Obedience In George Orwell's 1984

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One particularly dangerous exercise of power is the enforcement of cruel and unusual punishments towards supposed criminals. Winston explained one such punishment, saying, “When once you had succumbed to thoughtcrime it was certain that by a given date you would be dead” (130). Winston was absolutely sure of this, because he was taught this all throughout his life – that you will be eliminated if your thoughts didn’t align with the Party’s. He understood that once you began freely thinking, you were destined to be caught thinking thoughts that did not align with the state. If a Party member began to understand that the state is not actually working for good of the people, he/she would be in a never-ending struggle to avoid getting caught by…show more content…
These measures taken by the state must be avoided at all costs. We must also be especially wary of the capability for constant surveillance. As a result of the possibility for constant surveillance, the Party members must assume that they are being watched at all times. This fear of being watched was shown in 1984: “There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment … there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized” (148). Although Winston was not literally being watched 24/7, he feared the chance of being watched (because it was always possible). This assumption of surveillance contributed towards Winston’s unwavering obedience towards the Party, because he feared being labeled a criminal. Another example of surveillance in 1984 is explained here: “Even when he is alone he can never be sure that he is alone. Wherever he may be, asleep or awake, working or resting, in his bath or in bed, he can be inspected without warning and without knowing that he is being

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