orwells political message to the world Essay -- essays research papers

Many authors bring in the theme of politics into their work in order to make their creations more appealing and as a form of expressing their personal views. George Orwell’s â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-four† is a novel that contains many political messages to the world. Orwell felt that part of his role as a writer is to serve as a voice of conscience to our society by trying to express the truth as he saw it. The novel was written in a crucial time period in modern history after the Second World War and at the beginning of the Cold War. One can see that the book was influenced by current events of its time mixed with Orwell’s standpoint. He focuses on three major political issues that effect society, which are the dangers of war, class differences and dictatorship. Orwell was trying to show how certain political systems could affect our society by working for only selected few’s interests and suppressing individual freedom. â€Å"1984† was written in a realistic way of the â€Å"worst case scenario† in order to warn people of what may happen if certain dangerous political ideologies gain or re-gain power. One of the most important political issues Orwell addresses in â€Å"1984† is the idea that war is bad. He does so by showing how the living conditions described in Oceania are a cause of the war. When it was reported that Oceania was winning, the citizens believed they would get benefits from it, which they did not. Orwell was pointing out the disadvantages of war that the poor life style was blamed on of the war effort. By emphasizing that he was showing that standard of living goes down during war for all people. The three powers Eurasia, Eastasia, and Oceania, are in a constant state of war with one another, yet all are self-contained and require no trade with one another, and therefore are not using war for economic needs. Because they have no economic reason, it can be suggested that Orwell was criticizing another popular reason to go into war (especially in WWII), nationality, and believed it should not be a justifiable reason for war. Goldstein’s book explained that the powers were in a constant state of war so the people will be too preoccupied with the war effort to worry about whether or not the present political system is working. The government distracts the people by constantly reminding them that when they win the war, Oceania will rule the world, and life will be ... ...s its own people (they are merely "cheap labour") One of the major issues in 'Nineteen Eighty-four' is the nature of freedom and the way that Totalitarianism has the capacity to destroy it. Winston's comment in his diary that "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four" encapsulates Orwell's belief that the individual must have the right to make up his own mind, regardless of official political party lines. The Party is a totalitarian government When the propaganda, deprivation, and rigid guidelines fail to convert someone to Party doctrine (INGSOC), the government uses torture to brainwash citizens. The fact that the Party must turn Winston into a walking zombie to finally crush his inner-revolt, reveals the Party’s ultimate frailty. Since the principles of INGSOC fail to inspire thinking people like Winston, the Party has no choice but to use extreme force and coercion to stay in power. Orwell calls upon his readers to recognize the evil and frailty of the Party and fight to prevent the spread of totalitarianism. While Orwell does not advocate for a specific alternative system, undercurrents of Socialism, Democracy, and Capitalism pervade.