Tong SHAW PHIL 120 Professor Taylor 18 February 2015 1) In what ways is Nineteen Eighty-Four a fictional reworking of Orwell’s concerns with Nationalism and Totalitarianism? Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell and published in 1949. Many parallels of Orwell’s ideas on Nationalism and Totalitarianism can be found in the novel. In his essay ‘Why I Write’, Orwell explained that the work he has done since the Spanish Civil War was ‘written directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism.’ Nineteen Eighty-Four can definitely be seen as a warning against totalitarianism and thus explores several of the concepts of a totalitarian society and expresses Orwell’s concerns with Nationalism and …show more content…
It reflects many of his ideas and views of what he calls nationalism, which he defines as the tendency of ‘[…] identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interests.’ Nationalism has been present throughout history, and is even predominant in today’s world. He defines Nationalism not only includes alignment to a political entity, but also religion, race or ideas. Examples of such forms of nationalism could include Communism, Zionism, Catholicism and Pacifism. He argues that nationalism is not to be confused with patriotism, as he puts it, ‘[…] patriotism is of its nature defensive… Nationalism, on the other hand, is inseparable from the desire for power.’ Nationalism largely influences the way people think and act, and causes dishonesty within people, as nationalists who have chosen one side, would persuade himself that his side is the strongest regardless of the facts presented against him and his beliefs. These people feel a sense of superiority as they are provided with a sense of security from serving a greater cause and feel obliged to defend it. The slightest slur or criticism from another faction can cause them to snap or even act violently. It doesn’t even have to be directed at them; just the idea of someone being against them is enough to set off a violent reaction. This can be seen in the novel as the Two-Minute Hate, where propaganda is played for an audience and everyone present feels obligated to shout out insults and are prone to outburst or violence in the face of enemies of the Party in order to protect their
Having studied George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', I intend to discuss the type of Government envisaged by Orwell and to what extent his totalitarian Party, 'Ingsoc', satirises past regimes. I will also discuss Orwell's motive in writing such a piece and how his writing style helps it become clear.The main theme of Nineteen Eighty-Four concerns the restrictions imposed on individual freedom by a totalitarian regime. Orwell shows how such a system can impose its will on the people through manipulation of the press, the elimination of democracy, constant supervision (courtesy of the Telescreens) and more. Orwell also shows how the state has more subtle methods for imposing its authority, such as the manipulation of language and control of the media.
In George Orwell 's "Nineteen Eighty-Four," the main storyline revolves around a dystopian society whose self-thought has been corrupted by an over empowered governing body. Orwell’s intention was to bring Hitler’s ideas to life. Smith is a middle-aged frail man who is ambivalent towards his government, however is unable to resist the strength of the indoctrination he has been subjected to, during the entirety of his life. As the reader progresses through the novel, ideas of totalitarianism are illustrated throughout the story via Smith’s internal and external conflicts with his government. It quickly becomes apparent that there is an uncopiable amount of government power which is something that is seen as early as the second paragraph. Propaganda
George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four has been extolled by Western critics for its incisive political commentary on the social and cultural ramifications of a totalitarian government. After witnessing the alarming extent to which totalitarian governments in Russia and Spain would exercise their power over the proletariat, Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1949 to alert Western nations on how to approach the imminent rise of communism. The text is generally received as a “negative dystopian” novel that focuses on depicting the degeneration of humanity through the ubiquitous influence of technology, propaganda and political discourse. As Orwell rightfully avowed in his essay, Why I Write, “every line of serious work that I have written
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell portrays a dystopian society that is controlled by a totalitarian dictatorship. Through his book, Orwell describes many aspects of society that existed in the late 40’s when he was writing. He used his book to make statements about the serious problems that people were facing in countries that were living under actual totalitarian rule. Through the writing of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell clearly depicts the negative aspects of the post-war period and what totalitarianism would look like when taken to its absolute extreme.
Many basic descriptions of what nationalism is exist, and defining precisely what nationalism means is not an easy task. This is in large part because the causes and effects of nationalism greatly varies from social context to social context, as the concrete social reality determines the specific shape and character that the nationalism idea takes when it comes to hold a large part of the consciousness of a society (I say the ‘nationalism idea’ for I feel that nationalism is, primarily, in the realm of the ideological). Put more succinctly “Nationalism can be, and has been, democratic and authoritarian, forward-looking or backward-looking, socialist or reactionary” (Kamenka 1976: 3).
In the novel 1984, George Orwell elaborates on the idea of an autocratic government. This novel describes Orwell’s views on the dark, twisted form of government that he believes will develop in future years. The culture he created for this story was the most horrifying, troubling place a person could reside. The goals of the Party consisted of keeping the citizens squared away and oblivious to the unethical actions taking place around them. This unrealistic society gave Orwell the opportunity to create a vision of what a future communist nation might resemble. The purpose of this work is believed to be informative to citizens of how the government impacts our way of thinking, living, and believing. Fear from the citizens is used as manipulation by the government; this means the government shapes the citizens that will not conform to their society. Throughout this writing, the author remains in a dark, cold mood; thus, creating the feeling of negativity and opposition to the government. Ethical appeal is revealed in this
Many believe that Orwell came up with the political ideas surrounding his book Nineteen Eighty-Four. It was written in a time were politics were influenced by World War One and the decade after. In The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell wrote, “The horrors of the Russian Revolution were still fresh in everyone’s minds.” I don’t think Orwell was necessarily giving us a detailed picture of how the future will look, or how political communication will be conducted. In D. J. Taylor’s 2004 biography of George Orwell he observed that, “the appeal – and the resonance – of Nineteen Eighty-Four to many of its original readers stemmed from the fact that it depicted a world that, by and large, they already knew.” This quote reinforces my idea that Orwell did not prophesize the future but forces us to think about how our past actions control our future. O’Briens statement "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." Is Orwell stating about what he and many others experienced as a teenager living through the horrors of the First World War. In my mind this only reinforces the notion that Nineteen Eighty-Four was written around the structure of the Russian Revolution feeding the predictions Orwell...
One reason why nationalism is harmful is that it encourages simplistic thinking. In Notes on Nationalism, George Orwell called nationalism “the habit of assuming that human beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of people can be confidently labeled ‘good’ or ‘bad’” (1). As Orwell said, nationalism puts things in black and white terms of “good” and “bad.” One’s own nation, or way of life in general, is viewed as the “good,” while anything different is viewed as “bad.” This is a leading cause of discrimination and bigotry, as will be discussed later, and is therefore harmful to a world consisting largely of diverse religions, races, ethnicities, beliefs, and
The changes that we have recently experienced at the global level, this new era of globalization, has made the entire peoples relive the feelings of nationalism, unfortunately in a wrong way. Because of leaders with the coveted power, these feelings of nationalism have been conducted through the anger, hatred, intolerance, and violence.
Nationalism has played a crucial role in world history over the past centuries. It continues to do so today. For many, nationalism is indelibly associated with some of the worst aspects of modern history, such as the destructive confidence of the Napoleon’s army and the murderous pride of Nazi Germany. Large numbers of people, descent in their hearts, have carried out unbelievable atrocities for no better reason than their nation required them to. Authoritarian and totalitarian regime have crushed dissent, eliminated opposition, and trampled on civil liberties in the name of the nation.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a novel which was released in 1949, and has had massive success, reaching best-sellers list on popular websites like Amazon, among others. Nineteen Eighty-Four is considered a classic among many of those same websites (Amazon, 2013), and although George Orwell may not have received many awards for it, Nineteen...
One of George Orwell’s most significant goals as a writer was to receive recognition for his works. Orwell achieved his aim by projecting his political perspectives into fictional works such as 1984 and Animal Farm. His position against totalitarianism is strongly evident throughout his novels and even today Orwell’s works still seem relevant because of the fear of totalitarian governments perpetuated by the media and the recent democratic uprisings in the Middle East against dictatorial regimes. In this essay, I argue that Orwell’s reasons for writing, as he outlines them in his essay “Why I Write,” is to seek literary fame and he found that through incorporating political commentary into his writing; in doing so, Orwell successfully turns his political thoughts into a form of art. Using 1984 and D. J. Taylor’s article “Left, Right, Left, Right,” I will also discuss briefly how Orwell’s novels can apply to contemporary political situations.
Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in the past yet seems to show very interesting parallels to some of today’s societies. Orwell explains many issues prominent throughout the book in which his main characters attempt to overcome. He shows how surveillance can easily corrupt those in control and how those in control become corrupt by the amount of power. Those with power control the society and overpower all those below. The novel shows what could potentially happen to our current society if power ends up leading to corruption.
Magill, Frank N. Ed. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” Masterpieces of World Literature. New York NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989. 582-585. Orwell, George.
George Orwell’s novel 1984, is the most powerful warnings ever released about the dangers and the controls of living under a totalitarian government. The main character, Winston Smith is at war, trying to control the Inner Party and rebelling against Big Brother, the dictator of Oceania. The author gives us readers an image of inhumanity and the impacts it has in the citizens, physically and mentally. Orwell uses literary elements such as imagery, foreshadowing, symbolism, and irony to demonstrate the theme of indestructible of a totalitarism.