• Home Page
  • Big Brother Is Watching By George Orwell Analysis

Big Brother Is Watching By George Orwell Analysis

Improved Essays
Show More
When you feel like you’re being watched, it’s only an irrational thought. However, in 1984, a novel by George Orwell, this thought is not only known, but a daily occurrence simply because you are being watched at all times. Throughout the story, the protagonist, Winston Smith, comes across many posters claiming “Big Brother is watching” and the truth of it is that he is. Whether it be through telescreens or the Thought Police, Big Brother is always watching and ready to reprimand those who defy the will of the Party. Big Brother’s existence is an important for the Party to have because it not only gives a face for it’s citizens to love, but a face for it’s enemies to fear.
Big Brother is to Winston what the Christian God is to Atheists. An omnipotent being that controls the weak-minded by shaming sex, and unfavorable behaviors. By this definition, Big Brother’s role in the book is God. An example of this is both the Party and the Catholic Church condemn recreational sex. It is strictly procreation and even then it’s still frowned upon. The Party even created their own “Junior Anti-Sex League” which is …show more content…
O’Brien responds “Of course not. How could he die” (Orwell, 260). As far as we know, no human is immortal, therefore, we know Big Brother isn’t real only because he can’t die. So why have Big Brother be the embodiment of the Party if he doesn’t exist? Simply because the people need a face to cheer for. Big Brother symbolizes the Party and all it stands for. So when Winston is brought to the Ministry of Peace for brainwashing he must learn to love Big Brother again. The most suitable person for this task was O’Brien. Winston came to adore O’Brien very quickly because he saw him as his intellectual equal. This contrasts his view of Big Brother in which Winston looks to him in fear as well as curiosity. As Winston mentions, he is curious to what is behind the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    What Is Winston's Purpose In The Novel 1984
    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Is Winston's Purpose In The Novel 1984

    In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, one man by the name of Winston is caught in what seems to be a human drive to escape the power of Big Bother as he wonders why the government works behind closed doors and separates in different ministries such as the ministry of love, peace, plenty, and truth. His mentality is that people need to know what is going on outside of Oceania, and that history is not controlled by superiors in the government, but through its original author. In this regard, Winston is an outcast because he thinks differently from everyone else. He also believes in independence and that everyone should be their own individual, not a marionette. This paper will summarize the struggle that Winston faces to ultimately tries fulfill…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    1984 Dialectical Journal
    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages

    1984 Dialectical Journal

    Name: Cory Gotchall Dater: October 10, 2017 Period: 2nd Journal Analysis In the beginning of the book Winston Smith, the main character, arrives at his apartment. As Winston walks in the hallway, sidewalk, or anywhere the sign Big Brother Is Watching You is literally everywhere. I’m assuming “Big Brother” is the government watching over the “Little Brother” or better known as Winston. As I continue to read and get a better understanding of Winston I can pick up that he is grim and totalitarian.…

    • 1545 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Essay Comparing 1984 And Metropolis
    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay Comparing 1984 And Metropolis

    Its misuse essentially eliminates any possibilities for individual free thinking .In the novel the ultimate symbols of power are Big Brother and The Party. This symbol strikes both loyalty and fear in the people. They worship this icon, but are continually kept afraid of his power. His existence is never confirmed, but as long as the Oceanian society gives into their fears, he can never die and will act as an embodiment of the party inevitably.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Canteen Eighty-Four 1984
    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Canteen Eighty-Four 1984

    O’Brien asks Winston and Julia if they want to join the Brotherhood (a group of rebels that work against Big Brother) and if they are willing take all the risk just for the Brotherhood. At this point, Winston is still full of hope; hope to get his freedom back and live without the oppression of the government. However, it turns out that O’Brien had simply played with Winston, and reported everything that he did as a member of a Thoughtpolice, and arrested him and Julia. He tortures Winston and completely wipe out his emotions and thoughts in slow steps and fills it back with the love of Big Brother. In the process, Winston betrays Julia by asking O’Brien to torture her instead himself.…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    How Did George Orwell Become Terrorized In 1984
    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did George Orwell Become Terrorized In 1984

    He is a reminder to everyone to be loyal to the party and that he is watching every move they make, which generates paranoia in the novel. Big Brother is “Capable by the mere power of his voice of wrecking the structure of civilization”(Orwell 15). He possesses the power to make them feel guilty if they turn against the party and prevents them from doing so in the first place. “But the face of Big Brother seemed to persist for several seconds”(Orwell 16). During the two minutes of hate, Big Brothers face terrorizes the people even…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Paradox The Party Mottos In George Orwell's '
    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Paradox The Party Mottos In George Orwell's '

    Moment with Page Number 1 Quotation to Support Moment Literary Device Significance/Connection to Universal Theme (2-3 sentences) “From where Winston stood it was just possible to read, picked out on its white face in elegant lettering, the three slogans of the Party: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell 4). Paradox The Party mottos clearly indicate the theme of description of totalitarian methods. The Party mottos are paradoxes according to modern day society; however, this is exactly how the government of Oceania maintains its power over its citizens.…

    • 1182 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Examples Of Heroism In 1984
    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Examples Of Heroism In 1984

    In the beginning, he holds strong beliefs about his society and writes such things as “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (Orwell, 20) in his secret journal. However, the thought police are eventually able to break him down. The last words of the novel consist of this haunting phrase, “He loved Big Brother” (Orwell, 311), which shows how much Winston’s character has changed due to the government’s power. This ending evokes the feeling in readers that there is no way to rise above an authority that possesses so much control over its citizens.…

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    The Modern Day Totalitarian Society In George Orwell's 1984
    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Modern Day Totalitarian Society In George Orwell's 1984

    Everything that happens in the story leads to the final line: “He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother” (245). The Party has figured that the only way any man, including Winston, could love Big Brother unconditionally is if every other sort of natural love is destroyed. Orwell warns about the future of man who is destined to lose his individuality without love and loyalty. Family, sex, and love are the anchors that hold the emotions of human essence to our individual…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Examples Of Heroism In 1984
    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Heroism In 1984

    While working in the Ministry of Truth, Winston comes across rumors of corruption and lies within the Party. Because of this, Winston begins to constantly rebel against the Party. First he purchases a diary in the prole district and then undertakes the risky act of writing down his hate for Big Brother and the Party. Just by opening the diary, Winston could get in a lot of trouble, but he had the gut to write down his illegal thoughts and feelings. He repeatedly writes “Down with Big Brother” (Orwell 18).…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    The Importance Of Big Brother In 1984
    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Importance Of Big Brother In 1984

    Winston is an everyday man, a blue-collar worker, who works for the government like so many other men of his age and social status. However there is one significant difference that makes Winston special. He, unlike most other people, has a deep hatred for Big Brother and is not blinded by the propaganda that surrounds everyone at all times. He has decided that this life cannot go on, living in constant fear of “Big Brother” and the “Thought Police”. His first diary entry marks the beginning of his attempt to bring change and revolution to Airstrip One.…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Analysis Of George Orwell's 'Big Brother Is Shining You'
    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Analysis Of George Orwell's 'Big Brother Is Shining You'

    “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 4) This is one of George Orwell’s famous quotes from the book, 1984. Orwell wrote this book to give awareness about totalitarianism and communism. Hitler was able to captured millions of people to follow his lead by his false hopes for them. This gives an example of the ways the people in the book were living at Airstrip One, Oceania Mainland, with fear and imitation.…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Winston's Rebellion Against The Party
    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On Winston's Rebellion Against The Party

    Winston smith rebels against the party as he has a love affair with Julia, rents Mr.Charrington's, wants to join the brotherhood, and buys a paperweight. To begin, Julia and Winston's relationship are a form of "ownlife"(Orwell 82) which is a direct rebellion against the party. The “sex instinct [creates] a world of its own which [is] outside the Party's control and which therefore [has] to be destroyed if possible. ”(Orwell 132-133).Winston and Julia engage in a powerful political act that Winston considers to be a “blow struck against the Party” (Orwell 126). Therefore, for Winston and Julia, the act of having sex is an emotional release which helps them rebel against the Party.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Individuality In Dystopian Literature
    • 1607 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Individuality In Dystopian Literature

    Even so, he recognizes the manipulation Big Brother uses and rebels. While both characters possess these similar attributes, only one individual succeeds in conquering oppression, and the other is forced to conform to what is orthodox. Though Winston is defiant, his mentality is not strong enough to endure the torture and manipulation that follows after he is caught. O’Brien, the man in whom Winston puts his faith, forces Winston’s mind to obey him by means of physical and mental torment. In the end, Winston really believes that he loves Big Brother, and once again becomes one like the masses.…

    • 1607 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Propaganda In 1984 By George Orwell
    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Propaganda In 1984 By George Orwell

    The Party appears to be inescapable in the world of 1984 as the outreach of the Party makes the Party to be as “[acceptable] as something unalterable, like the sky”, as every citizen of Oceania can see the face of Big Brother, the beloved figure for the Party, and he can most certainly see them back through the technology of the telescreen which is a part of every Party member’s lives (Orwell 181). The words “Big Brother is Watching You” are emblazoned on “coins, on the covers of books, on banners, on posters, and on the wrapping of cigarette packages” and “always the eyes [of Big Brother are] watching [the people of Oceania] and the voice [of ‘Him’ is always] enveloping [them]...” (Orwell 27). Big Brother, in this sense, is ever present in their lives. He is the only certainty in their ever changing and war riddled world; they…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Big Brother Is Watching By George Orwell
    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Big Brother Is Watching By George Orwell

    Big Brother is watching In George Orwell's book "1984", he wrote about a world where not only the words you spoke, but also your movements and even your facial expressions could be monitored. You were not safe in the streets, work, or even your own apartment. Does this sound familiar?…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings