1984 reasons for waking up

We are contemplating a new millennium, however, the air is stale; the same old fears are more valid than ever; war, terrorism, disasters and minor crimes parade over and over in the media mixed with celebrities and other kinds of unimportant information, in  a sort of hypnothic psychotic frenzy, news "shows" 24/7, just as in 1984 where the telescreens are on all the time, entertainment channels telling us what is wrong or right, how to dress, what to eat, etc. But the question is:

What is behind all these?  Who is the puppeteer that is pulling the strings?

At first glance, the novel 1984 written by George Orwell and published in 1949 might appear as a prophetic vision of the author since it addresses, in a mirrored way most of the time, a number of features of the society in which we live  today. However, as is declared by Walter Cronkite, in the preface of the commemorative edition of 1984, "the book was a novelistic essay on power, how it is acquired and maintained, how those who seek or seek to keep it tend to sacrifice anything and everything in its name" (Cronkite, 1983). To my mind, this is a more accurate point of view of the purpose of 1984, be a warning for us all about totalitarism. In the 1984 universe, the INGSOC is the party that rules society; they governs with an iron fist, making the ones who think different to their ideas disappear, not only they are taken away, but actually every trace of their existance is completely erased. Likewise, V for Vendetta written by Allan Moore, first published in 1982, depicts a totalitarian government that took over after the devastation that war provoked in England, in this society little freedom is left, and everything is under a heavy surveillance system, but not as heavy as in 1984.

I found brilliant the way that Orwell make use of verbal irony along the novel presenting to us a reality that has been totally turned upside down, for instance, the 2 minutes of hate which consists on 2 minutes of hate speech against Goldstein who is thought as the number 1 enemy of the party. This is clearly an irony of a minute of silence that on the contrary is intended to show respect to the memory of a person who has passed away.

M for Media Manipulation

INGSOC's ministry of truth.
Winston works at the ministry of truth (MINITRUE in Newspeak) which is described as being concerned itself with news, entertainment, education and the fine arts (1984, p.3) but the actual truth is that inside this building the party is changing the information for their own benefit which is preserving the status quo. Furthermore, Not only they are changing the info in the present, but also rewriting the whole history, as a party slogan runs "Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present controls the past" (1984 p.9).



It has been said that the history is written by the winners, however, who are the victorious in our capitalist money loving society?

The answer is plain and simple, bankers, industrials, corporations; the ones who are loaded are the ones who run everything, including the media. Therefore, they show what is beneficial for them, what is necessary to maintain order; they stage a theatrical facade about how life is supposed to be; spoon feeding viewers, some of them conditioned to the extreme of believing everything that is said on T.V; addicted viewers with their sets on practically 24 hours a day, as well as in 1984.

In Moore's work our favorite villainous hero, in his always ironic ways, uses television against the government, not only, to spread chaos, but also, to show the two-edged nature of mass media influence in the audience...

Symbols of power.

When Winston is contemplating the MINITRUE he describes it as "... it could not be stormed, not a thousand rockets. A thousand rocket bombs would not batter it down" (1984, p.22).

To my mind what Orwell is suggesting here is that the rulers need these big buildings or monuments to make us believe that they are strong and untouchable, as kings had their castles and pharaohs their pyramids; to make us feel as insignificant as ants, and think that no matter what a single person does, one never would have any influence on the world's destiny.





Nevertheless, once again V shows that perhaps a single person may not be able to change a thing, but he is not a mere person, he represents an ideology. Hence, Moore gives us V blowing up the parliament, a dream come true for many, spiced by the poem The First of November, which celebrates the foiling of Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up (Protestant controlled) England's House of Parliament on November 5th, 1605.

In addition, Moore puts forward the idea that all of us are special in the following quote from the graphic novel:


Everybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, a villain. Everybody. Everybody has their story to tell. (V for Vendetta, #1, p.23) which is an attempt of counterback the belief that a single man having no importance in the world's destiny, the fact is that each of us can make the difference to walk towards a better tomorrow.

War is peace.

Surveillance and the lost of rights.

In 1984, people are being constantly surveilled by the screens that are installed in their houses by the party. Since 9/11 2001, after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, allegedly performed by Muslim extremists, while others argue that it was a false flag attack, the U.S government has enforced a policy of constant surveillance on its citizens, therefore, reducing civil rights and giving extraordinary power to the organisms in charge of security, actually, any individual suspected of being engaged in terrorist activities could be arrested and sent to prison, for example Guantanamo where people are retained under no charges and tortured because they are suspected of being involved in terrorist activities.

This is something similar to what Winston and Julia experience when they are caught infringing the policies of the party, they are taken to the Ministry of Love, Orwell's irony again, which is where people are brought to be tortured. Then Winston is taken to room 101 where after been subjected to torture points to Julia as the responsible for his crimes.

But, why most of people are accepting this? 

Because there is a sense of constantly being at war, just as in 1984
where Oceania is always at war. This can enhance the feeling of patriotism and unity, furthermore, if people think that they are under permanent danger or treat it would be easier that they will be willing to sacrifice their rights in order to feel secure.

Nonetheless, there is the chance that 9/11, or more recently the terrorist attacks in Paris, have been staged, like a theatre performance at big scale, then may be people are experience what is called willing suspension of disbelief which is defined by Alan Nathan as "a literary term of art referring to one of Aristotle’s principles of theater in which the audience accepts fiction as reality so as to experience a catharsis, or a releasing of tensions to purify the soul” (Saffire, 2007). And, it is because of this that they are accepting everything that is being imposed to them without questioning.

'This Vicious Cabaret' by V for Vendetta, Glass Records 12" 1984, performed by David, J. On Glass CD

Conclusion.

All in all, 1984 and V for Vendetta give us an inside look into the thoughts of their authors and their personal vison on society and what it can become if we are not aware and take responsibilities for what is going on with the ones who are in power. In my opinion, the reason why Orwell's novel is still in force is because, despite the fact that 66 years have passed since 1984 first publication, The ones who run the world, not the politicians but the master of puppets, do not want to lose their authority, as it has been proved, they are prone to do anything to remain on top . Conversely, Moore's graphic novel give us hope; hope that one day this facade that the rulers have built up is going to collapse, after that, a new society, more fair and just, will rise out of the debris of this one, also V for vendetta implies that unlike holywood films, we do not need heroes in order to change the world, what we really need are ideas that could help us to rethink and rebuild society, how long do we have to wait? well, only time will tell.







Cronkite, W. (1983) 1984 Preface. New York; The New American Library, Inc.


Moore, A & Lloyd. D. (1988). V for Vendetta; DC Comics.


Orwell, G. (1983). 1984. New York; The New American Library, Inc.


Safire, W (2007). Suspension of Disbelief. 05-08-2015, de NY Times website: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/07/magazine/07wwln-safire-t.html?_r=0


Audio: 'This Vicious Cabaret' by V for Vendetta, Glass Records 12" 1984 website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO4tQ6_ygdU