Thoughtcrime In 1984

1984 by George Orwell is novel in which the main character, Smith, uses thoughtcrime in an attempt to rebel against the oppressive dictatorship of The Party in Oceania. Some people believe that Orwell’s 1984 is a novel that does not have much significance in today’s world. Others however, myself included, strongly disagree abd believe that there is great relevance. Telescreens in 1984 can easily be compared to the surveillance cameras used today. We can also find similarities between the way that history was presented to the public in the novel and how it is presented to us in present day. Another relevant comparison would be how news and television media can create a sense of fear to control the general public in the novel and present day. …show more content…
In the novel, important papers, history textbooks, and government documents were rewritten and presented to the people in an effort to gain total control over their citizens. In the following quote Winston explains his job which requires him to rewrite documents, he says, “As soon as all the corrections which happened to be necessary in any particular number of The Times had been assembled and collated, that number would be reprinted, the original copy destroyed, and the corrected copy placed on the files in its stead. (1.4.8)”. This quote shows the degree of manipulation exercised by the Party in an effort to maintain total control by keeping their population uninformed. Currently, the same manipulation tactic exists under the guise of political correctness. For example, people are not allowed to publish works that may inflame or can be perceived as derogatory towards certain segments of the population. The consequences are much less severe in the Western world than in the Eastern