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George Orwell's 1984
War is Peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. These are the beliefs that the citizens of Oceania, in the novel titled 1984, written by George Orwell, live by. In this novel, Oceania, one of the three remaining world super powers, is a totalitarian, a society headed by 'Big Brother' and his regime, known as the ministries of Truth, Love, and Peace. A totalitarian government is defined as a government characterized by a political authority which exercises absolute and centralized control, and in which the state regulates every realm of life. This is the type of world that the citizens of Oceania must live in, ruled by fear and under force every day. The names of the different ministries for example, are quite ironic because the are actually the exact opposite of what they profess to be, the Ministry of Love torturing members of the party and so on. Historically, no such type of totalitarian society has ever been actually achieved. In the past, even though fascist and communist states have risen up and tried to achieve such a world, there has never been enough technology or a means by which a government could truly regulate every aspect of life, and thus there has been failure in every attempt at creating a truly totalitarian society. However, in this modern day, new technologies of every kind have made the possibility of such a society to arise a pending reality. Through things such as censorship of the media, new advances in spy technology, and the disintegration of the family in our world today, the world described by Orwell seems ever more a possibility. There are factors that exist in this book that pertain not only to the totalitarian regime of 1984, but apply directly to the democratic republic society in which United States citizens live today.
To begin with, the ability of governments to censor media in the world today is a primary factor in the ability of a totalitarian regime to arise. In the society of Oceania, all of the citizens? thoughts and beliefs are fed to them directly from the government. All of the information about production figures, current wars, and other current events all are filtered and approved by the government. The people do not hear or know anything that the government does not want them to know. In addition, the citizens of Oceania take what they hear as absolute truth, never ...
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... Party members devalued it in Oceania. Although there do remain many strong family units throughout the world today, the increasing rate at which family units are disintegrating, democratic society or not, could aid in giving rise to a totalitarian power.
In sum, the possibility of a totalitarian regime, like the one of Big Brother in 1984, seems more possible today than it ever has before. Many factors add to the possibility of such a thing happening, such as the censorship of media, new technology, and the disintegration of the family unit. These factors abound in every society today, regardless of being a democracy. The United States in particular, regardless of being one of the strongest powers in the world and a democratic republic, is not immune to these problems that would give rise to a totalitarian government. In the end, to prevent a totalitarian government from arising, it all comes down to the voice of the people, and that they need to be strong, and not let the government take over the powers that are rightfully theirs
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) Orwell, George. 1984. Harcourt Brace Javonovich, Inc., 1949.
2) www.wordreference.com/definition/totalitarian.
Thinking back into history, many important events have occurred in history since the publication of 1984 by George Orwell in 1949. In no specific order there would be the Holocaust, The creation of the United Nations, NATO (North Atlantic treaty Organization), and even The Iron Curtain being established. After 1984 was published huge events also occurred in history. There was the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Korean war, the Vietnam War, the creation of the Berlin Wall, and the destruction of the Berlin wall, Joseph Stalin dies, and Khrushchev gains power....etc, etc. No matter when a book is published the events in history will always surround it, such as this book.
George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is a dystopian literary text that illuminates the tenets of totalitarian and authoritarian governance in most areas where the leaders seek total loyalty and near hero worship. It was published in 1949, but has since remained relevant because its details promoted authoritarian political constructs and the political leadership concepts that evolved in the globe over time. Set at Oceania province in Airstrip One, formerly known as Great Britain, the book displays an omnipresent government that institutes constant state surveillance on the people that it suspects to be a threat to its regime and agitators of rebellion. It infringes on human rights
The novel 1984, by George Orwell, made me paranoid. It made me suspicious of our government's power and intentions. I became aware of the potential manipulation which the government could impose upon us. I came to see that the people I believe to be wholly dedicated to the well-being of society, the people I rely so heavily on to provide protection and security have the power to betray us at any given time. I realised that in my naivety I had gravely overlooked the powerful grip government has over society, and what it can do with that power.
Things to know: 1984 was a book written about life under a totalitarian regime from an average citizen’s point of view. This book envisions the theme of an all knowing government with strong control over its citizens. This book tells the story of Winston Smith, a worker of the Ministry of Truth, who is in charge of editing the truth to fit the government’s policies and claims. It shows the future of a government bleeding with brute force and propaganda. This story begins and ends in the continent of Oceania one of the three supercontinents of the world. Oceania has three classes the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the lowest of all, the Proles (proletarian). Oceania’s government is the Party or Ingsoc (English Socialism
it has operatives all over keeping an eye out for cops or law enforcement, this
There are several circumstances to take into consideration when looking at the causes of the Great Potato Famine in Ireland. Due to the great dependence the Irish people had on the potato, it is clear how blight could devastate a country and its people. To understand the Irish people's dependence on the potato for diet, income, and a way out of poverty, it is necessary to look at several key factors that were evident before the famine. Factors such farming as the only way of life, rise in population, and limited crops explain why the people of Ireland relied on the potato. But not only do these reasons clarify why the famine hit the Irish people so hard, other important factors play into effect as well. By looking at the weak relationship between England and Ireland through parliamentary acts and trade laws, it is more evident what the causes of the Great Famine are and why it was so detrimental.
These examples display the inevitable fact that all over the world subtle but significant events are taking place that appear to signify a shifting toward a totalitarian government, much like the one present in 1984. This is extremely disturbing because most people will agree that the life lived by the characters in 1984, is not one of any value. Though they are “protected” from several of the problems that many of the free world citizens and officials face, they have no control over their thoughts or actions. This leads to unbearable uniformity. It is chilling to know that though George Orwell’s book was written as fiction, portions of it are becoming factual.
“WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” Part 1,Chapter 1,pg. 6. These three principles were repeatedly emphasized throughout the book and helped lay the foundation of the dystopian society George Orwell imagined in his novel 1984. Fear, manipulation, and control were all encompassed throughout this dystopian society set in the distant future. The freedom to express ones thoughts was no longer acceptable and would not be tolerated under any circumstances. Humankind was rapidly transforming into a corrupt and evil state of mind.
In 1984, George Orwell explores the many facets of a negative utopia. Orwell seems to focus on the measures that the government takes to maintain a public of plebeians who have no personality or identity and believe that they are not unique individuals, but instead are part of a greater senseless mob of people who constantly work for a hostile and oppressive government which is involved in incessant wars. These people are taught to love. They then learn to fear their government because they believe all of the propaganda that is constantly instilled into their minds. They willing follow their government without contest for the duration of their meaningless lives. The government controls all forms of the media (thus denying the people the basic right of free speech) and use it to personify the government (known as “big brother”) .The government therefore seems omnipotent, or all knowing and always correct. Forecasts are changed from one week to the next always proving the government was correct. As was mentioned before, many of the rights that present day Westerners take for gran...
In the book “1984” by George Orwell, the book deals with government power. In the book, it debates about how the power of the government affected the people. Too much power by the state creates a dystopian world where everyone is forced to follow the government’s rules.
The Great Potato Famine was a problem that did not only cause starvation and disease but a drop in the economy. Known as the greatest epidemic of the 19th century the Potato Famine will have forever made an impact on Ireland. The Irish were damned from the start with little to no assistance from England with the exception of what they could get for themselves. With laws restricting the grain trade and no regulation on other goods Ireland had no fighting chance to make a turn around. With England living off of the principle “Irish property must pay for Irish poverty” Ireland was in need of outside assistance and that is exactly what many countries came to do.
Beginning in 1845 and lasting until 1861 the Great Potato Famine of Ireland killed over a million people, and causing another million to leave the country. The famine began in September 1845 as leaves on potatoes suddenly turned black and curled, then rotted. The cause was an airborne fungus (phytophthora infestants) originally transported by ships traveling from North America to England. Many other factors contributed to this devastation.
state controls all aspects of people’s lives. Oceania’s entire population is under totalitarian rule and is
Evidence states that Ireland suffered from a grave potato famine, the famine caused people to be objected to horrific disadvantages from disease to mass starvation. ”Ireland’s 1845 Potato Blight is often credited with launching the second wave of Irish immigration to America. The fungus which decimated potato crops created a devastating famine. Starvation plagued Ireland and within five years, a million Irish were dead while half a million had arrived in America to start a new life” (Irish-Catholic Immigration to America, n.d.). This newfound “black plague,” robbed many Irish citizens from their land and health, their home deteriorating by the minute, they were left with no other option but to flee from disaster. Unfortunately, numerous Irish individuals didn’t possess many skills to properly adapt to their newfound home. In my research paper I plan to discuss the effects the famine had on the Irish that caused them to leave. In this paper I also plan to discuss the
The auteur theory is an idea or principle, which states that the film is a reflection of a director’s creative personal vision, as if to say the he or she is the primary author (which in French, means “auteur”). This theory first came to be in 1954, by a French film director named Francois Truffaut. The auteur theory’s birth was through the French New Wave, which was a group of new French filmmakers during the 1950’s and 1960’s. In the beginning, the theory received positive and negative responses. And to this day, it will create a heated debate. Many have questioned the theory, because there are usually multiple people involved in the development of a film. Ultimately, a film will have a writer, alongside the director, which makes it difficult to put all of the weight on the director, alone. At the same time, there are directors that exist, which can bypass all of the levels in producing a film and still add their staple to it. Regardless of the storyline, there is something distinct within their production that will stand out and be recognizable. With that being said, it is understandable how the auteur theory could exist. When it is all said and done, the end result is the director’s style of filming. And the more passion that a director pours into a film, the more they develop a voice. This is why I chose to display how the auteur theory truly is possible and the director that I chose for my thesis is Spike Lee.