George Orwell
George Orwell's 1984, "was identified by Geoffrey Stokes as the first major twentieth-century dystopian novel, which is a modern variation of the traditional utopian novel"(qt'd in World Literature Criticism 2574). The word "utopia" originates from the Greek language; "outopia, meaning 'no place,' or else 'eutopia,' meaning 'good place,' pointing to the idea that a utopia is a non-existent land of social perfection" (Frye 478). It therefore follows that an anti-utopia is the exact opposite of this, a place in which the condition of life is extremely bad. Orwell's 1984 is anti-utopian in that it depicts a nightmare world where people have no rights; they are controlled by a totalitarian government which seeks power for its own sake and eliminates individual freedom. Through his portrayal of governmental surveillance, the prevention of relationships and the principles of a manipulative government system, Orwell reveals a true anti-utopian society. To begin, the government in 1984 controls the thoughts and action of its citizens through surveillance. Whatever one does is monitored day and night by telescreens that can simultaneously send and receive video and voice. The telescreens are
Because the government controls all media, and its content, which has been revised or deleted, the people know only what the party wants them to know. O'Brien, to whom they had confessed about their "disbeliefs in the principles of INGSOC" (the government system), and their love affair, manages to find them there (177). Evidently, the government system does not benefit the citizens in any way. This clearly demonstrates the anti-utopian nature of the novel. Doublethink is "the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind and accepting both of them" (37). He further reveals the consequences of such a government on society- loss of individuality and loss of every aspect that makes people human. The first principle that will be examined is Newspeak. Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end, we will literally make thought crime impossible because there will be no words in which to express it. According to the Party, after Newspeak is perfected, every concept "will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten" (55). Newspeak is a manipulative language that the Party creates for the purpose of eliminating all unorthodox thought among citizens. Evidently, the people have to be extremely cautious or they will be caught and punished by members of the Party. They come to find an antique shop in the proletariat section of the town where they can rent a room; "so long as they were actually in this room, they both felt, no harm could come to them" (158).
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Acceptance Essays
