George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984

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Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not, in any case, enjoyable. A totalitarian system is a good example of such a society, because although it provides control for the people, it can deny them a great deal of freedom to express themselves. The fictional society in George Orwell’s 1984 also stands as a metaphor for a Totalitarian society. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner party which governs the people of Oceania in order to keep them from rebelling. Current society in North America is much more democratic. It contrasts with Orwell’s society of 1984 because communication, personal beliefs and the people’s loyalty to the government are all determined by the individual.
In order to keep the people of Oceania in conformity with the desires of the governing Inner Party, the Inner Party controls several aspects of the people’s lives. Communication is controlled for the benefit of the nation. Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces it. "It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You haven’t a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winston... Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (Orwell, 46). One can detect from this quotation that the people of Oceania, as a group, have been brainwashed by the Inner Party to use only Newspeak. Syme, for one, understands the purpose of it, and he still complies with the system because he has been trained to do so. North America in 2001 is much different from Orwell’s 1984 because freedom of expression is a dominating factor in our culture’s communication. In conversation as well as newspapers and magazines, a variety of views and opinions are openly expressed. In our world we have the freedom to talk to whom ever we choose. There are no boundaries on who we talk to and how we express ourselves. Through our televisions people are able to express different ideas or thoughts. Censorship is not enforced to a ...

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...he government gives them the freedom to do so. These people are given the freedom to be who they want to be, to be loyal to their own person. All in all, modern society has an extremely high level of freedom regarding all forms of expression.
The story of 1984 reflects a society that totally contrasts with our society today. While Orwell’s objective was primarily written to exaggerate the Totalitarian/Communist and other conditions of society surrounding him, 1984 presents an important guide to life for us as modern people living in North America. By cutting off communication, diminishing personal beliefs, and not allowing individual loyalty Orwell is able to show us how this society is wrong in our eyes. The totalitarian system that George Orwell creates in this book, 1984, contrasts with the society we are used to living in daily. Just as a major objective of learning our history is to ensure that we do not repeat our mistakes. 1984 can give warnings to both government systems and individuals regarding how society should not be controlled. The vigorous control system presented in the book stands as a method by which no person would want to live by.

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