Francess Gideon

1984 Writing Assignment

March 1, 2018
JRSM 301 MTC

Writing Assignment #1

1984 by George Orwell is a futuristic story of what the world, which has been ravaged by

war and hungry and fearful citizens and accept the rules of Oceania. Doublethink, Big Brother is

watching and 2 minutes of hate are all examples of societal upkeep.

Big brother is watching is the embodiment of the Party who rules Oceania. Big brother is

everywhere- including posters, coins and telescreens (Orwell, 1949). The mustached man staring

down at people is similar to Uncle Sam “Want You” during World War l. The American

government used this poster and others as propaganda to encourage citizens to enlist in the

United States Army (Knauer, 2017)

In the novel, doublethink is the ability to hold two simultaneously contradicting concepts

at the same time, which essentially cancel each other out and allow the person to accept the given

statement fully. While this concept is not entirely mirrored throughout our society's political

arena, the inception of "alternative facts," (Press, n.d.) which was coined by U.S. Counselor to

the President Kellyanne Conway, is similar to doublethink. As American citizens, we have the

choice of what information we want to receive as factual, given the amount of falsely reported

statements and news. This has been seen quite often with the current commander in chief. For

example, the left-wing media outlets reported that President Trump's inauguration attendance

was less than that of Obama, while right wing media outlets challenged this opinion and backed

President Trump's statement that, this was the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration,

period, both in person and around the globe (TIM WALLACE, 2017). Citizens receive two
contradicting reports regarding the same event and get to choose whatever story they want to

believe.

Throughout the novel, Party members are expected to participate in a daily exercise

called the Two Minutes of Hate. This is when images of enemies of the state, such as Emmanuel

Goldstein, flash onto a large screen while Party members express their pent-up negative

emotions. While Americans are not required to express their hate in a daily two-minute exercise,

the government does employ scapegoats similar to Goldstein. In today's America, citizens can

watch the news and see images or stories on Putin or Kim Jong Un any day. These two particular

individuals are America's enemies, and their images are often employed to distract citizens from

other pressing issues.

In conclusion, this dystopian universe is very similar to the American government. Big

Brother watching can be classified as Uncle Sam, doublethink is similar to our coined phrase

“alternative facts” and two minutes of hate is Americas way to put the spotlight on another issue,

while other issues are also being created. In the novel, Winston states that one way the

government keeps the population under control is by manufacturing an atmosphere of hysteria.

Similarly, America's 24-hour news networks manufacture fear and anxiety through their constant

coverage of horrific events.