The People‘s Democratic Republic of Algeria

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research

University of Oran

Faculty of Languages and arts

Department of Anglo-Saxon Languages
Section of English

George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four: the Major

Characteristics of a Dystopian Society

A dissertation submitted to the Department of Anglo-Saxon Languages in fulfilment of the Degree

of Licence L.M.D

Presented by: Supervisor:

HAMANE Yahya Dr. GHENIM Neema

&
BENNI Hicham

Board of Examiners:

Dr. GHENIM Neema Supervisor University of Oran

0
 Dedications

I dedicate this dissertation work to my family and many friends. A special feeling of gratitude
to my loving parents Linda and Mohamed Ramdane Hamane.
I also dedicate it to my university friends and brothers, Mehdi Izeroual and Mebarek Hamou
Lhadj Ali, without forgetting my AIESEC brothers and sisters especially Meriem Laarbi,
Kheira Bouabdallah and Bilel Aris who always showed their complete support.

To all the candles I have met during these last years in university, that lighted my path to
become the person I am today and the one I will be tomorrow.

ii
 Acknowledgements

We consider it an honor to work under the supervision of Dr. GHENIM Neema. We cannot
find words to express our gratitude for her, for giving us the freedom to work on a thesis of
our choice, besides all the efforts she made to complete perfectly her duty. Without forgetting
her open-mindedness and support for creativity that arise her to be one of the unforgettable
teachers we had the chance to meet in life.

It gives us also a great pleasure in acknowledging the support and efforts of all the great
teachers we had during these three years in university.

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 Table of contents

Dedications................................................................................................................................ii
Acknowledgements..................................................................................................................iii

Table of Contents.....................................................................................................................iv

Abstract in English……………………..…………………………………………………….v
Abstract in French(résumé)…………………………………………………………………vi
Abstract in Arabic(‫………………………………………………………………… (الملخص‬.vii
List of Figures........................................................................................................................viii
Introduction...............................................................................................................................1

Chapter one: Totalitarianism in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty- Four........................................2

1.1. The Cult of Personality…………………………………………………………..……3

1.2. Nineteen Eighty-Four’s Society and Terror………………………………………..….3

Chapter two: The Manipulation of the Human Mind...........................................................5

2.1. Propaganda in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four...............................................................6

2.1.1. Types of propaganda………………………………………………………………....6
2.1.1.1. The propaganda of fact........................................................................................... ..7
2.1.1.2. The Propaganda of Fiction........................................................................................8
2.1.2. The techniques of propaganda used in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.....................10
2.1.2.1. Testimonial..............................................................................................................10
2.1.2.2. Glittering Generalities............................................................................................10
2.1.2.3. Bandwagon.......................................................................................................... ....11
2.1.2.4. Name Calling..........................................................................................................12
2.1.2.5. Pinpointing the Enemy............................................................................................13
2.2. Language in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four................................................................14
2.2.1. Newspeak.......................................................................................................... .........14
2.2.2. Doublethink................................................................................................................17

Chapter three: The abolition of opposition..........................................................................20

3.1. Surveillance in Nineteen Eighty-Four...........................................................................21

3.1.1. Panoptical Surveillance..............................................................................................21
3.1.2. Surreptitious Surveillance..........................................................................................22
3.2. Sexual manipulation in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four...............................................23
3.3. Love of war...................................................................................................................25
Conclusion................................................................................................................................27
Bibliography............................................................................................................................29

iv
 ‫الملخص‬

‫اندٔسرُتٕا مُضُع مركسز جدا فٓ انمجرمؼاخ انمؼاصسج‪ ,‬وشسخ فًٕ كراتاخ َاسؼح َ حُل كم مه خصائصً‪.‬‬

‫ذؼد زَأح ‪ 1984‬وم ذأنٕف جُزج أَزَٔم وقطح مسجؼٕح فٓ ٌرا انىُع مه األدب‪ ،‬تحٕث ٔأخر انكاذة صفاخ اندٔسرُتٕا‬

‫َ ٔدفؼٍا إنّ حدَدٌا انقصُِ‪ .‬تمؼىّ انسٕطسج انكامهح ػهّ انمُاطىٕه ػقهٕا َ جسدٔا‪ َ ،‬تمؼىّ أَسغ‪ٔ ٌُ ،‬سهظ انضُء‬
‫ػهّ جُاوة ٌامح مه ك ِم َاحدج مىٍا‪ٌ َ ،‬را ٌُ انسثة انرْ جؼم مه زَأح ‪ 1984‬زمزا نهمىظسٔه‪.‬‬

‫ذثٕه ٌري األطسَحح كٕف أن انسٕطسج انكامهح‪ ،‬سُا ًء كاود ػقهٕح مه خالل دزاسح أسانٕة قمغ انؼقم انثشسْ‪ ،‬أَ جسدٔح مه‬
‫خالل ذحهٕم أسانٕة قمغ انحسٔح‪.‬‬

‫تاإلضافح إنّ ذنك‪ َ ،‬مه مىظُز أدتٓ‪ ,‬ذفرح أطسَحرىا مىظُزا جدٔدا ػهّ ٌري انسَأح ٔجؼم مىٍا دافؼا إلػادج قساءذٍا‪.‬‬

‫‪v‬‬
 Résumé

La dystopie est un thème récurrent dans la société contemporaine. Une

littérature approfondie a été développée autour de chacune de ses
caractéristiques. Le livre Nineteen Eighty-Four de George Orwell, est un
important point de référence pour cette littérature. Orwell prend chacune des
caractéristiques de la dystopie aux limites extrêmes: Un control totale de la
population, que ça soit mentalement ou physiquement. En écrivant sur ces
thèmes au sens large, il met en relief les aspects importants de chacun, ce qui
explique le statut iconique de son roman pour les théoriciens. Cette dissertation
montre comment ce control total fonctionne, que ça soit mentalement par
l‘examinassions des méthodes d‘oppression de l‘esprit humain, ou
physiquement par l‘analyse des méthodes de répression de la liberté. Du point
de vue littéraire, ce type de lecture offre une nouvelle perspective du roman et le
rend plus attrayant pour une relecture réfléchie et enrichissante.

vi
 Abstract

Dystopia is a very recurrent theme in contemporary society. Extensive literature has been
developed around each of its characteristics. George Orwell‘s Nineteen Eighty-Four is an
important point of reference in these literatures. Orwell takes each of the dystopia‘s
characteristics to extreme limits: total control of the citizens, mentally and physically. Writing
them in large brings important aspects of each in sharp relief, which is why his novel has the
iconic status that it does for theorists. We show how this total control works, be it mentally
through an examination of methods of oppressing the human mind, or physically by analyzing
the methods of repressing freedom. Additionally, from a literary perspective this reading
opens up what we believe is a fresh perspective on the novel and makes it more inviting for a
thoughtful and rewarding re-read.

vii
 Table of figures

Figure 1: Jensen Ackles posing for the PETA ad ….................................................................

Figure 2: Poster of Obama used in Mccain‘s presidential campaign........................................

Figure 3: This Is the Enemy by Karl Koehler and Victor Ancona © R. Hoe & Co., Inc......

viii
Introduction

1
Throughout history human beings have been dreaming about the perfect societies; Societies in
which everyone is living prosperously. Literature was reflecting this human desire throughout
centuries, from Plato‘s The Republic to Thomas Moore‘s book Utopia written in 1516. In the
other hand, since there was , there is , and there will always be an opposite to everything,
people started going further in their imagination by trying to picture the worst possible
society, leading to the creation of a counter genre to utopia, namely Dystopia.

In order to understand the concept of Dystopia also known as the anti-utopia or the antithesis
of utopia and its main characteristics, I will use, in my analysis, George Orwell‘s Nineteen
Eighty-Four as a primary source and as the core of my dissertation.

Nineteen Eighty-Four is among the most famous and the most cited work in dystopian fiction
in literature in which Orwell creates a totalitarian system that uses different means to govern
and to control the citizens. Using this material I will try to show and to explain the major
characteristics of a dystopian society, characteristics such as the physical and mental
manipulation of the citizens by a completely oppressing totalitarian government.
The first chapter is devoted to a brief explanation of totalitarianism in Orwell‘s Nineteen
Eighty-Four and some of its aspect like the cult of personality and the ministries that form the
ruling party.
The second chapter aims to enlighten the methods used by the party in order to have an
efficient manipulation of the citizens' mind. These methods are as following: Propaganda, the
Manipulation of Language and the paradoxical concept of Doublethink

The abolition of opposition by the government will be the core of the third chapter‘s analysis
through the examination of the surveillance used by the Party, then the sexual manipulation
and finally the aim of raising the love of war within the citizens.

1
Chapter One: Totalitarianism in Orwell's
Nineteen Eighty-Four

2
O‘Brien, one of the characters of Nineteen Eighty- Four, states: ―If you want the picture of the
future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face- forever‖ (Orwell, 2008: 280). This
quotation depicts the dystopian reality of the novel. Nineteen Eighty-Four’s society reminds
us of the German‘s and the Soviet Union‘s totalitarianism. Two ideologies completely based
on leader worship and an over controlled society paralyzed by terror.

1.1. The cult of personality

The cult of personality is one of the most important aspects of a totalitarian state. It results
from an uprising of an individual by means of an extreme use of several methods such as
propaganda through the mass media to create an idealized figure. The process of developing
such a cult is mainly psychological as it is explained in J.Ellul's Propaganda: the formation of
men's attitudes (1973), he writes:
"Modern man deeply craves friendship, confidence, close personal relationships.
But he is plunged into a world of competition, hostility, and anonymity- He needs
to meet someone whom he can trust completely, for whom he can feel pure
friendship, and to whom he can mean something in return- That is hard to find in
his daily life, but apparently confidence In a leader, a hero, a movie star, or a TV
personality is much more satisfying TV, for example, creates feelings of
friendship, a new Intimacy, and thus fully satisfies those needs. But such
satisfactions are purely illusory and fallacious because there is no true friendship
of any kind between the TV personality and the viewer who feels that personality
to be his friend. Here is a typical mendacious satisfaction of a genuine need. And
what TV spontaneously produces is systematically exploited by propaganda; the
"Little Father" Is always present." (J.Ellul, 1973: 175-176).
The concept of the cult of personality is clearly present in Orwell‘s Nineteen Eighty-Four
through Big Brother, a ruler much more pictured as a god-like-figure. Despite the fact of
being never seen by anyone, his image is everywhere in Oceania; he is on posters, telescreens,
even on the front pages of the children books. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, like in all totalitarian
regimes, the leader worship is evident. Moreover, it creates hypnosis. As the reader discovers
that: ―Big Brother is infallible and all- powerful. Every successes, every achievement, every
victory, every scientific discovery, all knowledge, all wisdom, all happiness, all virtue, are
held to issue directly from his leadership and inspiration‖ (Orwell, 2008: 216).

1.2. Nineteen Eighty-Four’s Society and Terror

As in all totalitarian states, the atmosphere of Nineteen Eighty-Four’s society is
oppressive. It is also pictured as being frightening. London, for example, is presented as a
3
gloomy place full of slums, rats and ―puddles of filthy water here and there among the
cobbles‖ (Orwell, 2008: 86).
The totalitarian ideology of Oceania is Ingsoc, which in newspeak; the language invented
by the party, means English Socialism.
The government comprises four ministries; the Ministry of Peace is concerned with the
constant wars. The Ministry of Plenty controls the food and goods rations. The Ministry of
Truth is responsible for rewriting history, whereas The Ministry of Love takes care of
monitoring, arresting and torturing people. The noticeable thing about the four ministries, is
their names, which is purely ironic, since they represent the complete opposite of their real
functions
Nineteen Eighty-Four’s society is hierarchical. It is divided into three levels. First, there is
the Inner Party which represents only two percent of the whole society. It is on the top of the
population. Its privileged members rule the state. Then there is the Outer Party which
represents the middle class of Oceania. Winston Smith, the main protagonist, belongs to this
party. Its members are constantly under surveillance. Moreover, members of both the upper
and middle classes (the Inner and Outer Parties) are assigned to their jobs in the four
ministries of Oceania. Finally, there are the Proles. They represent the majority of the
population. They live in districts not monitored by the Party, and as the narrator suggests, they
are the only citizens who stay human because their emotions are not suppressed by
surveillance.
Another characteristic of a totalitarian regime is also the terrifying and violent treatment of
Oceania‘s citizens. The Party controls people both mentally and physically. All the people
who commit some crimes are transferred to the Ministry of Love, a building without any
window, where they are interrogated, beaten and tortured until they betray their companions.
The enduring physical pain may break even the most rebellious spirits and lead many of the
prisoners to thoughts about suicide. ―A kick from a guard‘s boot had broken the fingers of one
of his hands. They dragged him to his feet,‖ relates the narrator (Orwell, 2008: 249).
Orwell‘s vision of a totalitarian regime seems to be rather extreme, but in fact contains many
elements of the communist and fascist ideologies, such as a lack of individual freedom, leader
worship, terror and surveillance. The creation of Oceania is a clear warning against
totalitarian tendencies common in the 1930s and 1940s which would prevent, as Fowler
mentioned ―individual human life with its drives, its intellectual independence and its sense of
situation in time and in culture‖ (Fowler, 1995: 185).

4
Chapter Two: The Manipulation of the Human Mind

5
2.1. Propaganda in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four
Before starting the analysis of the different sides of propaganda in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-
Four, it is important to begin by explaining this term, or at least giving a clear and simple
definition which is not an easy task to do. Even if there is a huge amount of different
definitions that already exist about propaganda, some point on which all of them agreed can
help to construct a simple one.
Propaganda can be simply defined as a set of communication techniques used intentionally
to make a ready-made message (thought, stereotype...Etc) common by means of efficient
symbols. This communication is collective since the propaganda is intended to communities
or individuals belonging to a community, aiming to share opinions which not only consist of
judgment on the reality of fact but most importantly, judgment on their value. (j.ellul, 1973:
169)
2.1.1. Types of propaganda
As the term is used loosely today, propaganda pervades the full range of communication
genres. Any medium as well as every communication genre, from news to novels and from
social marketing to social networking that can propagate messages can be used for
propaganda.

Numerous studies have attempted to define and distinguish different types of propaganda,
trying to range it from specific or narrow to broad and inclusive. Lasswell‘s seminal definition
of propaganda as ―the control of opinion by significant symbols‖ including ―stories, rumors,
reports, pictures, and other forms of social communication‖ (Lasswell, 1927: 627) seems
broad enough to capture virtually any communication. Ross defines propaganda much more
narrowly as ―an epistemically defective message used with the intention to persuade a socially
significant group of people on behalf of a political institution, organization or cause‖ (Ross,
2002: 24). The concept of epistemic defectiveness, which bears the burden of work in this
definition, narrows the ambit of the concept significantly.
Marlin distinguishes negative, neutral, and favorable definitions (Marlin: 2002: 18-21).
Lasswell‘s definition would be counted neutral since it does not specify that a communication
must somehow be objectionable for it to qualify as propaganda. This is what gives it its broad
sweep, since it can capture instances in all three of Marlin‘s categories. Ross‘s is clearly a
negative definition, deliberately fashioned in acceptance of the pejorative sense the term
usually carries, and intended to exclude communications that are not ―defective‖.
Nineteen Eighty-Four displays all manner of propaganda, with distinguishing features of
several definitions sharply accented. The Party takes propaganda to totalizing limits in its
6
project of political control over not just everything that people do or say but everything they
think or believe. The persuasive power of every medium, technique and genre of
communication is exploited to its maximum potential and single-mindedly put to work.
Virtually every communication is calculated to propagate politically charged messages. No
holds are barred, and there is no respite from the intrusive messaging.
The novel is a rich source of examples for thinking about propaganda, which could be
analyzed with reference to any number of theoretical issues in the literature. However,
propaganda in the novel divides revealingly and essentially into two main forms, which
Michael Yeo calls the propaganda of fact and the propaganda of fiction (M. Yeo, 2010: 51).

2.1.1.1. The propaganda of fact

Propaganda is under the Ministry of Truth. This is where Winston Smith works, in the
Records Department, destroying the records of the past as they become inconsistent with
always changing policy and substituting falsified records in their place. In addition to being
subject to censorship and propaganda, he is himself a censor and a propagandist. As he erases
records of the past, he knows that what he is censoring and falsifying was probably not true
either: ―Statistics were just as much a fantasy in their original version as in their rectified
version‖ (Orwell, 2008: 48). In producing propaganda, he is himself censored, or censors
himself, as he follows ―lines of policy‖ laid down anonymously and his ―estimate of what the
party wanted‖ him to say (Orwell, 2008: 50-51).
We get insight into Winston‘s propaganda work as he writes a news story to replace a story
in the Times he has been instructed to rectify. He had gathered that the ―order of the day‖ for
the objectionable Times article was about ―praising the work of an organization known as
―FFCC‖, which it had done under the guise of the factual reporting of news (Orwell, 2008:
51). Winston‘s fabricated replacement story about the fictitious Comrade Ogilvy is likewise
calculated from the outset with the intent to propagate a message of values. For example, he
reports that Ogilvy ―denounced his uncle to the Thought Police after overhearing a conversion
which appeared to him to have criminal tendencies‖ (Orwell, 2008: 54). His story thereby
exemplifies, without mentioning, Party virtues such as loyalty to Party above family and
zealousness in rooting out criminals. Lest the moral of the story not be clear enough, Winston
appends some editorial remarks that he attributes to Big Brother praising Ogilvy for
abstinence and other virtues (Orwell, 2008: 55).
Winston‘s news story exemplifies a kind of propaganda that is pervasive in the novel: the
propagation of lies as facts. Statistics, reports about the war, historical records, and so on, are

7
not simply false; they are lies because they are known to be false. However, the object is not
just to propagate facts (or lies) but to propagate values, or value judgments, which the
propaganda of fact does indirectly. The trusting reader of the Times would be persuaded to
opinions not just about facts but also values. That people believe certain lies to be facts is not
what really matters to the Party; what matters is the beliefs they form about matters of
political concern to which these facts persuade them. For example, facts (or lies passed off as
facts) are used to ―prove‖ that, notwithstanding significant deprivation, people are better off
than they were before the Party came to power (Orwell, 2008: 85). Even this message, which
recurs throughout the novel, is subordinate to the more general message that Big Brother is
good and worthy of admiration, if not love.
Winston‘s department ―was itself only a single branch of the Ministry of Truth‖ (Orwell,
2008: 50). The Ministry‘s primary job was ―to supply the citizens of Oceania with
newspapers, films, textbooks, telescreen programmes, plays, novels—with every conceivable
kind of information, instruction or entertainment, from a statue to a slogan, from a lyric poem
to a biological treatise‖ (Orwell, 2008:56). ―Newspapers‖, ―biological treatises‖ and
―textbooks‖ purport to be factual. The kind of propaganda that aims to propagate lies as facts,
and indirectly proliferates values. However, the Ministry produces works in other genres that
propagate values without pretending to be factual and that have to do not with falsehood or
lies but with fiction, or more generally art.

2.1.1.2. The Propaganda of Fiction

Julia represents the propaganda of fiction. She works in the Fiction Department in a
―mechanical job on one of the novel-writing machines‖ (Orwell, 2008: 12). She is not a writer
like Winston, but one wonders in what sense anyone could be a writer on a ―novel-writing
machine‖.
The fiction produced in the Fiction Department may serve any number of purposes.
However, if the purpose is to entertain, other propagandistic purposes piggy-back on its
ostensible purpose. Winston‘s news story, which is fictional but pretends not to be, shows us
how this can be done. If fictional stories purporting to be factual can promote values, stories
that do not pretend to be anything but fictional can also do the job. As if to underscore the
interchangeability of fact and fiction for propaganda purposes, Orwell has Winston and Julia‘s
jobs crisscross. Winston, who deals in facts, writes fiction. Julia‘s unit in the Fiction
Department, normally concerned with the production of novels, retools to write atrocity
pamphlets (Orwell, 2008: 170). These will be presented not as fiction but as fact. Nonetheless,

8
the purportedly factual stories they recount will work in the same way as the novels it
produces, and as does Winston‘s fictitious story about Ogilvy, to propagate values.
The most obvious thing that can make news and textbooks propagandistic is something
―epistemically defective‖ about the facts they present, as when purported facts are false,
misleading or even lies. Art and fiction in particular, does not purport to be fact or pass itself
off as true in a factual sense. In what sense then is fiction propagandistic, or how could we
decide the extent to which it is so?
If the mere propagation of values is enough for a communication to be counted as
propaganda, clearly this applies to fiction. However, there is something about how values are
propagated, in fact and in fiction that is propagandistic in a richer sense having to do with
indirection or even misdirection. The propaganda of fact can be counted as propaganda not
just because it passes lies for facts, but additionally because it does so indirectly to propagate
values. Indeed, the propagation of values is its primary object. Even if the presented facts
were indeed facts and not lies, the communicative context in which they are related would
still be propagandistic insofar as the communication of facts was secondary and instrumental
to the indirect objective of shaping values.
Literature does not aim to be factual, but it does purport to entertain or provide aesthetic
satisfaction. In doing so, it can also indirectly propagate values, a point that Orwell (2002a)
made very forcefully in his essay on ―Boy‘s Weeklies‖. Boys are drawn to these stories
because they like ―to read about Martians, death-rays, grizzly bears, and gangsters‖ (Orwell,
2008: 208). However, they get more than aesthetic pleasure in the bargain since a host of
political convictions are ―pumped‖ into them as they attend to the action. This inculcation of
values is ―all the better because it is done indirectly‖ (Orwell, 2008: 209). Commenting on
this passage, Marlin notes that the most effective propaganda is often indirect or oblique.
(Marlin: 2002: 29)
In the propaganda of fact, along with the news or facts, one gets a surreptitious dose of
political messaging that may not be suspected. In the propaganda of fiction, along with
entertainment or aesthetic pleasure one gets a dose of the same that can be at least as potent,
and with the reader at least as unaware that it is being administered.

9
2.1.2. The techniques of propaganda used in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

2.1.2.1. Testimonial
It is to use an expert or a celebrity to sell something or to support a cause.
Winston says:
"He was a tormentor, he was a protector, he was the friend. And once- Winston
could not remember whether it was in drugged sleep, or in normal sleep, or even
in a moment of wakefulness- a voice murmured in his ear: 'Don't worry, Winston;
you are in my keeping. For seven years I have watched over you. Now the turning
point has come. I shall save you, I shall make you perfect." (Orwell, 2008: 244)
In the book Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston has a certain respect for O'Brien because he is an
authoritative figure in their society.
This quote is an example of testimonial propaganda. It shows that Winston respects O'Brien
when he said he was "the friend". This is mainly because Winston respects the fact that
O'Brien is a member of the party and an important person in their society, making it easier for
O'Brien to convince Winston that the way of the party was the right way to live.

2.1.2.2. Glittering Generalities

It is basically the employment of vague, sweeping statements (often slogans or simple catch
phrases) using language associated with values and beliefs deeply held by the audience
without providing supporting information or reason. They appeal to such notions as honor,
glory, love of country, desire for peace, freedom, and family values.

An example of glittering generalities is when a politician uses a word like "patriotism"

during a speech. When a politician claims, "I am a patriotic individual," yet does not define
patriotism or give any further examples, this politician is using glittering generalities.
Another example of glittering generalities is used in advertising, for instance, when a certain
product is said to make the user "feel refreshed". This is a positive phrase that makes the
viewer want to buy the product, yet it is vague and no actual claim is made about the product.
In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four the slogans used by the party are examples of
glittering generalities.
"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" (Orwell, 2008: 4)

10
2.1.2.3. Bandwagon
It is simply the call to follow the mass, in other words, this people are doing this or having
this, you should do or have it too. This persuasive approach may have been experienced in
the form of peer pressure.
"Everybody's doing it"

Figure 1: Jensen Ackles posing for the PETA ad

This ad is an example of bandwagon. It suggests that after everyone joins the cause which is
answering the PETA‗s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) call to boycott the
circus, they can succeed in saving the animals from the abuses in circuses and that there can
be no defeat. This targets people who love animals and that are willing to help with the
movement.

Another example of Bandwagon technique in Orwell‘s

" Before the Hate had proceeded for thirty seconds, uncontrollable exclamations
of rage were breaking out from half the people in the room. The self-satisfied
sheeplike face on the screen, and the terrifying power of the Eurasian army
behind it, were too much to be borne; besides, the sight or even the thought of
Goldstein produced fear and anger automatically." (Orwell, 2008: 13)
This quote shows the reader that when the two minutes of hate began, everyone became
angry because that was what the majority or "half the room" did every day. Because the
majority of the people showed their anger, more and more people began to join.
11
Both these ads show the bandwagon technique by proving that:
1) People join so that there is a better chance for success.
2) Often times, thoughts and emotions can be influenced by others. There are times when the
only reason people have a certain thought or state of mind, is because that‘s what the majority
of the people around them are thinking or doing.
This technique of propaganda is mainly based on the psychology of the individual since it
pushes him to abandon his individuality or himself for the benefit of a group or a greater
cause as J.Ellul explains it in his book Propaganda: the formation of men's attitudes.
"...propaganda restricts itself to utilizing, increasing, and reinforcing the
individual's inclination to lose himself in something bigger than he is, to
dissipate his individuality, to free his ego of all doubt, conflict, and suffering
__ through fusion with others, to devote himself by blending with a large
group. Indeed, propaganda offers him that possibility in an exceptionally easy
and satisfying fashion. But it pushes the individual into the mass until he
disappears entirely." (j.ellul, 1973: 169)

2.1.2.4. Name Calling

It is to say bad things about a competitor or an enemy.

Figure 2: Poster of Obama used in Mccain‘s presidential campaign

This poster shows the name calling propaganda technique. Obama is being accused of
being a "snob". The poster uses sarcasm as a way to ridicule Obama. This targets Obama
voters in hopes that they will not vote for Obama.
Another example of name calling in Orwell‘s Nineteen Eighty-Four: "The dark-haired girl
behind Winston had begun crying out 'Swine! Swine! Swine!' and suddenly she picked up a
heavy newspeak dictionary and flung it at the screen."(Orwell, 2008: 14) This quote shows
12
name calling when the dark-haired girl begins calling out swine at the telescreen with a
negative focus on Goldstein.
This poster and the quote are similar examples of name calling. Both succeed in labeling
the targeted person and focus on what a specific group dislikes.

2.1.2.5. Pinpointing the Enemy

This propaganda technique is about pinpointing someone or something as being the enemy by
focusing on his or its negative qualities. Propagandists often oversimplify complex problems
by pointing out a single cause or a single enemy who can be blamed.
For everything from unemployment to natural disasters, identifying a supposed source of
the problem can help the propagandists achieve his or her agenda.

Figure 3: This Is the Enemy by Karl Koehler and Victor Ancona

This World War II poster identifies "the enemy" of the United State, giving a human face to
the threat of fascism.

"A new poster had suddenly appeared all over London. It had no caption, and
represented simply the monstrous figure of a Eurasian soldier, three or four meters
high, striding forward with expressionless Mongolian face and enormous boots, a
submachine gun pointed from his hip." (Orwell, 2008: 149)
This quote pinpoints Eurasia as being the enemy.

Both of these examples pinpoint the enemy in a negative way. This makes the viewer lean
more toward a clear-cut answer of who is right and who is wrong.

13
 Through this simple analysis of the propaganda used in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, it
is undeniable that the complete control of the individual is the main purpose that leads
Ingsoc. Propaganda is not used only to make the citizens do what the party want them to do
but it is directed to suppress the individuality within Oceania's community and to create
dehumanized and uniformed citizens deprived from themselves and guided by the party's
impulses.

2.2. Language in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

Language is well known by everyone to be, before and after all, a mean of communication,
but Orwell takes it to another dimension and shapes it in order to serve beyond it main
purpose. Language in Orwell‘s Nineteen Eighty-Four, becomes a tool between the party's
hands to control the citizens. Even More it becomes a powerful weapon to oppress and gain
power over the citizens of Oceania.

2.2.1. Newspeak
Newspeak, a creation of the English Socialist Party (or INGSOC in Newspeak), is a
simplified version of the Standard English language, used only for and by the INGSOC party
members. The ramifications of implementing Newspeak as Standard English is revealed in
Nineteen Eighty-Four, as being devastating to the entire system of human verbal and written
expression. Newspeak, the fictional language of Oceania in George Orwell‘s Nineteen Eighty-
Four,, serves the purpose of oppressing human expression, emotion, and thought.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, language is viewed as a utility to praise, worship, and ensure the
success of the government or Big Brother. Created by and for the English Socialist Party (or
INGSOC), Newspeak falls in line with the doctrine of the government. INGSOC promotes
oppression and ignorance, coercing the party members into blind allegiance and
unquestioning devotion (Orwell, 2008: 22) for all that is the trinity of Oceania, Big Brother,
and INSOC. O‘Brien, an upper party member who oversees the torture and conversion of
Winston during the climax of the novel, explains the ideology of the government. He states
that Big Brother is
― not content with negative obedience, nor even with the most abject submission
[…] [They] convert him, [They] capture his inner mind, [They] reshape him.
[They] burn all evil and all illusion out of him; [They] bring him over to [their]
side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul,‖ (Orwell, 2008: 255),
Achieving this goal through the creation of Newspeak, the government keeps uncomfortably
close tabs on its party members and the only free space they possess is the ―few cubic

14
centimeters inside of [their] skull (Orwell, 2008: 27). According to Orwell‘s ―The Principles
of Newspeak,‖ located in the back of the novel, INGSOC anticipates full implementation of
Newspeak by all party members in their everyday speech by the year 2050 (Orwell, 2008:
298) .
Newspeak, as compared to Standard English, appears almost cryptic and indecipherable,
combining the use of abbreviations, acronyms, and simplified word constructions. According
to Orwell, in ―The Principles of Newspeak,‖ although Newspeak was founded on the English
Language, it contains newly created words and grammatical constructions that would be
barely intelligible to a modern day English-speaker (Orwell, 2008: 299). Note the example
from the text here:
"times 3.12.83 reporting bb dayorder doubleplusungood refs unpersons rewrite
fullwise upsub antefiling.
In Oldspeak (or Standard English) this might be rendered:
The reporting of Big Brother‘s Order for the Day in the Times of December 3rd
1983 is extremely unsatisfactory and makes references to nonexistent persons.
Rewrite it in full and submit your draft to higher authority before filing."(Orwell,
2008: 57, 58)
As indicated, Newspeak essentially simplifies the grammatical structure of the English
Language. The date has been condensed from ―December 3rd 1983‖ to a terse 3.12.83. ―B.b.‖
represents ―Big Brother‖ and ―doubleplusungood‖ translates to ―extremely unsatisfactory.‖
There is no punctuation, the grammatical construction lacks conjunctions and a single line of
a Newspeak easily has the capability to represent four or five lines of Standard English. In
addition to condensing large passages of written text, Newspeak also condenses the
vocabulary of English so that now any word can serve as any part of speech including verbs,
nouns, adverbs, and adjectives (Orwell, 2008: 300). For example, the word ―cut‖ is eliminated
and replaced with ―knife‖ which can now serve as a noun, verb, and adjective (Orwell, 2008
301). Adjectives are formed by adding the suffix ―ful‖ to the end of the root (Orwell, 2008
301); hence, the word ―sharp‖ in Oldspeak would translate to ―knifeful‖ in Newspeak. Any
adjective present in Newspeak also has the capability of being strengthened or turned in an
antonym by adding in the suffix ―plus-,‖ ―doubleplus-,‖ or ―un-,‖ respectively, (Orwell, 2008
301). For example, the word ―pretty‖ or ―beautiful‖ can be replaced with ―good,‖ and for
extra emphasis something that is breathtakingly gorgeous could be referred to as
―doubleplusgood.‖ There is no room for negotiation in regard to the grey matter between good
and bad, just simple dichotomies reflecting the ideological needs of the party.
Newspeak intentionally condenses the lexicon of Standard English, discouraging the use
of antonyms and eliminating many synonyms. One of Winston‘s fellow co-workers at the
15
Ministry of Truth, Syme, who eventually becomes vaporized because of his intelligence and
independence of thought, explains the functionality of Newspeak. He states that in creating
Newspeak, there was a great deal of words that had to be destroyed simply because there is no
―justification […] for a word which is simply the opposite of some other words,‖ (Orwell,
2008: 51). The Newspeak dictionary was devised to provide alternatives to the ―superfluous
words and archaic formations‖ of Oldspeak (Orwell, 2008: 298).
When Orwell created the Newspeak language, he divided the vocabulary into three
different sections: The ―A vocabulary,‖ the ―B‖ vocabulary,‖ and the ―C vocabulary.‖ The ―A
vocabulary‖ consists of words that are used in everyday life, ―intended only to express simple
purposive thoughts, usually involving concrete objects or physical actions,‖ such as cooking,
eating, drinking, getting dressed, traveling, gardening, and other daily activities. The ―B‖
vocabulary consists of mostly compound words created exclusively for political purposes and
specifically to promote orthodox and desirable mental attitudes for the person speaking the
language (Orwell, 2008: 302). For example, the words good and think combined together
make ―goodthink‖ which translates to orthodoxy or to think in an orthodox manner; while
―crimethink,‖ or ―thoughtcrime‖ literally translates to unorthodox, illegal, or undesirable
thoughts or thinking, (Orwell, 2008: 303). In addition to actions, the ―B‖ vocabulary also
consists of words that refer to party organizations, governing bodies, political designations,
countries, laws, doctrines, and even public buildings, (Orwell, 2008: 306). The ―C
vocabulary‖ consists solely of words for science and technology which resemble Standard
English scientific terms but have no function in everyday speech, such as that of the ―A‖ or
―B‖ vocabularies (Orwell, 2008: 308-309).
The creators of Newspeak take pride in the fact that their destruction of Standard English
vocabulary and grammatical constructions will cause the English language to shrink in size,
as opposed to expanding, like the goal of other languages, (Orwell, 2008: 308). For example,
many words with similar meanings and connotations such as ―gentle,‖ ―mild,‖ and ―fair,‖ will
be eliminated and replaced with one word, eradicating the subtleties that make word choice
exciting for writers and speakers. According to Nicholas Lemann‘s 2007 article ―The Limits
of Language,‖ Newspeak shortens the number of words available to people, forcing everyone
to operate on the literacy level of a toddler, (2007: 32). He writes, ―Take away words, and you
have taken away mental function, takeaway mental function, and you have taken away the
possibility of political action,‖ (Lemann, 2007: 32). When an individual is incapable of
understanding and communicating complex thought and concepts, acting upon them will

16
prove to be impossible. The end goal of Newspeak is to destroy the possibility of rebellion,
making the only responses and thoughts in regard to Big Brother simple affirmations.
There exist numerous means used by totalitarian systems to control the citizens in order
to increase their power; Language is one of this means, like it is shown in Orwell's Nineteen
Eighty-Four, Newspeak is not only a mean to control thoughts but also to control actions.

2.2.2. Doublethink
It is the act of accepting the discomfort experienced when simultaneously holding two or
more conflicting cognitions: ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions, or two mutually
contradictory beliefs as correct, often in distinct social contexts. It is related to, but differs
from, hypocrisy and neutrality. The word doublethink was coined by George Orwell in his
dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four where it is part of Newspeak.

According to the novel, doublethink is:

― To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness

while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions
which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of
them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to
believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of
democracy, to forget, whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back
into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to
forget it again, and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself –
that was the ultimate subtlety; consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then,
once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just
performed. Even to understand the word 'doublethink' involved the use of
doublethink.‖ (Orwell, 2008: 40)
There is another definition of Doublethink in the novel. It is the one formally
explained in the book attributed to Emmanuel Goldstein, the biggest enemy of Big
Brother and all the Party which is entitled The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical
Collectivism. The definition is as following:

―The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously,

and accepting both of them... To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in
them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it
becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is
needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take
account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary.
Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For
by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of

17
 doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie
always one leap ahead of the truth.‖ (Orwell, 2008: 244)
The constant use of propaganda, in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, was mainly with the
aim of degrading Oceania's citizens in order to protect the Party's iron power. Yet knowledge
of this brutal deception, even within the Inner Party itself, could lead to the implosion of the
State. Although Nineteen Eighty-Four is most famous for the Party's pervasive surveillance of
everyday life, this control means that the population of Oceania – all of it and including the
ruling elite – could be controlled and manipulated merely through the alteration of everyday
thought and language. Newspeak is the method for controlling thought through language;
doublethink is the method of directly controlling thought.
Newspeak incorporates doublethink, as it contains many words that create assumed
associations between contradictory meanings, especially true of fundamentally important
words such as good and evil, right and wrong, truth and falsehood, and justice and injustice.
In the case of workers at the Records Department in the Ministry of Truth, doublethink means
being able to falsify public records, and then believe in the new history that they themselves
have just rewritten. As revealed in Goldstein's Book, the Ministry's name is itself an example
of doublethink: the Ministry of Truth is really concerned with lies. The other ministries of
Airstrip One are similarly named: the Ministry of Peace is concerned with war, the Ministry
of Love is concerned with torture, and the Ministry of Plenty is concerned with starvation.
The three slogans of the Party – War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength
– are also examples. Moreover, doublethink's self-deception allows the Party to maintain huge
goals and realistic expectations:" If one is to rule, and to continue ruling, one must be able to
dislocate the sense of reality. For the secret of rulership is to combine a belief in one's own
infallibility with the power to learn from past mistakes." (Orwell, 2008: 265)
Doublethink is demonstrated by O‘Brien, during the time when the protagonist Winston
Smith was tortured by the end of the book. He contemplates using doublethink as the ultimate
recourse in his rebellion – to let himself become consciously a loyal party member while
letting his hatred of the party remain an unconscious presence deep in his mind and let it
surface again at the very moment of his execution so that "the bullet would enter a free mind"
which the Thought Police would not have a chance to tamper with again. It shows also the
control of memories, the ability to manually forget something, then to forget about forgetting
as it is explained earlier in the book.
Reason and logic are two concepts in each individual's mind that help him to understand
the external world, but when a government uses these basic concepts to maintain its iron fist

18
and its control over the citizens through Doublethink, these concepts quickly create confusion.
They no longer serve the purpose of their existence but rather contradicting themselves to
create paradoxical thoughts and beliefs that are beneficial only to the ruling party and its
interests.
Through this chapter, the portrait of a dystopian society is pictured much more clearly. In
addition to the totalitarian aspect of Oceania's government mentioned in the previous chapter,
the control of power is led to another dimension by manipulating the citizen‘s minds through
a pervasive use of propaganda and an oppressing language control. Truth and lie become
ambiguous since they could mean the same thing in a place where facts are pure fiction and
fiction is pure facts, where the lies are truth and the truths are lie.

19
Chapter Three: The Abolition of Opposition

20
Even with the efficient use of the different methods of manipulation to bind and to control the
citizens‘ mind, the government of Oceania doesn't stop at this level. It continues to work on
every aspect of the citizens‘ life to kill any thought of opposition, and this by means of
different kind of surveillance besides an extreme use of sexual repression.

3.1. Surveillance in Nineteen Eighty-Four

Like propaganda and the manipulation of language, surveillance is pervasive in the novel.
Instances of surveillances divide into two main kinds: panoptical and surreptitious. Panoptical
surveillance is interiorized self-surveillance. In the belief that one is under surveillance, one
censors oneself so as to avoid unorthodoxy, the detection of which would be detrimental.
Surreptitious surveillance works on the opposite belief: believing that one is in a private space
not under surveillance, one is disinhibited and acts and thinks freely, thus making it possible
for an unsuspected spy to detect what one really believes.

3.1.1. Panoptical Surveillance

The term ―panopticon‖ comes from Jeremy Bentham, who used it to describe a building in
which from a single point, a single inspector could monitor many occupants. In the belief that
they were under inspection, occupants would avoid bad and penalizing behaviors. For this
effect to occur, it is not necessary that occupants actually are under surveillance at any given
time; only that ―the persons to be inspected should always feels themselves as if under
inspection, at least as standing a great chance of being so‖ (Bentham, 1995: 43). Bentham
calls this ―the inspection principle‖ (Bentham, 1995: 94), which is different from the
panopticon as a structure or system (e.g., of cameras) enabling ubiquitous surveillance.
Ubiquitous surveillance would not engage the inspection principle if people under inspection
were not aware that they were. Conversely, it would be engaged if people believed that they
were under inspection, even if they were not.
Panoptical surveillance in Nineteen Eighty-Four is expressed in the following passage: ―There
was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment . .
.You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every
sound you made was overheard, and except in darkness, every movement scrutinized.
(Orwell, 2008: 5)
In this assumption, Winston self-censors and plays for the camera, pretending to believe
and think what he is supposed to and hiding his true thoughts and beliefs.

21
The panoptical principle is more total in Nineteen Eighty-Four than in Bentham. Bentham is
content to police only overt acts, leaving ―thoughts and fancies to their proper ordinary, the
court above‖ as he puts it (Bentham, 1995: 94). An omniscient God in ―the court above‖ who
will pass judgment in total knowledge not just of acts and speech but also thought would
epitomize total panopticism. For the panoptical effect, it is not necessary that such a God
exist; the belief in such a God will do.
There appears to be no God in Nineteen Eighty-Four but Big Brother has a similar job
description. Crime extends from action and speech to thought itself—―thoughtcrime‖. The
belief that Big Brother‘s eyes and ears can reach even into the private domain Bentham
delicately leaves for the ―court above‖ makes for total panopticism. ―It was terribly dangerous
to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within the range of a
telescreen‖, the narrator tells us, since the ―smallest things could give you away‖ (Orwell,
2008: 71). In total panopticism, it is prudent to avoid not just the signs of unorthodox thought,
to the extent they can be avoided, but unorthodox thought itself, to the extent it is possible to
prevent one‘s mind from wandering.

3.1.2. Surreptitious Surveillance

Bentham distinguished panoptical surveillance from surreptitious surveillance, which he
credited with being able to ―pry into the secret recesses of the human heart‖ to detect what
people were really thinking. (Bentham, 1995: 94). He had no need for this kind of
surveillance because he was satisfied if panopticons acted overtly in conformity with norms,
whether they believed them or not.
Surreptitious surveillance works not to prevent speech or action, as panopticism does, but
to detect what people really think or believe by surveilling their speech and action when they
are disinhibited in the (illusory) belief that they are in a private setting. Thus it works, and can
only work, if the person being watched has a belief opposite to the one necessary for panoptic
surveillance. When Winston believes he is in range of a camera, for example, he self-censors
himself. He disguises his beliefs and thoughts by putting on an orthodox face, and even tries
to avoid unorthodox thoughts lest he give himself away involuntarily. To the extent that he
could no more discern what he truly believes. However, when he believes that he is not within
the scope of a camera, he is disinhibited and acts and thinks freely, thus revealing what he
really believes.
These opposite surveillance strategies are contradictory in the novel. On the one hand,
Winston seems to believe, as he is constantly reminded by propaganda, that surveillance is

22
ubiquitous and there is no escape from it. In this belief, he censors himself. On the other hand,
he believes that at least sometimes he is not under surveillance. In this belief he acts as if his
actions were private and reveals himself without inhibition, thus allowing spies to detect what
he is really thinking. He believes his diary is private and, believing that, allows himself to
express his true thoughts in it. He believes the room he rents with Julia is private and
believing that, allows himself to express his true desires and thoughts there. As it turns out, he
is mistaken, and these seemingly private spaces were being surveilled, which of course he
suspected all along in accordance with the contrary belief that he also held! If Winston
believes that ―you had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption
that every sound you made was overheard‖ and ―every movement was scrutinized‖, he does
not believe this all time, or at least does not act on it all the time (Orwell, 2008: 5). The habit
has not become instinct.
Surveillance, be it panoptical or surreptitious, has one and only aim, which is the
complete control of the citizens' behaviors, speech and even thoughts by bounding their
freedom and therefore kill any will of opposition, rebellion or disobedience.

3.2. Sexual manipulation in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, sex is as a powerful tool between the party's hands as the
above mentioned tools and methods of repression and manipulation. It serves a dual purpose.
Primarily, the all-powerful government in control of the dystopian society manipulates its
citizens by controlling their sexual activity. On the other hand, the protagonists of the novel
go against their society‘s sexual norms as a means of rebellion and achieving individual
freedom. Ultimately, the government overcomes the insubordination of their rebellious
subjects and forces them to conform. In Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, the author examines
the use of sex as a means of government manipulation, an expression of individual freedom,
and its inadequacy as a form of rebellion in the face of an all-powerful government.
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the government uses sex as a means of controlling its subjects
and diverting their thoughts from rebellion into approved emotions. In Nineteen Eighty-Four,
sex is a repugnant act committed in order to produce children who will grow up to be
responsible Party members. Winston‘s wife Katherine embodies the Party doctrine perfectly;
she hates having sex with Winston, yet she insists on performing the sex act once a week as
her duty to the Party. Katherine‘s actions in spite of her repugnance show how deeply the
Party instills the sentiment Winston summarizes as, ―Sexual intercourse was to be looked on
as a slightly disgusting minor operation, like having an enema‖ (Orwell, 2008: 65). The Party

23
seeks to eliminate erotic love and reduce sex to a mechanical process because, as Winston put
it, ―…sexual privation induced hysteria, which was desirable because it could be transformed
into war fever and leader worship‖ (Orwell, 2008: 133). Therefore, the Party is able to
sublimate the citizen‘s repressed sexual energy into passionate response to Party initiatives.
The Two Minutes Hate is an example of the Party channeling the frustrated sexual drive of its
citizens into a Party directed emotion. Every day, the citizens of Oceania respond for two
minutes with passionate hatred to a video about the Party‘s enemies. After expending their
pent up sexual frustrations on the Two Minutes Hate, the citizens are relieved of their built up
sexual tensions and resume their daily activities. This form of sexual manipulation deprives
the citizens of the humanity found in intimate emotions.
While sex serves as a means of government control in the novel, it also provides an outlet
for the protagonists to express their individuality and a way for them to fulfill their desire for
intimate relationships. In the beginning of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston‘s rebellion against
the Party is isolated and harmless, and merely consists of writing in a journal. Essentially,
despite his dissatisfaction with the Party and his solitary lifestyle, Winston is not perceived as
a serious threat to the government. However, as soon as he develops and acts upon his
romantic interest in Julia, his rebellion is elevated to a new level. When Winston and Julia
join together sexually, individual resistance becomes something far more dangerous—a
revolt. To the Party, as Winston says, ―The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion,‖
(Orwell, 2008: 68). Once Winston commits the act of sexual rebellion, he is empowered to
take further action and join the Brotherhood, an organization fighting the power of the Party.
Not only does sex give Winston an outlet for rebellion, but it also allows him to feel deeply
and passionately. As long as he loves Julia, Winston retains his individuality and freedom
from the control of the Party. By mastering the sexual impulses and searching for intimate
emotion, Winston demonstrates how an individual can triumph over the baser human instincts
and achieve a state of individual freedom and rebellion against the oppressive governments in
control of society.
Although the characters in the novel achieve a degree of individual freedom in the face of
the Party‘s control, the government‘s victory is fleeting.
In the end, the government overcomes the protagonists‘ insubordination and forces them to
conform to the sexual standard. Winston is tortured by the Party and chooses to betray his
love for Julia in order to save himself. His humanity is shattered, and he becomes part of the
collective Party machine. Winston‘s destruction is seen in his single interaction with Julia
after he betrays her. In the encounter, Winston is repulsed by the idea of having sex with her,

24
and the two want nothing to do with each other; Winston and Julia‘s love for each other is
completely destroyed by the Party. The government overcomes the freedom gained by the
individuals and ultimately forces them to conform to its control.
In the dystopian society described in Nineteen Eighty-Four, sex serves a dual purpose: the
government uses it as a means of control, while the individual uses it as a key to freedom.
However, in the end, the government is able to suppress the individuality gained by the
protagonist and force him to conform. The destruction of humanity culminates in Winston‘s
emotional death. The depiction of sex in the novel shows the ability of the totalitarian
governments not only to use sex as a tool for manipulation, but also to suppress an essential
human impulse, shows the danger of an all-powerful government and the dehumanizing effect
it would have on the population.

3.3. Love of war

Beside the use of pervasive surveillance and extreme sexual oppression to repress any thought
of opposition and rebellion, the Party, like in any totalitarian state, encourages war mentality,
especially among party members. Although these members know that some war news are
wrong, or that there is no real war, it is possible for them, through the Doublethink, to believe
that the war does occur, as to believe in the victory while it is not possible. There are Hate
weeks, and Songs of Hatred against the enemy and huge posters of enemy soldiers are plated
everywhere. During the Hate Weeks, the inhabitants of Oceania are eagerly awaiting the
parades of prisoners of war who are viciously booed by the crowd. There is also the Two
Minutes Hate in which are regularly screened propaganda films to an audience that gathers on
this occasion at certain times of the day.
The most important aim of the Hate Week and the Two Minutes Hate is to increase the
hatred for the current enemy of the Party, as much as possible, whichever of the two opposing
super states that may be. This hate lead the citizens to an unconditional love of war that
represents the real purpose designed by the party, which is to satisfy the citizens' subdued
feelings of angst and hatred from leading such a wretched, controlled existence. By re-
directing these subconscious feelings away from the Oceania government and toward external
enemies (which likely do not even exist), the Party minimizes subversive thought and
behavior.
Zack de la Rocha, an American musician, and activist best known as being a member of
Rage Against the Machine, says that anger is a gift since it represent the engine of revolution,
but put in a context such as Oceania, an empire ruled by a god-like-figure, Big Brother, and in

25
which the means of oppression and manipulation go beyond imagination, anger shaped by an
extreme sexual oppression mixed with a pervasive use of surveillance becomes not an engine
of revolution but an engine of abolishing any existing opposition by directing the citizens‘
frustration to a common enemy and therefore a means to create docile citizens completely
obedient ready to do anything for their great leader.

26
Conclusion

27
It is a fact that the development of the dystopian genre was unavoidable because of historical
changes and accelerating social trends. The reality presented in the dystopian literature is a
backlash against some contemporary tendencies in politics. As an example, George Orwell's
Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian fiction that represents a satire about Stalin‘s Soviet Union
and the NAZI Germany.
Undoubtedly, the author of Nineteen Eighty-Four warns the readers against the dangers
of totalitarian regimes and the nightmares that will emerge from their thirst of power and
control.
Throughout the analysis of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four many of what characterizes
the nightmares of dystopian societies come out.
Starting with an extreme vision of a totalitarian regime with a god-like-figure at its head,
then there are citizens completely dehumanized by the oppressive use of methods of physical
and mental control, such as propaganda and the manipulation of language to kill all aspect of
individuality and critical thinking. Without forgetting, the use of pervasive surveillance and
the sexual oppression that bind the citizens' freedom, which represent the other side of the
Party‘s plans to keep their power with an iron fist.
Even if all these characteristics could be considered as enough to create a dystopian
society, George Orwell doesn't stop here. He goes further in his extreme vision in the novel.
The Party, in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, uses even the frustration caused by the sexual
oppression as a means of abolishing the opposition by shaping its anger and directing it
toward the enemy and to have at the end obedient and docile citizens completely loyal to the
Party and to Big brother .
George Orwell, and through Nineteen Eighty-Four, does not simply picture the major
characteristics of a dystopian society but he also innovates the ways with which these
characteristics could be developed by not only using these ways individually but also by
making them co-occur together to create the extreme nightmare possible.

28
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