Oppression in Dystopias
In a dystopian society, the common people are abused of their human rights by a corrupt government that oppresses every aspect of their lives. People are persuaded to support or forced to rebel. In George Orwell’s novel 1984; the protagonist Winston tries to rebel against his oppressive government in Oceania, but fails and ironically becomes fully loyal. Differently, in Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale the main character, Offred, lives in a post-apocalyptic United States society named Gilead; she is oppressed of her personal life as she is a handmaid and must birth the children of the commander she is assigned. Although Orwell’s 1984 describes the life of a rebel turned loyal and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale …show more content…
Winston, like the rest of the population, is prohibited from talking to others of opposite sex or form any sort of compassionate relationship with each other. As O’Brien speaks with Winston he says, “There will be no loyalty, except the loyalty to the party” and “There will be no love, except the love for Big Brother”(3.3.34, O’Brien). O’Brien makes it clear to the readers that the citizens of Oceania cannot form a love web of their own. Citizens are controlled in many aspects, but love is a very personal emotion that cannot be naturally contained, therefore they must be brainwashed or frightened in some way. Winston reveals his rebellion when Julia leaves him a love message and he takes it rather than reporting her action; he also shows his growing attraction for her. This leaves Winston with a dilemma that will come back and make him choose a …show more content…
They use propaganda on a daily basis in order to maintain loyalty throughout the nation. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth and his party slogan states, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”(1.3). The Ministry of Truth is in charge of maintaining a stable story of how Oceania came to be and formulating a justification for the actions pf the government.The slogan that Winston reads is true because if history is rewritten, and taught to generations, there is no way of proving if it is inaccurate. Winston is aware that there is a war going on, but the entire population believes they are at peace because of what the government has taught
In a dystopian society, the common people are abused of their human rights by a corrupt government that oppresses every aspect of their lives. People are persuaded to support or forced to rebel. In George Orwell’s novel 1984; the protagonist Winston tries to rebel against his oppressive government in Oceania, but fails and ironically becomes fully loyal. Differently, in Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale the main character, Offred, lives in a post-apocalyptic United States society named Gilead; she is oppressed of her personal life as she is a handmaid and must birth the children of the commander she is assigned. Although Orwell’s 1984 describes the life of a rebel turned loyal and Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale …show more content…
Winston, like the rest of the population, is prohibited from talking to others of opposite sex or form any sort of compassionate relationship with each other. As O’Brien speaks with Winston he says, “There will be no loyalty, except the loyalty to the party” and “There will be no love, except the love for Big Brother”(3.3.34, O’Brien). O’Brien makes it clear to the readers that the citizens of Oceania cannot form a love web of their own. Citizens are controlled in many aspects, but love is a very personal emotion that cannot be naturally contained, therefore they must be brainwashed or frightened in some way. Winston reveals his rebellion when Julia leaves him a love message and he takes it rather than reporting her action; he also shows his growing attraction for her. This leaves Winston with a dilemma that will come back and make him choose a …show more content…
They use propaganda on a daily basis in order to maintain loyalty throughout the nation. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth and his party slogan states, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past”(1.3). The Ministry of Truth is in charge of maintaining a stable story of how Oceania came to be and formulating a justification for the actions pf the government.The slogan that Winston reads is true because if history is rewritten, and taught to generations, there is no way of proving if it is inaccurate. Winston is aware that there is a war going on, but the entire population believes they are at peace because of what the government has taught