1984 is full of sociological aspects that, although they take place in a fictional world, mirror aspects and issues that can be seen in existing sociological structures and institutions. The society in 1984 is seemingly very radical compared to those that the world is familiar with, however, in some aspects it seems only a short step from reality. The story is representative of many sociological concepts and in this essay I will focus on two: power and dominant culture. The Party holds complete power over its people through many different facets including sanctions, restriction of resources, and complete command of media. The party controls nearly every aspect of society through their authoritative constrictions. I will provide a sociological analysis of how power is exerted through these three methods in the following paragraphs. Sanctions are penalties or other means of enforcement used to provide incentives for obedience with the law, or with rules and regulations. (3) In 1984 there are few instances of sanctions as incentives so I will concentrate on sanctions as penalties. One of the many forms of penalty for not obeying the party is the authority given to the public to despise you and turn you in. The Party has created an atmosphere where the people are not only obedient to this law, but also in which it is taboo not to meet this institutional demand of nationalism. These sanctions even reach out to children for example, “The children… were systematically turned against their parents and taught to spy on them and report their deviations.” (4) Sanctions are most obviously shown towards the end of the novel when Winston must pay for his defiance. For the crimes of individual thought and pleasure that was not in the inte... ... middle of paper ... ...ure is just another instrument of power for the Party. The institutions, culture, and government of 1984 is full of sociological aspects that mirror aspects of sociology we see in the real world. Just as in reality, we see uncontrolled power, dominant culture, and different forms of control. 1984 may seem like a radical series of events, however George Orwell means to represent real societal issues, therefore it is important to analyze these aspects to understand the novel. Works Cited 1. George Orwell, 1984. New York, N.Y.: Signet Classic, 1961, 334. 2. Orwell, 1984, 52. 3. Dictionary.com. "sanction." Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sanction (accessed March 20, 2014). 4. Orwell, 1984, 26. 5. Orwell, 1984, 59. 6. Orwell, 1984, 35. 7. Carl Sagan, The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark. New York: Random House, 1996.
Even though there are many reasons why people disagree with the statement that 1984 is like society today, I obviously agree. We may not be to that point yet, but there are many similarities between our societies. The slogan, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength, shows how frightening the dystopian society in 1984 is. Hopefully conditions do not ever reach the same level.
The novel, 1984, written by George Orwell, gives readers an insight to a possible frightening future where one government has complete and definite control of the people. But “control” might not be the term to describe such a rule. The Party dominates every aspect of life. There is not a single thing that is not under the Party’s rule. Feelings, history, language, statistics, and even human nature are submissive to the Party. They corrupt the mind so much that there is no longer a line that separates truth from a lie. Slogans are repeated through telescreens on a daily basis so the people are gradually forced to believe in illogical statements. Upon first glance, it may seem that a 1984 society is not even imaginable in the world we live in currently. But is it really logical to make such an assumption so quickly? Do we know that what we see on the news and read in our history textbooks is completely accurate? The Internet is one of the most powerful technologies our world has, consisting of an insurmountable amount of information, which is not always what it seems. Ultimately, there are so many things that we do not know, some of which is being held a secret from us. Modern day society shockingly has evidence of a transformation into a menacing 1984 society because of similar government actions and abuse of advanced technology.
In analyzing the institution of power so closely, the author has brought to light a multiple
1984 was written as a warning to the western countries about having a totalitarianism government which is refers to a system of government in which lawfully electes representatives maintain the integrity of a nation state whose citizens, while granted the right to vote, have little to no participation in the decision-making process of the government. The author felt like these countries were not able to find tactics to withstand the communism that was being taken placed. When the book was written in 1949 the Cold War had not yet broke out, and most people supported the diplomacy with the democratic communism. The author found the cruelty that was committed in the communist countries very disturbing, and the technologies that were used to help these countries control the citizens intriguing. This book tells how a complete government controlled country could be. Warning those who lived during this time to that if they did not want this to happen then they better vote against totalitarianism.
Power is a key issue in separating the educated from the uneducated. One of the reasons that society is able to dictate the way people in mainstream society lives is through power. Society practically has power over every aspect of daily life. Society derives this power from the people whom make up mainstream America. Mainstream America has been trained over the years tha...
The novel 1984 over the years has so gained much recognition. This particular novel portrays the image of totalitarian regimes and how they can massively affect the setting wherever this form of government takes initial place. Author George Orwell talks about these dangerous governments in society in mostly all of his novels. George Orwell was one who pushed for social movements such as pushing towards social reform throughout the world. Social reform was a social movement that aimed to make gradual changes, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes in governments particularly.
“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.
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.
At this point, with an understanding of what power is, what it means, how it is created and the various means through which it is expressed, one can begin to conceptualise how it is that power functions within a given society. Symbolic, cultural, social and economic capital distribute and perpetuate power within a society, through a cycle of transformation whereby these capital resources can be interchanged and manipulated to the advantage of individuals who have
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.
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.
The year 1984 has long passed, but the novel still illustrates a possibility for the future of society. It still remains a powerful influence in all sorts of literature, music, and social theory. George Orwell envisioned a nightmarish utopia that could have very easily become a possibility in 1949 ? the year the novel was written. He managed to create such a realistic view of humanity?s future, that this story has been deemed timeless. There will always be the threat of totalitarianism, and at some moments civilization is only a step away from it. Orwell hated the thought of it, and 1984 shows that. From his work, readers who live in prevailing democratic society have a chance to consider about these very different political systems, democracy and totalitarianism.
In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, the government blocks almost all forms of self-expression in order to assert its authority over the people. Those within the society who show signs of defiance against the set rules, even those who act unwillingly, are seen as a threat to the success of the regime are wiped from existence. In Orwell’s 1984, the government uses different forms of propaganda and brainwashing to achieve complete control of society for their own personal benefit.
Power is created by the stratification of society which justifies the ability of the upper class to exert control over members of society with lower status. In Fritz Lang’s silent film Metropolis, power is maintained through class divisions which allow the capitalist class led by Joh to control the masses of workers. In contrast, George Orwell’s novel Nineteen eighty four shows how power is established politically through the workings of the party and how the hierarchical ranks within the party justify authority and control.
...en into organizations that brainwashes and encourages them to spy on their parents and report any instance of disloyalty to the Party much like Orwell’s experience in the Civil war. The fact that a portion of the populations suffered poverty while others bathed in wealth reinforces the strong hierarchal system imposed. Orwell’s attitudes surrounding sociocultural context are prominent throughout 1984 and strengthens the invited reading that power is problematic.