Preview

1984 Ap Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
884 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
1984 Ap Essay
1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.

War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength. These three phrases may contradict everything that you know and have been taught, but in the “negative utopia” of George Orwell’s novel 1984 these are the slogans of the Party and of Big Brother which governs Oceania (modern day England). This society suppresses all free thinking, free enterprise, and all other freedoms. George Orwell predicts that the world will come to this if someone does not stand up to the dominant society. This someone is Winston Smith, the thoughts and actions of Winston in 1984 place him against the Party, their views, and Big Brother. The Party which is the chief government rule of Oceania has strict rules limiting the person to think the way the Party thinks. The Ministry of Truth where Winston is employed does the job of destroying anything from the past that contradicts any rule of the Party or of anything Big Brother says. “Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present controls the past,” (34). They create their own past to set up the future, if something changes now that was previously recorded, it was changed as to not harm the integrity of the Party. The ethical implications of the society are to control people and to do everything in their power to maintain sovereignty. It is the will of the Party to put fear into the minds of every citizen and alter their own free will to make them love Big

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In a world where almost everyone blindly follows a leader, there are bound to be problems. Where no thoughts are allowed, there is bound to be at least one that wants to rebel. In the novel, 1984, by George Orwell, all citizens of Oceania are kept under surveillance 24/7. There is no freedom in their world. However, not everyone is down with The Party. Winston and Julia take a different route, and choose to rebel against Big Brother, thinking they have escaped the watchful eyes of The Party. However, they were sadly mistaken. Big Brother sees all.Orwell’s character, Winston, is a quiet and critical thinker; Winston’s role is to overthrow The Party in order to bring the past back; however, while on his journey, Winston is caught by Big Brother.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Theme Essay

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Absolute control over society is the central theme in the novel, 1984, by George Orwell. One method this power over society is exercised is use of language to manipulate and control people. The story features a society called Oceania, which is located in the European region. In Oceania, there is a form of totalitarian government called the Party which controls the entire society. The Party controls thoughts by making certain words or phrases illegal. In addition, any anti-party thoughts or motives are also deemed illegal. To control society, thoughts are monitored by telescreens which read reactions and record speech. A force, called the Thought Police, is also engaged to take power over and eliminate society’s individual beliefs. The Thought Police control peoples’ ideas because they know if they have any anti-party motives then they will be killed. This intimidation and control via the use of language is extremely effective in 1984.…

    • 1053 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Imagine living in a world where politics are everything and all forms of individuality and personal identities are shattered. A world where everybody is stripped of their rights to talk, act, think, or even form their own opinions, simply because they do not agree with the government’s beliefs. These aspects are just a few of the examples of things dictators would have control over in a totalitarianism form of government. Aggressive leaders such as Hitler and Joseph Stalin are examples of such dictators. They used their power for terror and murder, and their motive is simply to maximize their own personal power. George Orwell had witnessed World War II, the fall of Hitler and Stalin’s dictatorships, and the fatal outcomes that have come from these governments. To warn future generations of the harsh effects of totalitarianism governments, he wrote the book Nineteen Eighty-Four. Published in 1946, Nineteen Eighty-Four describes life in a totalitarianism form of government, following the main character, Winston Smith, as he takes risks in discovering how he believes life should truly be. Literary critic Irving Howe states, “Were it possible, in the world of 1984, to show human character in anything resembling genuine freedom...it would not be the world of 1984” (62). In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government uses its power to suppress individuality among the people.…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Essay

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "How many times are you caught on camera per day?." Fox 16. Clear Channel Communications, n.d. Web. 13 Dec 2012.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Essay

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The main protagonist in fictional books or films is often labeled as a hero. In 1984 by George Orwell, the plot follows a man named Winston who is trying to rebel against the totalitarian government called Ingsoc. Ingsoc, also known as the Party, defeats Winston and because he is defeated he does not remain a hero in the reader’s eyes. Winston’s lack of cunning, lack of courage, and lack of effort to defeat the Party shows that he does not fit the description of a hero.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell’s 1984 cleverly illustrates the dangers of totalitarianism. The story’s central character, Winston Smith, is faced with several challenges set forth by the ruling government, referred to as the Party. In Orwell’s depiction of a totalitarian state, no individual is capable of having the courage and bravery to face danger. In other words, there is no room for a hero.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    1984 Compared to Cults

    • 2258 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Oceania, which is the Americas, the Atlantic islands including the British Isles, Australasia, and the southern portion of Africa, is where Winston Smith lives in the book 1984. Ingsoc, newspeak for English Socialism, is the political ideology of Oceania. "War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength," is the slogan of Oceania, which is displayed on the pyramid of the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Truth is where they change books to reflect the party's ideology. "The language of the totalist environment is characterized by the thought-terminating cliché. The most far-reaching and complex of human problems are compressed into brief, highly reductive, definitive-sounding phrases, easily memorized and easily expressed. These become the start and finish of any ideological analysis" (Lifton). Big Brother used this method to break down the party's complex theories and put them into one phrase. "War is peace" is the part that keeps all the people of Oceania united. Big Brother makes the people of Oceania think that they are in a state of constant war. By making the people think this, the people stay united against the other countries that "threaten" them. "Freedom is slavery" is used to scare…

    • 2258 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Essay

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the book 1984 by George Orwell, many different ideas about the government and its power are discussed by the main character Winston. At one point in the book Winston says “It is impossible to found a civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.” in reference to the state of the government at that point in time. However, this can be proven false by the actions of the government, the people’s response, and the determination the government uses to ensure their ultimate power and control.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1976. The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is the recurring theme of many novels, plays, and essays. Select the work of an essayist who is in opposition to his or her society; or from a work of recognized literary merit, select a fictional character who is in opposition to his or her society. In a critical essay, analyze the conflict and discuss the moral and ethical implications for both the individual and the society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work you choose.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Essay

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “George Orwell once offered this definition of heroism: ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed.” In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the protagonist, Winston Smith is described in words of being the ordinary, everyday man to the dystopian society that Orwell envisions to us through Winston’s eyes. the life of a Oceanian citizen. However, in the closing of the novel he admits his admiration for Big Brother. My definition of a hero falls basically along those words but slightly more of a cliche thought to it in the way of the hero is willing to risk their life to abide by true morals in conquering the foundation of the inhumane treatment brought upon the blameless for the justice of everyone. The hero is suppose to be of selfless act and thought. With thorough analysis of Winston and his thoughts and actions throughout the novel, by Orwell’s definition, along with my own i do not consider Winston Smith to be hero.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Analytical Essay

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What makes us human? What makes us human is our curiosity and constant evolution. What makes us human is the ability to create social categories and to form opinions. Abstract emotions including love, thought and creativity are what make us human. In 1984, George Orwell uses his dystopia to show that if we were to abolish these abstract emotions we would cease to be human and become the simple primates we once were; surviving for the sake of survival.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Chapter 1-6 Essay

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Party changes and rewrites to past to conform to what they say, Winston is among the people who rewrites the past documents and books.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel 1984, George Orwell demonstrates to the people of the future how one governing body can manage to manipulate a whole country such as Oceania. Throughout our past we have seen totalitarian governments take absolute control over their countries. Some examples of leaders of countries that have demonstrated a totalitarian regime are Hitler and Stalin in World War II. Totalitarianism is a manipulative dictatorship that strives to limit the freedoms, abolish individuality, and brainwash its citizens (dictionary.com). In the totalitarian society of Oceania, people are controlled in every possible way. Rhetoric and language are constantly used by Big Brother, the figurehead leader, to maintain power over the society. Newspeak uses meaningless words to keep the thought of rebellion and freedom out of peoples’ minds. Doublethink encourages people to hold two contradictory ideas at once, accepting them both as truth. The Ministry of Truth is devoted to changing past history to conform with current government goals. The author leads us to recognize that all too often, instances of similar attempts at mind control by mass media occur in today's real world. (Johnson, Hayden)…

    • 796 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Comparative Essay

    • 1569 Words
    • 7 Pages

    It has been said that you cannot rewrite history, as it has already happened, and it cannot be changed. While history itself cannot be changed, the records of it can, and are. Governments often change certain facts that conflict with their current ideology, to make things more convenient for themselves. If a previous statement does not conform with the what the governing party currently is saying, it would be changed, the record of it happening obliterated. This is a common occurrence in 1984, and Winston is one of the culprits. In chapter four he explains the process:…

    • 1569 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 Reality or Dream

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Orwell creates a vision of a completely repressive world in which every movement, every word, and nearly every thought is monitored. Big Brother is always watching, trying to detect the slightest indication of disloyalty or incorrect thinking. The novel's protagonist, Winston Smith, is a miserable little man whose longing for things he cannot even name leads to his ultimate demise. Everywhere Smith looks, he sees three slogans. These three phrases contain keys to some of Orwell's most powerful themes in the novel: "War Is Peace," "Freedom Is Slavery," and "Ignorance Is Strength." The phrases are examples of "doublethink," where the listener is required to believe in two contradictory things simultaneously. To survive in Big Brother's world, this is an essential skill.…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays