LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE SERIES # 55. 1984 (authored by George Orwell)

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE

Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

#55. 1984 (authored by George Orwell)

1984 is a novel written by English author George Orwell and first published in 1949. It serves as a powerful warning about the dangers of totalitarian governments.

The story takes place in the year of 1984 in the dystopian world called Oceania, one of three constantly fighting superstates, alongside Eurasia and Eastasia. Oceania is ruled by the Party, an authoritarian government that demands complete loyalty to its leader, Big Brother. Through propaganda and strict control, the Party conditions citizens to obey without question.

 

“Are you guilty?" said Winston. "Of course I'm guilty!" cried Parsons with a servile glance at the telescreen. "You don't think the Party would arrest an innocent man, do you?" His froglike face grew calmer, and even took on a slightly sanctimonious expression. "Thought crime is a dreadful thing, old man," he said sententiously. "it's insidious. It can get hold of you without your even knowing it. Do you know how it got hold of me? In my sleep!......Never knew that I had any bad stuff in my mind at all. "'Down with big brother!" I said it over and over again.”

ð     This passage demonstrates the Party’s complete psychological domination over its citizens. It shows how ordinary individuals can be conditioned to believe they are guilty of “thoughtcrime,” even when the supposed offense happens unconsciously during sleep without literally taking place in reality. Parsons’ obedient and submissive behavior reveals how thoroughly the Party has destroyed independent thinking and replaced it with unquestioning loyalty. Citizens are punished even for actions they cannot control, such as speaking while asleep.

When Parsons claims that “The Party would [not] arrest an innocent man,” he reveals how deeply Party ideology has shaped his thinking. In Oceania, guilt is determined not by truth or evidence but by obedience to the Party’s authority.

The words “Down with Big Brother,” spoken unconsciously in sleep, emphasize that the Party seeks control not only over actions but also over private thoughts and the subconscious mind. Personal freedom is portrayed as impossible under such a system. Parsons’ nervous glance toward the telescreen reflects the permanent presence of surveillance in Oceania. Citizens become so fearful that they begin monitoring and censoring themselves without direct enforcement. Parsons reacts to his arrest with pride rather than resistance. Instead of questioning the system, he rather feels thankful to the Thought Police and views his punishment as proof of the Party’s strength and discipline over individual thought.

 

(Party Slogan):“ Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

ð     The quote is a central slogan of the totalitarian Party in the novel. It describes the Party’s method of maintaining absolute power by manipulating history and public perception. "Who controls the present controls the past" means that a regime must first have total authority in the present to control the past. If no evidence of the original past remains, the Party's "new" version becomes the only truth that exists. By rewriting history, the Party controls the narrative that people use to understand their world and their future. If the Party can convince people that the past was a time of misery and that they are "liberators," people are more likely to accept their current rule.

By removing any memory of freedom or better times, the Party ensures that citizens cannot imagine a different future, effectively locking them into the Party's intended path. It illustrates how controlling external information eventually leads to controlling internal thought—a process Orwell calls Doublethink.

 

“Big Brother is Watching You.”  

ð  “Big Brother is Watching You” is a well-known and unsettling slogan to be found everywhere in Oceania, which appears on posters beside the image of a man with a “heavy black moustache,” reminding citizens that the government constantly observes their actions. The slogan is intended to maintain obedience through fear, surveillance, and psychological pressure. The slogan first appears in Part I, Chapter I of the novel. It is displayed on public posters featuring the face of Big Brother, whose eyes seem to follow people wherever they go.

The phrase symbolizes the Party’s complete control over society. By making citizens believe they are always being watched, the government encourages self-censorship and discourages rebellion or independent thought.

 

** Jean’s Small Thoughts:

As well aware among the fans of this novel, the book’s dark vision of the future strongly influenced readers, and many of Orwell’s ideas became widely known in popular culture. Terms such as “Big Brother” and “Thought Police” are now commonly used to describe government surveillance and political oppression.

The current U.S. federal government often reminds me of the disturbing society portrayed in 1984. The aggressive actions of ICE agents resemble the role of the Thought Police, who imprison innocent citizens simply for suspected disloyalty. Likewise, today’s misleading media environment can be compared to the concept of Newspeak in Orwell’s novel, where language is manipulated to shape public perception and limit critical thinking. For many rational citizens, it can feel frustrating to endure the confusing rhetoric and actions of political leaders and their supporters when democracy and justice appear to be under threat.

In addition, one of the Party’s central ideas in the novel — “Who controls the present controls the past” — brings to mind the actions of certain pro-Japanese collaborators in Korean history. According to this perspective, they attempted to destroy historical documents and alter records, much like Winston Smith’s work at the Ministry of Truth, in order to align history with their political goals. This reflects the broader idea that those in power can manipulate historical narratives to maintain influence and authority.

Today, the Party’s slogan, “Big Brother is Watching You,” feels increasingly relevant even in societies that value democracy. Government surveillance, corporate data collection, and invasions of personal privacy are often justified in the name of security. Each time I reread Orwell’s 1984, I am reminded that history tends to repeat itself across different societies and time periods. Periods of authoritarianism and oppression are often followed by movements of resistance and civil disobedience that eventually push societies toward greater freedom and peace.