We can never normalize or even tolerate human rights violations, they are serious crimes and must be always combatted and when they happen, justice must follow them with the due reparations. Never think that they can't happen to you, don't take your rights for granted. This post is a summary of two articles. The first was published at https://www.ipl.org/essay/Human-Rights-And-Violence-In-George-Orwells-PCYDG7RAWG. The second was published at https://theconversation.com/what-orwells-1984-tells-us-about-todays-world-70-years-after-it-was-published-116940
In George Orwell's novel 1984, the theme of violation of human rights is thoroughly present, from violation of privacy, violation of the freedom of speech, and the loss of humanity in general from the ever present form of Big Brother who represents the government, has absolute control over the citizens's lives. 1984 effectively conveys the dangers of a totalitarian government. The word humanity refers to the human race as a whole and the qualities that make us human, such as the ability to love and have compassion. In our modern world, we take human nature for granted, but in 1984, he shows us a society in which there is no humanity, and those that fight for it die trying. The totalitarian goverrment, known as the Party, uses isolation, fear, and lies to destroy humanity in their citizens. The novel describes the journey of Winston Smith as he rebels against the Party and tries to maintain his human qualities. Art can be used to portray political message and is a powerful weapon to show the public about political leaders. George Orwell uses his novel to portray political evils and totalitarian political leaders. He gives us a warning that what society can become if they allow totalitarianism to accomplish supremacy. Imagine your TV is always on and always watching your every move. Welcome to 1984. From now on you must be very careful what you think for you must always live in fear of committing a thought crime. Even one negative thought about Big Brother could force the Thought Police to erase you from existence. This is the daily life in this fictional country called Oceania. George Orwell wrote 1984 back in the midst of World War II, which is allude to multiple times in the book. He discussed what this world might turn into if we don't take action against the totalitarian European leaders. The book depicts a over-controlling government, referred to as the Party, which is constantly spying on the citizens. Winston Smith realizes the wrongdoings of the government and starts to rebel against them. Throughout the entirely book he can be seen as a hero by his defiance against the Party. In a world where thought is monitored and actions are watched continuously by neighbors, strangers and cameras, the conflicts that exist in that type of world are astronomical. This is the type of world that Winston Smith lives his life in. So it is no surprise that he faces many forms of conflicts. Living through the first half of the 20th century, George Orwell watched the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia. He witnessed the brutalities of the Nazis and Stalinists first hand. His experiences awakened him to the evils of a totalitarian government. Sex creates an extremely exclusive bond between two individuals; it is an unspoken contract of trust and love. Not only are sexual experiences private, but they also fulfill humanity's instinctual desire and promote individuality. However, when this intimacy is either erased or condemned by society, individuals lose touch with that vital part of their humanity and individuality. In 1984 sexuality plays an important role in both totalitarian government and Winston's rebellion against his oppressors; Winston revolts against the Party's manipulative political control, the destruction of individuality, the absence of human connection and the practice of sexual puritanism. The Party strives for sexual puritanism in order to eradicate true humanity and demonize sex. Actual sexual acts are portrayed as filthy deeds since young childhood. The choice between conforming to societal standards and remaining an individual is similar to choosing between freedom and oppression. Individuality is the distinction between qualities of oneself and others, requiring independent thoughts and opinions. The foundation of ones autonomy consists of ones ability to think independently. In 1984 all aspects of the citizen's lives are being influenced by the Party. Winston's beliefs illustrates the corruption they experience for they are unable to think for themselves and are forced to accept whatever they are told to believe. In 1984 the government regulates the information that citizens have access to, as well as ensuring that the citizens have no knowledge of the true history or condition of the world or their own personal past. 1984 warns that society should be aware of totalitarianism. People should worry about how the government abuses its power and takes away citizens' rights. In 1984 people lost their will to fight and acted as if the society they are living in is normal, but there are only two people who rebel against the government. Totalitarianism is when the government takes over private and public matters as much as they can. In 1984 people are being watched nonstop. In many ways The Hunger Games are similar in government. For instance, it states, "even here, even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might hear you, so I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts". This displays how people may fear the government spying on their citizens and how it corrupts how citizens feel. Eric Blair, writing under a pseudonym George Orwell, published "1984", now generally considered a classic of dystopian fiction. The novel tells the story of Winston Smith, a hapless middle-aged bureaucrat and he is under constant surveillance. The society portrayed in 1984 is one in which social control is exercised through disinformation and surveillance. One of the key technologies of surveillance in the novel is the "telescreen", a device very much like our own TV. The telescreen display a single channel of news, propaganda and wellness programming. It differs from our own TV in two aspects: It is impossible to turn off and the screen also watches its viewers. The dominant reading of 1984 has been that it was a dire prediction of what could be. In the words of Italian essayist Umberto Eco, "at least three-quarters of what Orwell narrates is not negative utopia, but history." The media scholar Mark Miller argues that TV nowadays teaches a different kind of conformity than that portrayed in the novel. In the novel, the TV is used to produce conformity to the party, the government. In our real TV produces conformity to a system of rapacious consumption, through advertising. This inert watchfulness can exist because TV allows viewers to watch strangers without being seen. Scholar Joshua Meyrowitz has shown that the kinds of programming have normalized looking into the private lives of others. For example, it might seem just marketing that one of the longest-running and most popular reality shows in the world is entitled "Big Brother". The stress of participants under surveillance 24/7 on "Big Brother" has led the show to employ a team of psychologists. While these reality shows don't order participants to directly harm each other, they are often set up as a small-scale social experiment that often involves intense competition or even cruelty.
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