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Utilitarianism In 1984

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1984 in 2014 In 1984, George Orwell describes life in a world with an ideal government that has society’s support and citizens that obey all laws. Otherwise known as a “negative utopia,” Oceania is ruled by The Party, composed of different Ministries to maintain their compliant citizens. Thought Police work for The Party to identify those who oppose The Party by monitoring every action taken and word spoken. “Telescreens" and hidden microphones allow for effective monitoring, but the only thing they cannot know for sure are the thoughts that citizens keep in the privacy of their mind. As Winston’s life progresses in 1984, he becomes more aware of his and other’s opposition to The Party, and accepts the memories that The Party does not want …show more content…
Big Brother is said to be the leader of the party, and therefore is used as the face to represent the party. Who Big Brother is is unknown to the public, but it is made very clear that he possesses power over its citizens from the posters around town that state “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 1). Because the leader of The Party is not clear—and who makes up The Party in general—people are committed to following an unknown authority that they did not chose and have no power to change. Clearly this is not the case in America, as our President is explicitly known and directly elected by the people. The essence of a democracy is to allow for the people of the country to have a voice in how the country is structured, while the goal of Big Brother was to maintain all power in every aspect of life: “The terrible thing that the Party had done was to persuade you that mere impulses, mere feelings, were of no account, while at the same time robbing you of all power over the material world” (Orwell 136). The emphasis on totalitarian control by The Party far exceeds that of America, and therefore direct connection about these governments cannot be …show more content…
In short, Ingsoc demands the full support and submission of the public. The Party manages this through the prevention of “thought crime” using close monitoring. Telescreens are found in every home that can hear and see everything that happens in the room. The Thought Police review all monitors and attempt to catch those who are against The Party or guilty of committing thought crime. Upon successfully doing so, they capture the traitor, deliver them to the Ministry of Love, where they undergo a series of torture until they submit to loving The Party. For those who do not and are caught, it is a different story as O’Brien, a member of The Party,

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