Totalitarianism
In our society the government pretty much controls everything. We live knowing what is right and wrong, however we aren't aware of everything. In 1984, the totalitarian society life is based on beliefs. Despite the fact that these beliefs are fictional and questionable in all aspects, they are still the governing rules for the society. In this society proles, who make up the majority of the population, have basically no freedom, and live as a unit. This is because the idea of totalitarianism is to prevent individuality. Totalitarianism relates to our society in many ways. Our government controls what we know and only tells us what we need to know in order to maintain an ongoing society. In 1984 written by George Orwell the government is ran similar to the way is run today. Throughout the book of 1984, there are several examples of when proles experience injustice. It's not always blatant but it's still unjust and unnecessary. An example of this is the slogans that the totalitarian government made up. "Two + 2 is 5", "freedom is slavery" and "God is Power" are all slogans that make no sense. These are pretty much the opposite of what we believe in currently with the exception of "god is power".
This moral justification states that all people who make up the population must abide by these slogans. When Winston is set free from his cell after giving in to pain, he demonstrates his memory in this quote, "the voice from the telescreen was still pouring forth its tale of prisoners and booty and slaughter" (244). A recent example of this is from the September 11th incident. Winston sees the harsh treatment he received back in the cell through the telescreen. Also the way the government now can get access to any individuals personal information, relates to how totalitarian government has everybody controlled. Big Brother is a guide for all to worship and believe in completely. Winston fought against Big Brother his whole life, trying to find ways to beat him. Eventually after learning differently I realized that I was told a lie when I was younger and I believed it 100 percent at the time because I didn't know any better. He is struggling to find a straight thought, and also can't figure out whether he should oblige to the mandatory policies. This is shown when George Orwell says, "he had got to plunge into the filthiest of filth. When Winston was put in prison by the thought police and tortured by O'Brien he questioned the importance of Big Brother. What were his true feelings toward Big Brother?"(232). Orwell in this quote describes the perplexity in Winston's mind. Winston however has memory up until the very end when he skeptically learns to love Big Brother. He is refusing to base his life on Big Brother.
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