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The Importance Of Freedom In George Orwell's 1984

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One of the most important concepts that many individuals in modern day society value the most is the idea that they have the freedom to do whatever they please. The term freedom means “being able to act, think, and speak in any way one wants to without any type of hindrance,”(Dictionary.com). In the book, 1984, by George Orwell, the totalitarian society ruled by Big Brother, in many ways, controls its citizens by hindering any types of freedom a member of the society might have. In a society that is decorated with telescreens, hidden microphones, and strict rules, Orwell illustrates the many ways Big Brother uses that to its advantage to stifle the freedom of its citizens. However, under all the scrutiny of Big Brother, there are …show more content…

Orwell provides this degree of freedom because even though it is just makeup, anyone wants the ability to be who he or she wants. Telescreens and microphones plague the society of Oceania which results in the silences of many voices of its citizens. The fear of having an expression of thought or speech is one of the many approaches Big Brother has in making sure that everyone falls in line with the strict rules it imposes. While the dictator may think it has control over everyone, Winston Smith is able to challenge this obstruction by purchasing a journal and inscribing his thoughts into it. This idea of having a dairy was “not illegal, but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death…,” (Orwell 6). Even though the society has “no laws”, there were still ways that the government provoked fear into its citizens. The use of the word illegal creates an ominous tone to this statement because even though having a diary was not against the standards, by Orwell using that word, it still conveys that there are hindrances in the society that are used to control its people. Since Winston is making the decisive action to “mark the paper,” (Orwell 7) he is controlling his freedom of speech in this society. He is able to control this freedom because every human wants their voice to be heard in any form, whether it is physically speaking or

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