Preview

V for Vendetta vs. 1984 Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2120 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
V for Vendetta vs. 1984 Essay Example
Freedom of speech, freedom of your owns thoughts and actions, the right to happiness. In our society today, we have all these rights, but imagine if we did not. 1984, written by George Orwell, and V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue, both paint accurately scary descriptions about the government in the future and the dystopian society. 1984, written in 1949, was intended to be a portrayal of the future and V for Vendetta, made in 2005, shows Britain in power in 2038. Both of these pieces of literature were not far off from their description. As every single year passes by, our own society starts to reflect images from these books. When the government has this much power over the people, the people rebel, but can they be a success or not? 1984, written by George Orwell, illustrates a perfect example of a dystopian government. The setting is in Oceania, Britain. The government is full of spies and secret police that carefully watch the common people for any mistake they might make that can harm the government in any way. As shown with Winston Smith, the protagonist of the novel and many other citizens in Oceania, the government manipulates these characters into their pawns. The government asserts their power over the people in many ways. They have large telescreens in the people’s houses. The telescreens show the government what people are doing at all times. It can be dimmed down, but can never be turned off. Although Oceania is well off in money, the government rations food. The government’s philosophy is that if the people are given too much to eat, then they will learn to think for themselves and will see all the atrocities that the government commits and rebel. All the records of the past have been omitted and destroyed and created all over again to fit the government’s beliefs and to show that the government is always right. Big Brother has its own secret police, the Thought Police. The thought police come at night to arrest you for having committed a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The governments of 1984 and America both violate the privacy of their citizens. In Orwell 's 1984, the government violates its citizen 's privacy by monitoring them, using telescreens and the "thought police." Knowing that "at any rate they [the government] could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to," one could never achieve peace of mind. One has "to live-did live, from habit that became instinct-in the assumption that every sound they made was overheard…and every moment scrutinized." (49) The citizen 's right to privacy has been taken away, and furthermore, citizens in Oceania are not just being watched, but every one of their actions is studied closely. If one is suspected of a "thought-crime," they are harshly punished. The people in each society are forced to bottle up their emotions and thoughts about their government, and suppress their urge to rebel against the Oceanic Party. This creates a sense of uneasiness for the citizens and a need for a safe place to go where they can freely express themselves without being watched. Likewise, the government today restricts the privacy of its citizens. Around every corner lay security cameras, often causing citizens discomfort. The cameras discourage citizens from…

    • 810 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell's 1984 and the movie V for Vendetta both have similar views on how society is being run. Since The book 1984 was written before V for Vendetta, so perhaps V for Vendetta may have based some of its ideas on this book. Both 1984 and V for Vendetta have similarities like the way the themes and how the male protagonists are the one in charge of overturning the government.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The film 1984 based on the book by George Orwell, describes a totalitarian and dystopian regime, complete with too many laws and rules, and a government who surveil your every move. The people live in fear and ignorance, but do not know any better. Do we live in a dystopian society today? What is similar with 1984 and what is not? Is there a government in the world that is more similar than others?…

    • 447 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a totalitarian government, the people are not living in a reality, but rather the inverse, they are living in a reality made for them. 1984 by George Orwell is a story of Winston Smith's struggle against a totalitarian government that controls the ideas and thoughts of its citizens. In the mythical setting of Oceania, the Party is the ruling, and Big Brother is the fictitious leader that controls all the thoughts and actions of human life. The people's rebellious thoughts and actions are most likely suppressed, but that can only go so far for a totalitarian government. In the novel 1984, Oceania is controlled by a totalitarian government, which is similar to the government systems of Nazi Germany and North Korea because they used torture and food shortage.…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 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

    Human degradation is used similarly in both Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and McTeigue’s V for Vendetta by taking away real food and replacing it with food produced by the leading authority, in V for Vendetta this is shown when Evey is given breakfast by V and is surprised that V has real butter, and in Nineteen Eighty-Four Winston complains about the coffee and is astounded when Julia has real coffee and chocolate which she stole. This connects with the readers experiences by using something extremely common like coffee and butter, many people have coffee everyday and butter on toast or other various foods, the idea of having coffee, butter, chocolate, and other food, which is fake connects to peoples real life experiences.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    V For Vendetta Change Essay

    • 2445 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Alan Moore published the first part of “V for Vendetta” in 1982 and the second part in 1983. The novel takes place in dystopian England in the year 1997. Many different plots and characters inhabit the tale’s world, but the two protagonists consist of V, an anarchist revolutionary with a strong vendetta against the current fascist government, and Evey Hammond, a sixteen-year-old girl that V takes under his wing and educated in the ways of freedom. Those who stand against them include Eric Finch, the head of the detective branch of the government, the “Nose”, and Adam Susan, the Leader and sole operator of the supercomputer “Fate”. An analysis of “V for Vendetta” reveals one overarching theme, change. This graphic novel is all about change and how each…

    • 2445 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the Dystopian novels 1984 and Brave New World, George Orwell and Aldous Huxley create atmospheres that consist of their prediction of the future. “1984” and Brave New World contain totalitarian governments that encompass distorted views on the way societies should behave. Although the two leaders in the novels, Big Brother and His Fordship, carry out their regulations differently, the idea of how to control a society remains consistent. The key to maintain and establish a successful totalitarian society is through controlling the ideology toward personal relations and correctly using the advancement of technology for the “common good”.…

    • 1027 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dystopian societies are a common theme in literature and films, displaying what the world could amount to if the Government were to take complete control. George Orwell’s 1984, published in 1949, is a classic piece of literature which displays a dystopian society where the public have no control over their own lives. V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue, is one of many films which has been based on 1984, following similar themes and ideas. Both texts exhibit how the Government abuse its power of science and technology to manipulate its people and control their lives by feeding the public lies, and taking away their freedom. Practises that are considered as an invasion of privacy, such as the use of listening and viewing devices, and using…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Oppressive governments and the psychological manipulation of the people are the strong themes and warning signs that these two powerful works of art, 1984 and V for Vendetta, attempt to delineate. 1984 and V for Vendetta have their similarities and differences yet their worlds are built around these basic tenets. Yet varying with their degree of control, both the novel and the film depict despotic leaders and repressive governments. Both of these leaders use intricate methods to keep control. Even being in the same genre and heavily borrowing, they still have their wild diversity from on each other. The one of the many differences between these works of fiction and perhaps the most significant one is the fact that the main character in V for Vendetta takes action. The link from V for Vendetta to 1984 grows substantially with each passing scene yet still differentiating itself from the classic novel at the same time…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The novel 1984 and the graphic novel V for Vendetta have similar views on how society is being run. However V for Vendetta was based on 1984 since 1984 was written before V for Vendetta. Both of these novels are similar in a way like the themes and how the male protagonists are the one in charge of overturning the government.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1984 vs V for Vendetta

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages

    "A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having" (V from the film V for Vendetta). Since the first communist leader tried to over take a country, there has been another leader planning for a revolution. And Orwell was one to speak of how he sees the battle to be. Orwell has written several novels on the idea of revolutions against a superior government; one example would be Animal Farm and 1984. He has inspired others to write there ideas on the thought of the future revolution from a dictatorship of extreme power. The film V for Vendetta is one example of an Orwell inspired story. In both Orwell's novel 1984 and the film V for Vendetta the protagonists Winston Smith and V live in similar difficult lives with extreme and controlling governments where they try to fight against there governments for the greater cause of freedom.…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story ,V for Vendetta, it made me open my eyes to who and what's around me in the world. Everyone has their own different personality and traits. Throughout life we meet thousands of new people every year but, the one thing that I notice was how people express their emotions or love in different ways. I compared this story to a personal reflection of how I read two characters, V and Evey. Both characters tend to show their love but in different ways. While reading the story you can tell that these two characters do care for one another but, V takes a turn to what shows me that people express themselves in different ways. He tries explaining to her in words that what he is doing to these people like killing and torturing them is right but she tends not to agree with him. So, he found that the only way she will listen to him, if he pretends to be someone else and basically kidnaps her.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Imagine living in a world where freedom of expression, thought, belief, and happiness was not allowed. In George Orwell's 1984 and James McTeigue’s movie V for Vendetta that would be completely normal. The citizens do not have these freedoms, in fact they do not have freedom at all. Both 1984 and V for Vendetta are being ruled by a totalitarian government and have similar views on how society should be run. For example they both use the media and slogans to manipulate the citizens into believing everything that they say. A second example would be that the government also does not allow anyone to have privacy. They are all constantly being watched through cameras and telescreens, and if caught committing a crime they are tortured or beaten to…

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. A. I agree with what V said when he stated “violence can be used for good.” The main reason I believe this is because even though there are only some instances in which evil has been used for good, there still are events that occurred for good. Some wars have been fought with “freedom” being the reason; although there have been ulterior motives other than “freedom” there is still one good thing. This one thing makes V’s statement true. Another reason as to why I believe V’s statement is true is because there have been vigilantes, such as V, who save people for the sole reason of being a good person. V saved Evey with violence and during World War 2, there were a group of Jews who would go around blowing up concentration camps. The methods of destruction of those buildings and compounds were violent but in the end, it ended up saving some Jews from being sent to those concentration camps and any that were already there.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays