Themes in 1984 essays

Themes in 1984 essays 1984 is rather interesting as it contains many themes, mostly about society and control. It also warns us about the dangers of a totalitarian rule and what our world would become if a single authority ruled our entire lives. In this essay, I will express my opinions about and reactions to these themes. In the world of 1984, the world is divided into three superpowers: Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia. In the novel, Oceania is permanently at war with either East Asia or Eurasia, with constant air raids and bombings. It is not a pleasant view of the world and a picture that everyone feared greatly during the Cold War. Obviously, one of the major themes in 1984 is totalitarianism. In 1984, Oceania is controlled by the Party, which is symbolised by Big Brother. It is the perfect totalitarian society, a modern day example of a government with complete control on society. In the novel, Party holds complete control on the people of Oceania. Every single action is scrutinized and searched for a possibility of an act of disloyalty to the Party. The Party uses several ways to control the people, namely, psychological control, physical control and control of the media, language and technology, as described below: Psychological control is achieved by the means of enormous amounts of propaganda, spread through the telescreens in every home. Every single action by the Party, victory or failure is disguised as a success and blasted into the citizens minds, overwhelming the minds capacity for independent thought and creativity. The posters of Big Brother are another form of propaganda. The words Big Brother give a sense of someone who can be trusted and is close to you, yet Big Brother is watching you sounds like Big Brother is observing your every move and gives a warning not to break the law or cause trouble. Other ways of psychological control are the Junior Spies, where children ...