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A+ Student Essay: Is Technology or Psychology More Effective in 1984?
Of the many iconic phrases and ideas to emerge from Orwell’s 1984 , perhaps the most famous is the frightening political slogan “Big Brother is watching.” Many readers think of 1984 as a dystopia about a populace constantly monitored by technologically advanced rulers. Yet in truth, the technological tools pale in comparison to the psychological methods the Party wields, which not only control the citizens but also teach them to control themselves.
To be sure, the Party uses technology in disturbing and effective ways. Its most notable technological weapon is the telescreen, a kind of two-way television that watches you as you watch it. Telescreens literalize the idea that Big Brother, the mysterious figure who represents the Party’s power and authority, is always watching the people of Airstrip One. Even the citizens’ most mundane actions are monitored by the telescreens, which must remain turned on at all times. When Winston performs his Physical Jerks exercises, for example, a voice from the telescreen criticizes his poor effort. When he is arrested, a voice from the telescreen tells him what’s coming. Another terrifying technology used by the Party is vaporizing, the means by which the government executes those who displease it.
Yet despite the power of the omnipresent telescreens and the terror of vaporizing, they are just two among countless methods of control. And the most powerful methods turn out to be non-technological in nature. Posters announce the watchfulness of Big Brother; mandatory daily meetings called Two Minutes of Hate rile up the citizenry, allow them to vent their emotions and solidify their xenophobia; public hangings make examples out of traitors; physical torture awaits those who commit thoughtcrimes; and Junior Spies turn in any adults they feel are not sufficiently loyal to the party, even if those adults are their own parents. None of these methods involve technology. Instead, they rely on psychological manipulation. Together, these methods produce a complex mixture of terror, paranoia, groupthink, and suspicion that keeps the citizens cowed and obedient.
In addition to, and as a result of, these government tactics, the citizens of Oceania are constantly policing themselves. In order to avoid being jailed or vaporized they closely monitor their own actions, second by second. Most citizens would find it unthinkable, for example, to demonstrate such blatant misbehavior as enjoying a torrid love affair, as Winston does. But the citizens go even further than simply regulating their outward behavior: they also monitor their private thoughts. They have been manipulated into believing that any independent cognition is grounds for arrest by the Thought Police, so they try to keep their inward selves as loyal and unthinking as their outward actions. Because they have been conditioned since birth to accept whatever the Party identifies as truth, they are also able to use doublethink, a method of believing absurd contradictions such as “war is peace.” Again, self-policing and doublethink involve no technology beyond the human brain, but they are perhaps the most effective means of control available to the Party.
The Party maintains power primarily through the use of psychology, not technology. We get the sense that if no technology existed, the Party would find equally effective ways of controlling the populace. Orwell wants to warn us against more than the power of technology; he wants to suggest that the human mind is the most dangerous and advanced weapon of all, and that we should never underestimate the ability of people to control each other—and themselves.
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1984 George Orwell
1984 essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of 1984 by George Orwell.
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1984 Essays
The power of thought as tangible resistance anonymous 12th grade.
In George Orwell’s renowned novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith continues to preserve his normal, day to day tendencies while secretly questioning the rigid policies of Oceania’s ominously dark society privately within his mind. Although...
The Reflection of George Orwell Crystal Epps
"On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it...
Totalitarian Collectivism in 1984, or, Big Brother Loves You Tiffany Shropshire
Following the political upheaval and struggle for power after the second world war, George Orwell's novel 1984 cautions against the dangers of oppression and exemplifies the consequential nightmarish world of the near future. The plot traces the...
Sex as Rebellion Joe Ward
The opening of Book Two of 1984, in which Winston meets Julia and begins the erotic affair he has so deeply desired, commences the main section of the novel and strikes an immediate contrast between the two lovers. Unlike Winston, Julia is neither...
Class Ties: The Dealings of Human Nature Depicted through Social Classes in 1984 Zachary Zill
In George Orwell's 1984, the differences and relationships between the proles, the Outer Party, and the Inner Party reflect different aspects of human nature and the various levels of the human psyche. The most base, savage level of humanity is...
1984: The Ultimate Parody of the Utopian World Anonymous
"When Thomas More wrote Utopia in 1515, he started a literary genre with lasting appeal for writers who wanted not only to satirize existing evils but to postulate the state, a kind of Golden Age in the face of reality" (Hewitt 127). Unlike a...
Class Conflict: Winston Smith in George Orwell's 1984 Sarah Standish
The title year of George Orwell's most famous novel is nineteen years past, but the dystopian vision it draws has retained its ability to grip readers with a haunting sense of foreboding about the future. At the heart of many of the issues touched...
Methods of Control in 1984 and Brave New World Anonymous
The difference between the methods of control in 1984 and BRAVE NEW WORLD is the difference between external control by force and internal control, enforced only by the citizen's own mind. While 1984's method has real-world precedent and seems...
Time in Modernist Literature Nathan Ragolia
Perception of time represents a major motif in modernist literature. Many works address the subjectivity of our experiences, including how we process and consider the passage of time. Due to the modernist and post-modernist emphasis on style and...
The Impossibility of Redemption for Winston Smith in 1984 Timothy Sexton
In George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith cannot escape the state's domination. Yet his inability is not only because of government power. Rather, even if he did have an opportunity to leave Oceania, his actions indicate that he would not have the...
Selfishness and Survival in The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984 Soh Li Yin
Are Winston, Julia and Offred eventually made into ‘reluctantly-selfish’ victims of totalitarian regimes or are they innately ‘pragmatically-selfish’ beings? Discuss in relation to The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984.
Offred and Winston, the main...
Power and Emotion in Orwell’s 1984 Anonymous
“How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?” O’Brien asks. Winston’s answer: “By making him suffer” (214). These two characters inhabit George Orwell’s vision of a future totalitarian government that has evolved to its most...
Imagery of Totalitarianism in Nineteen Eighty-Four Elizabeth Marcil 11th Grade
In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell uses several literary techniques to develop the theme that totalitarianism is destructive. He does so by using extensive imagery, focusing on the deterioration of the Victory Mansions, the canteen where...
Pursuit of Truth in 1984 Anonymous College
Contemporary political discourse often references George Orwell’s 1984 as an example of how government interference infringes on our rights as individuals while we remain complacent in the face of these violations. For example, the falsification...
Victorian, Romantic and Modernist Literature: Style as Cultural Commentary Anonymous College
Tony Harrison’s “A Cold Coming,” William Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey,” Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and George Orwell’s 1984 each display distinct sensibilities that reflect the time from which they emerged....
The Currency of Power in 1984 Katherine Knapp College
The power of words is enough to control an entire nation. Although many would consider physical power and brute force to be absolute power, George Orwell’s 1984 demonstrates a dystopian society where language is the ultimate form of power. The...
Orwell's Language: Thought Control Tom Armstrong College
George Orwell’s 1984 portrays a dystopian society whose values and freedoms have been marred through the manipulation of language and thus thought processes. Language has become a tool of mind control for the oppressive government and...
The Freedom to Be Dominated: A Historical Comparison of 1984 to Communist Russia Anonymous 11th Grade
A government of an ideal society is meant to represent the people. It is the people’s choice to support, to select, and to seize government. The idea of open communication is employed as a way for people to choose the best representative. With the...
Models of Rebellion in 1984 and V for Vendetta Joseph Latorcai 12th Grade
Problems faced by characters in literature often repeat themselves, and when these characters decide to solve these standard problems, their actions are often more similar than they first appear. This idea is evident when comparing the actions...
Freud's Impact on 1984 Anonymous College
In his treatise Civilization and Its Discontents , Freud makes an interesting statement about advanced society. He argues that “the price of progress in civilization is paid in forfeiting happiness through the heightening of the sense of guilt,” to...
O’Brien’s Moral Dehumanization: Villainy in "1984" Dylan Kostadinov 10th Grade
“Nobody is a villain in their own story. We're all the heroes of our own stories.” According to George R.R. Martin, an estimable American novelist, an individual's perspective ultimately decides whether he views himself as a protagonist and deems...
Rebellion Across Media: Analyzing "1984" and "Metropolis" Joonhwy Kwon 12th Grade
George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) is a cautionary novel which explores a dystopian society mired in propaganda and totalitarianism. Similarly, director Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) is a critique of a futuristic world where growth and industralisation...
Totalitarian Techniques in 1984 and Red Azalea Anonymous 10th Grade
In order for one to exist in a totalitarian society whose government is successful in its control, one must deal on a day-to-day basis with strong persuasion and propaganda. These totalitarian societies have an iron grip on their people, leaving...
Humanity's Fear: A Comparison of 1984 and Metropolis Anonymous 12th Grade
The fear of a dystopian future that is explored in both Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis and George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty Four is reflective of the values of the societies at the time and the context of the authors. As authors are considered...
Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — 1984
Essays on 1984
George orwell’s representation of authority as illustrated in his book, 1984.
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Orwell's Use of Literary Devices to Portray The Theme of Totalitarianism in 1984
The culture of fear in 1984, a novel by george orwell, 1984 by george orwell: literary devices to portray government controlling its citizens, the use of language to control people in 1984, dictatorship of the people: orwell's 1984 as an allegory for the early soviet union, the totalitarian government in george orwell’s novel "1984", searching for truth in 1984, a world without love: the ramifications of an affectionless society in 1984, on double-think and newspeak: orwell's language, the theme of survival and selfishness in the handmaid's tale in 1984, government surveillance in 1984 by george orwell: bogus security, george orwell's 1984 as a historical allegory, exploitation of language in george orwell's 1984, how orwell's 1984 is relevant to today's audience, the relation of orwel’s 1984 to the uighur conflict in china, parallels to today in 1984 by george orwell, symbolism in 1984: the soviet union as representation of the fears people, the relationship between power and emotions in 1984, proletariat vs protagonist: winston smith's class conflict in 1984, a review of george orwell’s book, 1984, o'brien as a dehumanizing villain in 1984, family in 1984 and persepolis, the philosophy of determinism in 1984, orwell's use of rhetorical strategies in 1984, control the citizens in the orwell's novel 1984, dangers of totalitarianism as depicted in 1984, dystopian life in '1984' was a real-life in china, dystopian world in the novel '1984' awaits us in the future, the internal conflict of the protagonist of the dystopia '1984', feeling stressed about your essay.
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8 June 1949, George Orwell
Novel; Dystopia, Political Fiction, Social Science Fiction Novel
Winston Smith, Julia, O'Brien, Aaronson, Jones, and Rutherford, Ampleforth, Charrington, Tom Parsons, Syme, Mrs. Parsons, Katharine Smith
Since Orwell has been a democratic socialist, he has modelled his book and motives after the Stalinist Russia
Power, Repressive Behaviors, Totalitarianism, Mass Surveillance, Human Behaviors
The novel has brought up the "Orwellian" term, which stands for "Big Brother" "Thoughtcrime" and many other terms that we know well. It has been the reflection of totalitarianism
1984 represents a dystopian writing that has followed the life of Winston Smith who belongs to the "Party",which stands for the total control, which is also known as the Big Brother. It controls every aspect of people's lives. Is it ever possible to go against the system or will it take even more control. It constantly follows the fear and oppression with the surveillance being the main part of 1984. There is Party’s official O’Brien who is following the resistance movement, which represents an alternative, which is the symbol of hope.
Before George Orwell wrote his famous book, he worked for the BBC as the propagandist during World War II. The novel has been named 1980, then 1982 before finally settling on its name. Orwell fought tuberculosis while writing the novel. He died seven months after 1984 was published. Orwell almost died during the boating trip while he was writing the novel. Orwell himself has been under government surveillance. It was because of his socialist opinions. The slogan that the book uses "2 + 2 = 5" originally came from Communist Russia and stood for the five-year plan that had to be achieved during only four years. Orwell also used various Japanese propaganda when writing his novel, precisely his "Thought Police" idea.
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” “But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.” “Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” “Confession is not betrayal. What you say or do doesn't matter; only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you-that would be the real betrayal.” “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.” "But you could not have pure love or pure lust nowadays. No emotion was pure, because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred."
The most important aspect of 1984 is Thought Police, which controls every thought. It has been featured in numerous books, plays, music pieces, poetry, and anything that has been created when one had to deal with Social Science and Politics. Another factor that represents culmination is thinking about overthrowing the system or trying to organize a resistance movement. It has numerous reflections of the post WW2 world. Although the novella is graphic and quite intense, it portrays dictatorship and is driven by fear through the lens of its characters.
This essay topic is often used when writing about “The Big Brother” or totalitarian regimes, which makes 1984 a flexible topic that can be taken as the foundation. Even if you have to write about the use of fear by the political regimes, knowing the facts about this novel will help you to provide an example.
1. Enteen, G. M. (1984). George Orwell And the Theory of Totalitarianism: A 1984 Retrospective. The Journal of General Education, 36(3), 206-215. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/27797000) 2. Hughes, I. (2021). 1984. Literary Cultures, 4(2). (https://journals.ntu.ac.uk/index.php/litc/article/view/340) 3. Patai, D. (1982). Gamesmanship and Androcentrism in Orwell's 1984. PMLA, 97(5), 856-870. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/abs/gamesmanship-and-androcentrism-in-orwells-1984/F1B026BE9D97EE0114E248AA733B189D) 4. Paden, R. (1984). Surveillance and Torture: Foucault and Orwell on the Methods of Discipline. Social Theory and Practice, 10(3), 261-271. (https://www.pdcnet.org/soctheorpract/content/soctheorpract_1984_0010_0003_0261_0272) 5. Tyner, J. A. (2004). Self and space, resistance and discipline: a Foucauldian reading of George Orwell's 1984. Social & Cultural Geography, 5(1), 129-149. (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1464936032000137966) 6. Kellner, D. (1990). From 1984 to one-dimensional man: Critical reflections on Orwell and Marcuse. Current Perspectives in Social Theory, 10, 223-52. (https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/kellner/essays/from1984toonedimensional.pdf) 7. Samuelson, P. (1984). Good legal writing: of Orwell and window panes. U. Pitt. L. Rev., 46, 149. (https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/upitt46&div=13&id=&page=) 8. Fadaee, E. (2011). Translation techniques of figures of speech: A case study of George Orwell's" 1984 and Animal Farm. Journal of English and Literature, 2(8), 174-181. (https://academicjournals.org/article/article1379427897_Fadaee.pdf) 9. Patai, D. (1984, January). Orwell's despair, Burdekin's hope: Gender and power in dystopia. In Women's Studies International Forum (Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 85-95). Pergamon. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0277539584900621) 10. Cole, M. B. (2022). The Desperate Radicalism of Orwell’s 1984: Power, Socialism, and Utopia in Dystopian Times. Political Research Quarterly, 10659129221083286. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10659129221083286)
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George Orwells 1984 Essays
Nature and animals 1984 essay.
In George Orwell’s 1984, the reader follows a middle-aged man named Winston Smith. In Winston’s society, people can be under surveillance at any time, in any place. The reader follows Winston through his affair with a woman named Julia, and the consequences that they face after. Throughout 1984, many motifs are represented, one of them being nature and animals. The motif of nature/animals demonstrates how Orwell connects characters in his book to animals. In 1984, the first time the reader […]
1984 the Soviet Union the Parallels
George Orwell is an author who wrote the book 1984 and Animal Farm, two famous Dystopian novels. But what is a dystopian novel? A dystopian novel is where the author writes about a society being oppressed or terrorized from a group of people or person(Jennifer Kendall). Typically in dystopian novels, we are shown a character who don’t agree with the government structure and tend to rebel against them. Although dystopian novels are fictional, it doesn’t mean that it can’t happen […]
Big Brother is Watching you
In George Orwell’s 1984, Winston Smith wrestles with oppression in Oceania, a place where the Party scrutinizes human actions with ever-watchful Big Brother. Defying a ban on individuality, Winston dares to express his thoughts in a diary and pursues a relationship with Julia. These criminal deeds being Winston into the eye of the opposition, who then must reform the nonconformist. George Orwell’s 1984 introduced the watchwords for life without freedom: BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. Big Brother’s role, his effect […]
1984 Compared to Today
In the world today, the internet is at the center of our actions. The internet and technology enable the recording of everything we do, which can be accessed by millions of people within a short time. This leads to the question of privacy in this age. In the novel “1984” by George Orwell, the main character, Winston Smith, and the rest of the population in Oceania are being surveyed. All their moves are followed with the help of telescreens purposed […]
Parallels between a Novel 1984 and Soviet Union
George Orwell is a politically charged author who writes novels as warning issued against the dangers of totalitarian societies. The novel is dystopian literature. A dystopian society is the not so good version of an utopian society which is pretty much a perfect world. While an utopian society IS a perfect world, a dystopian society is the exact opposite as it is dehumanizing and unpleasant in regards to trying to make everything ideal. The novel 1984 by George Orwell is […]
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Winston against the Party in the Novel 1984
In 1984, the main character, Winston Smith goes through moments where he is in need; His needs consist of physiological needs, safety, and security needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Winston is the main character in his novel it follows his around during this time. In 1984 Winston has his physiological met. These physiological needs include; water, pleasure, and food. Winston had taken up his spoon and was dabbling in pale-colored gravy that dribbled across the […]
Main Themes in 1984
There are many Themes in 1984 however there are two that show themselves as the most important throughout the story: The disastrous effects of both the control of information and complete and total domination of the people, or Authoritarianism. These two themes show themselves many times throughout the entire story. The main Villain of the novel, Big Brother, exists to show the reader what will happen when one single organization or entity controls all information, and every other facet of […]
The Party Control in the Novel 1984
1984 is a political novel composed for the people under a totalitarian government and to give awareness for the possible risks of it. George Orwell, the author, purposefully created the book give emphasis to the rising of communism in Western countries who are still uncertain about how to approach it. He also wrote it due to having an insight of the horrendous lengths to which authoritarian governments that could possibly go beyond their power such as Spain and Russia. Before […]
1984 Literary Essay
In the novel 1984 war ment peace, freedom ment slavery, and ignorance ment strength. This novel very intriguing yet dark and twisted, the novel all began with an average man with an average job and an average life named Winston Smith, but what you don’t know is how unruly the government is. The government believes everyone they have in their grasp they completely and utterly control, they have dehumanized humans to the point where they can’t hardly think for themselves […]
George Orwell’s Fiction Novel 1984
With new technology and advanced programs, the government is gaining more power than one may realize. George Orwell’s fiction novel 1984, depicts Oceania’s control upon it’s party members thoughts and freedom showcasing the harsh effects that it had on its population. Too much control can often lead to social repression, Winston being a product of this repressed society. The cruelty Winston is faced with serves as both a motivation for him throughout the novel and reveals many hidden traits about […]
1984 Technology
1984: The Effects of Technology on the Population Nineteen Eighty-Four, often published as 1984, is a dystopian novel by English writer George Orwell published in June 1949, whose themes center on the risks if government overreach, totalitarianism, and repressive regimentation of all people and behaviours within society. The novel is set in an imagined future, the year 1984, when much of the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, historical negationism and propaganda. In the novel, Great Britain has become a province of a […]
What did 1984 Steal from 1922
There have been many dictators in the history of the world. They have been mostly bad for the people of the society, reducing their ability to stand up for them self. Most dictators used fear and intimidation to scare their opponents into complying with them, but in 1984 they limited their vocabulary (newspeak) and twisted what they were saying to make it sound nicer (doublespeak) to get the people to comply with the rules. The Party in 1984 is influenced […]
My 1984 Story
INTRODUCTION The Party did the people wrong and treated them poorly because the Party wanted them to do what they asked for and manipulating their minds. Orwell wanted to tell people how the Party treated other people and what they had to sacrifice in order to do what was told. For it to be one of the most powerful warnings that ever happened in the totalitarian society. George Orwell’s 1984 is a interesting and constructive book that is filled with […]
A Political Novel 1984
1984 is a political novel composed for the humans below a totalitarian authorities and to give consciousness for the feasible dangers of it. George Orwell, the author, purposefully created the e book give emphasis to the rising of communism in Western countries who are nonetheless uncertain about how to approach it. He additionally wrote it due to having an insight of the horrendous lengths to which authoritarian governments that ought to possibly go beyond their power such as Spain and […]
The Shadow of 1984
When people read dystopian text they often include topics with darker views of our political structures. George Orwell’s novel 1984 is about a place named Oceania in which the main character Winston, a member of the outer party,journeys into his end. He finds himself with these viewpoints no one else seems to have of how Oceania is runned and only continues to question and dig further until he is put to stop by the party. Although Orwell’s work is fiction […]
The Party Control in 1984
1984 is a story of tragedy and warns of a dystopian future, which day by day looks like it is becoming closer to a reality. The story starts out with Winston Smith, a member of the Party, living inside the conglomerate super-nation Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes, he is being watched by the Party’s leader, Big Brother, who is constantly monitoring to stop any and all rebellion. The Party controls everything and are trying to indoctrinate people, inventing a brand new […]
The Power of Words and Rhetoric in 1984
In a lucid moment Winston found that he was shouting with the others and kicking his heel violently against the ring of his chair (Orwell 14). Winston Smith is an average man in the world of 1984, at least that is what readers believe at first glance. However, there is a hidden life under the surface of his skin, this being the brewing hatred he feels for the, otherwise, worshiped Big Brother. Smith meets an unlikely companion in a young […]
About the Hazard of Controlling Governments in 1984
Dystopian literature has been around for quite some time, shaping the minds of young readers. However, in the course of recent decades, it has turned out to be increasingly popular, especially after the turn of the century. In a time of fear and anxiety, the dystopian genre has become more popular in pop culture, in that they provide audiences with a different aspect of entertainment, while offering a sense of comfort and control. The world that young adults of today […]
The Parallels of 1984 and the Soviet Union
George Orwell, a pen name for the author’s real name Eric Arthur Blair, is a man that had multiple professions, such as an essayist, imperial police officer, and a critic. However, he is best known as a novelist, writing such stories like Animal Farm, Burmese Days, and the main focus novel that will be talked about today, 1984. 1984 is the story about a man named Winston Smith, a man that lives in a totalitarian society where no one is […]
Dystopian Literature – 1984
The destruction of history causes people to obey the party more and become mindless objects to the party. The party imposed if all records told the same tale then the lie passed into history and became truth. Who controls the past ran the party slogan controls the future who controls the present controls the past And the through of its nature alterable never has been altered{ Orwell p.31}. It represent imagery and talks about how the party controls them and […]
Current Events Shaped Themes in 1984
Throughout history there have been dozens of examples of how the book 1984 relates to current events. A Prime example of this is Fidel Castro and 1960’s Cuba, Throughout his rule he was responsible for housing many soviet missiles, and limiting the freedoms of his people. The only news allowed in cuba was the news that was verified by either castro himself or his higher up officers. This is an example of censoring/controlling the media. Throughout the book there are […]
Wake up its 1984 again
War is peace; freedom is slavery; ignorance is strength In the book 1984 by George Orwell, Big brother is an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent dictator of Oceania. Big Brother symbolizes the face of the Party and its public manifestation, which controlled people’s thoughts, actions, knowledge and way of living. By using secret police, surveillance, torture, propaganda, misinformation, and corrupted languages to control all aspects of one’s life. Even though the book was meant to be fictional, there is some elements […]
The Party and Power 1984
William Gaddis once said, “power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power”; a truth that perfectly articulates the relationship between man and power. George Orwell’s prose novel, 1984, and James McTeigue’s theatrical film, V for Vendetta, are such quintessences of power abused by those in pursuit of reaching authoritative domination. They differ in textual form and perspectives however at their core, both texts are works of dystopian fiction and juvenalian satire against authoritarian style leaderships, depicting their respective protagonists as victims […]
1984 and Brave New World Comparison
As years pass by, human society has advanced in very unpredictable ways due to the evolution of ideas and technologies. It is somewhat cloudy to forseek what new advancements that may arrive in the future. In the 20th century, two dystopian writers had predicted the fate of the world that we live in today. The novels Nineteen Eighty-Four written by George Orwell and Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley both envisioned how society would end up as a dystopia. […]
1984 Surveillance Essay
George Orwell’s 1984 writes of a dystopian society that has become severally oppressed by the methods ‘The Party’ uses to control its society. The people do not think for themselves, and there is no independence from the government’s rules. One form that the party has control over everyone is with mind manipulation and constant surveillance, watching people actions and reactions to their messages that ‘The Party’ shares via the ‘telescreen’. A ‘telescreen’ is a two-way connection screen that people watch […]
The Tools and Actions of Totalitarianism in Cuba and “1984” by George Orwell
George Orwell’s book 1984 displayed an example of a real-life dystopia. Totalitarianism is shown in this communist-based society so ghastly that it coined its own term “Orwellian” in the dictionary. However, a country living in full surveillance with extremely nationalistic views in cookie-cutter world is not entirely fictional. Historical dictatorships are similar to Orwell’s telling of Big Brother, the man in control of Oceania’s economy and strictly enforced values. An example of such was the Cuban regime under control of […]
1984 and Brave New Word: Literary Criticisms
Although they seem to portray two completely opposite dystopias, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984 are two sides of the same coin, as they both warn of the dangers of an all-powerful government. Both their personal lives and the social climate in which they lived in contributed in the shaping of their novels into the disturbingly brilliant pieces of literature that are praised today. Huxley’s childhood provides great insight into some of the many influences of his […]
Lack of Privacy in 1984 Essay
Privacy is a loose term in our world today because no one abides by it and the privacy of many people is invaded every day. People don’t even think about being watched when they’re posting personal experiences in their life on social media. Invasion of privacy is a serious issue concerning the Internet, as e-mails can be read and/or encrypted, and cookies can track a user and store personal information. Lack of privacy policies and employee monitoring threatens security also. […]
George Orwell’s 1984 Oppression
After reading and discussing the outcomes of high tech policing, I strongly take a stand with the critics of it. This is not only opinion, the data received by high tech policing technologies distort the true meaning of privacy and is a form of biased policing against poor and minority communities. Police are using high tech policing to target poor and minority communities. The main facts that support my claim are how high tech policing results in biases against minorities […]
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Essays About Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell Few argumentative essay examples leave an outstanding remark in the footprints of history like 1984 by George Orwell. Although the author wrote the novel in 1949, most scholars still see it as an important piece in our day. This is probably due to the manner it predicted the totalitarian government whom he said would leverage on the media and manipulate technology to exploit and control people. In this book, George Orwell provided an analysis of London, but not as a part of England. Instead, ‘ London ’ in the 1984 novel was a part of Oceania. Oceania was regarded as one of the vast governments in the book’s world. The author described the region as being under the critical influence of a dictatorship and powerful government forces. In this exciting piece, the government was described as ‘ big brother .’ and that it uses cameras and other gadgets to observe the behavior of its citizens. Why should this novel be of much significance to you? In college, it forms the basis of research and essay writing for many students. Therefore, reading and understanding the book will help you to write effective essays on it as part of your exam or a test. Those searching for research paper topics to write can draw inspiration from the essay on 1984. Whether you’re writing your paper yourself or outsourcing it online, we have a lot of essay examples on George Orwell’s 1984 novel to help you.
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1984 Essay: Read Our Top Sample
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The novel 1984 by the novelist, George Orwell, discusses the concept of life in a totalitarian regime. The protagonist, Winston Smith, struggles with his life under Big Brother, an all-knowing, all-powerful and all-present government. He cannot escape Big Brother. Rather, he lives his life while knowing that Big Brother observes every action and even every thought of his. A mere facial twitch could be viewed as a rebellious thought and lead to the execution of the individual. These are called thoughtcrimes and they represent the thoughts of a person that can be construed as a crime against the totalitarian regime. In this manner, Big Brother stops any individuality or self from developing in their people. As the novel progresses, Winston recognizes that “the self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action” (John Dewey) and he faces a variety of choices to rebel, as evidence by the symbols around him. While there are multiple symbols in the novel, the symbols of the Brotherhood, the influence of the Party and Winston’s personal journal or diary most clearly reflect Winston’s growing recognition of his self as an ever-evolving and changing concept.
At the beginning of the novel, Winston Smith works for the Party, an omniscient government that controls the way the people think. . Early in the novel, he essentially represents the ideal citizen for the government. He does not question how his individuality has been suppressed by the Party and its mind and thought controls. He works for the Party and helps to advance their ideals. However, he quickly shows signs of rebellion. He feels stifled under the constant weight of supervision. This constant weight represents the Big Brother. Big Brother is the image of the totalitarian regime. The opposition to Big Brother is the Brotherhood. It is the symbol that allows Winston the ability to question the Party and its ideals. Winston’s discovery that others also have begun to recognize the falseness of Big Brother gives him the strength to continue his journey into his sense of self. This symbol reinforces his sanity in defying Big Brother and The Party, as the other members of the Brotherhood validate his perspective. The validation allows him to trust himself more and therefore, creates a more proactive to-the-cause version of him. The novel clearly shows this when Orwell wrote “It was the product of a mind similar to his own, but enormously more powerful, more systematic, less fear-ridden” (Orwell 208). Winston recognizes that there are “mind[s] similar to his own.” In this manner, he begins to realize that his mind is not like every other mind, but it is like some other minds. He realizes that there is not one thought in his world; rather, the world is made up of multiple thoughts and ideas. Some are like his and some are not. Big Brother is not like his thought process. The Brotherhood is. He joins into a society that has dared to question what it is told on a constant basis. When Winston recognizes that others tend to think like he does, he is then given the strength of character to branch out into additional thoughts, or actually thoughtcrimes, according to the Party.
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The second symbol indicates what he is rebelling against. This symbol is the influence of the Party, specifically the telescreens. This symbol is a strategic part of the efforts made by The Party to control individual thought and eliminate deviance from their ideal image of a model citizen. It continuously motivates Winston to behave in his thoughts and therefore his actions, as the telescreens are a constant reminder of the control being enforced by The Party. He cannot escape from this image, even when he goes home. When one leaves work for the day, one should essentially be free to be “one’s self.” One might be controlled, even in the world today, to act in specific manners and to even think according to “the company line.” This is part of a job, and one is to some degree, controlled in one’s actions and thoughts by what their employer expects and demands of him or her. However, when one enters the domicile of one’s home, one should be free to be the individual. One should no longer be controlled in the way one thinks or behaves. This cannot occur if one has a constant reminder of the ideology under which one lives.
The presence of the Big Brother through the telescreens reminds Winston that he is not free; rather, he is trapped into the person that Big Brother has forced upon him, as a ready-made character. The strength of the image of Big Brother is seen when Winston and Julia go to O’Brien’s house for the first time when O’Brien turns off the telescreen to discuss about the Brotherhood.O’Brien has the ability to do this because he is a member of the Inner Party. Even though it was only for a short 30 minutes that they were able to discuss the logistics, the time away from the telescreen is a privilege. Since O’Brien is a trusted follower of Big Brother, his thoughts are not expected to deviate. This proves that because of where you are in the hierarchy of the party you are more or less allowed to have your own freedom. In this situation the telescreen clearly would have gotten in the way of the discussion of the Brotherhood, and even previous to that Winston was aware of the realization he is only following the footsteps of the Party because he is never given a chance not to avoid it. Winston’s growing realization shows Winston’s true character and feelings towards Big Brother and how he has concealed it from the telescreens in order to avoid prosecution. When the telescreens, working to enforce Big Brother’s pursuit of complete dominance, are turned off, the conspiracy he believes in can be brought to the light.
The last symbol is Winston’s personal diary or journal. Winston purchases an illegal diary in which he chooses to record his thoughts, or thoughtcrimes. This symbol is Winston’s initial gateway to discuss his feelings about the inconsistencies found regarding the Party. It is the first step he takes developing his true self as it is his first expression of his own thoughts. He engages in thoughtcrimes, which are the worst type of crime. This is seen numerous times throughout the novel; In one example, Winston writes “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death” (Orwell 30). Another example is when he writes, “To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone – to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: … “ (Orwell 30). By writing in his diary, Winston explores his fears and concerns with the age he lives in. He imagines a time where people are allowed to have their own thoughts based on individual creativity. Individual creativity is the hallmark of the self as an actualizing force; ready-made individuals are not creative or different from each other through this creativity.
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Orwell explores the idea of the self, as it relates to a regime that controls even the thoughts of its citizens. Through the character of Winston, Orwell creates a character that struggles to achieve his own sense of self in a world that will not allow it. This is explored through a variety of symbols, including the Brotherhood, the Party’s influence and Winston’s personal journal. As the novel progresses, Winston is able to develop his own identity, apart from the ready-made one that the Party allows him.
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1984 by George Orwell Essay
“George Orwell once offered this definition of heroism: ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed. ” In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith is described in words of being the ordinary, everyday man to the dystopian society that Orwell envisions to us through Winston’s eyes. the life of a Oceanian citizen. However, in the closing of the novel he admits his admiration for Big Brother.
In a society where the extent of individuality is merely greeting a fellow citizen,even then limited to “ greetings comrade”, there are just rebels. A rebel is what i would identify Winston as, not a hero. The supposed heroic actions Winston commits throughout the novel were not heroic at all, but frankly his personal rebellions rather than a need to rebel against the government in the hopes of altering the social society. Winston’s first encounter of rebelling against the Party was the day we wrote a journal entry in secrecy consisting of the phrase “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”.
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After writing this he knew immediately that he was well condemned to be caught by the Thought Police and due to this fact Winston began carelessly engaging in law breaking actions that put him at even greater risks. This thinking would be seen as careless and selfish, for all forbidden actions were only done to please himself. Actions and thoughts of that manner would not have been in the slightest consideration to commit to a hero who is undoubtedly wanting to change the condition of the government as a whole.
Even though Winston contributed to committing acts against the government that are quite courageous, it was all in a discrete manner. Instead of engaging in an open revolt, Winston’s sexual escapades with Julia and journal entries were in secrecy and remote locations that were never repeated twice, also in the room provided by Mr. Charrington. I interpreted Winston’s approach to act in confidence from everyone around him out of the fear of the reactions of people during the two minute hate, telescreens, hidden microphones, and brainwashed, spying neighbours outing you at the first open moment to save themselves very cowardice rather than make an open revolt.
The open revolt would have spoken actions of a hero, “ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed”. Basically even if Winston’s public revolt to get others to go against rather than conform to the Party’s laws and live in fear didn’t succeed, it would have been the effort that counts for what a hero would do to better a country, people, or even the world. The fear Winston felt and had thought of in the back of his mind that he mentioned all kept him regretting the actions he took part in.
To further the concept of the substantial influence fear contributed to Winston’s choice of actions that defies the the meaning of a hero, is the time he was in his Room 101 and the his great fear of rats were thrust upon him for torture by O'Brien in the Ministry of Love, and he unhesitantly shouted to place the torture among Julia, a complete cowardly act. This alone speaks for itself that Winston is no hero, he is an ordinary person who falls under the control of the Party when under pressure of their tactics.
In addition to his cowardly act, he also betrays Julia when he rats her out to the Party and tells of how it was all her, she was the one who influence the revolt. This contradicts the characteristics of hero because a hero is determined to stand by what they most care about and never act against their purpose, so for Winston this was not a demonstration of heroism, but a selfish act of fear to put complete blame on Julia, his former lover at the end of the book. To conclude my stance on whether Winston Smith should be considered a hero is he is not a hero at all, just the ordinary citizen living in a dystopian society.
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Essays on 1984
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Newspeak is the official language of Oceania. It is the depletion of words. The Party wanted to make it impossible to commit thoughtcrimes by literally erasing all of the negative words that one would use. Oldspeak is what Winston and the proles spoke in. By 1984, most people had abandoned Oldspeak. The Party did not bother teaching the proles the new language because they didn’t care about them. The proles have a conscience but they are not conscience of their […]
In today’s society, many would believe they acquire the natural right of freedom; however, people can easily be subject to a totalitarian command which would allow a loss of independence. In George Orwell’s famous dystopia, 1984, he styles a world in which the Inner Party perpetuates absolute power in the nation of Oceania using tactics to assure authority over the Outer Party, like Winston Smith. By removing individual reasoning, disrupting the capacity to comprehend, and camouflaging the past, the Inner Party is guaranteed total control.
By physically controlling the Outer Party, The Inner Party extracts rational and independent thought from the citizens of Oceania to regulate absolute power. In a crucial scene, O’Brien threatens Winston with a cage full of rats–his worst fear–to indoctrinate the victim’s loyalty to Big Brother. When the rats are near Winston’s face he screams, “Do it to Julia! Not me! Tear her face off [and] strips her to the bones!”(286). The interrogation highlights how torture is used as a device to force citizens to submit to the government’s authority because once Winston’s body was restrained and faced with terror, his mental capacity was blocked. Now, Winston’s interests are not to fashion a rebellion since the fear of rats dominates his extent to reason and becomes a servant to the state. In addition, stigmatizing sex and redefining it as essential for reproduction constricts emotion because it eliminates loving another individual. In return, the Outer Party remains loyal to the Inner Party because each individual will only adore Big Brother, stripping logical thinking. Furthermore, nationalistic propaganda constantly reminds the citizens that the Inner Party surveys surroundings: “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston’s own”(2). Big Brother symbolizes how a dictator in a totalitarian government is superior by practicing absolute power through supervising citizens lives. Since the Outer Party is in a state of danger from the surveillance, the member’s human reasons are shadowed with anxiety and suspicion. Therefore, the Inner Party thrives off of vulnerability to gain authority because they can exploit individual minds to distract the people’s rational comprehension.
The Inner Party is able to maintain its authority by distracting individual thought. For instance, Oceania is apart of an everlasting war with Eurasia or Eastasia to divert any ideas of rebellion by keeping the citizens in constant fear: “Suddenly the whole street was in commotion. There were yells of warning from all sides. People were shooting into the doorways like rabbits. A young woman leaped out of a doorway…grabbed…a tiny child…whipped her apron round it, and leaped back again”(83). The Inner Party uses warfare as an essential mechanism because the citizens will submit to the dominant power by instilling terror. Also, this terror would prevent rebellious thought by establishing an enemy. Additionally, Newspeak–the official language of Oceania–limits ideas and expression to effectively have influence over individuals mind. Furthermore, The Inner Party disapproves of solitude because the isolation can breed independent thought. When Winston was alone, he thought of planning a rebellion with O’Brien to stop the Inner Party’s oppression; however, no other individual paralleled his reasoning because “In principle, a Party member had no spare time, and was never alone except in bed”(81). Moreover, the Inner Party distracts the Outer Party’s minds through simulating paranoia and keeping everyone in a social environment.
By altering warfare and social conditions, the Inner Party prevaricates the truth and conceals the past to sustain supremacy. The totalitarian state of Oceania rations necessities and goods to its inhabitants, and publicizes that the food quantities are substantial: “The Ministry Of Plenty [said] that there would be no reduction of the chocolate ration during 1984…Actually, the chocolate ration was to be reduced from thirty grams to twenty by the end of the present week”(34). As the Inner Party becomes a powerful government, the citizens of Oceania adapt to the limitations of daily commodities, like coffee or sugar. This aids in the reduction of memory because the Outer Party Members will normalize their circumstances, unwilling to rebel from the apparent oppression. In addition, Winton’s occupation at the Ministry of Truth is to rectify historical documents and revise articles to initiate and prolong the Party’s principles. In doing so, Winston must embrace doublethink–accepting that two contradictory beliefs both obtain the truth. In one scene, the Party proclaims Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and not Eastasia, making the past changeable and not definite. Winston reassured, “Oceania was at war with Eastasia: Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia. A large part of the political literature of five years was now completely obsolete”(182). Now, any history confronting the latest Party ideals has to be redefined. In return, the Inner Party benefits because if the government can mandate the past, they have the capacity to compose a fitting future. Overall, the Inner Party disguises the truth to perpetuate their interests.
The Inner Party’s tactics to maintain their position as a high power reflected totalitarian methods through implementing fear or stripping away any perspective. They use the citizen’s emotions to withdraw logical thinking. In addition, the Inner party disconcerts thought by limiting private communication Lastly, the government conceals legitimate truths and recreates their goals. Without these methods, the Outer Party would be able to be the masters of their minds and creates a mass revolt against the Inner Party.
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Many readers think of 1984 as a dystopia about a populace constantly monitored by technologically advanced rulers. Yet in truth, the technological tools pale in comparison to the psychological methods the Party wields, which not only control the citizens but also teach them to control themselves.
1984 Essay Topics & Prompts Instructor: Wendy A. Garland Wendy has a Ph.D. in Adult Education and a Master's Degree in Business Management. She has 10 years experience working in higher...
1984 essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of 1984 by George Orwell. The Reflection of George Orwell Totalitarian Collectivism in 1984, or, Big Brother Loves You Sex as Rebellion Class Ties: The Dealings of Human Nature Depicted through Social Classes in 1984
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