Nineteen eighty-four: Dystopia Story
“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984
Nineteen eighty-four (1984 ) is a Dystopia story - what could be regarded as the worst possible life,a political satire novel written by George Orwell. The story is taking place in a nightmare dystopia in which the inspector's state imposes perfect conformity among citizens through indoctrination fear lies and severe punishments. the novel introduced the concepts of ever-present all-seeing big brother hall notorious 101 the police thought using telescreens and the fictional newspeak language.
The novel has been translated into several languages. The world described in nineteen eighty-four striking and deliberate parallel to the Stalinist Soviet Union. There were four ministries which had unusual names such as the Ministries of Oceania Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Plenty, and Ministry of Love. All dealing with different issues. The world of nineteen eighty-four also reflects various aspects of social and political life in both Britain and the United States.
Orwell has mentioned that the actual situation from the book makes reference to the current situation in the United Kingdom where the rationalization was still in place and the British Empire was dissolving at the same time. Orwell because of his access to the British broadcasting corporation BBC is making a bridge in which could help to explain one of his interpretations of four key ministries that governed the world of Big Brother. 1984 is actually a parody of 1941 based on Roosevelt’s speech before the assembled Congress in which the president emphasized the four freedoms.
Each focuses on an object of special irony, completely contradictory on his behalf, so the Ministry of Truth is concerned, with lies, an idea that Orwell seems to have earned through his work at the BBC.
The Ministry of Truth, as the Ministry of Lies, would also be a first parody of the four freedoms: 'Freedom of expression'.
The Ministry of Peace is in charge of the war,' Orwell wrote. A few years earlier, Roosevelt described the fourth of his freedoms as 'freedom of fear.' Reality said otherwise and so did Orwell, describing the 'Ministry of Peace.'
'... The Ministry of Love,' Orwell wrote, was actually concerned ', with torture.' The second of four freedoms addressed the issue of religion. If 'God is love', then 'The Ministry of Love' could be interpreted as mocking this ideal as well.
Finally, Orwell described the 'Ministry of Plenty', as it actually does ', with hunger.' Roosevelt's third four freedoms addressed the issue of freedom from which you want. Orwell seems to have heard these words with a sarcastic state of mind.
In Orwell's novel, he creates a world where citizens are not entitled to personal life or personal thinking. Leisure activities and others are controlled by strict morals. Sexual pleasure is discouraged, with females being taught not to enjoy it; sex is kept solely for the purpose of reproduction.
The threatening figure of Big Brother was interpreted differently from being that of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and Roy the BBC, Oxley's design department.
The mysterious head of the government the 'BB', Big Brother is described as a man of about forty-five with a black mustache and heavy beautiful solid features.' He is usually displayed on posters with the slogan 'Big Brother sees you.'
Winston Smith, the main figure, is a quiet member of the Outer Party, who lives on his own in a small apartment. He is disturbed by the Party's desire to change its history to present its regime as infallible and law. He is a talented writer whose task at the Ministry of Truth is to rewrite news articles to make them conform to the party's ideology, Winston begins to keep a record of everything which is illegal because there are no laws in Oceania, but at the same time, he knows that he could be caught and punished. Since everywhere are cameras each camera is equipped with a telescreen that is able to transmit and receive sounds and images, Winston had to be extremely careful to hide undercover activities. He imagines writing to the diary of O'Brien, a charismatic bureaucrat of the Inner Party, who Winston believes is a member of a legendary underground counterrevolutionary organization known as the Brotherhood. Winston is also written in order to stay healthy because the Party controls the reality of asking its subjects to deny the evidence of their own senses, a practice like doublethink and Winston does not know of anyone who shares his feelings of disgust and indignation.
It happens that one day he had met a young lady whom Winston mistakenly suspects of being a spy for the Thought Police. She gives him notes saying 'I love you.' At first, Winston is terrified – in Oceania, individual relationships are forbidden and sexual desire is forbidden even to married couples. But, he finds the courage to talk to the young woman, whose name is Julia, and therefore it begins an illicit love story, first meeting in the countryside, then in the crowded streets, and then regularly in a room without a telescreen above the store at second hand where Winston bought his diary. The owner of the store, Mr. Charrington, seems trustworthy, and Winston believes that he is also an ally because of his apparent respect for a past-passed that the Party has tried hard to eradicate by modifying and destroying records. historical in order to make sure that the people of Oceania never realize that they are actually worse than their ancestors who lived before the Revolution.
Very soon the two lovers are led into a trap. O'Brien, who is actually loyal to the Party, tricked them into believing he was a counter-revolutionary and lends them a book that was allegedly written by exile Emmanuel Goldstein, a former leader of the Party who was denounced as a traitor, and about whom O'Brien says it'll be written. To initiate them into the Brotherhood. One night, lovers are arrested in their hide spot with the incriminating book in their possession and learn that Mr. Charrington was always a member of the Thought Police.
Winston and Julia are tortured and brainwashed by O'Brien in the Ministry of Love. During torture in the dreaded room 101, Winston and Julia betray each other, and in the process, they lose their self-esteem, individuality, and sexual desire. They are then released separately to live their lives as loyal members of the Party. In the closing scene, Winston, whose experiences turned him into an alcoholic, looks adoringly at a portrait of Big Brother, whom he eventually learned to love.
His enemy is ugly Emmanuel Goldstein, a party member who was in league with Big Brother and the Party during the revolution. Goldstein is said to be an important part of the Brotherhood, a vast underground anti-part fellowship.
The three slogans of the Party, visible everywhere, are:
- War is PEACE
- Freedom is slavery
- Ignorance is good
The world is controlled by three authoritarian superpowers engaged in perpetual war with each part: Oceania (Socialism ideology), Eurasia (Neo-Bolshevism), and Eastasia (Cult Death or obliteration of the Self).
The political map is rather peculiar where Oceania covers areas of the British and Commonwealth Empire, the United States, and Latin America; Eastasia corresponds to China, Japan, Korea, and India, and Eurasia corresponds to the Soviet Union and continental Europe.
Placing the UK in Oceania rather than in Eurasia is commented on in the book as an undeniable historical anomaly. London, the setting of the novel, is the capital of the Oceania province of Britain and Ireland and Newspeak is the 'official language' in Oceania.
The true purpose of Newspeak is to take away the ability to adequately conceptualize the revolution, or even more to remove words that could be used for this purpose. Since the Thought Police had yet to develop a way to read people's minds to catch the opposition, Newspeak was created so that it wasn't even possible to think of divergent thoughts.
The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four is primarily a political dystopia, not a technological one. The technological level of society in the novel is mostly gross and less advanced than in 1980 real. Apart from telescreens and speech-recognizing typewriters, it is no more advanced than in UK wartime. Living standards are low and declining, with rationing and pseudo-unpleasant products in this regard, Orwell's vision is diametrically opposed to the technological hedonism of Brave New World.
The main themes in 1984 are diverse starting with Totalitarianism and Communism which:
- -the dangers of a totalitarian government are clearly present. The book was essentially supposed to serve as an alarm about Communism to those in the Western half of the world.
- Psychological and physical manipulation is also obvious themes. The altering of history for the benefit of the government is a theme as well, sort of going along with the totalitarian government idea. In the book, history is controlled by 'Big Brother,' and this served as an example as to why countries should not be doing this. Many countries do this, be it the United States, the U.K., or another place. Orwell does not like or support this practice as no one should.
- Technology and the negative aspects. Orwell believed that technology was a good thing in many ways, however, he recognized that it could facilitate evil in many ways. e.g. Telescreens.
- Language. Orwell believes language is an incredibly important aspect of human thought. Humans think and create their magnificent ideas through language. Orwell exemplified the importance of understanding language via 'Big Brother's' obvious manipulation of it. Newspeak is the tool Orwell uses to send his message, as it was created by 'The Party' to replace the English language. They continue to narrow down the language of Newspeak in such a way that it becomes nearly impossible for someone to formulate a coherent idea that is their own. THINK and do so often, Orwell says to the reader.
Obviously, autonomy is another theme, Orwell shows how important it is for a person to be an individual and how important it is to be reliant on oneself.
The book brings out an essential truth of the human being: 'there is for each of us irresistible torture.' The reading of this book is recommended to all those who want to discover something about the importance of being human. I also recommend watching a movie in which the filming of the novel is exceptional.
Resources used:
- George Orwell: A Life in Pictures Full Documentary - YouTube. Accessed February 9, 2020. https://youtu.be/s6txpumkY5I.
- “THE MESSAGE FOR TODAY IN ORWELL'S '1984'.” The New York Times. The New York Times, January 1, 1984. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/01/01/nyregion/the-message-for-today-in-orwell-s-1984.html.
- “The World of George Orwell by Michael Shelden - Audiobook - Listen Online.” Scribd. Scribd. Accessed February 9, 2020. https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/281684597/The-World-of-George-Orwell.
