As evident through the striking similarities between the totalitarian government of 1984 and the Communist regime of North Korea, it really is as if Kim Il Sung obtained an early copy of George Orwell’s 1984 and used it as a blueprint for his system (Hitchens n.p.). George Orwell had been exposed to various types of imperialism throughout his early life, leading to a realization of his resentment for authority. Orwell produced the novel with the intent of warning future societies of the dangers of totalitarian governments, yet North Korea epitomizes a flawless depiction of the very authority that Orwell yearned to avoid through providing a detailed illustration of the ramifications of submitting to a tyrannical government (Merriman n.p.). The totalitarian dystopia of George Orwell’s 1984 incorporated the use of intrusive surveillance mechanisms, indoctrinatory propaganda, and distorted nationalism to suppress its citizens. Likewise, the Communist regime of North Korea closely resembles this society in their oppression of their people.
Several methods of surveillance allow the totalitarian government of 1984 to perpetually oppress its citizens to their will. They utilize the telescreen, a device that enables the Party to monitor and regulate the actions of the people at any given time:
It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself—anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to wear an improper expression on your face (to look incredulous when a victory was announced, for exampl...
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Kristof, Nicholas D. “A Sucker Bet.” The New York Times. 17 July. 2005. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .
Lee, Seok Young. “Pyongyang Seeing Tighter Inspections.” Daily NK. 24 Aug. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .
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Orwell, George. 1984. New York, NY. Signet Classics, 1950. Print.
Reporters Without Borders. “North Korea: Frontiers of Censorship.” Reporters Without Borders For Press Freedom. Oct. 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2012
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Blaine Harden, former national correspondent and writer for the New York Times, delivers an agonizing and heartbreaking story of one man’s extremely conflicted life in a labor camp and an endeavor of escaping this place he grew up in. This man’s name is Shin Dong-hyuk. Together, Blaine Harden and Shin Dong-hyuk tell us the story of this man’s imprisonment and escape into South Korea and eventually, the United States, from North Korea. This biography that takes place from 1982-2011, reports to its readers on what is really going on in “one of the world’s darkest nations” (back cover of the book), that is run under a communist state and totalitarian dictatorship that was lead by Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and currently lead by Kim-Jong un. In Escape from Camp 14, Shin shows us the adaptation of his life and how one man can truly evolve from an animal, into a real human being.
1984 demonstrates a dystopian society in Oceania by presenting a relentless dictator, Big Brother, who uses his power to control the minds of his people and to ensure that his power never exhausts. Aspects of 1984 are evidently established in components of society in North Korea. With both of these society’s under a dictator’s rule, there are many similarities that are distinguished between the two. Orwell’s 1984 becomes parallel to the world of dystopia in North Korea by illustrating a nation that remains isolated under an almighty ruler.
Chen, Anna. George Orwell a Literary Trotskyist? 2 Oct. 2000. K1 Internet Publishing. 13 Dec. 2000 .
George Orwell and Shirley Jackson create a government in both stories in which their main tool to control the masses, is fear. In 1984 the Party uses telescreens to keep an eye on everything that the community does. The telescreen has no way of being turned off, the screen may be darkened but there is no way of completely shutting it off. Be...
North Korea is notorious as the “Hermit Kingdom”. Defensive and secretive to the point of paranoia, its history as well as its present conditions remains shrouded in mystery. What little we do know can be murky at best. The central govern...
North Korea Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web. The Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
Howe, Tom. "George Orwell." British Writers Volume VII. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Scribner, 1984. 273-287.
Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” George Orwell: Critical Essays. London: Harvill Secker: 2009. 270-286. Print.
The telescreens in 1984 served two purposes, surveillance and mind control. Unlike the televisions of our present day, the telescreens in 1984 also served as a device constantly monitoring the citizen’s actions by means of an integrated camera and microphone in addition to broadcasting continuous p...
Works Cited for: Orwell, George. 1984. The 'Standard' of the ' London: Penguin Books, 2008. Print. The.
Withnall, Adam. "North Korea Elections." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 15 May 2014.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2004. Orwell, George. A. A. 1984. The. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1977. Print.
Wilcox, Cody, and Cody Bahler. "Internet Censorship." North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .
Magill, Frank N. Ed. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” Masterpieces of World Literature. New York NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989. 582-585. Orwell, George.
Based on the two essays, George Orwell is a vivid writer who uses a unique point of view and strong themes of pride and role playing to convey his messages. His writings are easy to pick out because of the strengths of these messages. Just like politicians in government, people with power turn corrupt to stay in power and keep their reputations. Anyone who takes on power must be prepared to live with the consequences of his actions. Orwell knows this challenge well and conveys this principle in his writing. After all, his narration is based on real life experiences and not fictional fantasies.