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Diana Farahat
Professor Derohanessian
English 113b
25 March 2015

Project Space: George Orwells 1984

George Orwells dystopian novel 1984 takes place in London and it is about
totalitarianism. In the book, London is a dark depressing place. The people of Oceania are
always being watched by Big Brother through a telescreen in their homes. The Thought Police
also watching them furthermore they have cameras and hidden mics everywhere. People in this
dystopian society are not entitled to their own thoughts and they are prohibited from doing many
things. They are always being controlled and are forced to believe things that may not even be
true. If they were unable to follow the actions and rules given to them they would have to face
punishment from the police. The Thought Police may take one away and throw them in a forced
labor camp. People view schools as an authority and the right path for success. It is still a
totalitarian government since everything can relate to George Orwells dystopian world.
Beginning with the power entitled from the principle, deans and students. The power of
education and information that students receive. Shifting to the control over teachers and
students, watching their every move to make sure they are doing their job. Just like in 1984
schools have power and control over everyone in it. If they were to not follow the rules that they
were given and play their part, they would have to face the consequences.

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In George Orwells 1984, Big Brother symbolizes power and control. There are hundreds
of posters of Big Brother all over town with a quote which says Big Brother is Watching You.
It is a reminder to people that they need to be aware of their actions, what they say and do
because they are always being watched. In school the Dean or Principle would represent Big
Brother because they have the highest power in school in which they take control of the space
and the students. If a student was to misbehave or there was a problem it would be reported to
the Dean or Discipline. He would decide the punishment for the student depending on the
situation. If the problem happens to be big, it will be reported to the principle as well which may
lead to greater punishment like suspension or being expelled from the school. In 1984, the
Thought Police would throw the people of Oceania in forced labor camps if they refused to
follow the law. This shows how in two different spaces an issue can be handled in different ways.
This can also be related to Michel Foucaults Discipline and Punishment (1975),
Panopticism. The space in Foucaults reading is a prison and he emphasizes the discipline and
punishment that the people in the town would get if they were to leave town because it was
prohibited. If a person left town they would be sentenced to death for not obeying the law. He
states, First, a strict spatial partitioning: the closing of the town and its outlying districts, a
prohibition to leave town on the pain of deaththe division of the town into distinct quarters,
each governed by an intendant. Each street is placed under the authority of of a syndic, who
keeps it under surveillance; if he leaves the street, he will be condemned to death. (Foucault 1)
This is where power and control plays a part and can relate to both 1984 and schools. If people
and student were to not obey the rules they would have to face punishment. The punishment and
discipline portrayed in Foucaults reading would be more severe and harsh compared to in

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schools. Where as in schools suspension would take place and in 1984 people would be sent
away to labor camps.
Security demanded from the higher chair also plays as a role of power and control in
1984, Foucalt, and schools. In 1984, people were always being watched through a telescreen and
the Thought Police had cameras set up all over town. In Foucalts reading, the syndics and
intendants were a form of security and look out to make sure that no one leaves town or
disobeys the laws. In schools there are cameras in every corner to make sure that students are
safe and that they stay on campus all school hours. However cameras can be bad because they
cross the privacy lines and make students feel uncomfortable. They make students uncomfortable
because they know that they are always being watched so they dont have the freedom to do
anything. If any problems were presented in form of security, this is where control would come
in, in order to inspect and solve the problem.
In George Orwells 1984 the Party members of the society of Oceania must watch the 2minute hate which is a video that shows the enemies of the Party. The 2-minute hate can relate
to the comparison of the good students and bad students in classrooms. Teachers tend to give
good students as an example to bad students. The teachers dont intend to tell the bad students
that these are the students you should hate because they are better then you just like it is being
done in 1984 but it leads the student to develop a jealousy towards the other student in which
they form hatred. The good students turn out to be the enemies for the bad students. Teachers
dont realize that they just believe that the misbehaving students should learn a few things from
the good students and by giving them as an example it would be helpful for them.

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In 1984 another thing that the citizens of Oceania are required to do is watch the
government program on TV as well as the news and also attend pep rallys (2-minute hate). It is
difficult for the Party members to think their own thoughts because they are always being
controlled and being told what to do and what to believe. They are constantly filling their heads
with propaganda. Students learn things in school and don't even end up using it through out life.
They learn these things because they know they have to because their parents said so and so did
many other people around them. Parents view school differently compared to students. People
believe that education is important and without it we wouldn't have doctors, lawyers, nurses, etc.
That may seem true but not in all scenarios. One needs interest in learning, working hard and
dedication in order to reach those goals. However, many people go to school because they are
being told that it is the right thing to do. And in 1984 the party members are being told what to
do and what is right and wrong so it does not give them a chance to provide their own ideas or
have their own beliefs.
In Tim Mainhards journal Teacher Control and Affiliation: Do Students and Teachers
Agree? he emphasizes the relationship between teachers and students and how in order to be able
to take control and maintain power, teachers need to make sure that the students understand them
clearly and see their perspective, teachers have to be able to look at the students from their
perception as well. He also introduces the Teacher Interpersonal Circle which shows both
teacher and student perceptions of a teachers Control and Affiliation in class. (Mainhard 18)
He explains, studying student perceptions of teaching can contribute to the understanding of the
interplay between teacher behavior and student outcomes. (Mainhard 18) It is important for
teachers to be able to view their students perceptions and have everything in control in order to

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succeed. Mainhard emphasizes the research that was done which shows that students who
receive more Teacher Control and Affiliation show greater cognitive achievement, stronger
engagement, and more positive subject-related attitudes (Mainhard 19) This views how
power and control can work both ways in order to maintain an understanding. But is the
information that teachers are giving students true or is it just required to be taught because it was
said so by a higher authority?
George Orwells dystopian novel and schools are both a totalitarian government. Power
and control takes place in both spaces. However some people may disagree with the way these
both spaces are structured and how people communicate with one another, yet schools are still
considered an autocratic society. In 1984 power and control takes place during most of the book.
Where the people of Oceania are always being controlled by the highest people in the Party.
Same goes to teachers being controlled by deans and students being controlled by teachers. Two
different spaces but are very similar to one another.

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Works Cited

Mainhard, Tim. Teacher Control and Affiliation: Do Students and Teachers Agree?. The
Journal of Classroom Interaction 46 (2011): 17-26. Print.
Michel Foucault. Discipline & Punish (1975), Panopticism
Orwell, George, and Erich Fromm. 1984: A Novel. New York: Signet Classics, 2007. Print.