No hope. This is the message portrayed in the novel 1984 written by George Orwell. The novel follows the story of a man named Winston who attempts to resist a totalitarian government known as the Party. In the end his efforts are futile, just as all the others before. Within the book, the Party is a well set-up government with a great future prospect. Although the novel portrays the success of the Party in 1984, it would fail definitely today. The Party is a brutal government constructed on forced compliance and torture.
Big Brother is watching you. That is what citizens of Oceania see on every street in the book 1984 by George Orwell. “1984” is about a state that is ruled by a government with total totalitarianism. Big brother, who is the leader of Oceania has eyes everywhere throughout the city with machines called Telescreens. Every citizen is under strict surveillance. Orwell is warning readers by foreshadowing what could potentially happen if citizens put too much trust towards their government.
George Orwell 's classic novel, 1984, portrays a look into the future. Set in Oceania (supposedly Britain), it emcompasses the life of an outlying civilian, Winston Smith, who stood against the dictatorial society that he lived in, dodging the many obstacles that piled before him. Despite the fact that Orwell’s 1984 was published in 1949 and centers around a tyrannical future controlled by a totalitarian regime, both the strict authoritarian society ruled by the omnipresent Big Brother and today’s modern world contain several similarities.