Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1984, is a dystopian novel written by English author George Orwell and published in 1949. It is one of the great classic books that leave the reader thinking about the concepts of life and society as a whole. The book presents a world divided into three superpowers known as Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. These three superstates are engaged in an air-tight, never ending war in an attempt for world dominance which would never be achieved. Despite their geographical and cultural differences, the three superpowers share the same philosophies of controlling and manipulating their nations. The war is a complicated game consisting of endless maneuvers, betrayals and constant changing alliances between each side. However, the …show more content…
The Party wants power for its own sake and by any means no matter how cruel and inhuman they are. The Party doesn’t recognize family as a concept and only demands loyalty towards the Party. The elite control everything including past, present, and future. History is manipulated, documents are fabricated and human identities are removed if necessary. Some may ask what the end goal is. The answer is complicated and worthwhile consideration. Power is good for achieving ideas, reaching people, making money, influencing or controlling others. Leaders strive for power, but many maybe haven’t thought of the reason behind their ambitions. “Power by itself is nothing if one doesn’t know how to use it properly. Leaders can also become “intoxicated” by power – engaging in wrong behaviour simply because they can get away with it” (Riggio, 2009). Power brings responsibilities and moral duty to take the right courses of action. With the wrong mindset, power could be destructive and may only result in negative action. Having a constructive mindset, on the other hand, could lead to many good deeds that move humanity forward. In 1984, the Party achieves its purposes by using fear, oppression, and physical torture, but without these factors the Party would have no power. Achieving power is not respectable by itself before looking at the means it has been
I feel that most of the time the person doesn’t control the power, but the power controls the person. Traits come along with the power that can turn someone to their dark side. As we saw in Montana 1948, having power brings the worst out in people and causes devastating conflict, if they do not use it
Thomas Hobbes once said that “curiosity is the lust of the mind”; that humans naturally gravitate towards knowing more of the unknown out of pure desire. In the context of power, this statement could not be any more truer. In history, we have seen countless examples of power-hungry figures who have only been detrimental to their societies. The Mussolinis and Maos of this world have proven time and time again that the desire to elevate one’s status of power ends more often than not in terrible consequences. The increase in party polarization that the United States sees today can be linked to a power-hungry society.
Many a literary critic claims that the strongest aspect of the book 1984 by George Orwell is its plot. Indeed, there is some merit in this conclusion, as the entire purpose of Orwell’s writing of this book was not to create a literary classic, but to warn the public about the dangers of communism if it got out of hand, and what better way to do this than to write an engaging plot? Others may claim that 1984’s greatest strength is in its character development. This aspect, too, is quite strong in the book, as not only are the minor characters effected in serving the dystopian theme, but the major characters are believable and very human in their failings. Winston’s transformation from an oppressed office worker to revolutionary and finally
In 1984, does the party have good intentions for the people or did they yearn and long for power? In Orwell's “1984” Big Brother and the party have a grip hold over the civilians. They make sure they are the ones who hold all of the power and partake in unwaiverly actions. In Orwell's 1984 the government's intentions are in ways hungry for power, narcissistic, and unjust.
Dystopian texts espouse a variety of didactic messages that depend significantly upon both the context and zeitgeist of the time in which they were created. Differences can be found when comparing the techniques and perspectives the authors have chosen to represent their contextual concerns to audiences. Together both Fritz Lang’s silent black and white film ‘Metropolis’ 1927 and George Orwell’s novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ (*referred to as 1984) 1948, confront and provoke audiences to consider the impact that (abusive power + unquestionable control= insert question statement) can have not only on the characters in these two texts, but also on the cultural and political lives of the reader and viewer. By subjugating & dehumanising the lower classes, dictators are
The words of the Party’s doctrine cause a more painful effect than physical control because it has lasting outcome that destroys the citizens psychologically. By the Party falsifying history and making contradictions to reality, it makes its citizens suffer using mind control. In George Orwell’s 1984, the government uses both psychological manipulation and physical control to control its citizens, although psychological manipulation is more effective and can be a result of physical control. Psychological manipulation is “a type of social influence that aims to change the behavior or perception of others through abusive, deceptive, or underhanded tactics”(Lieurance 2). Slogans, mind control, propaganda, and psychological pain that stems from physical torture are all examples of psychological manipulation in 1984.
It leads to forms of,"despotism that has committed the most horrible excesses for many centuries in different countries. That domination leads to a more visible and permanent despotism, because the disorders and miseries of that predispose the spirit to seek safety and rest in the absolute power of an individual; and, sooner or later, the head of some, skillful or more fortunate than his rivals, eventually seize this inclination to raise tempers its power on the ruins of public liberty, "dominant sector. To conclude on this observation, the party spirit should never entirely be extinguished, but it must be under constant surveillance for its flames are devouring instead of
Freedom is when you are able to do what you want, when you want, being worry and trouble free. In George Orwell 's book, 1984, some of the characters, like Winston, do not have freedom due to the fear instilled by the Thought Police. The Thought Police, which are affiliated with The Party, prevent the occurrence of Thoughtcrime, much like the law enforcement system system in the United States. The Party they choose for Winston a career that he might or might not be suited for. He is not even able to pursue a marriage partner that he wants to spend his life with, The Party chooses for him.
Another reminder that is always around is “Big Brother is Watching You.” O’Brien says, “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing,” and this describes how much power can do to a person. The Party’s goal is to create a Utopian society, which means no one is allowed to be themselves, so people are required to do what the Party believes is right. The Party does not tolerate people who cannot follow their commands, so, “Your name was removed from the registers… You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word.” The Party strives for a perfect society in which they believe is being the same as each other.
(Orwell 193). They want to eliminate individual freedom and thoughts for good. This essay confirms Orwell’s warnings because they have fixed their own “truths” just to abide by the government and their lies. People’s love for the Party was very strong they took back their statements and described them as mistakes, justifying the government. In Nineteen Eighty – Four Julia says “It’s always one bloody war after another, and one knows the news is all lies anyways” (Orwell
In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, he uses truth and reality as a theme throughout the novel to demonstrate the acts of betrayal and loyalty through the characters of Winston and Julia. Orwell expresses these themes through the Party, who controls and brainwashes the citizens of Oceania. The party is able to control its citizens through “Big Brother,” a fictional character who is the leader of Oceania. Big Brother is used to brainwash the citizens into whatever he says. Orwell uses truth and reality in this book to reflect on what has happened in the real world such as the Holocaust and slavery.
This is a literary analysis on the novel 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 is a more recent classic dystopian novel. Written in 1949, it's based in the future year of what is presumed to be 1984. It focuses on the life of Winston Smith, a member of the newly established Party that rules over a territory called Oceania and that is led by a man called Big Brother. This novel provides a rather frightening insight into a dystopian socialist environment.
Those whom are part of the inner party are constantly surveillanced and kept “wealthy”. 1984 is effective because the higher class gets privileges that the middle and low income don’t have. It also thrives to predict how the party and current government rises in power and the poor stay poor. Yet, it fails to accurately suggest that
Power can have the persuasive action in undoing the moral ethics of one’s character. This can be seen throughout history, such as World War II and proven by the actions of Napoleon in the allegory, Animal Farm, by George Orwell. As Lord Acton said “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In history what was viewed as a villain, is never the same as the perception. A leader does not begin wanting to do wrong, they start with the best intentions, but power is a tricky thing.
Title: The title is 1984. It sparks my interest because it is so simple and after reading the book I see how well it correlates with the story. Author: The author is George Orwell, and I have not read any other works by him. Type of Book: This book is fiction.