How Power Is Excercised in George Orwelll's 1984 Essay Example
Long Essay
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."
The psychological control continually exercised by Ingsoc is essential so that the minority oligarchy can retain power. Orwell demonstrates the importance of surveillance to achieve this goal. The main tool of this is the telescreen, a screen in every room that while constantly displaying party propaganda, it can at any time, transmit the view and sounds of that particular room. This kind of surveillance keeps members in constant fear as they can always be monitored at any time. The telescreen combined with the thought police is the ultimate tool for destroying individual thought, as anything as small as a twitch in the face can give one away:
"The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of
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."
The psychological control continually exercised by Ingsoc is essential so that the minority oligarchy can retain power. Orwell demonstrates the importance of surveillance to achieve this goal. The main tool of this is the telescreen, a screen in every room that while constantly displaying party propaganda, it can at any time, transmit the view and sounds of that particular room. This kind of surveillance keeps members in constant fear as they can always be monitored at any time. The telescreen combined with the thought police is the ultimate tool for destroying individual thought, as anything as small as a twitch in the face can give one away:
"The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of