Totalitarianism in 1984

George Orwell's novel 1984 inspires people to wonder how it would be if a totalitarian government took over the modern day society. In the novel, Orwell describes a world which totalitarianism has complete authority and in which freedom has been long forgotten. The government knows every detail of the citizen's life whether they like it or not and even simple gestures can lead to death. He warns the future about how technology would play an immense role in manipulation and can be an advantage for the government.

However in this generation many people can't stay without interacting with social media which would be an easy way to take control of what people think and do. Since people have the tendency to accept what they read on social media, the U.S government gets the opportunity to change itself to Orwell's totalitarian Big Brother government who utilizes language, propaganda, and manipulation to maintain control and limit individual freedom which alerts modern-day readers to beware of similar current societal and government practices or trends which infringe upon personal liberty.Language is the initial source of communication. It's one of the ways to share ideas and thoughts to one another.

Instead of expanding the use of language in the novel, the party believes that by modifying the language so they can impose their egregious reality. For instance, Newspeak involves cutting the language down to the bone so that all vagueness and useless shades of meaning are destroyed. The Party does not want people to feel discontent with them so they cut down the vocabulary and leaves the person to have no words to reveal their emotions. Myriad number of opinionated people watch CNN, Fox news and other news broadcast and agree to what they portray as the truth because of the evidence that supports their claim is clearly efficient, but some information is purposely incorrect to guide a person to fight for the wrong cause.

The author mentions, If thoughts can corrupt language, language can also corrupt thoughts. It describes how it is easier to control a group of uneducated people, depending on what situation someone is currently in they can alter their words to change someone's perspective on an idea or thought. Controlling language is effective to the society no matter what year it is, it would help many political leaders get their point across to individuals who have different outlooks on life.To have more control on the citizens living in Oceania the party feeds them false facts, rumors, and stories. One of the concepts the party uses against their citizens is propaganda. The government has brainwashed people to assume that the party is there to help and protect them from the outsiders, they don't realise information given to them is significantly far from the truth.

Orwell emphasizes the quote, War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength countless times to show how rebellion is prevented in Oceania since the citizens believe the society they live in perfect. Moreover, this quote in reality is connected to the modern day world. As citizens people have freedom to do anything they want however people still have to pay taxes for properties they own and have no choice other than to work to feed and take care of themselves. On the other hand, when it claims that Ignorance is strength it shows if everyone ignores the laws and accepts everything that goes around, the world will be in peace. Orwell implies, Big Brother is Watching You.
For the citizens in Oceania this means they are in safe hands, but if you compare the same logic in today's society it delineates to the camera's in the stores you walk into watching every move so people don't perpetrate a crime. Another way the government in the novel, 1984 controls their citizens is by manipulation. In the past, many governments have tried to psychologically manipulate people into agreeing with facts that are too gullible to believe in, some have succeeded in this way of persuading people but not all.

However in today's society the media knows how to trigger people's emotions. For example on news channels instead of talking about the pleasant things that happen daily they focus more on the miserable parts of the world, so people would constantly live in fear. The author proclaims, He who controls the future controls the past who controls the past controls the present. Since the party controls the past it would be much easier for them to control the present and future. The less someone knows the less power they have, the more they know the more authority they have over people.

Lastly, Orwell concludes, In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. This reveals the parties abilities to easily manipulate the humans mind. To keep today's government away from being Orwell's totalitarian Big Brother government who uses language, propaganda, and manipulation to maintain control and limit individual freedom. People need to pay more attention to what happens around them and to think of situation thoroughly through instead of rushing into it.

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