He saw people?s true fear of tyrannical government in his fight congregations Stalin. Rowel’s Napoleon represents Stalin through his harsh dictator-like in Animal Farm. These experiences were the main premises for writing 1984 and Animal Farm. Both deal with the brutality that governments can procure through their extreme power misuse and other means of abuse. These influences helped Orwell envision two fantasy worlds in which abused citizens suffer and the class in power eliminates any opposition.
In 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell portrays how the individual is easily manipulated by a Geiger power to become part of the masses through use of fear of execution, psychological manipulation, and misleading government policies. The most prevalent example of Rowel’s ability to show fear of execution is the use of the Thought Police in 1984. The Thought Police are a group of people that work for Big Brother, the tyrannical government seen in this novel. The Thought Police are used to prevent citizens from even thinking about revolting against Big Brother.
If a citizen was discovered to be thinking of anarchy, they would be taken and tortured until they are once again loyal lowers of Big Brother. This constant supervision is displayed in the statement, “Big Brother is watching you,” found on giant posters throughout the city. This shows that these “policemen” are constantly supervising the people, even as they slept. Room 101 is another way Big Brother instills fear in his opposition. The true fear faced in this room is portrayed thoroughly by the events Winston experiences there.
When faced with the horrors held within room 101, Winston is unTABLE to withstand the pressure and agony that is present. He decides to do something horrible. He tells the torturers to “Tear her face off, strip her to her bones. ” This statement is in reference to the woman that Winston has been seeing. Their activities and thoughts Of the downfall of Big Brother lead to their capture by the Thought Police. He is so threatened by his worst fear, he tells his torturers they can do anything to this woman so long as he can escape this torture he is about to face. The fear of execution is also seen throughout the story Animal Farm.
In Animal Farm, Napoleon uses the Dobermans to assert his authority over the new farm government. The dogs’ ferocity is shown almost immediately after they are revealed to the farm: “They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to avoid their snapping jaws. ” In using the dogs, Napoleon destroys the only opposition he faces as the new dictator of this newfound government, Snowball. Now, Napoleon can be dictator of this new government. Snowball is an idealist which gets in the way of Napoleon’s plans. Napoleon saw his opening and immediately got rid of the threat opposing him.
The constant threat of the dogs weighs down on the shoulders f the hard working animals. It is enough leverage for Napoleon to do whatever he thinks is in his best interest. It isn’t important to him how the other animals feel. He did what was necessary to keep his newfound power, but did no actual work to benefit the animals’ original intention: to have freedom from human oppression. In this Orwell displays that any person (or animal representation, when faced with unbeaTABLE odds, will do whatever is necessary to survive. A second theme seen in both Animal Farm and 1984 is government’s use of psychological manipulation.
In 1984, Big Brother uses their ability to warp the minds of the general public by using torture and other means of power assertion to make everyone as they wished them to be. Big Brother did everything they could make people’s minds exactly the same. Big Brother really only wants a mass public that is uniform, obedient, and petrified. If one individual defies Big Brother, he will find a way to make the consequences clear to everyone. As long as Big Brother is TABLE to keep the people oppressed, he has no need to worry about a government takeover or civil anarchist movement.
The abuse of Big Brothers power, in terms of brainwashing the public, is expressed in his ability to convince the people that, “two and two make five. ” This shows that the people believe whatever the government says, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. Even Winston job shows the level of psychological manipulation that Big Brother is capTABLE of. His profession is to rewrite history papers to correspond with statements and predictions made by Big Brother. Winston writes articles about everything from fake “historic” wars to false treaty agreements.
His job has Winston instantly rethinking his lifestyle and his dedication to Big Brother. He constantly daydreams about what would happen if the information he is ‘correcting (getting rid of) was leaked to the public. Just the act of getting rid of factual history makes Winston wonder about the true nature of Big Brother. Psychological manipulation is also used by the pigs in Animal Farm. The foremost example of psychological manipulation in Animal Farm is the constant brainwashing Of the other animals by the pigs. Napoleon, the leader of the pigs, uses the fact that the pigs are the wisest and smartest of the animals.
This convinces the other animals that the pigs actions are done for the good of the farm. For instance, Napoleon’s first attempt to brainwash the other animals is when he explains why the pigs avoid physical labor: they are too busy with running the farm smoothly. However, in reality, they are doing nothing but exploiting the hard work of the other animals on the farm. Psychological manipulation is also used when Napoleon and the other change the Seven Commandments to suit their nefarious affairs. After making these amendments, the pigs trick the other animals and tell them the
Commandments have always been that way. Because of Napoleon’s self- established image as their wise leader, the other animals always believe he is telling the truth. Boxer makes this evident by saying, “if Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right. ” This shows the true amount of brainwashing the animals have endured through the efforts of Napoleon and the rest of the pigs. A third and final common theme of 1 984 and Animal Farm is the use of misleading government policies. First instance, in 1984 there are laws prohibiting certain things like sex for any other thing than procreation.
