Fear over Love in 1984
Fear Over Love
Discipline, control, and authority are required for a government to thrive and in order to obtain these attributes it’s important to instill fear into the citizens. In 1984, a dystopian novel by George Orwell, the inner party has absolute control over the society and they use the fear of punishment to manipulate their people. As the novel progresses, Winston, the main character, starts to rebel, but because of the control and power that the party has obtained, they are able to transform his rebellious act, by using his biggest fear against him. Mahatma Gandhi states that, “Power based on love is a thousand times more affective and permanent than one derived from fear.” Gandhi’s quote contradicts the primary source of power in 1984 is fear. According to the dystopian novel, power is present through the fear of punishment and acts of love, but evidently, the fear of punishment turns out to be the dominant power. Fear is the main source of power for the party and they achieve it through the use of propaganda and manipulation. They adopt Big Brother as a tool to implant terror into the people. Residents know that if Big Brother caught them performing unorthodox acts, they would be in danger. The omnipresent government warns its inhabitants through propaganda, which reads, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (2). The fact that Big Brother was watching them results in most Oceania residents to obey the standards of the society, which causes people to monitor themselves and make sure the acts they engage in is accepted by the obligations of the party. Through fear the party was able to manipulate its residents. Anxiety allows the party to trick the people into believing what isn’t true like, “War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength” (4). Surprisingly, not one questions the slogan of the party. They are deceived into submitting the inaccuracies of the party’s beliefs. Fear takes over their conscious and disallows them to rebel, which creates
Discipline, control, and authority are required for a government to thrive and in order to obtain these attributes it’s important to instill fear into the citizens. In 1984, a dystopian novel by George Orwell, the inner party has absolute control over the society and they use the fear of punishment to manipulate their people. As the novel progresses, Winston, the main character, starts to rebel, but because of the control and power that the party has obtained, they are able to transform his rebellious act, by using his biggest fear against him. Mahatma Gandhi states that, “Power based on love is a thousand times more affective and permanent than one derived from fear.” Gandhi’s quote contradicts the primary source of power in 1984 is fear. According to the dystopian novel, power is present through the fear of punishment and acts of love, but evidently, the fear of punishment turns out to be the dominant power. Fear is the main source of power for the party and they achieve it through the use of propaganda and manipulation. They adopt Big Brother as a tool to implant terror into the people. Residents know that if Big Brother caught them performing unorthodox acts, they would be in danger. The omnipresent government warns its inhabitants through propaganda, which reads, “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (2). The fact that Big Brother was watching them results in most Oceania residents to obey the standards of the society, which causes people to monitor themselves and make sure the acts they engage in is accepted by the obligations of the party. Through fear the party was able to manipulate its residents. Anxiety allows the party to trick the people into believing what isn’t true like, “War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength” (4). Surprisingly, not one questions the slogan of the party. They are deceived into submitting the inaccuracies of the party’s beliefs. Fear takes over their conscious and disallows them to rebel, which creates