In 1984, the restriction of information makes the population ignorant and easy to manipulate, allowing the government to stay in control by making society conform to whatever they desire. Winston states that if there is any hope that the Party would get overthrown, “it lies in the proles” (Orwell 208). However, Proles are unable to revolt against their government because they are too ignorant to question the Party’s authority. The Party uses “prolefeed” (Orwell 201) to control the population with a constant supply of entertainment and spurious news, which fills their mental horizon. Along with a lack of knowledge that keeps them from organizing themselves or questioning the powers that oppress them, the Proles are unable to rise up and overthrow the authoritarian regime, demonstrating the party slogan, “Ignorance is Strength” (Orwell 3).
1) “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy” This is at the time when Winston was looking at marvels as well as a children’s history book at the Party’s control of the mind. This quote explains one of the main themes of the story;manipulation.
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter”.-George Washington. Although the dystopian world of George Orwell 's 1984 does not have any laws, it doesn 't make it free. People are constantly being monitored by telescreens and their own children, they are punished for even thinking something remotely negative or expressing emotions, and they are brainwashed into thinking that their oppressors are helping them and giving them more than what they need. Freedom is having the ability to think for yourself and express your opinions. First of all the people in 1984 are constantly being monitored by telescreens and even their own children.
A Dark World Ahead of Us The further development of technology together with media has led to a society getting closer and closer to that of the world portrayed in George Orwell’s 1984. A world in which everything people do is monitored and controlled is something of a nightmare; but just how similar may our two nations be? Many would think that it would be inscrutable for a society to fall so low as to succumb to complete and utter brainwashing. 1984’s Ministry of Truth is similar to the media manipulation within the United States of America because they are both influenced by those holding power, have bias views towards those they dislike, and are able to control the opinions and information given to society.
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,” The Ministry of Truth is in charge of all news that is released to the people of Oceania. They only release news that will make the party look good. Making the people believe that Big Brother is looking out for them. When they actually are just giving fake results to the people. "Citizens of Airstrip One are forced to live with less food, they are told that they are being given more than ever and, by and large, they believe it.
He hopes that people will rebel and stop believing and listening to the party's ideas. Winstions thought of rebellion and the party being taken begins with the proles. As Winston thinks that along with his journal and trying to expose the lies of the Ministry of truth that if the proles come together they could maybe overthrow the party. Winston writes “If there was hope, it must lie in the proles, because only there, in those swarming disregarded masses, 85 percent of the population of Oceania, could the force to destroy the Party ever be generated.” (Orwell 72)
14. Following his capture in Mr. Charrington’s spare room, Winston undergoes a process of “philosophical cleansing” and re-education against which he valiantly, but unsuccessfully fights. Discuss Winston’s “capitulation” at the hands of O’Brien. How is Winston brought to “love Big Brother?” In sacrificing Julia, how has Winston, in essence, signaled his own end?
Joseph Goebbels once said,”Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their freewill”. This statement is proven to be true in 1984. The author, George Orwell, creates a fictional dystopian society in which the population is manipulated into thinking they live in a great world, whereas the government has full control over them. In 1984, George Orwell’s prime message, supported by the article called Liberty in North Korea by Hae Re, was the lack of individualism gives power to the applicable leader, which is conveyed using the characters speech and symbolism. Orwell’s dystopian society showed the author 's message through what a character was saying and symbolism.
“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” In a world like 1984’s, reality is subjective and freedom is non existent. This is a concept hard to grasp because what is known is concrete and can not be changed. If looked at very closely, is it possible that one person or a group of people could manipulate the media to convince a whole people that what was known as concrete is now just a concept?
As history has shown, sometimes all it takes is one person to turn a country on its head. Sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes it bares the worst. Under the all controlling hand of the government there are always a few people that do their best to slip through the fingertips. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, that someone is Winston Smith and he is barely safe in his own mind. A government that values the people’s ignorance to their situation has little good to say about someone that feels differently than the majority.
Dreams: The Exploration of Winston’s Inner Feelings In works of literature, dreams are often used to foreshadow future events or to reveal the major theme of the literature. In the case of George Orwell’s 1984, Orwell uses dreams to reveal Winston Smith’s psychological trauma and inner feelings. Orwell uses Winston’s dreams to uncover his disturbing past and to connect his inner feelings to a theme of connection.
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.
In 1984, a dystopian novel written by George Orwell, proles are represented as being generally incompetent in the ability to think and rebel against their stolen rights. However, as the story progresses, Winston comes to a realization that proles are the only ones with the character of human beings and the strength to gain consciousness to overthrow the party. Through this characterization of the proles, Orwell satirizes the detrimental effects of Stalin’s totalitarian government in employing total control and perpetual surveillance of the people in USSR to maintain an established hierarchy. The nature of how the system views the proles is clearly visible through the treatment and description of the proles in the eyes of Winston.
In 1984, George Orwell writes about a dystopian society called Oceania with a totalitarian government. Winston, the main character, is an Outer Party member and works for the government who is under the rule of “Big Brother” and the Inner Party. The Party’s purpose is to rule Oceania with absolutism and have control over its citizens by using propaganda, censorship, and the brainwashing of children. Today, many modern-day countries use these techniques to maintain their power including: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Nazi Germany. First, North Korea and Oceania use propaganda to encourage patriotism to make themselves look better to citizens in order to keep a totalitarian rule.
Our history or our past is what defines our existence in the present. It decides what measures we should take to safeguard our future. Through history we identify with who we are, where we come from and what defines us as a person. Take our history away from us and we are left alienated and confined to a world that is meaningless. George Orwell 's novel 1984 is a 20th century political novel, that depicts a dystopian society built on a totalitarian ideology.
