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NINETEEN EIGHTY FOUR By George Orwell
My conclusion about the totalitarian government of the novel is to stand out the idea of a concealed dictatorship and its implications, that is to say, fascism, nationalism and social exclusion, which are perfectly designed under socialist features, like slogans and generalities, whereas socialist main principles of Freedom, Justice and Solidarity are totally obviated. All the basic and particular items of a dictatorial system are widely reflected in the novel. Firstly, the position of a Party that controls the state power entirely without any opposition, secondly, the belief of a just and strong leadership, instead of a parliamentary democracy, and thirdly, a racist view, social demagogy, aggressively and superiority claims over other states. The permanent image in the novel of unconditional support to Big Brother and his Party from social groups, especially in times of political and economical crises, it is a clear indication of fascism. Apart from that, there is also a sense of nationalism in the novel, as this movement proclaims a sense of superiority from the citizens of one nation to others. Oceanian Party members consider that their state is the best and even the more powerful one. Regarding relationship between Party members and the Proles, it is an obvious example of social exclusion, which means discrimination on the basis of cultural background. This exclusion is based on a matter of attitude, which causes the isolation of a group. On the contrary, I would like to point out that the elements human beings need to develop to their own life and coexistence in the world are overwhelmed in the novel. Just to name a few, I am referring to Human Rights, which are based on the rights that every human being should enjoy, such as social rights, work, housing, food, education, etc, and also political rights, like the freedom of thought and expression or protection against violence and torture. Also Equality, based on the principle that no person counts more than another, whatever their origins or social position is. And thirdly, Tolerance, meaning the acceptation and appreciation of the rich diversity or our world’s cultures forms of expression and ways of being human to reach a harmony towards democracy. To end my conclusion, I would like to set out the reason of why this is an anti-utopian novel, as the main features of the novel are also real facts in our days. If we take a look at our country, we can see how news are being manipulated in order to make us believe what certain interested people wish, for example, the Spanish government says that our economy is well performing, when consumption in Spain is decreasing due to the high number of unemployed. Every day, we see and hear pictures of people dying of starvation, living in subhuman conditions, while their governance live in luxury. The United States government shows off its strong power sending its army to keep Irk under surveillance. American police, whose task is to keep citizens safe, kill people in the street, even without asking first for their documents. Using telephonic spying, hidden video cameras and microphones violates people privacy. Finally, it looks as this world is done for war and not for peace, since governments send young men to do military service, or even worse, to get fit for the war, instead of teaching people to respect for other people’s opinion and for the conventions freely and peacefully. |
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© Copyright 1999-2000 Other works by Ana Mullor Galdón. Created and updated on : Jan 20th, 2000 |
