Preview

Dehumanization Of Government In 1984, By George Orwell

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1510 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Dehumanization Of Government In 1984, By George Orwell
When one thinks of oppressive governments, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union, and Mao Zedong’s Communist China come to mind. These draconian regimes resulted in millions of deaths and the dehumanization of people. These governments took away the rights of its citizens, and made live unbearable. George Orwell, a satirist, comments on oppressive governments, such as Hitler’s, Stalin’s, and Zedong’s. Orwell comments on these governments through many of his works, namely his novel 1984. 1984 focuses on a man named Winston Smith, who is a propagandist inside the Party, or the ruling government. The Party is an oppressive government and as a result Winston disagrees with its beliefs and rebels. He finds others revolutionaries …show more content…
In 1984, the language is called Newspeak, and it is essentially a dialect of English. Big Brother sees language as a way to further his control and limit thought. Syme states, “Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten” (52). Language is an aspect of individuality, each person has different writing and speaking styles and tones. Also using different words maintains individuality, but when there are a small amount of words thought is limited. The Party does not want people to think, and as a result they eliminate autonomy, which is horrible. This is exactly what the Party wants, they do not want individuality. Individuality threatens the regime, but when people have conformed it is much easier to control them. The United States is similar to 1984 through the use of language, as in the U.S. it is also limited. Newspeak is essentially the same as how people text on their phones and talk to each other. In the U.S. people text, LOL, rather than texting laugh out loud, or that something was funny. Furthermore people use emoticons, called Emojis to express their feelings. People text these abbreviations, and Emojis mainly due to laziness. The harmful part, is that dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster have started to put these abbreviations in their dictionaries. This means that intellectuals are supporting this laziness and conformity. This gives the regime much more power. People are limited to Emojis for responses, which promotes laziness and therefore ignorance. Once people are ignorant they accept oppressive regimes and anything for the truth. The constant war that Oceania is in furthers Big

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Imagine living in a world where politics are everything and all forms of individuality and personal identities are shattered. A world where everybody is stripped of their rights to talk, act, think, or even form their own opinions, simply because they do not agree with the government’s beliefs. These aspects are just a few of the examples of things dictators would have control over in a totalitarianism form of government. Aggressive leaders such as Hitler and Joseph Stalin are examples of such dictators. They used their power for terror and murder, and their motive is simply to maximize their own personal power. George Orwell had witnessed World War II, the fall of Hitler and Stalin’s dictatorships, and the fatal outcomes that have come from these governments. To warn future generations of the harsh effects of totalitarianism governments, he wrote the book Nineteen Eighty-Four. Published in 1946, Nineteen Eighty-Four describes life in a totalitarianism form of government, following the main character, Winston Smith, as he takes risks in discovering how he believes life should truly be. Literary critic Irving Howe states, “Were it possible, in the world of 1984, to show human character in anything resembling genuine freedom...it would not be the world of 1984” (62). In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government uses its power to suppress individuality among the people.…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Party has structured Newspeak so it will continue to decrease in size until only several words are needed to describe everything. In the world of 1984, everything is not very much. Newspeak is designed so that as the words decrease, the meanings and value decrease as well. By doing so, the world becomes a less descriptive place, and becomes duller than it had been before. This goes along with the ultimate goal of the party, which is to create a world in which everything is as simple as possible and no one will think as an…

    • 2701 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    George Orwell was the pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair, and he was famous for his personnel vendetta against totalitarian regimes and in particular the Stalinist brand of communism. In his novel, 1984, Orwell has produced a brilliant social critique on totalitarianism and a future dystopia, that has made the world pause and think about our past, present and future, as the situation of 1984 always remains menacingly possible. The story is set in a futuristic 1984 London, where a common man Winston Smith has turned against the totalitarian government. Orwell has portrayed the concepts of power, marginalization, and resistance through physical, psychological, sexual and political control. The way that Winston Smith, the central character, has been created is purely to delve particular emotions from the reader, as he struggles against the totalitarian rule of Ingsoc. The reader is encouraged through Winston to adopt negative thoughts on communist rule and the themes of the dangers of totalitarianism, psychological manipulation and physical control are explored through Winston's journey. Through Winston's resistance and ultimate downfall, the reader is able to fully appreciate O'Briens reasoning, "Power is not a means, it is an end."…

    • 2273 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The metaphysical machine of Nineteen Eighty Four chooses to control its population through the use of psychological and behavioural modification manoeuvres. This manifests itself in the language of Newspeak, which the party has chosen to replace English. The party is constantly refining the language with the ultimate goal that no one will be capable of original…

    • 1115 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    1984, being written at a time where Stalin and Hitler were forces to be reckoned, many knew what could happen if these two ever trusted their way into power. Orwell uses satirical themes in his book to relate to what was going on at present time. Totalitarianism was something to be feared. In this novel where it was a complete totalitarianism society, Winston struggles with ‘Big Brother’ having complete control. “His pen had slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals—DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER (18)”. The fight over ones true identity was also a theme that arose throughout the novel. Orwell mocks the ability for people to not become individuals…

    • 1906 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    George Orwell writes his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four not as a story of fiction but as a warning about the dangers of totalitarian control. The concepts of free enterprise and individual freedom no longer exist in 1984, all of the power is split into three groups Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. In his novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell uses certain literary devices, introduces new linguistic concepts and uses propaganda techniques to suppress freedom, controlling the people and forming a totalitarian society. Orwell introduces two new linguistic concepts in 1984; newspeak, and doublespeak. Newspeak is used by the Party to reduce and limit thought, and simplify the english language to the bare minimum. Doublespeak, on the other hand, which is commonly used by Party members to distort the actually meaning of words, and use the words against those who do not understand what they mean. George Orwell uses the propaganda tactics of “plain folks,” as well as the use of the Big Brother posters to achieve the idea of suppressing freedom. By utilizing propaganda techniques, introducing new language concepts and using literary devices, Orwell successfully warns us about the potential dangers of totalitarian control in our society today.…

    • 1818 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel 1984, author George Orwell makes many predictions as to what society would conform to in the year 1984. Although these predictions are jurassic and farfetched, many of Orwell's predictions are expressed in our modern day American society. 1984 showcases the empowerment of a totalitarian government. The main Character, Winston, lives in a society where the government controls every aspect of his life, ranging from his food to his razor portions, and even his thoughts.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Questions on Meaning

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    3. The greatest danger is that, as in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, doublespeak will lead to the “control of reality through language” (par. 23).…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Symbolism in 1984

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The language in 1984 is symbolic of the Party 's manipulation of its members. The development of Newspeak, although seeming to improve the civilization, depletes thought, creativity, and individualism in its speakers. This represents the Party 's main goal of brainwashing and taking complete control. The terms used for everyday objects are again ironic and symbolic of manipulation by Big Brother. The word Party suggests that it is familiar and fun, even though it is oppressive. Victory Gin, Victory Coffee, and Victory Cigarettes are truly low-quality. The Party uses these terms in an attempt to attract members and distort their thoughts. Even the term Big Brother blurs reality.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unorthodoxy In 1984

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The manipulative diction expresses to the reader that the Party pushes Newspeak upon its people to control them and to limit their freedoms of communication in every aspect of their life. A real-life comparison to Newspeak would be the limitation of free speech where countries ban words and make it illegal for anyone to use them. Newspeak appears to be Orwell’s more extreme interpretation, as Newspeak outright prevents the citizens from thinking or being able to form sentences of unorthodoxy since the vocabulary simply does not exist, demonstrating that the society in 1984 has less freedom than those that live in the harshest dictatorship in today’s world. Finally, Orwell creates a dystopian society by the establishment of classism and borderline slavery through how “the Party taught that the proles were natural inferiors who must be kept in subjection, like animals …) (82).…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Oligarchy In 1984

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In his novel 1984, George Orwell describes a world with an oppressive government called “The Party” that all people must worship. In order to describe a conflicting situation involving a government of this nature, Orwell centers his story on a dissenter named Winston that tries to break away from this oppression. When someone takes control without the mandate of the people, there will always be groups of people that stand up to it.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Niccolo Machiavelli once said that "Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking." When it comes to the governance of human beings, communication and words outweigh violence. It is impossible to have one perfect society. There has yet to be a society in which there was not something wrong. Different attempts at a perfect society have come about but none has been proven to work without fault. Communism was a good thought but when put into action fails. Not far off from Communism comes the term Totalitarianism. A system of government where a class, group or party feel as though their authority has no bounds and strive to regulate every form of public or private life whatever way they see fit. Fighting in battles against totalitarian governments, such as the Nazi Party and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin, was Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell. It is amongst the rise of dictators and the beginning of totalitarian societies that Orwell wrote and published the novel, 1984, a warning in disguise. Orwell’s predictions for what the future would look like if society continued its ways are seen through the eyes of Winston Smith. Winston’s life in the novel allows one to feel fear and concern toward Big Brother and his methods of power over civilization. Winston was able to experience dealing with three of Big Brother’s “tactics” of the government exploiting history, enforcing propaganda, and manipulating individuals’ thoughts at first hand. Winston lives in Oceania, a dystopia where the terrors of a totalitarian government are unavoidable. A totalitarian society is established through manipulation and control of one’s mind and body. It is maintained as a consequence of the threat of excessive abuse, propaganda, and force which can be seen in Winston’s everyday life.…

    • 355 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1984 by George Orwell, the citizens do not have freedom of speech. Syme is one of the people in The Party who destroy words. “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it” (Orwell 52). This quote is saying that even if someone wanted to speak their mind, it would not be possible. In this community, if the citizens speak their opinions, they can be tortured and executed. Some people may think that it is necessary to sacrifice civil liberties in order to live in a safe, egalitarian society; however, if people have their rights taken away, they will not feel safe or equal and the way someone feels shows if they are truly safe and…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Freedom Of Speech In 1984

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In 1984, George Orwell introduces his idea of what the future holds for humanity. He portrays a very dystopian society with limited freedom of speech by Big Brother, the government, through the eyes of Winston in many ways. The book introduces the idea of Newspeak which is a language that tries to limit thoughtful communication by degenerating the language over time as Syme states to Winston in 1984. Winston purchases a diary knowing the consequences of expressing self-thought even when directed to no one. Telescreens always monitor outer party members such as Winston, and they can never be turned off which limits Winston's speech.…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    After reading 1984, there was identifiable dull and simplistic language, in able to control the overall thinking of the society. In my handbook, I tried to incorporate this idea by using shortened language that I invented, newspeak words taken directly from the book, and the overall dullness…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics