...suggesting a very good representation of a totalitarian government, where the more laws passed the more power the government possesses. Although the laws and government actions may seem beneficial to the citizens, the party manipulates the citizens with these enforcements and actions to maintain power in 1984 by George Orwell. The party uses technology to make people stay in order and not rebel against the laws of the society. The way that the party uses public confinement allows the government to control society. The government constantly makes the citizens afraid of the party and each other so that the citizens will not rebel if they do not like something. The party stays in control because of the technology they use to manipulate the citizens. Continuous warfare is a mechanism that the party uses to dominate. By being in continuous warfare, the party needs technology built so they can participate in the war. The party needed a way to keep the people hard at work without increasing the wealth in the world. Bombs and other material “must be produced, but they need not be distributed. And in practice the only way of achieving this was by continuous warfare” (Orwell 190-191). The party makes the citizens create bombs and other warfare equipment constantly because the war never ends. This is an illusion to make it seem like the party and the people are on the same team by working together against a common enemy to create equipment when in reality this is a distraction so...
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...George Orwell’s 1984 was written to inform his audience of the dangers of totalitarian governments. The society George Orwell creates, can be very easily compared to that of Hitler’s time. In Oceania, the minority has absolute power just like the Nazi Party had absolute power in and Germany. The Nazi’s were there to make sure that no rebellions took place just as Big Brother is there to stop any acts of rebellion in Oceania. Control is necessary in society up to a specific point where the government takes control of every aspect of life; beyond that it is no longer effective. Winston Smith is in a society in which the people like himself are under complete control physically and psychologically through use of technology and senior party members. The Thought Police stop any citizens thinking about rebelling with telescreens, hidden microphones, and children spies. Firstly, Big Brother, the fictional character, is described to be the dictator of Oceania, has the most powerful role in society as head of the party. The people are constantly reminded that “Big Brother is Watching You (Orwell 3).” They persistently watch the people for any act of rebellion. Control is being achieved however, it is not effective as public and private life is diminished. Next, the telescreen plays another effective role in helping the party manipulate the people by blasting out propaganda. The information they provide the people with is all lies to make the party look good. Winston works...
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...Through the texts ‘Metropolis’ and ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’, Fritz Lang and George Orwell the composers both reflect as well as challenge the values within the times which they lived. The historical context of Metropolis challenges the values of the time in which Lang lived while the historical context of Nineteen Eight-Four reflects the values of the time Orwell lived. Values such as humanism, personal choice, liberty and family values are challenged through both Metropolis and Nineteen Eighty-Four. These are just some of the values of the time in which Lang and Orwell lived. Metropolis is a silent black-and-white film directed by Fritz Lang which challenged the values of humanity and personal choice through the historical context of the film. This film was made in a time which was ‘between the wars’, it was made in a time where German society was under the Weimar Republic, a system of parliamentary democracy formed after WWII. People residing in Germany would also go to the cinema to not only watch a film but to also escape from the hardships of their daily life. Within the era where Germany was under the Weimar Republic rule until Nazis rose to power, leading to the Treaty of Versailles where Germany agreed to be guilty of beginning the war and also to pay for all compensations. This agreement led to a Great Depression which hit the Republic hard and in the early 1930s allowed Hitler to rise up along with the Nazi party. Within Europe there was a period filled with uncertainty...
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...Ben Burrows English 12 Daulerio George Orwell's famous book 1984 was written as a political novel to warn people of the dangers of facing Communism in a totalitarian government. This book not only warned the world of potential dangers of being ruled this type of government, but it also presented some controversial new societal trends and technological advancement ideas for the future. Little did society know that Orwell's technology predictions in this book would actually come true in the near future. Orwell was especially concerned with the technological role in these governments, allowing them to control and keep an eye on their citizens. People in the time period that this book was written had a hard time grasping what Orwell was predicting. Many of his ideas and concepts were said not to happen for thousands of years, some were even claimed impossible to be done. In actuality, as we know today, a good amount of Orwell's predictions in the book 1984 have already became a reality. Orwell presented these ideas to warn people of what might be ahead and to be careful, but it may have created an opposite effect. His ideas may have actually had society work towards making his predictions come true. Orwell's book 1984 revealed how powerful technology could be, as the Party, or "Big Brother", used its complex technology to monitor and implement fear into those it identifies as its enemies. One of the devices the Party used for this purpose was the "telescreen"...
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...In a world controlled by a higher power, constantly living in fear of doing or saying something wrong, thoughts can be incriminating. Even worse, any unpure thoughts may make you disappear. Constantly being watched, and observed without knowing. A telescreen watching every facial expression and recording any abnormal body language and movement everywhere you go. Even in your home there is no escape. You are unable to get away or turn off the power of the Telescreen and "Big Brother". This novel is of a man's struggle against a totalitarian government that controls the ideas and thoughts of its citizens. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell the government used advanced mind reading techniques to discover the thoughts of the people and punish those who show signs of rebellion against the government. The novel is supposed to be a prophetic story, however, it was somewhat wrong in predicting the date when this government would rein. Although some themes described in the book are now realities, some are not going to happen for some time to come and this is why this novel continues to be overwhelming to us today. Perhaps Orwell's purpose for writing 1984 was to express his feelings of how the governments would come to control everything and anything they wished to do. It is also possible that he wanted to tell of how mind control and torture techniques could be used to make an individual or an entire nation do what the government wanted. This...
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...species from a population. In the fictional novel, 1984 by George Orwell (1949), the Party goes to extreme lengths to torture and brainwash their citizens to achieve utopian concepts. In Terry Gilliam’s film, Brazil (1985) the authorities operate behind the shadows, using technology to manipulate the masses and to eliminate the emotions of the citizens. In the real world, similar examples are evident; in North Korea, these stories are truer than ever. To be more specific, overseers order...
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...Shanshan Huang English 103 Professor Joseph 5/7/2013 The Major Themes of Orwellian Imagine living in an environment under the surveillance of a big power, imagine being manipulated and controlled for every thought and action. The act of obeying orders from the big power leads to survival, and the rebellion for freedom leads to the most devastating punishment. Would you give in to the big power or would you fight? The novel Nineteen-Eighty Four written by George Orwell portraying through the view of the protagonist, Winston Smith, describing a nation called Oceania being under the ruling of the antagonist, a totalitarian Party or the Big Brother. In addition, it presented various methods such as constant surveillance, unending propaganda, distortion of language, historical revisionism, fear, torture, perpetual war, and lack of habeas corpus to characterize an oppressive and authoritarian government. The Party utilizes these methods to keep its citizens living in a state of fear, making them developing a feeling of dependency of the party. The novel Nineteen-Eighty Four has its significance today because all of the methods that characterize a totalitarian government are still presence, especially being currently utilized by the government of the United States. Once upon a time, the U.S used to be a land of unparalleled freedom. However, ever since the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the U.S government, primarily under the management of the bush administration, has...
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...The privacy of American citizens has been a topic widely discussed for years and has only grown after the publication of George Orwell’s book, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the controversy revolving Edward Snowden in 2013. The American government has been under scrutiny ever since Edward Snowden leaked classified information that revealed that the government runs many secret global surveillance programs. The government has stated that the programs were being used to protect citizens from terrorist attacks, though no evidence shows the rate of terrorism decreasing after said programs has been used. The violation of privacy American citizens face is similar to the privacy violations explored in Nineteen Eighty-Four and should not be protected under...
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...Novel Notes “1984” Step 1: Dean, Michael, and George Orwell. 1984. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2003. Print. * George Orwell was born in Bengal, India as Eric Arthur Blair. Orwell is a novelist, essayist, and critic. * He had strong opinions and addressed some of the major political movements of his time. * Orwell’s father was stationed in India and stayed there when George, his mom, and his sisters moved to England. Orwell and his father never had a strong connection. * Orwell composed his first poem around the age of 4, he then struggled in the years to come with getting his writing career off the ground. * Also wrote Animal Farm, a novel attacking Stalinism. * Once graduating from the university he became very interest in political matters, which led him the writing of 1984. Step 2: What is the significance of the novel’s title? Orwell originally envisioned the title to be "The Last Man in Europe." But his editor, Frederic Warburg told Orwell he should change it. Therefore it became 1984, as we know it today. But there is much speculation as to where 1984 came from. There are two ideas I learned about. 1. Orwell, in 1948, may have thought a simple, two-digit end switcheroo would be a good title. 2. Or named it after his wife’s poem, "End of the Century, 1984." What is the novel’s setting in time and place? Does setting influence characters or actions? How much time is covered in the story? * Setting Time & Place:...
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...The novel I just finished reading was titled 1984 by George Orwell. This story covers a modern controversy that the government is constantly watching us, from hidden cameras, to tapping in our phone lines, to spies. Though this is a fictional novel, it is very similar to today’s society. In the novel, we are introduced to Winston Smith, one who is against the Big Brother Party who is keeping Oceania under surveillance perpetually. Winston takes us through his expedition on a life of secrecy. The author of the book is George Orwell. The whole novel is written in third person context and in one continuous present storyline. His writing style is superb as he puts the reader in the shoes of Winston. Every emotion Smith feels, the reader feels as well. Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling party in London, in the nation of Oceania. The nation of Oceania is constantly being under watch along with many others by the Big Brother Party. The party keeps the society under watch so that no citizen could be rebellious. The Big Brother Party prohibits free thoughts, sex, expression of individuality and even thoughts of rebellion is a crime. Winston who dislikes the party’s rigid control purchases a diary to write all his rebellious thoughts. Throughout the novel, he meets Julia, his co-worker who he fell in love with. They go behind the party’s back and have a secret relationship. Te party soon discovers their rebellious acts and decides to punish then severely by introducing...
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...Compare and contrast the ways in which the authors William Shakespeare, George Orwell and Jeanette Winterson examine the effects of control in their texts The Taming of the Shrew, Nineteen Eighty-Four and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew attempts to present a comedic mockery of 16th century values. Shakespeare presents to the audience the farce of marriage values, the treatment of women and the control employed to tame those who were deemed ‘unruly.’ Shakespeare uses this technique in order to highlight to his audience the ridiculousness and brutality of their actions and, furthermore, to present to a modern audience the upheld expectations and beliefs of 16th century society and the ridiculousness of said societal values. The very title of the play alone – “The Taming of the Shrew” – through the language “taming” and “shrew,” indicates that there is something undesirable about a women acting of her own accord and thus she requires ‘taming.’ In the 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell uses control in an attempt to warn the reader of the dangers of totalitarianism after having witnessed the harrowing lengths that governments were willing to go to in order to sustain sovereign authority. Orwell was deeply disturbed by the cruelty and oppression that he had witnessed in Communist countries and was concerned by the increasing use of technology as a means of control; as presented by his use of the telescreen. Within Oranges...
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...1984 by George Orwell brings up many ideas that seem absolutely crazy on the surface, but resemble, when looked into deeper, more similarly today’s conditions than originally thought. One of these topics is surveillance, specifically government and law enforcement surveillance. In the world today, surveillance solves crimes and keeps an eye on things in important buildings and even on some streets, making it a good thing, but too much surveillance, especially when no laws restrict it in any way, harms society in an irreversible way. The telescreens in 1984 are mega versions of security cameras, the undercover Thought Police compare to undercover police officers in their patience and tactics, and the hidden cameras and microphones equate to things such as wiretapping and using a cell phone as a listening device. These techniques, used on wide scales in both societies, differ greatly in how they are executed. In 1984, the Party uses them on everyone equally, while in today’s society, using them requires government and law enforcement officials to utilize them strictly for watching and studying possible threats. Telescreens, A huge part of the society in 1984, find themselves literally everywhere among the Party members, and anyone can be watched at any time with them. The proles have the option to install one in their house or not because, according to the Party views them as equivalent to animals. One of the Party’s slogans even states, “Proles and animals are free,” (Orwell, part...
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...Victoria Cummins Dr. Fayeza Hasanat ENC 1101 November 23, 2015 Topic: School Security Thesis Statement: With the increase in school violence and terrorism certain precautions dealing with security need to be taken before more deaths occur. Annotated Bibliography Hasselstrom, Linda. “A Peaceful Women Explains Why She Carries a Gun.” Pattern for College Writing: 272-277. Print. This story helps support the idea that anybody, not just a specific woman, owns a gun people take what they are saying more seriously. Author Linda Hasselstrom has strong feministic views when put in comparison to other women writers. Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant.” Pattern for College Writing: 123-133. Print. Guns are a sensitive subject around the world. George, through this descriptive story tells how he does not want to shoot the elephant even though he knows that it has been and will continue being a threat. This story can compare to Hasselstrom’s because it shows the flip side of guilt instead of the confidence that Hasselstrom had. Smith-Yackel, Bonnie. “My Mother Never Worked.” Pattern for College Writing: 118-122. Print. The United States government can cause a lot of stress and frustration on the public. The story shows how the government categorizes people in groups almost like the feeling of discrimination from the short essay “Just Walk On By: A Black Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” by Brent Staples. Sterling, Brent. “Do Good Fences...
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...Transparency in the Digital Age. Discuss the following quote: “ In the age of technology, secrecy must give way to transparency. This should be feared only by those who have something to hide.” « Big Brother is watching you!»1 We can hear Orwell’s famous metaphor ringing in our ears like a blaring alarm bell. Although his vision is of a radical utopian society, it would be easy to think this is already a reality. The age of “Big Data” is upon us and we must face up to the question of total transparency and its consequences. In fact, the very notion of secrecy and the concept of confidential information have already been put under serious pressure by new technologies. In both public and private spheres this issue has become an ever-growing topic for serious political debate. It is the volume of data and the ease with which it can be treated and analysed that has metamorphosed our society. Sharing personal data has become almost indispensable for the individual to participate actively in modern life. The problem is that the individual is perhaps not always aware how this data is used either individually or collectively once it is in the hands of authorities or businesses, which have their own particular interests at heart. This also leads us to consider the relationship between governments and citizens in this electronic era: Could the State become “Big Brother”? Would more transparency be advantageous for society? Let’s look at the assertion we are asked to consider;...
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...Can you imagine living in a time where the government monitors every little second of your life to the point you have absolutely no freedom? George Orwell gives you a terrifying glimpse at what he believed to be a fictional future. 1984 is about a time where the main character Winston battles against Oceania’s ideologies such as newspeak, doublethink, thought crime and most importantly Big Brother. I think that technology and doublethink were the main reasons that benefited the Inner Party’s ability to maintain power because it allowed them to control their citizens both mentally and physically. Oceania’s government is shaped in a way that people’s thoughts are manipulated and actions are limited. One way the Party members maintain control is through the concept of doublethink. According to the books definition, doublethink is the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously and accepting both of them. Winston described it as “to know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies.” (P. 31) Doublethink has many different ways of basically operating the minds living in Oceania. An example of doublethink that I believe helps Winston realize that the government is controlling their society is when the telescreens broadcast a message containing bad news concerning the chocolate rations. The Ministry of Plenty had made a promise a while back to never reduce chocolate rations, but because of doublethink...
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