Literature: The Cause And Effects Of Society In 1984 By George Orwell

Literature is the sum of all written work that us humans have created , one could say that literature is the manifesto of the human condition which unlike our other creations will stand the test of time . Literature is the selvage separating the primeval human society from what we see today , an advanced self-sustaining non prejudiced society in which reason and dignity govern . In a way literature is both the cause and effect of today`s society , it both created and is nourished by civilization , it safeguarded our passage from intellectual slavery to enlightenment and will continue to protect us from ourselves. Through literature an idea becomes immortal , intangible , bulletproof.
In this book we are presented with a dystopian alternate reality in which totalitarian governments rule the world , this book presents the dangers of governments becoming too powerful while also depicting themes that are current such as class distinction and the division of power between those classes . In this Orwellian alternate version of our universe , the government seeks to control every aspect of the individual`s life with the ultimate purpose of controlling his thoughts. One of the most relevant crimes in this universe is thoughtcrime , the act of holding unspoken beliefs or doubts that oppose or question the ruling party. At first glance this seems idea seems distant and unrelated to today`s events , it simply presents a world where moral absolutism is relevant , which is not the case in our society. Or is it? It has to be admitted that moral absolutism , even today , is far from dead . Indeed it rules the minds of a great number of people in the world today , most dangerously so in the Muslim world and in the incipient American theocracy. Such absolutism nearly always results from strong religious faith and it constitutes a major reason to believe that we truly need something to solve this. One of the fiercest penalties in the Old Testament is the one exacted for blasphemy . It is still in force in certain countries. Section 295-C of the Pakistan penal code prescribes the death penalty
As said before , books can be a great way to change an individuals mind or make entire groups aware of dangers such as moral absolutism and governments throughout history have often employed the ultimate form of censorship , the burning of books. This is the worst and most hideous form of censorship , it is an attack at human liberty and freedom , traits that we , as a society need in order to advance. One of the most notable cases of book burning is what happened in 1873 with the formation of Anthony Comstock's New York Society for the Suppression of Vice which has methodically seeked to purge any documents that were deemed "lewd" these included various works of fiction and also medical journals and manuals , it is estimated to have been the destruction of some 15 tons of books, 284,000 pounds of plates for printing such 'objectionable' books, and nearly 4,000,000 pictures. Another famous example is the burning of books written by jewish authors by nazi stormtroopers led by Hitler himself.The nazis destroyed any material that was deemed "indecent" and other works considered "un-German", at the library of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft in Berlin. These two cases are however eclipsed by the amount of books that were burned during the period in which the catholic church had tremendous influence in Europe , most notably