1984 Big Brother’s Dystopian World
Hannah Porter
Mrs. West
College Prep Writing-Literary Analysis
September 29th, 2011
Big Brother’s Dystopian World
Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery and oppression. A Dystopian world is controlled by a government that can do no wrong. They weed out the individuals and groups that have the thought or intend to commit their lives to “dethroning” the ruler; Big Brother. The government will do anything to protect their way of life. They will go to the extremes of changing the past to control the future. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the citizens live in a definitive dystopian world where the government forces the comrades to fit Big Brother’s purpose. One way they force the citizens to fit Big Brother’s purpose is by using the children. The government’s philosophy on children is the same as the philosophy of the Hitler’s Youth. Grab them when they are young and impressible. Many of the children are put into Youth Leagues and Spy Leagues. When they come home from their leagues they play spy games. They pretend to turn in citizens for thoughtcrimes and for retaliating from Big Brother. They are trained to listen to everything. They will turn in anyone, even their parents. “Down with Big Brother! Yes, I said that… it was my little daughter… Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day” (233). The parents of these kids are terrified of their own children. “Mrs. Parson’s eyes flitted nervously from Winston to the children and back again.” (23). The adults in the street are afraid of speaking to each other when there are children by them. The children in Oceania are excited to go see hangings of war criminals. When the Mrs. Parsons children are told they cannot go to the hangings, their game of spies turns malicious. Another way the government oppresses the citizens is with the fear of the Thought Police. The Thought Police are the special agents of the government. They watch
Mrs. West
College Prep Writing-Literary Analysis
September 29th, 2011
Big Brother’s Dystopian World
Dystopia: a society characterized by human misery and oppression. A Dystopian world is controlled by a government that can do no wrong. They weed out the individuals and groups that have the thought or intend to commit their lives to “dethroning” the ruler; Big Brother. The government will do anything to protect their way of life. They will go to the extremes of changing the past to control the future. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, the citizens live in a definitive dystopian world where the government forces the comrades to fit Big Brother’s purpose. One way they force the citizens to fit Big Brother’s purpose is by using the children. The government’s philosophy on children is the same as the philosophy of the Hitler’s Youth. Grab them when they are young and impressible. Many of the children are put into Youth Leagues and Spy Leagues. When they come home from their leagues they play spy games. They pretend to turn in citizens for thoughtcrimes and for retaliating from Big Brother. They are trained to listen to everything. They will turn in anyone, even their parents. “Down with Big Brother! Yes, I said that… it was my little daughter… Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day” (233). The parents of these kids are terrified of their own children. “Mrs. Parson’s eyes flitted nervously from Winston to the children and back again.” (23). The adults in the street are afraid of speaking to each other when there are children by them. The children in Oceania are excited to go see hangings of war criminals. When the Mrs. Parsons children are told they cannot go to the hangings, their game of spies turns malicious. Another way the government oppresses the citizens is with the fear of the Thought Police. The Thought Police are the special agents of the government. They watch
Cited: Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classic by New American Library, 1950