Jonestown, a World Not so Different from Orwell’s 1984
Holly J. Holton
Concord High School
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Abstract
This analysis is a compare and contrast essay between the book, 1984, and the society of Jonestown. Jonestown, was a community based on a religious group know as the People's Temple. This was a place, where people felt that they had control of their lives, when in reality they didn’t. Their leader, Jim Jones, was very manipulating and was able to convince almost the entire community to commit suicide together because of his paranoia. In 1984, people didn't even realize the need for freedom, because the government was already in control of every aspect of their lives. That is just one of the reasons Jonestown and 1984 are similar, but don't be mistaken, there are many differences too. The people in 1984 never were given a choice between freedom and being either a party member or a prole. The people involved in Jonestown were there on their own accord. The people of the People's Temple had at one point at least wanted to be there, and to follow their leader.
Keywords used: People's Temple, Jim Jones, Jonestown, The Party, the proles, erasure.
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1984 Compare and Contrast Essay
The book, 1984, is a classic example of an utopian scenario. There are also other societies that are similar to
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North Korea, China, and even Cuba are similar to 1984. They try to control their people just the same as in 1984, and just like in Jonestown. The only people who were free in 1984 were the Proles. The community in Jonestown began as everyone wanting to be there, and then as conditions worsened the people wanted to leave. They were not allowed to, much like 1984. The people in both situations are similar, in that they are oppressed by their governments, but only the people in Jonestown are given the ability to think they are even able to
Many people today are fighters and make attempts to stand up for what they believe in. Another way 1984 impacted us today is that the novel was a prediction of a controlling government. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever” (page 267). Just like in 1984 they had “telescreens”monitoring their every move, we know there are so many surveillance cameras used everywhere we go. There are also microphones and the government is able to tap their citizens’ phone to monitor what they say. This ties into the main theme
Between the poem, ¨ No one died in Tiananmen Square¨ by William Lutz and the novel, 1984 by George Orwell there are multiple similarities. Subjects such as their government, their denial of history, and the use of doublethink and re-education are all parallel between the novel and the poem. For instance, both the governments have a highly strict government. Their governments are so controlling of their people that they use brute force in order to help re-educate them. For example, in 1984 the main character, Winston Smith was trying to go against their government, The Party, and because he tries to do so, he is placed in The Ministry of Love and brutally beaten by the man whom he assumed was a part of the Brotherhood, O'Brien. O'Brien claimed
The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.
Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance.
In Conclusion, 1984 is a novel that represents a called government. The government is taken over by “The Party”. The Party seeks to gain complete obedience from the people of Oceania. The main goal of the Party is to eliminate independent thought. The book is surrounded by psychological manipulation. Everything that happens throughout the book is government related and tends to manipulate some people of Oceania. Since their government is totalitarian they seek absolute power towards their people. This shows warning of what might happen id our government becomes too powerful, the party is trying to avoid any sort of rebellion from the people.
Every human is born with an innate sense of morality, but ultimately it is the social and political situations we are in that shape our primary beliefs. We have our own views on war, love and sex, and even our own personal philosophies; however, we tend to alter these views when they are put under scrutiny and our values questioned. In Voltaire’s Candide and Orwell’s 1984, the subjects of love, sex, war, politics, and philosophy are all put under intense scrutiny. The main characters in each book, Winston and Candide, when compared, are in very parallel situations and can be connected to each other through their experiences and personal beliefs. They both exist in very cautious and constrained social settings which are heavily influenced by
This dream of forming and maintaining a utopian society was immortalized in two novels dealing with the same basic ideas, 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Both of these novels deal with the lives of main characters that inadvertently become subversives in a totalitarian government. These two books differ greatly however with the manner in which the government controls the population and the strictness of the measures taken to maintain this stability. This essay with compare and contrast the message and tone of each novel as well as consider whether the utopia is a positive or negative one.
1984 was written in 1948 and published in 1949 by Eric Arthur Blair under the pen name ‘George Orwell’. It is set in the year 1984 in Airstrip One, which is a province in the country of Oceania. The world is in a constant state of war between Oceania, and the other two countries, Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is controlled by English Socialism, or INGSOC in Oceania’s language, Newspeak. The powerful Inner Party controls the country using omnipresent surveillance, and manipulation. Every part of life is regimented and controlled, but the only crime is ‘thoughtcrime’: independent thinking and individualism. Big Brother is the figurehead of the Inner Party, and throughout the book, it is heavily implied that he may not really exist. The people
A persona is defined as “The image or personality that a person presents to other people” (Merriam-Webster). This concept of a persona is featured largely in both George Orwell’s 1984 and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, two texts which tell the tale of men rebelling against a higher authority. By comparing the personas of multiple characters in both novels it becomes clear that whether a character is in a position of power or not, a persona always hides one’s true intentions, and that a loss of this persona ultimately leads to death. Hamlet has a very simple goal: kill his Uncle and avenge his Father’s death. Of course, with Hamlet’s uncle being the current king of Denmark, he cannot simply go around acting suspicious and seeking to kill him.
The novel 1984 by George Orwell is a fictional future where The Party controls everything. The Party is lead by a larger than life figurehead named Big Brother. The main character is Winston Smith. The story is divided into 3 parts and chronicles Winston’s rebellion against and then re-entering of The Party.
Have you ever felt as is our government is trying to control us? In George Orwell’s book “1984” he points out that the government had people watching them doing their everyday things. He says that the government wants control of everything in their lives. They have this all knowing person called “Big Brother” which is always watching them.
While Mao Zedong’s China and Orwell’s 1984 society share many similarities, Mao Zedong shows difference by running a communist regime, slightly different to that of a totalitarian regime found in 1984. Before Mao Zedong was exposed to the ideals of Karl Marx, Mao Zedong was enrolled in a school called the First Provincial Normal School. At this school, Mao led an organization called the New People’s Study Society, and this is where Mao began to form his intellect and politics. Rebecca E. Karl, in her book titled, Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth Century, discusses the importance of this educational space for Mao Zedong. Karl states, “A student organization that Mao led, produced many future members of the Chinese Communist Party: friendships
Can society survive under total control of something that doesn’t even exist? In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, readers find a dystopian society under totalitarian control. Big Brother controls all aspects of people’s lives. Jobs, housing, even sex and marriage are controlled by the party. By the end of the novel, it is revealed that Big Brother is merely an idea used to keep citizens under control. Orwell paints a picture of a society that is destroyed by political lies, spy technologies, and social segregation. Orwell’s novel is a warning. A modern society could very well fall into a position similar to Nineteen Eighty-Four. With political scandals, advancement in technology, and a great division in social class modern American finds itself along a path which can ruin the future.
As the man’s lips grasped the edge of the cup and slurped the hot drink, the reflection of two eyes in the darkened coffee grew tremendously. The man immediately puckered his lips and placed the cup atop the wooden surface with dissatisfaction. His hairy arm was revealed from underneath his cotton shirt as he reached for the glassware containing packets of sweet crystals. He picked up the packets labeled Stalin, Hitler, and World War II, and dumped them into the caffeinated drink. Within seconds, a thick, redolent cream labeled, ‘Totalitarian Governments’ crashed into the coffee with force. A tarnished spoon spun around the outer edges of the cup, combining the crystals and cream together, and, unknowingly creating the themes for the book in which Big Brother would become a regime—this was the cup of George Orwell. Written in 1944, the themes in 1984 are reminiscent of the fascist and totalitarian governments formed in the early twentieth century.
We are becoming a society like 1984 for many reasons such as being under surveillance, censorship, and the government having a lot of control. There are many examples throughout this novel that are quite similar to our society today.