1984 Human Drives Desire for Power
Prompt 2005 B: One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work.
#6617
2nd pd
Oct 29, 2012
The human drive for power has led to the corruption and downfall of many nations. In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, the power hungry tyrant Big Brother suppresses the party members of Oceania into unconsciousness. They have become mentally numb. Winston Smith struggles to free himself from the over powering Big Brother by progressively disobeying the law and sacrificing his life in his defiance, revealing how suppression breeds delusional rebellion. From the beginning of the novel rebellion had always been a part of Winston, but as time went on rebellion from the powerful Big Brother consumed him. After his hysteric outburst on paper on writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”, Winston reveals that, “He had committed- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen on paper- the essential crime. Thought crime..." This is the first time Winston allows his feeling to surface through the suppression of the party. Within him there is sheer hatred for Big Brother, enough to sporadically scream his demise through pen and paper. More importantly, he knew he committed a crime and that it was inevitable. Though he knows that what he has done cannot be changed he accepts its inevitability. Rebellion was rooted in the deepest part of his mind as Thoughtcrime and it was inescapable. His hatred later elevated to the point where it was no longer confined to his mind or the paper, but it was shared with a companion, Julia. When Julia had told Winston that she adored sex, Winston thought, “That was above all what he wanted to hear. Not merely the love of one person, but the animal
#6617
2nd pd
Oct 29, 2012
The human drive for power has led to the corruption and downfall of many nations. In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, the power hungry tyrant Big Brother suppresses the party members of Oceania into unconsciousness. They have become mentally numb. Winston Smith struggles to free himself from the over powering Big Brother by progressively disobeying the law and sacrificing his life in his defiance, revealing how suppression breeds delusional rebellion. From the beginning of the novel rebellion had always been a part of Winston, but as time went on rebellion from the powerful Big Brother consumed him. After his hysteric outburst on paper on writing “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER”, Winston reveals that, “He had committed- would still have committed, even if he had never set pen on paper- the essential crime. Thought crime..." This is the first time Winston allows his feeling to surface through the suppression of the party. Within him there is sheer hatred for Big Brother, enough to sporadically scream his demise through pen and paper. More importantly, he knew he committed a crime and that it was inevitable. Though he knows that what he has done cannot be changed he accepts its inevitability. Rebellion was rooted in the deepest part of his mind as Thoughtcrime and it was inescapable. His hatred later elevated to the point where it was no longer confined to his mind or the paper, but it was shared with a companion, Julia. When Julia had told Winston that she adored sex, Winston thought, “That was above all what he wanted to hear. Not merely the love of one person, but the animal