The Repressive Governments of Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984
Outline: Thesis: Both Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984 have governments that
repress actions and thoughts through the use of physical and psychological force.
I. Intro.
II. We's Government's Use of Psychological Force
A. Number system
B. Sexual Registration
III. 1984's Governments Use of Psychological Force
A. Newspeak
B. Doublethink
IV. Both Government's Use of Physical Force
A. Torture of Winston
B. Operation On Fancy
V. Conclusion
Throughout time, people have wondered what happens when government
gains complete control not only over people's actions, but over the thoughts
that precede them. Is it even possible to gain such omnipotence over human
nature that human beings will renounce all individuality? If such a society
could exist, would human nature truly be conquered, or just subdued sufficiently
that the will of the few could be contorted into the will of the general
population? The British author Eric Blair, better known by his pen name George
Orwell, and the Russian born Eugene Zamiatin both attempt to address these
questions in their respective books 1984 and We.
These novels depict, ". . . mechanized societies whose citizens are
deprived of freedom through physical and psychological conditioning." (Bloom 17)
The amazing thing about these civilizations is that the majority of the
citizenry, at least publicly, applauds the government's totalitarian actions.
Both Zamiatin's We and Orwell's 1984 have governments that repress thought and
action through the use of physical and physiological force.
One of the most visible ways the government of the United State is able
to control the thought and actions of its citizens is by the use and abuse of a
system by which each member of society receives a number at birth instead of
given a name (Goldstein 54). The numbers are assigned according to sex and
occupation. For example, D-503, the main character in We, is male, and is thus
assigned a consonant for his prefix while his female partner, O-90, is assigned
a vowel. As D-503 is an engineer, he receives a 5 as his first number. All
state poets such as O-90 have numbers under 100. (Zamiatin 46). This use of
numbers instead of names creates a sense of unity and oneness of purpose in the
contented, complacent Numbers of the United State. "The most striking thing
about the Numbers' "names", is how easily they incorporate their assignment into
their lives, and their contempt for the "old way" of naming." (Gregg 549)
The Numbers' numbers are sewn onto their tunics called "unifs", front
and back in large enough print that anyone, ". . .up to one hundred meters away
can read your Number from any direction.
voice was heard and tyranny would not happen, but the way to accomplish this was a
The novel 1984 is written by George Orwell post war as a depiction of the future. Only three superstates exist: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. The novel takes place in Airstrip One, Oceania, which is the novel’s version of present day London. The superstate Oceania is a totalitarian state and is dictated by an enigmatic figure named Big Brother, who may not even exist. A group called the Inner Party works for Big Brother and everything they do is part of the effort to gain total control over the inhabitants of Oceania. With no liberty, rights, or independent actions, the citizens of Oceania become less human and are instead more like faithful robots of the Party. In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, the citizens of Oceania are deprived of individualism as a result of the manipulation the government exerts to gain control over the individuals physically, emotionally and psychologically.
Totalitarian rulers often control the thoughts and beliefs of people as well. The citizens of the community are forbidden to question or explore things that are unknown to other citizens. By doing this, the government emphasizes that they know everything and have ...
This collective whole is easily controlled and manipulated. Society has always been troubled by the idea of overpowering control. In George Orwell's 1984, humanity is dominated by an extreme government whose intent is to abolish all aspects of freedom. Orwell indicates that when subjected to mass propaganda and intimidation, the ignorant majority’s memory and concept of truth are distorted, making them extremely malleable and subservient. The Party employs slogans to convince the ignorant that what they want is what they already have.
Every human being has natural rights that can never be taken away. In an attempt to create a world where every person if offered a fair opportunity to live life, the United Nations passed a bill called The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in 1948. The document outlines the all the rights provided to everyone in the world, despite age, gender, religion etc. Civil liberties including, right to life, liberty and security of person; the right not to be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family or home; and right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, are incorporated in the Declaration. Despite the positive moral of the implemented civil rights, there have been numerous instances when essential civil liberties have been taken away from innocent people. By taking away natural rights from other people, the offenders attain the desired power and control. In the book, 1984, George Orwell presents the idea of how the world would become if all natural rights seized to exist. The omnipresent ruler of Oceania, named Big Brother, seizes all the natural rights of the citizens, to gain unconstrained power over everything and everyone. Big Brother’s dominants the lives of the citizens by strongly executing the idea of ‘mind over matter’ or doublethink to control the minds of the people, by the creation of groundbreaking technology to control the actions of the citizens and by controlling and modifying the English spoken and written language to express authority over freedom of thought and speech. The combination of the three methods helps Big Brother to create a never-ending rein on the minds and hearts of the citizens of Oceania.
...ajority of the people, they’re the ones to please. If they are not pleased, they are the ones who have the power and dominance to make the change they wanted to see.
The book “1984” by George Orwell is a fictional work that was penned as a discourse on Orwell’s views of what it would be like to live in a totalitarianism society. It is my belief that his views were based on his personal life experiences as he witnessed first hand many of the violent crimes perpetuated by those in positions of authority. Often, these crimes against one segment of society were carried out by other members of the same society in the name of political advancement or at other times out of fear for one’s life. Due to his experiences, Orwell began to write of his hatred of political power and the concept of a totalitarianism society. “1984” serves as a warning to readers of how a government can become abusive when seeking total control of it’s population. Furthermore, it showcases in great detail how a society can allow itself to be controlled through a series of psychological abuses and manipulation of historical information.
“BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own.” (Orwell, 8) A totalitarian government seeks to apply power over its whole society by sending the message that it is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient, in this novel they ubiquitously post posters to reinforce their control. There is no personal control of their own freedom and it is impossible for any kind of individualism to flourish with this totalitarian government. Freedom can only be present when a totalitarian government is absent. Symbols are one of the key ways that Orwell shows the little freedom that Winston tries . Some examples from the novel that represent this are the Red- Armed Prole Woman, the glass paperweight and Winston's diary.These symbols represent the freedom that Winston is able to experience when the totalitarian government is absent.
George Orwell’s Famous book 1984 is about a man who struggles to live under the superintendence of Big Brother. Throughout the novel, Winston struggles with constantly being surveilled and the lack of freedom. Similarly, in our world today, there are government agencies that have the power to listen to phone calls, track people's movements, and watch them through cameras. Winston’s world of surveillance and inadequate confidentiality both privately and publicly is in many aspects much the same as in our world today and the people should demand regulations to be set in place to protect their privacy.
1984 was George Orwell 's unsettling prediction about the future. And although the year 1984 was some time ago, Orwell 's storyline is suitable more than ever. 1984 offers an astonishing and unforgettable image of the world, so influential that it is completely convincing from beginning to end. It unearths a constant fear everyone has had since the inception of the government. A slogan on the front of the Ministry of Truth shows everyone what was relevant and understood about their society. “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength.” (Orwell) The influence of language in this novel is one of the greatest compelling forces that exist. As a result the Party goes to excessive measure to make sure they are the ones controlling
Totalitarianism is the term that is used to describe the political system where the government holds total authority ove...
In George Orwell’s 1984, the strategies used by Oceania’s Political Party to achieve total control over the population are similar to the ones employed by Joseph Stalin during his reign. Indeed, the tactics used by Oceania’s Party truly depicts the brutal totalitarian society of Stalin’s Russia. In making a connection between Stalin’s Russia and Big Brothers’ Oceania, each Political Party implements a psychological and physical manipulation over society by controlling the information and the language with the help of technology.
The struggle for complete domination and power has been apparent in the past, most notably when Germany and Russia conflicted to maintain control in World War 2. In 1984, written by George Orwell, a totalitarian society seeks unlimited power by constantly monitoring it citizens. This monitoring was used to manipulate the minds and alter the thoughts of the people of Oceania. The population of Oceania is led to support ideas, which they do not truly believe. The lack of privacy and personal belief in citizens induces the idea of “doublethink”, where two contradictory ideas are both accepted. This is utilized by George Orwell to demonstrate political power and dominance. The Party forces the people to believe that “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,
Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in the past yet seems to show very interesting parallels to some of today’s societies. Orwell explains many issues prominent throughout the book in which his main characters attempt to overcome. He shows how surveillance can easily corrupt those in control and how those in control become corrupt by the amount of power. Those with power control the society and overpower all those below. The novel shows what could potentially happen to our current society if power ends up leading to corruption.
The term totalitarianism describes a government that takes total, centralized, state control over every aspect of public and private life. Totalitarian leaders appear to provide a sense of security and to give a direction for the future. In the 20th century, the widespread use of mass communication made it possible to reach into all aspects of citizens’ lives. A dynamic leader who can build support for his policies and justify his actions heads most totalitarian governments. Often the leader utilizes secret police to crush opposition and create a sense of fear among the people. Totalitarianism challenges the highest values prized by Western democracies about reason, freedom, human dignity, and the worth of the individual. All totalitarian states share basic characteristics. To dominate an entire nation, totalitarian leaders devised methods of control and persuasion like the use of terror, indoctrination, propaganda, censorship, and religious or ethnic persecution.