The Totalitarian Country

Just imagine, having telescreens in your flat or home, watching your every move. Think about having to work and live with the worry that a bombshell could land on you at any moment. Finally, dream about the fact that if you have even one bad thought against your country, you will be caught and then vaporized by the Thought Police, never to be heard or seen of again. This is what life is like for the citizens of Oceania with their totalitarian run government in the book 1984 by George Orwell. The comrades (or at least that’s what they call each other) are overrun by their government and live in a world with little supplies and the likelihood that someone could betray you any second. Although there are many quotes in this confusing but intelligently written book, I chose a few that were especially expressive regarding the ideals of The Party (what Oceania calls their government) such as the rules of the country and the citizens' privileges.

The quote “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Part 1, chapter 1, page 3) is on the Ingsoc (stands for English Socialism) posters in every alleyway, street, and home in the whole country of Oceania. Big Brother is the man who every citizen loves because he knows all and lives forever. I think that the posters relate to the telescreens which are in every room in every home. These cameras watch the citizens to make sure that they aren't doing anything that would be unfaithful to Big Brother. I also think that this quote relates to the overall tone and theme of the story because the comrades of this dreadful place had no freedom whatsoever to do whatever they wanted without the pesky eyes of the Thought Police starring them down.

The next quote is “WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" (found throughout the whole book). This is the Party’s saying which can be found in places like Oceania currency, The Two Minutes of Hate, and again on the Ingsoc posters. The Two Minutes of Hate is a time each day when the citizens watch a video about all of the people they hate, especially a man named Goldstien. Anyways, war in this country is actually peace because without the wars, there wouldn’t be the alliances with the other country (Either Eurasia or Eastasia) ending the overall system of trading for goods. This saying also represents Oceana's indoctrinate leader's passion for everlasting war, slavery, and ignorance which is all a main theme and mood of the story.

Furthermore, the excerpt “Syme was not only dead, he was abolished, an unperson” (Part 2, chapter 6) clearly states what the government could do to you if you thought badly of Big Brother or Oceania. Syme was an intelligent, outgoing man who worked with the main character Winston Smith in the Ministry of Truth. Like Winston, he was starting to challenge and defy Ingsoc so when the Thought Police caught on, he disappeared. Syme was wiped away from the records and any newspaper article he was in, making it as though he never existed. This quote relates to the story because it shows how capable and irksome the authorities were in the dictatorship country.

Pursuing this one step further, the quote “The past was dead, the future was unimaginable" (Part 1, chapter 2) connects to Winston’s job at the Ministry of Truth. Winston is responsible for changing any palimpsests (untrue pieces of writing)and making them true by making up stories with a lot of factual support. For example, during the story, the country of Oceania was at war with Eurasia but suddenly switched and went to battle with Eastasia. So Winston and all of the workers at the Ministry of Truth spent six days going through articles and newspapers switching the facts from war with Eurasia to war with Eastasia. This made all of the comrades think that they were always at war with Eastasia and never at war with Eurasia. This example blends perfectly with the quote because the past is untrue or dead and the future is imaginable by the minds and imaginations of the workers at the Ministry of Truth.

The mood and theme, the law of the country, and the privileges of the comrades are specifically defined by the previous quotes of the novel 1984 by George Orwell. This book really makes me appreciate the government and society that the United States has. No ignorance, no slavery, not always wars, a peaceful existence and mp creepy telescreens. The overall meaning of 1984 was not just to show us what life was like in an alternate universe, but to teach us that a productive and free society cannot help but be luxurious and self-governing.