The Traits of Society in 1984
In the novel "1984", by George Orwell, an interesting, thought-provoking
scenario is created for the reader to ponder. The totalitarian government
which ruled this oppressive world controlled every aspect of the citizens who
resided there. Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not,
in any case, enjoyable. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual
loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner Party in several
ways. Thought, speech and actions are all monitored by political officials in
one way or another.
Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people
in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class
workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he
supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner
Party who enforces the system. "It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of
words... You haven't a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winston... Don't you
see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought" (Orwell
46).
The Thought Police are a group of devout followers that spy on people, and
determine whether or not they are thinking negative thoughts or have a desire
to overthrow the Party. If so, they are accused of thought crime, and the
punishment is death, either by hanging (a public display, used to keep the
general population afraid, and in line) or parting with your life and being
in a dark, dank room while being tortured by a Thought Police official. In
either case, the outcome is not a positive one, and the Party's effectiveness
is rather surprising. Nary an individual dare to commit thought crime, and to
find someone that did (like Winston) was a true rarity.
The Party also used electronic devices to keep tabs on the inhabitants of
their kingdom. Similar to a typical television, the "telescreens", as they
were called were like cameras, watching every move made by any one at any
time. It was uncertain whether party officials could watch everyone, at every
time, but out of fright, citizens assumed they could. The aforementioned
deaths were feared and dreaded by everyone (and rightfully so), therefore,
the assumption was generally made that "yes, you were being watched". In the
end, a hidden telescreen led to the downfall of Julia and Winston. The two
lovers were "caught with their clothes off", so to speak and fell victim to
the merciless machine that ruled them.
Fortunately, a fine line exists between the free, democratic society under
which we live, and the closed-minded, totalitarian regime that fictionally
existed here. Today's people are much more intelligent, free-minded, and
aware of their surroundings to fall victim to such a terrible, controlling
trap. We like to maintain that assumption, anyway; we must believe it to
continue with our daily activities and lives. Fortunately for us, that's the
way it is, and Orwell's novel was just fiction, which we can put down at any
time, look around and feel assured that we are free and safe. Unless, we
really are being watched?
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