1984 by George Orwell

The Book 1984 was written by George Orwell shortly after W.W.II. I think this book really shows us what would happen if the government gets too powerful. It was written long ago and set in the future, but I feel like the message is still very relevant today.

This story takes place in an imaginary country called Oceania; it is one of the three large super states in the world of 1984. Oceania is a society similar to Hitler’s Germany; with absolute power in the government and absolutely no individualism. Oceania is ruled by a totalitarian government, the leader of the government was Big Brother. Big brother monitors all the people by telescreens and the thought police. Telescreens watch every move that is made and there is no privacy. Telescreens were the only source of media the people can view, and were used often to spread propaganda.

“Ignorance is strength” was one of the party’s slogans; this and others were frequently broadcasted to the public. The government did not allow sexual gratification or relationships. Any thoughts or actions that went against the government’s beliefs were punishable by torture or death. The government deployed spies to go out and capture those who spoke out against it. These spies turned in friends, neighbors, and even family members. Breaking up families showed just how hopeless the people were, their families who should have always been supportive of one another turned each other in.

Big Brother turned everyone against each other and used propaganda to successfully control Oceania. All the media was controlled, therefore the people only heard what Big Brother chose.

The country had also developed its own language called Newspeak. Newspeak was unique in the sense that, while other languages helped increase communication, it was formed to decrease it. The language lost words pretty regularly to reduce the amount of brain activity. The language made communication far more difficult and really took away the chance for rebellion. Oceania was in constant war with the two other super states, Eastasia and Eurasia. All three super states were governed in the same strict ways. This made it impossible for Winston or others to flee from the horrible circumstances in which they lived.

The story began by introducing the main character Winston Smith. Winston worked for the government, rewriting the history of Oceania to make Big Brother seem all-powerful. This showed the extreme measures Big Brother went to so that it would not be overthrown. Winston disagreed with the government, but kept his feelings hidden to escape persecution from the thought police. Since Winston was keeping his dissatisfaction from everyone, he was very paranoid. He judged everyone as if they were a spy waiting to catch him and take him to prison. Although odd, Winston symbolized the good left in a society where there was not much good.

Winston fell in love with a woman he worked with named Julia. He and Julia shared the same beliefs and frustrations with the government. They both felt like they needed to rebel against the country’s regulations. Winston wanted to outwardly rebel against the government. He wanted to make life better for future generations with freedoms and individuality. Julia knew that cooperating with the party outwardly and rebelling in secret was the only way to stay safe in a world with an all-powerful government. They joined a secret group called The Brotherhood; which was established to bring to an end the ruling party. Winston and Julia learned how the party