The Ideas Of Totalitarianism In 1984 By George Orwell
1150 Words
5 Pages
Physical control, psychological manipulation, control of information and history, technology, and supervised communication all exemplify the ideas of totalitarianism. In “1984” by George Orwell these horrid notions of power, unfortunately, become a reality. In 1949, Orwell wrote this novel in order to express his views of the possible grim future the world could succumb to and to convey his warnings of a totalitarian society. Although his prediction of a complete Orwellian society did not become a reality, Orwell’s warnings still possess large meaning today and can be validated from numerous examples associated with modern existence. For instance, the United States government has been spying on its residents similarly in “1984” the “Party”
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This is in compliance of Orwell’s novel “1984” which illustrates the inhumane treating of the citizens of Oceania whom are constantly under surveillance by the government. Winston verifies this when he describes the “instrument” used to spy on the people of Oceania, “the voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. The instrument could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely,” which of course is the television and symbolizes the “Party’s” ominous presence in the lives of its citizens. This supports Orwell’s prediction of the decline of human rights in which the privacy of individuals is disregarded and constant surveillance is implemented by the government to observe the activities of the people. As a result, modern society takes a step closer to the totalitarian state described by …show more content…
This simple concept is one of the fundamental basis that compose the tactics the “Party” in “1984” facilitate in order to remain in a state of overwhelming power over the population. The “Party” implements several violent actions in order to suppress the common individual from opposing the government. For instance, Winston is subjected to numerous brutal and unjust tortures in order to assimilate his once profound ideas of freedom into the ideologies of the “Party”. When Winston writes in his diary, “freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make [sic] four” it shows his independence from the “Party” and his lingering hope for freedom. However, this thought is eradicated during his interrogation with O’Brien through torture and he is forced to succumb to the “truth” that the “Party” creates which of course is that “2 plus 2 make 5”, dictating the complete power of manipulation the government has over the population. Such demoralizing practices are also utilized in North Korea in which their “re-education camps” are similar to prisons in “1984” where torture is a common practice. Similarly to“1984” these “re-education camps” aim to subject inhabitants to accepting a false truth. Through torture, the government manipulates its prisoners into false confessions in which they are then condemned to an unjust long-term prison sentence. This proves that modern society coexists with
This is in compliance of Orwell’s novel “1984” which illustrates the inhumane treating of the citizens of Oceania whom are constantly under surveillance by the government. Winston verifies this when he describes the “instrument” used to spy on the people of Oceania, “the voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. The instrument could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely,” which of course is the television and symbolizes the “Party’s” ominous presence in the lives of its citizens. This supports Orwell’s prediction of the decline of human rights in which the privacy of individuals is disregarded and constant surveillance is implemented by the government to observe the activities of the people. As a result, modern society takes a step closer to the totalitarian state described by …show more content…
This simple concept is one of the fundamental basis that compose the tactics the “Party” in “1984” facilitate in order to remain in a state of overwhelming power over the population. The “Party” implements several violent actions in order to suppress the common individual from opposing the government. For instance, Winston is subjected to numerous brutal and unjust tortures in order to assimilate his once profound ideas of freedom into the ideologies of the “Party”. When Winston writes in his diary, “freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make [sic] four” it shows his independence from the “Party” and his lingering hope for freedom. However, this thought is eradicated during his interrogation with O’Brien through torture and he is forced to succumb to the “truth” that the “Party” creates which of course is that “2 plus 2 make 5”, dictating the complete power of manipulation the government has over the population. Such demoralizing practices are also utilized in North Korea in which their “re-education camps” are similar to prisons in “1984” where torture is a common practice. Similarly to“1984” these “re-education camps” aim to subject inhabitants to accepting a false truth. Through torture, the government manipulates its prisoners into false confessions in which they are then condemned to an unjust long-term prison sentence. This proves that modern society coexists with