Big Brother is the example of all the ideals of the totalitarian party. In compare to Big Brother, Winston Smith keeps the idea of democracy underlines freedom; he has to hide his own thought because the Big Brother's party will punish him by death if the party finds it out. George Orwell evaluates of Big Brother's society by describing it as a dark and a gloomy place. It warns that people might believe that everyone must become slaves to the government in order to have an orderly society, but at the expense of the freedom of the people The super-country of Oceania is in a constant state of war in which the novel 1984 is set in, and bomb explosions are omnipresent. The living conditions are poor – very poor – with the buildings broken-down, the food artificial and rationed out, wages poor, and clothing cheap.
It is undeniable that there are a number of parallels between the protagonists of both Orwell’s ‘1984’ and the Wachowski brothers’ ‘The Matrix’. For instance, Neo and Winston Smith both, at one point in their lives, ascertain that something is ‘not right’ in the world they live in. Once this realisation has occurred, existentialist ideologies surface and the true motives of each protagonist are revealed, they are rebel figures, intent on opposing the government and
The Party is unflawed in its universal control over society, as evidenced by its ability to break even an independent thinker such as Winston, and has mastered every aspect of psychological control, largely through utilizing technological developments (allowing for inventions such as the telescreen) to their advantage. In ending the novel with Winston defeated in every sense of the term, Orwell clearly suggests that there is no hope for quelling the expansion or growth of such a perfectly established regime. And, more importantly, Orwell warns that at the time, this outcome was within the realm of possibility as long as the world supported and embraced
This means it exercises absolute and unrestricted power whilst being funded by the public, furthermore all its decisions are binding on the citizens and it can use coercive power to make sure its laws are obeyed and people who do disobey the laws are punished. One interpretation of the state with says that coercion is an essential characteristic of the state is totalitarian states. This interpretation of the state argues for a state with all embracing control spreading throughout all aspects of an individual’s life. The state would control the economy, education, culture, religion and family life. There would be surveillance and terroristic policing to control people’s lives.
This is used to produce fear in the comrades under the control of the Party in order to ensure the ultimate compliance from these comrades. The presence of the “Big Brother” poster in one of Winston’s primary introductory descriptions as well as the accompanying caption, “Big Brother is watching you ”, beneath the eyes that follow individuals around are examples of this technique of surveillance. The “Big Brother” poster’s omnipresence in society emphasises the Party’s control over its citizens’ lives. The concept of having to monitor one’s own thoughts and actions as a result of being monitored by someone else also highlights this method of surveillance. The existence of the “telescreen” throughout the comrades’ homes also represents the surveillance under which the Party places its society.
The 20th century novel 1984 by George Orwell is a dystopian text where a totalitarian government has taken full control of its populous. It is in this world crafted by Orwell where we as readers are immersed into the life of the protagonist, Winston Smith. The novel may have been written as a warning to the people against the adverse effects of a totalitarian government as Orwell wrote his novel in the wake of World War II and in the face of fascism. This message is conveyed throughout the novel but it is most effectively portrayed through the characters that inhabit the world of 1984 and this is explored none more so than through the main protagonist himself Winston Smith. This character’s development is highly significant as it contributes to the novel and Orwell does this in a variety of ways.
Who are the composers of the texts? 1984 – George Orwell The Matrix - Andy and Larry Wachowski When were the texts composed? 1984 – First published in 1948 The Matrix – Released 1999 George Orwell – Biography and Influences George Orwell uses 1984 to publicise the danger of political authority and the dangers of a totalitarian society. Orwell had witnessed this in countries such as Spain, the Soviet Union and Germany as a result of the age of advancing technology. 1984 remains as one of the most powerful sources of warnings issued against totalitarian societies.
Orwell uses a simile; “hovered for an instant like a bluebottle” to suggest that the police patrols were of serious threat. Winston contradicts this; “The patrols did not matter” to contrast what Orwell has just put forward. Winston then speaks of the Though Police which he believes to be of a much larger threat; “Only the Thought Police mattered”. Orwell does this to place heightened importance on the Thought Police and their ability to have control over all people. With the possibility that every thought is being monitored, fear is created among those who have negative thoughts towards the party.
Now it is being said the Fourth Amendment’s promise of protection from government invasion of privacy is in danger of being replaced by the futuristic surveillance state Orwell described (Liptak, 2011).” By the same token, does 1984 present a startling and haunting vision of the world today? In Chapter One, Orwell writes about “Big Brother,” the authoritarian leader of Oceania, a totalitarian state where the ruling Party wields total power for its own sake over the inhabitants. Big Brother is the face of the Party and he sees all, knows all and controls all. Big Brother is watching everyone. The citizens are told that he is the leader of the nation and the head of the Party.
Margaret Atwood demonstrates the key theme of power through many literary techniques emphasised through the protagonist Offred who lives in the State of Gilead; similarly Orwell presents power in the State of Oceania and the Party of Big Brother. Atwood and Orwell through their novels both portray and highlight the extremist states that once existed and even exist in today’s society such as People’s Republic of China. The similarity between the totalitarian states in both of the novels and their narrative compared with modern times is undoubtedly clear and suggests they are warnings for future generations to come. Atwood stated of her novel “I didn’t invent anything in [the handmaid’s tale] and described as speculative fiction of the George Orwell variety. In the novel “The Handmaids Tale” violence is a key theme and is used as a way to control and scare the Handmaids to obeying the Aunt’s orders: “Aunt Sara and Aunt Elizabeth patrolled; they had electric cattle prods slung on thongs from their leather belts”.