Part 3 Chapter 6 to the end

 The end of the book reminded me of mafias, corrupt governments, and similar bad groups that force those who speak against them to be quiet using threats. Russia and North Korea are two big examples of this. Last year, Putin poisoned Alexei Navalny, an outspoken critic of his. I think this is pretty similar to how the Ministry of Love is used to suppress anyone who has ideas of rebellion against the government in 1984.

    Speaking of North Korea, I recently saw a video of a morning in North Korea on YouTube that is incredibly similar to what I imagine 1984 is like. There are even posters of Kim Jong Un that are comparable to those of Big Brother. What other comparisons do you see?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i82PBpw2Vg0


Comments

  1. Alice GaoMarch 8, 2021 at 7:36 AM

    In principle, 1984 is the same as these groups, but I think Orwell has exaggerated the ideas to an extreme that doesn't exist (yet) in our world. For example, the Party isn't just keeping people quiet, it is mentally torturing said people until they don't even believe their dissent was valid in the first place.

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  2. L. MoffittMarch 8, 2021 at 7:37 AM

    Wow, this is amazing stuff. The imagery paired with the music is pretty haunting.

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  3. KiranMarch 8, 2021 at 7:45 AM

    North Korea also has that public broadcast television thing that is the only thing that they can watch, and that is just propaganda which the government can control.

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  4. Charlotte EbelMarch 8, 2021 at 7:47 AM

    That was a really unsettling video. Clearly North Korea and Russia are not quite in the position that Oceania is in, but they are the closest parallels in our modern world. I think the biggest difference is that there is a way out for Russians and North Koreans, while every civilization in 1984 is just like Oceania so there is absolutely no escape.

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  5. RayMarch 8, 2021 at 7:49 AM

    I remember watching a video of North Korean citizens crying at a parade after then death of Kim Jong-Il. I imagine Oceania citizens would act the same if Big Brother could die.

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  6. AnonymousMarch 8, 2021 at 7:52 AM

    1984 is like real-life authoritarian dictatorships on steroids, but that video is an interesting reminder that the idea of Big Brother isn't as far-flung as it may seem, and the their system exists in the real world, at least ideologically.

    ReplyDelete

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