In the book 1984 by George Orwell, many different ideas about the government and its power are discussed by the main character Winston. At one point in the book Winston says “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.” in reference to the state of the government at that point in time. However, this can be proven false by the actions of the government, the people’s response, and the determination the government uses to ensure their ultimate power and control. The government in 1984 is very powerful and does not shy away from exerting its unrelenting force upon its people. The government craves complete and total control and does whatever it takes to get its people to cooperate and behave. The government goes as far to invent a fictional war to influence people to feel sympathy for the government and make them feel more willing to help. They even go as far as launching missiles at their own people to instill fear into the hearts of the citizens. The government also has an organization called the thought police that do their best to control people’s thoughts and try to keep people from thinking negative things about the government or prevent them from starting some sort of revolution. The actions that they take are built off cruelty and causing fear, which in turn keep the governments people in line. When the government is going to such extreme lengths to fake a war and tell lies to control its people, people will be sure to react. However, not many people know of the true nature of the government because they grew up hearing these lies since the beginning, and if people do start to question the government’s actions then they are killed and or tortured. The people react exactly how the government wants them to, because if they step out of line, then they are sure to be killed. The government has that much control and the people in charge have such a need for power that they keep taking more and more. The government and people inside the government are shown to have a large amount of determination, especially when they begin torturing Winston. Winston proves to be very strong willed and doesn’t break easily. However the government stays diligent and doesn’t give up and they eventually break Winston. The government breaks Winston by enforcing cruel punishment and sparking fear in him, and if they could break Winston this way, then they could break anyone. The government uses fear to build their government, in fact, the only basis that their government is really built on is fear. Fear controls people. The government’s determination, peoples response to their actions, and their actions themselves prove that a civilization could be founded on the basis of “fear, hatred and cruelty”.
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