V For Vendetta And 1984 Essay

Dystopian societies are a common theme in literature and films, displaying what the world could amount to if the Government were to take complete control. George Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949, is a classic piece of literature which displays a dystopian society where the public have no control over their own lives. V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue, is one of many films which has been based on 1984, following similar themes and ideas. Both texts exhibit how the Government abuse its power of science and technology to manipulate its people and control their lives by feeding the public lies, and taking away their freedom. Practises that are considered as an invasion of privacy, such as the use of listening and viewing devices, and using
The public is manipulated in a way which what they see and hear through media is an altered version of the truth, with the Government abusing the use of technology to retain its power. Winston Smith in 1894 works in Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, where he rectifies articles from newspapers and other prints to ensure that the Party is always proven right in their statements. This form of deception is similarly demonstrated in V for Vendetta, where the media reports altered versions of events in their news programmes. However, these forms of manipulation have different effects on the society. In V for Vendetta, the public are immediately told a lie, so no other recollections would contend with the information, however, in 1984, memories can interfere with what is considered as the truth. An example of this is how the Party constantly changes who Oceania is at war with. Winston remembers when the state was at war with Eurasia, however the Party constantly emphasises how they have always been at war with Eastasia. As documents are continually being changed, there is no proof to Winston’s memories, or the memories of others, so the recollections are simply considered as