A government that controls every aspect of life is known as a totalitarian government. The Nazi regime in Germany is a prime example of a totalitarian government. However, even a government that has an abundance of power and influence often fails, just as the Nazi regime failed in the early nineteen hundreds. Additionally, if or when this type of government determines social class and manipulates the language simultaneously, it can truly pose a great threat to the future population and their society. In 1984, George Orwell showcases the threat of a dystopian future to warn the readers that: society is looming towards a dystopian future if the creation and implementation of a totalitarian government is accompanied by a government that determines
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In the novel, 1984, there are three different social classes: the Inner Party, Outer Party and the Proles, the highest class being the Inner Party and lowest class being the Proles, which leaves the Outer Party as the middle class. Contrariwise, there is a higher power than the Inner Party. Big Brother, who is not only omnipresent and always “…WACTHING YOU”, but is also the superior being above all in terms of social class (Orwell 2). The government determines the social class of each individual by examining his or her intelligence. Individuals that are more intelligent have more meaningful jobs, and are typically in the smaller percentage of the population who reside in the Inner or Outer Party. Less intelligent individuals have simple jobs that require less cognitive function, and are typically in the larger percentage, also known as the Proles. Likewise, the Proles class itself, is ironic because the Proles make up 85 percent of the population of Oceania and have more than enough manpower to successfully rebel against the Inner Party and Big Brother, but they could never accomplish such an undertaking, because they cannot “gather in numbers larger than twos and threes” to meditate on the fact that their society is corrupt (Orwell …show more content…
Newspeak is set as the new, official version of the “old” English language in Oceania (Orwell 4). In Illuminations, Kellner explains that Newspeak is employed so “…an individual could not even think critical or subversive thoughts” that would defy the Party’s slogan: “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGHT” (Orwell 4). The Party’s slogan directly correlates to the government’s manipulation of the language, because each line is an oxymoron that the government forces the individual to learn, understand, and accept. Nonetheless, this creates a paradox. Each statement is an oxymoron because each statement contains the words: war, freedom, and ignorance, which are typically not used to literally describe the words: peace, slavery, and strength, respectively (Kellner). The paradox can be interpreted by understanding each statement separately. The first line: “WAR IS PEACE” describes two situations. The first situation: war brings about peace describes a nation that went to war to stop terrorism, or to end a reason for trepidation. The second situation: during war, peace is reached throughout the nation describes a nation at war and everyone bands together and a sense of patriotism sweeps the nation. The next, line: “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY” describes the second part of the paradox where a free individual is likely to fail in
In the novel, 1984, there are three different social classes: the Inner Party, Outer Party and the Proles, the highest class being the Inner Party and lowest class being the Proles, which leaves the Outer Party as the middle class. Contrariwise, there is a higher power than the Inner Party. Big Brother, who is not only omnipresent and always “…WACTHING YOU”, but is also the superior being above all in terms of social class (Orwell 2). The government determines the social class of each individual by examining his or her intelligence. Individuals that are more intelligent have more meaningful jobs, and are typically in the smaller percentage of the population who reside in the Inner or Outer Party. Less intelligent individuals have simple jobs that require less cognitive function, and are typically in the larger percentage, also known as the Proles. Likewise, the Proles class itself, is ironic because the Proles make up 85 percent of the population of Oceania and have more than enough manpower to successfully rebel against the Inner Party and Big Brother, but they could never accomplish such an undertaking, because they cannot “gather in numbers larger than twos and threes” to meditate on the fact that their society is corrupt (Orwell …show more content…
Newspeak is set as the new, official version of the “old” English language in Oceania (Orwell 4). In Illuminations, Kellner explains that Newspeak is employed so “…an individual could not even think critical or subversive thoughts” that would defy the Party’s slogan: “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGHT” (Orwell 4). The Party’s slogan directly correlates to the government’s manipulation of the language, because each line is an oxymoron that the government forces the individual to learn, understand, and accept. Nonetheless, this creates a paradox. Each statement is an oxymoron because each statement contains the words: war, freedom, and ignorance, which are typically not used to literally describe the words: peace, slavery, and strength, respectively (Kellner). The paradox can be interpreted by understanding each statement separately. The first line: “WAR IS PEACE” describes two situations. The first situation: war brings about peace describes a nation that went to war to stop terrorism, or to end a reason for trepidation. The second situation: during war, peace is reached throughout the nation describes a nation at war and everyone bands together and a sense of patriotism sweeps the nation. The next, line: “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY” describes the second part of the paradox where a free individual is likely to fail in