Research Paper on "George Orwell 19 84 What Is the History Behind 1984 What Is it Protesting"

Research Paper 4 pages (1199 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Orwell's Warning: 1984

George Orwell wrote 1984 to serve as a warning for mankind. He was concerned about a government so large that it strips the people of any individuality and he used extremes to express his concern. The notion of Thought Police and facecrimes are just a couple of examples of how the Party controls the people. Winston finds it difficult to find time to think about what is happening and this demonstrates how the government gets away with what it does. By removing any instances where people are ever alone, the Party garners much control and with Thought Police, it clinches control because there is literally no way around the Party. They stomp out individuality, which leads to drones. The absurdity of 1984 is the fact that with each decade, it comes closer and closer to becoming a reality is some form or another. The warning urges mankind to cling to individuality and freedom with passion.

Individuality is the first thing the people lose in 1984. When people lose their sense of self, they are easier to control. All forms of government and business know this. Branding is a big business because people love to connect with something. People are loyal to Apple computers, Ford vehicles, and Starbucks coffee. Individuality is repressed in Orwell's society and we see this with Winston. He begins to realize he has a free will and a personality independent from the Party. He listens to that inner voice and asks questions about what is happening to the people on a grand scale. This is no easy task because Big Brother has worked tirelessly to erase any inklings of individuality. One way they do this is to eliminate any time people have alone. People behave differently when they know they are being watched and the Party uses this to keep people locked within conformity. People know are "being watched at any given moment . . . It was conceivable that they watched everybody all the time" (Orwell 2). The party removes the people's sense of identity by keeping them reminded that they are never alone. This is a subtle sense of control because the government does not actually have to tell the people not to do anything because the people know they are being watched so they will stay on their best behavior anyway. There are no soldiers marching in the streets watching the people; there are no dark looming shadows pressing people to obey the government. This power is expressed through Big Brother and there is no need to send soldiers into the streets. It strips power. Winston says, "Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimetres inside your skull" (24). This passage illustrates the oppressive nature of the party just with the presence of cameras. Orwell had a keen insight into what the future might hold, especially when we live in a day and age where people takes pictures of everything and post them to the web. Generations are growing up comfortable with cameras in their faces and Google maps tracking movement via satellite. The most intriguing aspect of this notion is how our society is relaxed with being watched. It would not come as a surprise if we suddenly found out that the government was watching us from cameras planted on every lightpole on every street corner.

Convincing the people that they are never alone regardless of where they are is the first step to removing any sense individuality. People are less prone to behave like themselves because someone is watching. They next logical step is for the Party… READ MORE

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