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1984 by George Orwell

Nineteen Eight-Four, authored by George Orwell, is one of the most profound and

influential dystopian masterpieces of the nineteenth century. Through its themes, the novel

brings to light critical political actions that impact people within the society. Some of the main

themes include mass surveillance, effects of totalitarianism, liberty, and censorship, and

oppressive control of people within the community. Notably, Orwell being a democratic socialist

try to convey an essential message to people through the novel. He explores the truth's role and

how political facts are distorted and manipulated by powers to rule forcefully. George Orwell's

imaginative world explored in the book is characterized by propaganda, continuous war,

historical and ever-present government surveillance. The novel helps paints a bleak picture of the

future, characterized by the dangers of totalitarianism, psychological manipulation, and physical

control (Dunđer and Pavlovski 579). The paper will explore how the book's themes resonate with

contemporary society and how the pursuit and protection of ethics are critical to avoid societal

injustices depicted in Orwell's dystopian masterpiece.

The application of technology is one of the notable themes portrayed in the book, where

the party utilizes hidden microphones and telescreens to monitor and control the public. Besides,

the governing party uses complex apparatuses to manipulate information sources and take over

economic production to impose its supposed opponents' torture. Technology is an essential

instrument that the party uses to control its citizens. Still, with constant supervision, Oceania
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citizens feel that their daily lives are constantly under scrutiny. Nevertheless, a striking irony is

that other technological progress like in the Ministry of Truth remains stagnant (Orwell). This

shows that technology stalled in other aspects of life except where it served party interests and

goals.

For this reason, technology seemed to be encouraged where power was involved and

halted when development was the only cause. In today's society, there is an intensifying

application of technology mainly applied in surveillance. Nevertheless, telescreens have become

part of people's lives. Many people interact deeply and often digitally, making it difficult to

imagine life without technology. The novel describes the origin of telescreens for a totalitarian

state where control was the only goal. Nevertheless, through Winston, the ideology of choice

begins when he finds himself in a room with no telescreen. He murmurs and says he never felt

the need to have it because it was too expensive (Orwell). This shows having a telescreen was a

matter of choice which resonates with the current society. Freedom of choice ethically justifies

the application of technology in our society. The uncertainty involving what is being recorded

and deemed inappropriate redefines surveillance and makes people feel safe instead of

destroying privacy.

Through psychological manipulation in the Oceania society, the novel portrays the

destruction of individuality and a sense of independence. Besides, life seems orderly and

uniform, characterized by every individual having the same meals, living in similar houses, and

wearing the same clothes. Notably, people were not allowed to have independent thoughts, but

only Big Brother, the leader, can think and make decisions. For this reason, Winston cannot

explore his innate talents, which makes him question Big Brother in the hopes of attaining his

freedom. Ironically, Winston lacks support from the mass who have been brainwashed by the
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system and do not find the need to express their thoughts or investigate what they have been

subjected to. Due to torture imposed on those who oppose, intellectuals have given away their

alienable rights to reason independently. The book portrays Winston as the last man in Europe

and the only individual who seeks to have an independent mind. Through Winston and Big

Brother, Orwell stated the costs of not being aware of attacks imposed on personal freedoms and

did not defend the right to have his thoughts (Dunđer and Pavlovski 579). In today's society,

citizens should have their own identity and independence to question the governing class's

supremacy to prevent any potential rise of totalitarian governments where people are ripped of

their identity.

In conclusion, it is evident that times have changed, but significant themes worried

Orwell remain relevant in the current society. The society portrayed in 1984 is characterized by

great ideological powers ruling over a seemingly few individuals yet considerably offer insight

and warning against such tendencies in today's society. Orwell expresses his totalitarianism fears

by using grand ideologies such as homogeny, victims of surveillance, and loss of independence.

Notably, an organization characterized by these tendencies may be viable in today's world, thus

causing implications and constant human battles. People must be brave and question the actions

of the government to foster change and progress. Pursuit of ethics is essential to provide avenues

where people dare to be different and speak their minds.

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Work Cited

Orwell, G., 1949. Nineteen eighty-four. 1st ed. London: Secker & Warburg,

Dunđer, I., and M. Pavlovski. "Behind the dystopian sentiment: a sentiment analysis of George

Orwell’s 1984." 2019 42nd International Convention on Information and Communication

Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO). IEEE, 2019. (pp. 577-582)