why write 1984

It was Orwell’s vision of the future

• Several events of the early 20th century, including contributed to Orwell's mood in writing 1984.

Why Write 1984?

The bomb changed people's perceptions of the potential outcomes of warfare and made people

contemplate the future of the human race.

. For example, in 1949, Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union. He ruled by terror and executed millions of people, including people who had helped him rise to

power and peasants who opposed his collective agriculture program.

Privacy1984• Telescreens are

everywhere (except for where the Proles live and work).

• Workplace monitoring—Winston can't look at a note on his desk or dwell too long on a single document.

• Thought Police interpret people's facial expressions and voice intonations.

• Spies—one never knows whom to trust.

Today• FBI surveillance• Corporations collecting

data on consumers• Internet privacy issues• Drug testing at the

workplace or school• Employers monitoring

employees' e-mails, phone calls, or bathroom usage

Absolute power, corrupts absolutely

The psychological manipulation stems from the constant reminded that "Big Brother Is Watching," the endless presence of the telescreens, the constant stream of

propaganda, the "Hate" moments, etc. Most of the forms of manipulation are developed through technology and

fictional enemies created by the Party to do just that - manipulate.

The use of language as mind control is one of Orwell's masterful messages left in 1984. The use of newspeak - which had the goal of altering the structure of the language so that it would be impossible to even conceive certain ideas since there would be no words with which to describe or think them - is prevalent throughout the novel. The constant refinement of newspeak causes its effects to bleed into that of the psychological manipulation and the control of information.

Physical control is expressed through the mandatory workout times with the Physical Jerks, the long and monotonies days of work, and the continual state of exhaustion. In the last book, the idea of physical control develops more fully when Winston is subject to physical torture until he breaks and agrees with all The Party says.