Abuse Of Power In George Orwell's 1984

George Orwell’s classic science fiction novel 1984 opens in April, 1984, in the dystopian, tyrannical nation of Oceania, the world’s new superpower post World War II (it is constantly combatting two other rival powers, Eurasia and Eastasia; when it is at war with one it is allied with the other for a temporary period of time). We are first introduced to the protagonist, Winston Smith, a somewhat sickly, frail, anxious, and gloomy man of 39, who is going back to his apartment, located in Airstrip One, formerly known as London, for lunch. In his apartment, and in every living space in Oceania, there is a device known as a telescreen that the government uses to carefully monitor the thoughts, actions, and even heart rate of every citizen. The device must be kept on all day and constantly shows propaganda and fabricated statistics that glorify and attest to the power of the Oceanian state. …show more content…
Newspeak is the official language of Oceania and is English written in a different way with reduced vocabulary, so that word choice is too limited, eliminating potential thoughts of rebellion in the minds of citizens. The Ministry of Peace, despite its name, is responsible for waging war; the Ministry of Plenty deals with rationing and providing false statistics related to production and manufacturing, and finally, the dreaded Ministry of Love, which tortures political prisoners, such as thought-criminals, or people who support revolutionary or radical