Ronald Reagan once said the government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives. In 1949 George Orwell was extremely disturbed by the potential state of the world with intense government involvement, and expressed his emotional disquiet through writing. In the novel 1984, Orwell portrays an all ruling totalitarian government to indicate that a modern day government similar to the communist and fascist regimes of his time with absolute power is a dismal possibility for the future. With use of the Party’s techniques of control such as: the exploitation of technology, control of information, language used as mind control and psychological manipulation, Orwell warns readers of the dangers of totalitarianism.
Orwell portrays …show more content…
For example, one of the Party’s most prominent slogan reads: “who controls the past controls the future” (18). This important technique used by the Party breaks down the physiological independence of its subjects with strict control of information and written history, in order to justify future goals. This mind twisting technique of truth and untruth is an allusion to the adamant censorship of Stalinist Russia, and used by Orwell to display the dismal futures of totalitarian regimes. Furthermore, while frustrated after a dead end conversation with an old man, Winston realizes altered history has to be accepted “because there did not exist a standard that could stand against it” (56). The Party’s altered past becomes the truth, and there is no evidence to disprove it. This utter control of information is used to convey that totalitarian governments have the potential to become extremely dangerous. Finally, after receiving an influx of information about all the improvements the Party brought to Oceania, Winston skeptically notes that “not a word of it could be proved or disproved. In Oceania, the Party’s word is law because there are no resources to disprove it; the Party takes full advantage of this to spout propaganda causing to the citizens to believe they are …show more content…
For example, all around London is a poster of Big Brother reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (2). The warmth of Big Brothers name suggests protection, while simultaneously being an open threat to the citizens of Oceania. This fear mongering is used by the Party as a method of control exemplifies the negative characteristics of totalitarian regimes. Furthermore, the Party channels people’s pent up emotions into “uncontrollable exclamations of rage” and hatred directed at the Party’s enemies during the Two Minutes Hate everyday. This rage inducing propaganda guarantees that citizens remain loyal to the Party while hating the enemies of the state. This method was used by totalitarian regimes of Orwell’s time on a smaller scale, and is a warning to western society of the dangers of totalitarianism. Finally, after being whacked in the head by one Mrs. Parsons children, who were involved in “such organizations as the spies”, Winston bitterly denounces them as “ungovernable little savages” who “adored the Party” and “would be watching [Mrs. Parsons] day and night for symptoms of unorthodoxy” (24). The Party has been training children to act as spies to their parents, and have completely brainwashed them as a method of control. This is an allusion to the Hitler Youth of Nazi Germany; but in 1984 is pm a much broader scale
Orwell portrays …show more content…
For example, one of the Party’s most prominent slogan reads: “who controls the past controls the future” (18). This important technique used by the Party breaks down the physiological independence of its subjects with strict control of information and written history, in order to justify future goals. This mind twisting technique of truth and untruth is an allusion to the adamant censorship of Stalinist Russia, and used by Orwell to display the dismal futures of totalitarian regimes. Furthermore, while frustrated after a dead end conversation with an old man, Winston realizes altered history has to be accepted “because there did not exist a standard that could stand against it” (56). The Party’s altered past becomes the truth, and there is no evidence to disprove it. This utter control of information is used to convey that totalitarian governments have the potential to become extremely dangerous. Finally, after receiving an influx of information about all the improvements the Party brought to Oceania, Winston skeptically notes that “not a word of it could be proved or disproved. In Oceania, the Party’s word is law because there are no resources to disprove it; the Party takes full advantage of this to spout propaganda causing to the citizens to believe they are …show more content…
For example, all around London is a poster of Big Brother reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (2). The warmth of Big Brothers name suggests protection, while simultaneously being an open threat to the citizens of Oceania. This fear mongering is used by the Party as a method of control exemplifies the negative characteristics of totalitarian regimes. Furthermore, the Party channels people’s pent up emotions into “uncontrollable exclamations of rage” and hatred directed at the Party’s enemies during the Two Minutes Hate everyday. This rage inducing propaganda guarantees that citizens remain loyal to the Party while hating the enemies of the state. This method was used by totalitarian regimes of Orwell’s time on a smaller scale, and is a warning to western society of the dangers of totalitarianism. Finally, after being whacked in the head by one Mrs. Parsons children, who were involved in “such organizations as the spies”, Winston bitterly denounces them as “ungovernable little savages” who “adored the Party” and “would be watching [Mrs. Parsons] day and night for symptoms of unorthodoxy” (24). The Party has been training children to act as spies to their parents, and have completely brainwashed them as a method of control. This is an allusion to the Hitler Youth of Nazi Germany; but in 1984 is pm a much broader scale