Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Orwell's imagined dystopian society
George Orwell 1984 political satire
Orwell's imagined dystopian society
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Orwell's imagined dystopian society
In the novel of 1984 by George Orwell, citizens of Oceania, constantly live in fear of saying, doing or thinking of anything that is socially unacceptable in their everyday lives through an endless surveillance without being aware of it. The country venerates the idol known as Big Brother in the government’s hierarchy structure, and has information that is strictly measured and filtered to benefit the one-party system. Orwell’s 1984 attacks the totalitarianism of the East while warning the West of its consequences. In assurance to eliminate any effort of insurrection, citizens of Oceania were under surveillance by the government around the clock. Oceania’s law enforcement was known, as the thought police, who were undercover police who convicted Surveillance was so aggressive; that even children were to report their parents of any socially unaccepted activity. Children were trained to be devoted to the party, they were encouraged to eavesdrop and denounce their family. To frighten all citizens from disobeying or rebelling from the party, citizens were threatened to be vaporized or sent to room 101. It was the most frightening thought of the Oceania citizens. People simply disappeared during the night, their name was removed from the registers, and every record of them was wiped out (Orwell 22). “[They] were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the word” (Orwell 22). Room 101 was the definition of physical and mental violence that every citizen feared. “The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.” (Orwell 310) The threats of the party dictated the citizens’ actions and thoughts. This fear and dictatorship to eliminate any effort of insurrection portrayed in 1984 is a satire to what was actually occurring in Stalin’s Russia in the 20th century. Stalin developed a “personal cult” (Life in USSR under Stalin) which dictated the ways every Russian looked, acted and spoke. Both children and adults were taught to be devoted to the communism, if objectified, punishment would be given. Having all potential betrayers executed or sent to labor camps (Joseph Stalin). Stalin’s army and workers, like educated were forced to enforce the idolizing of Stalin. Identical to Oceania, where the idolizing of That is why, in The Ministry of Truth, O’Brien’s job is to edit all the records of history to assure that The Party is well portrayed. Making the dictating of the present much easier when molding the past to The Party’s advantage. Ironically defeating the purpose of naming it The Ministry of Truth. Exemplifying the limits they will cross to gain the power and dictate the citizens of Oceania. Just like Ampleforth’s job, which is also to illuminate The Party by rewriting politically and ideologically objectionable Old speak poems. In the Records Department, their job was to reconstruct the past as well by sending citizens of Oceania’s films, telescreen programs, films, novels and plays who informed the citizens of the ideal past created by The Party (Orwell 50). Syme was hired to work on writing the Eleventh Edition of the Newspeak Dictionary for Oceania. This was their vocabulary was very limited, making expressing emotions very complex. On the telescreens propaganda in favor of The Party is shown. In order to remind Oceania’s citizens what The Party is all about, and no matter how smart anyone thinks they are they will get caught. Betrayal or rebellion is never the right action, or even thought. Stalin stole just as many human rights to the Russians than The Party from the Oceania citizens. An example of the limiting of the information provided to the Russian citizens, any article printed had to be in the manner, which glorified Stalin (Life in USSR
It is said that 1984 is one of the greatest books ever written, a literary work that remains as transcendent as ever since its publishing date sixty-four years ago. It is a grimly realistic story crafted together by George Orwell, who takes upon particularly effective literary elements, such as the limited third-person point of view, to follow the life of Winston Smith, the average everyday, resentful civilian who attempts to fight against the seemingly omnipotent and ubiquitous powers of the Ingsoc Party. The Ingsoc Party, a totalitarian government that governs the fictional country of Oceania, holds a casket of brilliantly intelligent individuals, some of who are members of the terrifying Thought Police and the notorious Inner Party, who employ informal language against the uneducated masses of Oceania civilians. Symbolism is also a key literary element in the novel, for anything ranging from ubiquitous telescreens to the infamous Big Brother ultimately contribute to Winston’s realization of how unbreakable the power of the Ingsoc Party truly is. All throughout 1984, George Orwell exercises the elements of diction, point of view, and symbolism to bring out the novel’s theme of how futile resistance is against established totalitarian governments.
Deception and a blatant contradiction of facts in the spirit of impunity form the foundation of the construct of modern dictatorship and draconian governance. Leaders with this attitude treat the public office and nation as personal property and deploy the state resources at their disposal for selfish use. Their behavior takes the form of frivolous “surveillances, monitoring, and other control structures founded on lies and ambiguities” (Dean and Orwell 23). The same scenario is exactly what happens at Oceania. The nation is governed by the party headed by the big brother (“Gordon State College” n.p.).
According to the Oxford Dictionary, Big Brother is “A person or organization exercising total control over people's lives.” Not only is Big Brother featured in George Orwell's novel 1984, the concept of a “Big Brother” is also seen everywhere around us in our everyday lives. Our modern-day form of Big Brother is our own government and the way it keeps surveillance over us. The way the United States and many other modern-day countries govern these days, with all their new advanced technology, we citizens are never truly alone. Our every move is constantly being watched. The difference between our modern-day Big Brother and the Big Brother in the novel 1984 is that our monitors claim to want to keep us safe, not to brainwash us to attain total power and control.
The fictional world of 1984 is best described as bleak. In the aftermath of the fall of capitalism and nuclear war, the world has been divided among three practically identical totalitarian nation-states. The novel takes place in London, which has become a part of Oceania, the nation state comprising the Americas and western Europe. A state of perpetual war and poverty is the rule in Oceania. However, this is merely a backdrop, far from the most terrifying aspect of life in 1984. Oceania is governed by a totalitarian bureaucracy, personified in the image of Big Brother, the all-knowing/ all-seeing godlike figure that represents the government. Big Brother is best described as a "totalitarian socialist dictator, a political demagogue and religious cult leader all rolled into one." So great is the power of Big Brother that the reader is unsure whether he actually exists or is simply a propaganda tool of the government. The party of Big Brother, Ingsoc (English Social...
Imagine this, you are in a dark cold world where you are being watched 24/7. You begin thinking about the lunch you had an hour ago. The look on your face morphs into a slightly disgusted and disappointed frown as you remember the sandwich that had wilted lettuce and bread that was drenched in mayonnaise. That look costs you your life. The authority feels threatened by the scowl that took control of your face. You are immediately contained and thrown into jail. Although this may seem extreme, the plot of 1984 is an allegory that provides a forewarning to rapidly developing society. The totalitarian regime in George Orwell’s novel, 1984, dehumanizes the citizens of Oceania and strips them of all individuality. The suppressive governing body
In the world of 1984 readers are shown a possible future where government has complete and unchallenged control of the people. The Party exert complete domination over every aspect of the citizen’s lives.There is not a single thing that is not under the Party. Feelings, history, language, statistics, and even human nature are all monitored and limited by Party. The citizens of Oceania don’t even have the decision to fight, they must either obey or die. The intentions of the Oceania government weren’t for the people, but instead for the government. They looked out for what was best for the government, not what was best for the people. Propaganda constantly state how rich and prosperous Oceania is all the time even though the true conditions show buildings are not cared for and resources are sparse.
In 1984, George Orwell presents an overly controlled society that is run by Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing, totalitarian regime. Big Brother possesses so much control over these people that even the most natural thoughts such as love and sex are considered taboo and are punishable. Big Brother has taken this society and turned each individual against one another. Parents distrust their own offspring, husband and wife turn on one another, and some people turn on their own selves entirely. The people of Oceania become brainwashed by Big Brother. Punishment for any uprising rebellions is punishable harshly.
In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, 1984, a man by the name of Winston Smith lives in a totalitarian government that exploits its citizens via the censorship of both spoken language and mental thought. From even the title of novel, Orwell makes sure to depict the possibility of oppression. In order to consolidate his claim of the horror of such a society, he purposefully reveals how the political rebels who do not conform in the novel are mistreated. From members of the Party, the political faction that keeps Orwell’s fictional land of Oceania, subconsciously naysaying Big Brother, the idolized and revered leader of the Party, to the strict control of the citizens’ freedoms, Orwell purposefully shows members of Oceania, specifically those who
George Orwell’s haunting dystopian novel 1984 delves into the closely monitored lives of the citizens of Oceania as the Party tries to take control of society. In totalitarianism, propaganda and terrorism are ways of subjugation with a main goal: total obedience. He aimed to create a “what if” novel, what would happen if totalitarian regimes, such as the Nazis and Soviets, were to take over the world. If totalitarianism were to happen, the leader would be the brain of the whole system. Orwell emphasizes the theme of individualism versus collective identity through Winston, the protagonist, and his defiance to the Party and Big Brother, with a frightening tone, surreal imagery and a third person limited point of view.
To begin with, the Party of Oceania in 1984 creates the illusion of reality to control the citizens in Oceania. The Party of Oceania means well for their citizens; their main ...
Instead, the Oceania government brainwashed their citizens into believing everything they had to say. The citizens of Oceania were convinced that Big Brother was always watching, the Thought Police could at any moment in time catch you for thinking something unlawful, or knowing there was nothing illegal, but if caught it would end in death or twenty-five years in a forced labor camp. 9. The Oceania society was not allowed to have thoughts or even opinions knowing their government has the capability of punishing them.
Psychological manipulation the Party uses on the citizens is one of the first themes Orwell exposes in this dystopian society. The Party maintains this manipulation by constantly overwhelming citizens with useless information and propaganda. And when memory failed and written records were falsified—when that happened, the claim of the Party to have improved the conditions of human life had got to be accepted, because there did not exist, and never again could exist, any standard against which it could be tested. (Orwell 82) Winston Smith, the protagonist, is having a frustrating conversation with an old man about life before the Revolution.
George Orwell’s intent in the novel 1984 is to warn society about the results of a controlling and manipulative government by employing mood, conflict, and imagery.
The novel 1984 by George Orwell presents the readers an image of a totalitarian society that explores a world of control, power, and corruption. The main idea of government control presents itself in the novel by protecting and listening to the people of Oceania. However, Orwell suggests giving too much power to the government is a mistake because eventually the decisions they make will not be about the people anymore but rather themselves. In 1984, the power and corruption the party has is overwhelming for the people. There are no ways around the beliefs of the Party, the party attempts to control and eventually destroy any mental or physical resistance against their beliefs. The agenda for the party is to obtain mind control over its people and force them to adore their leader. The methods the Party uses to achieve its goal are: the use of constant propaganda and surveillance, the rewriting of history, and Room 101.
Similarly, Stalin used propaganda and extreme nationalism to brainwash the peoples of Russia. He channeled their beliefs into a passion for Soviet ideals and a love of Stalin. In both cases, love for anything but the Party is the biggest threat to the regime. The stability of the Party and Stalin’s regime directly depended upon loyalty to the government above all else. By drawing upon the close relationships between the two Orwellian societies, we can examine just how dangerous love is to the Party.