The beginning of 1984 held the themes that I feel most stories about a dystopia begin with. This includes the introduction of themes such as an oppressive totalitarian government and a protagonist who holds the seeds for rebellion. In both The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World I have seen this. But at the same time, I feel as though the orthodox beginning for the novel is a necessary element that should remain constant throughout the genre for how else would the basis for the novel be established?
Though I thought it interesting the parallels that can be drawn from the tactics used by this fictional government and the governments of today. In the book, this includes censorship and surveillance, the suppression of the basic rights such as those that are guaranteed by the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution, and finally the hatred that the government intentionally installs within the populace through the Two Minutes of Hate. These instances are not limited to fiction and happen in both worlds. Examples that can be seen in today's world with the Patriot Act, "First Amendment Zones" on college campuses, and media bias acting as an arm of a political party.
How can an oppressive government stay without uprising? Just like today, to remain in control a government must win the opinion of the people, and since Big Brother has control of constant propaganda and history, fear and hatred of the opposition convinces the people their way is the best.
The control of propaganda leads to extreme falsehoods. I found it quite ironic that the leader of The Brotherhood, "had a sheep like quality" (14) but it was really the masses following Big Brother without question who are more sheepish. At least Goldstein has the courage to push the opposite way against the oppressive regime. This brings about the topic of the government's psychological manipulation. Would this government be even possible if it weren't for this manipulation? I think that as the book continues, we will view more scenes of this control especially was resistance grows through Winston.
With this idea, I believe Orwell reveals what the meaning of the work as a whole is. Just like Margaret Atwood bestowing a warning and reality check to our society in The Handmaid's Tale, Orwell draws parallels to display a potential end result if we permit government's continued growth. Although it is still early in the novel, I believe Orwell is attempting to show that big government is a harsh reality that holds evidence for the possibility for the work to be accepted as speculative fiction.
But just as the populace may read this book to fight against totalitarian rule, though unlikely, it seems as if some of today's governments read it in order to discover manipulation tactics. These affiliations seem that apparent.
Hi Kyle! I'm also reading 1984 and I don't know about you but I really like it so far!
ReplyDeleteI like how you compared the book to The Handmaid's Tale because as I was reading the scene about the Two Minutes of Hate, I couldn't help but think of the Salvaging/Particicution from HMT. Both events are examples of how a totalitarian government attempts to make the population, or even force the population, to feel like a part of the society, a contributor. And I think this is how these types of governments gain support. Like you said, the government within Oceania has power only because of manipulation and the incitement of fear.
Unfortunately, however, we have seen in the past and present that fear is a powerful tool: the uprising of dictators during WWII, North Korea, and so on. Do you think Oceania will be overruled?
A predictable story would probably show the triumph of Winston as he single-handedly destroys the oppressive government. But, I personally think Orwell may have a different approach...perhaps a less-traditional ending would emphasize the reality of this manipulative society. An ending where Big Brother wins may have a bigger impact on readers.
Hi, Christine. At this point I agree and I don't think that Oceania will ever be overruled. Certainly the Party has instances where they display incompetence such as not being able to meet consumer demand or imposing cruel tactics, but their manipulation of the populace far out weighs their issues. They have children who set fire to supposed thoughtcriminals, they're adapting their language so that the very idea of rebellion won't even be able to be expressed, and Big Brother's incompetence is covered up through fact revision. Soon, the people won't even know they're being oppressed. If Winston plans to do something, he must do it soon.
DeleteAlso, after reading Orwell's other book Animal Farm in 9th grade, it too has a less-traditional ending in which someone does not single-handedly triumph oppression. I think Orwell will do this again in order to convey the real dangers of these types of societies, as a sort of social commentary.
I really like how you tied your novel to the real world and explained why what the author was saying matters to us.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about the power of manipulative governments and propaganda are insightful. Certainly it seems a duty of citizens to be informed, but how can they be informed if the information is only one-sided? And how do we know if the information is one-sided? Do the characters in the book seem aware of the manipulation, or is this something the reader is aware of?
ReplyDeleteNice design, btw.