The living conditions of North Korea are very controlled. George Orwell’s 1984 is a novel that is very similar to the reality of North Korea. Orwell’s vision of Oceania involved almost complete control over the people with absolute compliance, which is strangely similar to the ruling system North Korea is currently using. There are many similar examples of concepts such as the Ministry of Love and thoughtcrime. In 1984, there are many examples of Big Brother using power over citizens to achieve his goals. There is a lot of propaganda in both cases; in 1984’s case, Oceania uses propaganda to confirm loyalty to Big Brother, and North Korea uses propaganda to glorify the Kim dynasty. There are many actions that North Korea and the novel 1984 share,
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For full control of the people, 1984 uses propaganda to make people believe that their ruler is better than anyone else in the world. To do this, they use signs that contain their slogans “Peace is war. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength (Orwell 4)” all over their country. Along with this, they host a two minutes hate every day, where everyone becomes mad for two minutes and then goes back to normal. They are also at war with Eurasia and Eastasia, switching at times. “The enemy of the moment always represented absolute evil, and it followed that any past or future agreement with him was impossible. (Orwell, 34)” This quote, though from 1984, perfectly describes both the situation of North Korea with America, and Oceania with Eurasia and Eastasia in 1984. In North Korea, people aren’t allowed to learn English because from birth they are taught to hate Americans. In 1984, there are also public executions, like when “some Eurasian prisoners, guilty of war crimes, were [going] to be hanged in the park that evening [...].[It] happened once a month, and was a popular spectacle. Children always clamored to be taken to see it. (Orwell, 23)” In North Korea, public executions are also done with a big crowd. Lee Hyeonseo, a refugee of North Korea, saw her first public execution when she was only seven. The thing is that at the time, she thought that they were doing the right thing, because that’s what they were taught. Even in school the North Korean children learn history, and it describes how many “sacrifices” the government made for the people, basically glorifying Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. Along with this, there are various classes. There is the core, and their living conditions were decent, along with their treatment. This class is very similar to the Inner Party in 1984, because they are trusted, and they are treated well. The next class is the
For full control of the people, 1984 uses propaganda to make people believe that their ruler is better than anyone else in the world. To do this, they use signs that contain their slogans “Peace is war. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength (Orwell 4)” all over their country. Along with this, they host a two minutes hate every day, where everyone becomes mad for two minutes and then goes back to normal. They are also at war with Eurasia and Eastasia, switching at times. “The enemy of the moment always represented absolute evil, and it followed that any past or future agreement with him was impossible. (Orwell, 34)” This quote, though from 1984, perfectly describes both the situation of North Korea with America, and Oceania with Eurasia and Eastasia in 1984. In North Korea, people aren’t allowed to learn English because from birth they are taught to hate Americans. In 1984, there are also public executions, like when “some Eurasian prisoners, guilty of war crimes, were [going] to be hanged in the park that evening [...].[It] happened once a month, and was a popular spectacle. Children always clamored to be taken to see it. (Orwell, 23)” In North Korea, public executions are also done with a big crowd. Lee Hyeonseo, a refugee of North Korea, saw her first public execution when she was only seven. The thing is that at the time, she thought that they were doing the right thing, because that’s what they were taught. Even in school the North Korean children learn history, and it describes how many “sacrifices” the government made for the people, basically glorifying Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. Along with this, there are various classes. There is the core, and their living conditions were decent, along with their treatment. This class is very similar to the Inner Party in 1984, because they are trusted, and they are treated well. The next class is the