AP English
The Normality of Mind Control
Mind control is more common then many people think. Take Television, for
instance. Most people won’t admit that commercials and TV shows influence them, but
of course they do. People buy cars, peanut butter, and soda because of the advertising
the information they receive is chosen by someone else. Someone else controls how
much information you get about this political scandal and that new cleaning product.
The novel 1984 by George Orwell deals with government corruption and mind control.
In this novel, it is the “party” that decides what the population of Oceanea believes. By
reading this novel, people are more likely to question their government or higher power
and not assume that they are always in the right. The “party” of the novel 1984 can be
compared to many mind controlling aspects of the modern world.
The novel 1984 is about a society that is built into three different classes of
people: the inner party members, the outer party members, and the probes. The inner
party members control the information the other classes receive and live in luxury while
the rest of the population lives a miserable life. This society is built on the idea that a
constant war will create a lower living standard and therefore leave more food, money,
and comforts for the inner party members to hoard.
The inner party of Oceanea has so much power of the minds of the people that
they are able to convince them that their memories are false. The inner party is
One day they are at war with one country, and another day they are at war with another
country, and that is the way it has always been. This may leave readers to wonder how
much of the history they have been taught is truly what happened. The United States
government has most definitely left out information of high school textbooks that
wouldn’t be good for the general people to learn. This does not mean that the United
States government is as an extreme example as the Inner Party of Oceanea. It simply
taught to them.
will probably never die. The main character of the novel, Winston, is smart enough to
realize that the society in which he lives is corrupt. Winston rebels by falling in love
(marriages must be approved and sex is looked upon as work). Winston’s wife refers to
sex as “our duty to Big Brother.” In the end, after Winston has gone through the actual
physical brainwashing, he has been taught to accept everything he is told and whole
heartedly supports the government. In the beginning of the novel, he hates everything
that Big Brother stands for. In the end, “He loved big brother.” This example shows how
much power the government has over the minds of the people. They have taken the fun
and creativity out of everything imaginable. And then there is the modern world, which
idolizes the fast lives of movie stars and supermodels. Does this mean that everything is
just a joke, something to believe in for the benefit of others? Of course not, but it does
mean that any intelligent person could understand that many things that the American
culture idolizes is just plain silly.
This novel is an extreme example of government corruption and mind control. It
does make the reader think that maybe humans are more gullible then they realize. This
is enough to make one paranoid. Anyone who comes from a society full of mind control
such as the media, cults, gangs, fashion, and even “Big Brother” is liable to think twice
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