Preview

Is Orwell’s Description of a Totalitarian Society in 1984 a Realistic One, in Your Opinion?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
415 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Is Orwell’s Description of a Totalitarian Society in 1984 a Realistic One, in Your Opinion?
1. Is Orwell’s description of a totalitarian society in 1984 a realistic one, in your opinion? In the twentieth century the world got to know what totalitarianism is. Namely, it is a state organizational system in which the ruling authorities interfere within all the spheres as well as aspects of citizens’ lives and exercise a far-reaching pervasive control. In the literature of that period as well as contemporarily the theme of despotic dictatorship appears quite frequently. The dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four written by George Orwell is a model example of such oligarchical autocracy and simultaneously is a meticulous study of this system. Realism, alternatively, presents an accurate picture of reality. Is Orwell’s description of a totalitarian society in 1984 a realistic one? The book shows a dark vision of a fictional future world divided into three super-states which are constantly at global war with each other. Therefore, it is not a realistic reflection of reality. The social system presented in ‘1984’ is based on a total control of all people. Sorrowfully, all the individuals are deprived of free will objects, "living machines". The authority controls almost all aspects of life, or rather existence of citizens, everyone is under surveillance and observation. To implement such a meticulous observance special screens called ‘telescreens’ are installed permanently in almost every room in the country. No one can feel safe nor secure. All the aspects of citizens’ lives are controlled even personal thoughts in order to gain political loyalty. Oceania citizens have developed a personal defence mechanism designed to stop their own thoughts going in a wrong or dangerous direction.
The history and current information from the contemporary world as well as one’s own experience show how the totalitarian countries functioned (e.g. People’s Republic of Poland, USRR) and still function (e.g. North Korea). Maintenance of power is the main objective of the
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Totalitarianism Thrives on the Exploitation of the Weak by the Strong
    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Totalitarianism Thrives on the Exploitation of the Weak by the Strong

    Totalitarianism may be defined as a ‘system of highly centralized government in which one political party or group takes control and grants neither recognition nor tolerance to other political groups.’ [1] A totalitarian system of governance rules in a autocratic and dictatorial manner and uses weapons of suppression, fear, intolerance, oppression, and terror to ensure its continuity; not to mention its most important tool: propaganda.…

    • 1590 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984
    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984

    In a totalitarian government, the people are not living in a reality, but rather the inverse, they are living in a reality made for them. 1984 by George Orwell is a story of Winston Smith's struggle against a totalitarian government that controls the ideas and thoughts of its citizens. In the mythical setting of Oceania, the Party is the ruling, and Big Brother is the fictitious leader that controls all the thoughts and actions of human life. The people's rebellious thoughts and actions are most likely suppressed, but that can only go so far for a totalitarian government. In the novel 1984, Oceania is controlled by a totalitarian government, which is similar to the government systems of Nazi Germany and North Korea because they used torture and food shortage.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    1984: Nineteen Eighty-four and People
    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages

    1984: Nineteen Eighty-four and People

    Imagine living in a world where politics are everything and all forms of individuality and personal identities are shattered. A world where everybody is stripped of their rights to talk, act, think, or even form their own opinions, simply because they do not agree with the government’s beliefs. These aspects are just a few of the examples of things dictators would have control over in a totalitarianism form of government. Aggressive leaders such as Hitler and Joseph Stalin are examples of such dictators. They used their power for terror and murder, and their motive is simply to maximize their own personal power. George Orwell had witnessed World War II, the fall of Hitler and Stalin’s dictatorships, and the fatal outcomes that have come from these governments. To warn future generations of the harsh effects of totalitarianism governments, he wrote the book Nineteen Eighty-Four. Published in 1946, Nineteen Eighty-Four describes life in a totalitarianism form of government, following the main character, Winston Smith, as he takes risks in discovering how he believes life should truly be. Literary critic Irving Howe states, “Were it possible, in the world of 1984, to show human character in anything resembling genuine freedom...it would not be the world of 1984” (62). In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government uses its power to suppress individuality among the people.…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In George Orwell's '1984'
    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In George Orwell's '1984'

    In the novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith, live in a world full of thought policies, telescreens and proletarian. In Oceania, proletarian are under watch within 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which mean they are being watched without any privacy. Also, they are not allowed to have any other thought other than what the party told them to have. For the people who do have the thought will being vaporized; never exist in the world, nobody will remember who they are anymore. The party slogan is "War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength." It's apparently the opposite of reality, and it showed Oceania have a psychological control over their people. Every proletarian is required to be as orthodoxy as they can, but Winston still attempted to "stay human" by having thought on "Down With Big Brother."…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Essay - Did Orwell Prophesize our world when he Wrote 1984?
    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Essay - Did Orwell Prophesize our world when he Wrote 1984?

    In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, there were many figurative ideological things that were created. For starters, there was a government known as the Party that had created a recessive regime to have full control over all people to a point where one cannot even think without the fear of being locked up and vaporized for thought crime. Within everyone was instilled a fear that if they acted out in any shape or form, they would be caught by the Thought Police and be dealt with in an unjustly manner. There were 3 countries or states: Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia, each country had within it 3 classes: Upper class, Middle class, and Lower class. Each country or state shared the same philosophy and attitude, that the government must have complete control over there people and the only way to do that is through psychological manipulation. By making sure that everyone is at the same level, changing and tampering with documents so that they appeal to what the government is saying, and dealing with people who act out in a severe manner so that no one else does the same makes sure that at all time, the government in power has 100% control over all. In a twisted way, yes, Orwell did foreshadow into the future and predict what is happening in our world today.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984
    • 161 Words
    • 1 Page

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In 1984

    In his novel 1984, Orwell depicts a society in which a totalitarian…

    • 161 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    1984 Totalitarianism Analysis
    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page

    1984 Totalitarianism Analysis

    Orwell did not change anything about Totalitarianism when interpreting into the novel. He put on worshipping country leaders, strong dislike, and war hysterics. Children are brought up in families to work for the government as spies. They watch their elders both day and night (Voorhes 88). Big Brother is supposed to represent a soft element from a children’s story to society. Yet to the readers, he represents a political monster to add to Orwell’s science fiction novel, with horror elements mixed in. 1984 may have been inspired by the super-weapons of the cold war. The technology used in the cold war made a ‘social demand’. These technological advancements all served for the purpose to spread mass murder or even to at least intimidating sheer elimination. This can be seen throughout the novel, like when Syme disappeared (Deutscher 119-120). “ He lunged out a huge filthy pipe which was already half full of charred tobacco. With the tobacco ration at a hundred grams a week, it was seldom possible to fill a pipe to the top. Winston was smoking a Victory Cigarette which he held carefully horizontal. The new ration will not start until tomorrow and he had only four cigarettes left” (Orwell 58). During World War II, the government rations out good and often lowers the ration size so small due to overpopulation.…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    1984
    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages

    1984

    Cited: Enteen, George M. "George Orwell and the Theory of Totalitarianism: A 1984 Retrospective." Journal of General Education 36.3 (n.d.): 206-15. Print.…

    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Brave New World Technology Essay
    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Brave New World Technology Essay

    In the Dystopian novels 1984 and Brave New World, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley create atmospheres that consist of their prediction of the future. “1984” and Brave New World contain totalitarian governments that encompass distorted views on the way societies should behave. Although the two leaders in the novels, Big Brother and His Fordship, carry out their regulations differently, the idea of how to control a society remains consistent. The key to maintain and establish a successful totalitarian society is through controlling the ideology toward personal relations and correctly using the advancement of technology for the “common good”.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Individualism In 1984
    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Individualism In 1984

    George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is set in an alternate Dystopian future of the world that sees the entirety of the planet dominated by three global powers, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. The governments of these Superpowers control the lives of the common citizen through ideologies such as Ingsoc, Neo-Bolshevism, and Death-worship. In the Real World, some critics of government have used the term Orwellian to describe any government that seeks to limit freedoms or control its population; however, This level of control over the population has never before been seen in any government, and using Orwellian to describe a modern government is far more harsh and extreme then is needed. A closer examination of the novel and Oceania's government show how…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    1984 Research Paper
    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1984 Research Paper

    In the novel “1984” by George Orwell, uses the thematic subject totalitarianism and reality to convey the political issues going on in the 20th century. On one hand, Orwell uses totalitarianism to illustrate the issues going on in Germany. On the other hand, Orwell uses reality to illustrate the lack of self identity and realism in the community. I believe Orwell wrote this novel to illustrate what would happen if the United States continued to ignore the Holocaust the world would turn into a dictatorship.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    1984, By George Orwell: Society Under A Totalitarian Government
    • 2146 Words
    • 9 Pages

    1984, By George Orwell: Society Under A Totalitarian Government

    During the 1930’s, the popularity of totalitarian governments were at an all-time high. With people like Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin, the idea of democracy itself was in danger. Fortunately, the rule of Hitler and Mussolini were shut down by the Allies, however, the communist regime persisted throughout the next couple decades. The novel 1984, by George Orwell, depicts society under a totalitarian government. The people of that society are forced to conform to society: act how the government, or Big Brother, wants you to act, be what Big Brother wants you to be, and hardest of all, think how Big Brother wants you to think. Although this is a fictional novel, even the most fictitious novels have some amount of truth to…

    • 2146 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Totalitarian Tyrant
    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Totalitarian Tyrant

    George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 addresses the dangers of having an all powerful government by including propaganda, mind control, and physical force within the novel.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In George Orwell's Novel 1984
    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Totalitarianism In George Orwell's Novel 1984

    Cellphones and technology have become a major part of todays’ society. A totalitarian government is centralized and has total control over its people. On the other hand a democratic government makes major decisions through majority vote. In George Orwell’s novel 1984, Winston’s perspective depicts his life living in Oceania under a totalitarian. In this age of cell phones and mobile devices equipped with recording capabilities, when anyone says or does could wind up on the “internet” within minutes, showing similar tactics as Big Brother, but not entirely. Oceania’s totalitarian government is different from contemporary Canada by eliminating independent rights, creating psychological control and allowing no freedom of any sort.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Utopia In George Orwell's 1984
    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Utopia In George Orwell's 1984

    In the year of 1949, George Orwell saw a possible future from his reflection of the totalitarian regimes of World War II and experience in Spain as well as Russia, especially with Stalin. This would culminate into the novel known as 1984, in which the Party and their leader – Big Brother – have complete control of the nation known as Oceania, where everyone is under constant surveillance by the Thought Police. The story is set in London which has decayed just as much as the people’s souls and minds, shown as a “negative utopia”.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics