ELA Final Draft 1984

Margot Supple         12/12/14

ELA Final Draft      811

Most of students knowledge about the outside world comes from reading the news, current events, or books. Through books readers can learn more about social issues and how they can be changed. 1984 by George Orwell is about the totalitarian government of Oceania that uses propaganda, constant surveillance, and manipulation to control its citizens. The book is from the point of view of Winston Smith, a rebellious and self important citizen who is against Big Brother, the dictator and leader of Oceania, and his political party. Despite being called a classic, 1984 has been challenged and banned from schools for having explicit content. It, should not be banned from schools, however, because it widens students’ knowledge of past, present, and future dictatorships.

When Winston is in jail he sees Mr.Parsons, who was sent to be tortured for betraying Big Brother and the party by his daughter. He strikes up a conversation with him, asking, “‘Who denounced you?’ said Winston. ‘It was my little daughter,’ said Parsons with a sort of doleful pride. ‘She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh? I don't bear her any grudge for it. In fact I'm proud of her. It shows I brought her up in the right spirit, anyway.’” (Orwell 3:1). This quote proves that children of Oceania would rather be heroes for their country by killing off their own parents than be loyal to their family. When little, children are taught not to love their parents or accept authority from adults, because the government only wants children to follow the rules made by Big Brother. Most children are made to be spies, much like Mr.Parson’s children. Big Brother’s regime and the organizations set up by Adolf Hitler are very similar. For example,  Hitler Youth was Hitler’s way of assuring his power would last. He believed that the future of Germany lay in the hands of the children of the nation, so he wanted to make sure that they would carry Nazi beliefs to the next generation. Most children found Hitler Youth just as important as school, if not more. They were brainwashed to agree with Hitler’s views, and continue to fight for them. In 1984, Big Brother is worshipped by almost everyone in Oceania. Much like Hitler Youth, the fate of Oceania will be handed down to the children, so they are strictly taught the party’s opinions.   Reading about and understanding the society in 1984 will help students to better understand Nazi Germany and other dictatorial organizations of the past.

1984 can help readers understand present day dictatorships. For example, both North Korea and Oceania have similar ways of controlling their people. In North Korea if the government suspects suspicious activity, they send families to concentration camps. There the victims will be tortured in multiple ways, harassed, and starved. Kay Seok of Human Rights Watch reports, “North Korea is denying its citizens their fundamental rights by preventing them from freely leaving the country; arresting those who make such an attempt; and arbitrarily detaining, mistreating, torturing and sometimes even executing border-crossers who are repatriated.” In 1984, if the government sees anything that may be a threat to the party’s rule, the prisoner gets sent to the ministry of love to be tortured until they are killed, brainwashed, or insane. When Winston describes the torture he encountered he says, “Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes.” (Orwell 3:2) Both countries rob their populace of rights, and punish citizens if they pose any threat to their government. With a new understanding of how repressive governments are run, readers will better understand current issues nations face.   

1984 has been challenged for being “pro communist.” However, since the Big Brother and the party is based off of Vladimir Lenin and his supporters, everything about communism in 1984 is written as negative. For example, O’Brien, a high party official, confronts Winston about the party’s motives. “Now I will tell you the answer to your question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power.” (Orwell 3:2) This quote shows the antagonistic features of the party. 1984 has also been banned for including sex scenes between Winston and Julia, Winston’s lover who is also against the party. The sex scenes are not inappropriate. Instead, these moments between Winston and Julia are used to show an act of government defiance. Because they are not allowed to be together, their intimacy symbolizes their hatred for the government rather than their love for each other. Learning about the risks Winston and Julia take to rebel against the party is inspiring, and will encourage readers to question oppression and rebel against dictatorships.    

When reading 1984 I learned about how dictatorships were ruled, and how they survived with such harsh rules and huge chances of rebellion. 1984 should not be banned from schools because it helps students identify and learn about dictatorships, and pushes them to revolt against unfair leaders or laws.