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The Modern Period lasted from 1900-1945. During this period, many significant historical events took place such as World War I in 1914, The Bolshevik Revolution in 1916 and 1917, The Great Depression in 1929, The rise of Fascism in 1939, and the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. This period was a time of fear and lies for many people. During this time, people such as Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and Franco were leaders. The commonality among all the leaders during the Modern Period was disinformation, control over the media, scapegoating, and constant surveillance. Many people were worried about the future considering the rise of totalitarian type governments.
George Orwell is famous for his futuristic book about his predictions. George Orwell is an English writer and essayist whose work is famous for its vivid language and lucid stream of consciousness. George Orwell includes topics such as totalitarianism, Freudist Theories, feminism, and existentialism in his writings.
Totalitarianism is the political idea that determines the mode of government which forbids opposition parties, limits personal party to the government and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life. It is a very intense form of government and many aspects of people’s lives are controlled. Things such as media and mass surveillance. Terrorism within the government is also common in a totalitarian state.
In 1984, totalitarianism is mentioned throughout the entire book. The government in 1984 has total control over its people. They create lies so their people can’t understand the “real world”, a Freudian theory that will be mentioned later. In order for people to think or believe the same way, a sense of 24/7 surveillance must be prevalent. Even if the people aren’t actually being watched, the government has to make them believe so. “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU…” (Orwell 2). “Big Brother” is making its citizens believe that they are constantly being watched through multiple methods. Another method, besides just telling the people that the government is always watching them, is the Thought Police. Citizens are taught to believe that the Thought Police can read people’s minds and arrest them if they are having political thoughts that are unapproved by Big Brother. The Thought Police ties into the idea of the Freudian Theory which describes the idea of mind control with an emphasis on instilling false ideas and information.
The Freudian Theory describes the idea of controlling the mind and making people believe something that might not necessarily be true. The Freudian Theory takes totalitarian ideology to the next level by forcing information into someone’s mind and not allowing them to have their own thoughts. The reality is that having complete control over someone’s thoughts and trying to force them to think certain ways is impossible because our brains don’t work that way. According to Barry Gordon, professor of neurology and cognitive science at the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, “We are aware of a tiny fraction of the thinking that goes on in our minds, and we can control only a tiny part of our conscious thoughts. The vast majority of our thinking efforts go on subconsciously… The intrusive thoughts you may experience throughout the day or before bed illustrate the disconcerting fact that many of the functions of the mind are outside of conscious control. Whether we maintain true control over any mental functions is the central debate about free will” (scientificamerican.com). While controlling the thoughts of our own mind is nearly out of our authority, controlling the minds of others proves to be near impossible. People’s minds will decide what to do with the information given to them and whether or not they decide to believe the information given is up to them.
In 1984, the Freudian Theory is very prominent. For example, Winston Smith’s job was to edit history books and insert false information so the citizens of Oceania wouldn’t know about the bad events of history unless, of course, they were old enough to have lived in the time before totalitarianism started to rise. Another topic Orwell implies in this classic book is Feminism.
According to Wikipedia, feminism is a variety of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common purpose: to define, sustain, and attain political, economic, physical, and social equality of the sexes. This includes trying to display learning and business opportunities for women that are equal to those of men. Feminist movements have campaigned and aimed to push for women’s rights. Other examples of things that have been a part of feminist movements are changes in what is worn or their overall appearance. Feminism has made great strides. Women have achieved the highest positions in corporations and have performed well. The number of women in Congress has increased substantially. Pay for women is getting closer to men for similar jobs, and in some cases equal. Feminism should continue to make gains in the near future.
Existentialism is how someone reacts to their surroundings, especially in times of chaos. In the book, the main character, Winston Smith, reacts by acts of rebellion towards the government. Some of the rebellious acts were owning a journal and writing in it and reading literature. “His pen had slid voluptuously over the smooth paper, printing in large neat capitals DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER. DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” (Orwell 36). Winston’s insubordinate act is his response to his surroundings, particularly the totalitarian government.
Like many other pieces of literature, 1984 is still relevant to readers today. After reading this book, we become more aware of the messages our media is sending and the themes politicians are pushing. It makes us more committed to viewing things objectively and deciding what is reasonable or right and wrong.
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