1984: Nineteen Eighty-four and Big Brother
Kaleb Padgett
Mrs. Koener
English IV
27 November 2012
Dystopian Government’s Intentions are not Benevolent, but Self-serving
A society in which independent thinking is a crime punishable by death, the government does not think of the common good by which all of the society will benefit, and the leaders are self-serving. Big Brother doesn't need to justify its ways because it holds all of the power in society through its ministries. In the novel, 1984 by George Orwell, there is one theme that stands out the most from the point of view from Winston, the main theme of the book is that government’s intentions are not benevolent, but self-serving this is show through government control, population control, and manipulation of public opinion.
One of the most obvious and powerful developments seen in1984 is the extreme government control in the lives of society. The Party's slogan "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past" (Book III Ch. II) plays an integral role in bringing out the theme of how the Party controls information and history in the novel. By controlling the present, the Party is able to manipulate the past. And in controlling the past, the Party can justify all of its actions in the present. "So long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never become aware that they are oppressed" (Book II Ch. IX). This complete power that the Party has over information and history; means that it is able justify all of its actions in the present. With their Ministries the government can monitor all that goes on within the society and correct it before there is a rebellion. The Ministry of Truth, arguably the most influential, demonstrates another way in which the Party controls every source of information. This Ministry of Truth is in charge of doctoring the pages of history, so it fits in with the Party's ideology. This enables the Party to erase the parts of history and
Mrs. Koener
English IV
27 November 2012
Dystopian Government’s Intentions are not Benevolent, but Self-serving
A society in which independent thinking is a crime punishable by death, the government does not think of the common good by which all of the society will benefit, and the leaders are self-serving. Big Brother doesn't need to justify its ways because it holds all of the power in society through its ministries. In the novel, 1984 by George Orwell, there is one theme that stands out the most from the point of view from Winston, the main theme of the book is that government’s intentions are not benevolent, but self-serving this is show through government control, population control, and manipulation of public opinion.
One of the most obvious and powerful developments seen in1984 is the extreme government control in the lives of society. The Party's slogan "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past" (Book III Ch. II) plays an integral role in bringing out the theme of how the Party controls information and history in the novel. By controlling the present, the Party is able to manipulate the past. And in controlling the past, the Party can justify all of its actions in the present. "So long as they are not permitted to have standards of comparison, they never become aware that they are oppressed" (Book II Ch. IX). This complete power that the Party has over information and history; means that it is able justify all of its actions in the present. With their Ministries the government can monitor all that goes on within the society and correct it before there is a rebellion. The Ministry of Truth, arguably the most influential, demonstrates another way in which the Party controls every source of information. This Ministry of Truth is in charge of doctoring the pages of history, so it fits in with the Party's ideology. This enables the Party to erase the parts of history and
Cited: Orwell, George. 1984. Barcelona: Ediciones Destino, 1997. The Complete Works of George Orwell. 2003. Web. .