Freedom And Freedom In 1984

1984: The Struggle Between Freedom, Humanity, and Government
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is the most influential criticism of expansive government in modern times. Since its release in 1949, the novel has transformed the way in which citizens view their governments, as well as how governments serve their citizens. Orwell began work on the novel - which would eventually define him - in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The timing of the novel and its close associations with familiar leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini reverberated in the minds of the public, as much of the west eagerly accepted the novel into popular culture. The Second World War distinguishes itself from the many wars of the past in its atrocities

Freedom of thought, and its subsequent distribution, freedom of speech, is the cornerstone to a free society, in which an individual can establish new and challenging ideas that create a unique personal identity. An authoritative state has no bigger threat than free speech. Orwell implements the restraints of “thought crime” and “new speak” in order to limit the ability of citizens to think for themselves, arguing that “one aspect of humanity… is freedom of thought and the related freedom to create a unique identity based at least in part on those thoughts” (Orwell). Authoritative states derive power through loyalty and dependence. Independent thought is a threat to the Inner Party of Oceana because it allows the individual to form an identity outside of the party, and consequently outside of the control. The government in 1984 strives to limit thought not because it truly cares what people are thinking at any given moment, but because they are afraid of the identity that it can lead to. Any person with independent ideas no longer blindly follows the party, and like diseases, an idea can spread rapidly and rampantly. The best way to prevent a pandemic is to prevent the disease, as the Inner Party would see it, from taking root in the minds of its people. It is easy for people living in the western hemisphere in the twenty first century to forget how new the ideas of freedom of speech and thought truly are. Many countries continue to oppress their citizens today. In the past few days a man in Saudi Arabia, Raif Badawi, was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for criticizing Islam on an online blog (Kelly). This form of censorship through fear of punishment is depicted in the dystopian society of 1984, and over time becomes obedience for the sake of obedience.