George Orwell 1984 Essay

Totalitarianism: A Negative Utopia

            Throughout history, many people have speculated on what the future will bring. George Orwell, author of 1984, was no different. Orwell believed that a totalitarian form of government was imminent if the American citizens were not aware of the dangers it holds. Throughout 1984, Orwell warns the readers of a dreary existence under a totalitarian government. Orwell’s message is simple: do not let the government (Big Brother) take away freedom in the name of security or peace, or one will find themselves without rights or voice. Orwell’s message about totalitarian government is clearly stated as, “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”.

            The first line of Big Brother’s slogan, “War is Peace”, is an oxymoron that describes totalitarianism perfectly, Orwell knew that totalitarianism is kept and gained through force, or war. His message about totalitarian government is that it is never peaceful. Those under a totalitarian government who are not completely compliant will be killed, much like today in China and Cuba. Orwell symbolized this by having Winston and Julia brutally tortured after their conspiracy to overthrow Big Brother was uncovered. Because of the escalating tensions in 1949, Orwell viewed Russia and Spain as evil countries. It was from these countries that Orwell fanaticized the World of “Oceania”. Through war, Spain and Russia increased their power, much like Oceana did in 1984.

The second line of Big Brother’s slogan, “Freedom is Slavery”, is also an exact comparison to a totalitarian style government. In “Oceania”, one must give up their rights of love, friends, and most importantly the freedom of thought. This is an extreme example of the powers of a totalitarian government, but to Orwell, his point must be viewed seriously. Orwell is trying to persuade the reader that totalitarianism may look good ideologically, but in all reality it would be a horrible place to live. Oceania could be described as a “negative utopia”, much like how Orwell was trying to get the public to fell about totalitarianism. Orwell wanted people to realize that the only way to survive in a totalitarian for of government was to be a “slave” of that government. Every “Party Member” in Oceania was a slave who either spent their time working for the government or exercising “Two Minutes Hate” against a conspirator named “Goldstein”. This was how Oceania controlled its people, much like how an advanced totalitarian government would control its.

            The third and final line in Big Brothers slogan is “Ignorance is Strength”. This is above all the most important element of what kept a totalitarian government alive and also what Orwell feared most. To star in power, a totalitarian government, like Oceania, must keep its people uninformed in order to keep them under control. This was shown in 1984 by hundreds of things “The Party” practiced. Winston worked in “Minitrue”, which was the information center for all of Oceania. Of course, it was controlled by the government. Everyday Winston would receive a request to change a document of history in order to benefit Oceania’s government. This kept the people uninformed of the truth and easily manipulated. Orwell’s fear was that people are easily manipulated and a corrupt government could use that to their advantage. Orwell portrayed this by their language “NewSpeak”. NewSpeak is a transition language introduced to Oceania in order for the government to theoretically control the minds of the people. By removing words such as “freedom” and “opinion”, they would fade away and the idea lost forever. This was the primary fear Orwell expressed of totalitarian government.

            The novel 1984, written by George Orwell is a dedication to the movement to stop totalitarianism form coming to the United States. Orwell’s message that one should never give up his or her rights for peace or security is one that has held strong in the United States but not other countries. The year, 1984, has come and gone; but George Orwell’s “prophetic, nightmare vision in 1949 of the world we were becoming is timelier than ever”.