1. Research totalitarianism using quality sources. What is a totalitarian regime? How does such a regime attain, maintain, and increase power? What is its main concern? How does it compare with other political structures? Democracy, for example?
A totalitarian regime is a government that controls every aspect of the life of the people. Totalitarian regime obtains, maintains, and increases power by propaganda. The government strictly controls the media, the main source of propaganda, and totalitarian regimes also increase their power through the terror of the people. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, a poster of Big Brother surrounds the people. “On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. …show more content…
Big Brother instills fear, yet comfort to the people. The people have acknowledged that punishment stands beside going against Big Brother. Ultimately, Big Brother is the most important character in 1984 because Big Brother shapes the party, and without Big Brother, the party wouldn’t possess as much power. Essentially, a big brother is a person that you trust and a person that you know will protect and care for you. They look up to their big brother and want to be like their big brother. The people are expected to feel safe in the hands of Big Brother and due to all the propaganda, they do. The children, mostly, have been brainwashed and have betrayed their parents to the Thought Police. Big Brother’s main purpose is to invoke fear and maintain control of the people. Big Brother is not so much of a character but a metaphor for the power the party possesses over the people. Once, O’Brien used Big Brother as an example of doublethink. “‘... In that sense, does Big Brother exist?’ ‘It is of no importance, He exists.’ ‘Will Big Brother ever die?’ ‘Of course not. How could he die? Next question’”(Orwell 272). This piece of dialogue answers the readers’ questions: Big Brother exists and does not exist, which is an example of doublethink. Big Brother, as a symbol, exists, but as a human being, he does not. On the contrary to Big Brother, Emmanuel Goldstein is a figure created by the party to serve as a focus of anger. Goldstein was mostly created for the purpose of the people having someone to blame and hate on if anything atrocious occurs. Goldstein was also created to magnify the traitors of Big Brother. When Winston accepted Goldstein’s book from O’Brien, who achieves in making Winston believe that he is against Big Brother, and read the book, Winston’s fate was already sealed due to him revealing himself as a traitor. Furthermore, when Winston sees posters of Big Brother, he doesn’t feel
A totalitarian regime is a government that controls every aspect of the life of the people. Totalitarian regime obtains, maintains, and increases power by propaganda. The government strictly controls the media, the main source of propaganda, and totalitarian regimes also increase their power through the terror of the people. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, a poster of Big Brother surrounds the people. “On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. …show more content…
Big Brother instills fear, yet comfort to the people. The people have acknowledged that punishment stands beside going against Big Brother. Ultimately, Big Brother is the most important character in 1984 because Big Brother shapes the party, and without Big Brother, the party wouldn’t possess as much power. Essentially, a big brother is a person that you trust and a person that you know will protect and care for you. They look up to their big brother and want to be like their big brother. The people are expected to feel safe in the hands of Big Brother and due to all the propaganda, they do. The children, mostly, have been brainwashed and have betrayed their parents to the Thought Police. Big Brother’s main purpose is to invoke fear and maintain control of the people. Big Brother is not so much of a character but a metaphor for the power the party possesses over the people. Once, O’Brien used Big Brother as an example of doublethink. “‘... In that sense, does Big Brother exist?’ ‘It is of no importance, He exists.’ ‘Will Big Brother ever die?’ ‘Of course not. How could he die? Next question’”(Orwell 272). This piece of dialogue answers the readers’ questions: Big Brother exists and does not exist, which is an example of doublethink. Big Brother, as a symbol, exists, but as a human being, he does not. On the contrary to Big Brother, Emmanuel Goldstein is a figure created by the party to serve as a focus of anger. Goldstein was mostly created for the purpose of the people having someone to blame and hate on if anything atrocious occurs. Goldstein was also created to magnify the traitors of Big Brother. When Winston accepted Goldstein’s book from O’Brien, who achieves in making Winston believe that he is against Big Brother, and read the book, Winston’s fate was already sealed due to him revealing himself as a traitor. Furthermore, when Winston sees posters of Big Brother, he doesn’t feel