1984

Living in a society with limited freedom of expression is not, in any case, enjoyable. A totalitarian system is a good example of such a society, because although it provides control for the people, it can deny them a great deal of freedom to express themselves. The fictional society in George Orwell's 1984 also stands as a metaphor for a Totalitarian society. Communication, personal beliefs, and individual loyalty to the government are all controlled by the inner party which governs the people of Oceania in order to keep them from rebelling. Current society in North America is much more democratic. It contrasts with Orwell's society of 1984 because communication, personal beliefs and the people's loyalty to the government are all determined by the individual.

In order to keep the people of Oceania in conformity with the desires of the governing Inner Party, the Inner Party controls several aspects of the people's lives. Communication is controlled for the benefit of the nation. Newspeak is a modified version of language that is enforced upon the people in order to limit their expression. Syme and Winston, two middle-class workers in Oceania, discuss the concept of Newspeak. Syme reveals that he supports the system, demonstrating how he has been brainwashed by the Inner Party who enforces it. "It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words... You haven't a real appreciation for Newspeak, Winston... Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it" (Orwell, 46). One can detect from this quotation that the people of Oceania, as a group, have been brainwashed by the Inner Party to use only Newspeak. Syme, for one, understands the purpose of it, and he still complies with the system because he has been trained to do so. North America in 2001 is much different from Orwell's 1984 because freedom of expression is a dominating factor in our culture's communication. In conversation as well as newspapers and magazines, a variety of views and opinions are openly expressed. In our world we have the freedom to talk to whom ever we choose. There are no boundaries on who we talk to and how we express ourselves. Through our televisions people are able to express different ideas or thoughts. Censorship is not enforced to a high degree which allows for our freedom of communication and allows us to believe what we wish. People in this age basically have the freedom to do as they wish, as long as it is not infringing on the rights of others.

The concept of Newspeak is designed to control personal beliefs of the citizens by limiting their form of expression as Syme explains. But when the governing system is not followed, Thought Police are used to prevent thoughts that oppose the nation. "How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time" (Orwell, 6). There is no doubt that through both Newspeak and the Thought Police the system of government in 1984 has adequately prevented the people from thinking against it. When all this surveillance is placed on the people, they learn to comply with their country and eventually begin to value it automatically. In our society personal belief is expressed in any way, shape or form. From the different religious options that we can choose from, to the way we believe our country should be run, we have an impact on it. We choose for ourselves what we believe. If we do not agree with a certain point that our governments make we can act on it. As an example, demonstrations and protests are often held which counter certain governmental policies; laws or propositions are often spoken out against in public. The fact that these rebellious actions are not punished by the government proves that the government is much more lenient than that of 1984. The expression of such a variety of beliefs comes from the freedom of individual beliefs. The thoughts and opinions of the individual are not maintained by the government; the government does not have a system to control

...