1984 Group

Question:

airline
airline
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Is the party brutally effective in controlling the people?

How? How not?

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Posted by airline on Tuesday September 15, 2009 at 3:09 AM and tagged with 1984, control.1984, effective, party, people, power.

Answers:


  1. timbrady Teacher
    College - Senior

    eNotes Editor

    Yes they are.  And the reason is fairly simple and is explained by O'Brien toward the end of the story.  Unlike previous totalitarian states who use power as a means to an end, the rulers of 1984 have no such "limitations."  For them power is not a means, but an end.  The Party seeks power and uses it without apology.  Orwell was watching the dictatorships of the 30's and 40's (Hitler who was brutal, and Stalin, who was, perhaps, more brutal), and feared that the abuse/use of power was reaching new heights (whether that was/is true or not ... there are many brutal and oppressive rulers before the20th Century).

    The Party has no concern for anything but itself; people are throw aways --- but they are never made martyrs.

    If you get a chance to see the film (Richard Burton plays O'Brien), you can see their application of power and it's effects in graphic detail.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/1984/themes

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    Posted by timbrady on Tuesday September 15, 2009 at 9:08 PM