Essay

Government VS Corporation Control

Daniel Lin

English 20

1984 is a dystopian fiction novel written by George Orwell with the purpose of warning readers of the dangers of a totalitarian government. The book itself was written and published in 1949 and portrays the perfect totalitarian society, a government with absolute power. The purpose of the books name was to tell its readers in 1949 that the story could very much become reality in the near future if totalitarianism was not opposed, the title suggested that the world in the novel could really be a possibility in 35 years. In 1984 Orwell portrays a state in which the government monitors and controls every aspect of human life. The Party is able to have complete control over its people using psychological manipulation, physical control, and technology in unimaginable ways to make the people work for the good of the Party. Much like 1984, Oryx and Crake written by Margaret Atwood is also a dystopian fiction. Its setting is also futuristic relative to the time it was written and warns readers that valuing science over human morals will bring about our own destruction. It is a place where society and life inside compounds happen under the watchful eyes of different corporations and life outside these compounds are left to rot. Within these compounds, people have individual freedom as long as their actions do not clash with the interests of the corporations, but as seen in the book, any actions against the corporation would be subject to execution. These corporations control people by placing them in the compounds with very tight security while using technology to spy on these residents to make sure they are not opposing the corporations in any way. In 1984 the government monitors controls life using psychological and physical manipulation along with technology while in Oryx and Crake, the corporations control its residents with technology and physical force to a lesser extent but do not manipulate them psychologically.

In 1984, the Party barrages its subjects with psychological stimuli that overwhelm the brain’s capacity for independent thought. Giant telescreens in every citizen’s room provides them with a constant stream of propaganda that is designed to make the failures of the Party appear to be triumphant successes. These telescreens also monitor behavior of the people wherever they go, and are continuously reminded of this by omnipresent signs that read “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU,” (Orwell, 3). Big Brother is an illusion created by the Party to represent the Party, these signs communicate to the people that the Party is always watching your every move, and thus creating fear in the minds of the people to make sure that they do not question the Party’s authority. The Party also undermines family structure by bringing children into an organization call the Junior Spies, which brainwashes these children and encourages them to spy on their parents and report any signs of disloyalty to the Party. Another thing that the Party uses to psychologically manipulate its citizens is that they use propaganda channel the people’s pent-up frustration and emotion into ferocious displays of hatred toward the Party’s political enemies, and many of these enemies are created by the Party solely for this purpose. The Party also controls every source of information; they manage and rewrite the content of all newspapers and histories for its own ends. Individuals are prohibited to keep records of their past such as photographs or documents. As a result, the memories of these people become fuzzy and unreliable, and they become perfectly willing to believe whatever the Party tells them. By controlling the present, the Party is able to manipulate the past, and in controlling the past, they can justify all actions in the present. The totalitarian government in this novel is able to easily manipulate and control its people using such means and bend them to their will.

In addition to psychological manipulation, the Party also controls the people physically. The Party constantly watches them for any sign of disloyalty; even a small facial twitch could lead to an arrest. Members of the Party are forced to undergo mass morning exercises called Physical Jerks, and then to work long, grueling days at government agencies, keeping them in a constant state of exhaustion. Anyone who manages to defy the Party is punished and reeducated through torture, and after being exposed to weeks of this intense treatment, Winston himself comes to the conclusion that nothing is more powerful than physical pain, not even emotional loyalty or moral conviction can overcome it. And after subjected to such treatment, he finally breaks and writes down “TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE.” (Orwell, 290) The Party is able to control reality by conditioning the minds of their victims with physical torture and is able to convince its subjects that two and two does indeed make five.

Along with psychological and physical manipulation, the Party also uses technology to monitor life while enforcing these manipulations. By placing telescreens and hidden microphones across the city, the Party is able to monitor the behavior of its people at all times. In addition, the Party employs complex mechanisms to exert large-scale control on the economy and sources of information as well as fearsome machinery to inflict torture upon its enemies. People that show any signs of resentment could lead to a punishable offense, as Winston notices, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thought wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen.” (Orwell, 65) The smallest things in front of these telesreens could give you away, a nervous tick, a habit of muttering to yourself, the look of anxiety, even having a improper expression on the face was a punishable offense. Using technology with such means, the Party is able to monitor its citizens and punish and reeducate anyone that does anything against their interest and constantly bend them to the Party’s will.

In Oryx and Crake however, there are no signs of psychological manipulation or control. People remain free to think and do for themselves and there is no constant oppression from the corporations. Throughout the novel, there are no instances in Jimmy’s memory where there was any psychological manipulation or control; he was able to live a normal life with a normal family. He had a normal life despite the fact that his father and mother ignored him most of the time. The corporations simply did not need to psychologically control its residents because they would not oppose them in any way, so the corporations felt that physically securing them in compounds and spying on them using different forms of technology would be enough.

The corporations that control the compounds place incredible security around the compound so that its residents were basically forced to stay inside the compounds and impossible exit the compound without authorization documents. In addition, the corporations have set up a private police called the CorpSeCorps; these people monitor and control everything that goes on inside these compounds. They have an interest in protecting the company’s assets and spying on their employees to make sure they do not go against the corporation. The CorpSeCrops carefully monitor and record all acts of leaving and entering the compound. For example, after the disappearance of Jimmy’s mother, the CorpSeCorps would immediately come to Jimmy’s house and ask Jimmy questions like “You think she had a boyfriend? Did she go to the pleeblands much?” (Atwood, 64) to be able to get clues as to where his mother was hiding so they could get a hold of her and what she knows before someone else does. Having tight border security, the corporations would be able to keep its residents inside the compound and have them continuously work for the interests of the company.

There is also lots of advanced technology in Oryx and Crake, advanced technology in the medical field allows them to genetically modify animals to grow organs that can be transplanted into humans, and creating medicine that cures diseases. As Crake explains to Jimmy, medicine which is actually implanted with viruses that could only be cured with the next release of medicine, and the next batch of the medicine would be implanted with a new virus which will need another batch of medicine thus creating an infinite loop that enslaves the employees of the corporations to always need to buy more of its products. In addition to medicine, the corporations also use hidden cameras and other similar bots so the CorpSeCorps can spy on the residents of these compounds. Knowing this, when she explains to Jimmy what disease was, she fakes the excuse of taking a walk out side “hauled Jimmy up by one wrist, closed the back door with exaggerated care behind them. She didn’t even put their coats on. No coats, no hats. She was dressed in her dressing gown and slippers.” (Atwood, 20) to make sure there was a lesser chance of being listened to by the CorpSeCorps. Using such technology, the corporations would be able to monitor its residents at all times and bend them to their will.

Although the novels written by Margaret Atwood and George Orwell are both dystopian fictions with the same basic themes, there are still some noticeable differences. In 1984, the Party used psychological manipulation, physical control, and technology to monitor and control the lives of its subjects so that they will work for the interest of the Party. In Oryx and Crake, the corporations also used physical control and technology but to a lesser extent to monitor and control life inside the compounds, while not using psychological manipulation to control its residents.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. Oryx and Crake: a novel. Vintage Canada ed. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 20092003. Print.

Orwell, George. Nineteen eighty-four . London [etc.: Penguin Books, 2008. Print.

Williams, Raymond. "Ninteen Eighty Four in 1984." Marxism Today 12 Jan. 1984: 12 - 16. Print.

cards, the introduction of ID, and we will root. "1984: For the love of Big Brother." Philip Coppens.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2010. <http://www.philipcoppens.com/1984.html>.

Crucible Assignment - Webs

Crucible Assignment

The Crucible

Act I

The first act begins with Reverend Parris praying over his daughter, Betty's, bed. From a conversation with Abigail, Parris learns and suspects that Abigail, Betty, and numerous other girls were involved with occult activities in the forest. Parris is frightened at this this thought thinking that this occurrence could be used against him and destroy his reputation. Later, John Hale arrives at Parris's house upon being sent for to take a look at Betty. John Hale, being an expert in the supernatural, questions Abigail on what exactly happened in the woods, Abigail immediately accuses Tituba (a slave from Barbados) of leading the ritual and making her drink chicken blood. Tituba being frightened, confesses her sins and accuses numerous others of committing witchcraft to save herself, seeing this, Abigail does the same to clear herself of all suspicion, and Betty miraculously goes into a trance and gives out numerous other names and stating that they were with the devil, "I saw Alice Barrow with the Devil!" (Miller, 48) "I saw Goody Bibber with the Devil!" (Miller, 48).

During the 1950s, US Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that the state department was infiltrated by Communists. This ideology eventually developed into McCarthyism, McCarthyism is basically accusations of disloyalty, or treason without any regard for evidence, which is exactly what this is. In the 1950s they hunted Communists, in the 1600s they hunted witches, they are basically the same thing. In the play, so far only Abby, Tituba and Betty have accused others of siding with the devil with absolutely no evidence what so ever, throughout the play, there will be a lot more of these false accusations with absolutely no proof.


Act II

The second act follows the first act with an eight days time leap. It starts at the Proctor's house, John Proctor has just come home from planting and learns from his wife, Elizabeth that Marry Warren, the Proctor's servant, has gone to town to testify in court after he strictly told her not to leave the house and is enraged when he finds out and threatens to whip her. When Marry Warren comes back, she hands Goody Proctor (Elizabeth) a small ragged doll claiming it being a gift and as a threat, says, "We must all love each other now, Goody Proctor." (Miller, 56) John and Goody Proctor learns from Marry Warren that 39 people have been accused and arrested for witchcraft and that Goody Osburn has been sentenced to hang. They are shocked, and even more so when they learn that Elizabeth has been accused as well, but Marry Warren told her that the court dismissed it after Marry Warren denied seeing Elizabeth of committing witchcraft. After a while, John Hale comes to the house and sees if John Proctor knows all his commandments, John recalls all of them except for Adultery. In the middle of their conversation, Giles comes in and interrupts that Giles's wife as well as Rebecca Nurse have also been arrested, this shocks everyone in the room. A little while later, Ezekiel Cheever comes in stating that he has an arrest warrant for Elizabeth, and says that Abigail has been stabbed by a needle in the stomach and she claims that it was Elizabeth's spirit that did so. His suspicions are confirmed when he sees the poppet with a needle stuck in it and takes Elizabeth away.

In the past, men held all of the power of the household, women (the wife) had very little control of what went on much less the slaves and servants. In the second act, we see the irony that all the decisive power in Salem has been transferred to the girls like Abby and Marry Warren. From a logical standpoint, it would be crazy for a servant to threaten the man or woman of the household and to accuse someone of higher status. This was all made possible by the belief of witchcraft and Satan, in reality, it is the church that has doomed people to think this way.


Act III

The Third act begins in the court room, a case is presented to the court that the girls are fraud and are what they say to be. This is followed by a signed petition which is presented by John Proctor. Giles claims that he has a witness, but is unwilling to reveal the witness to protect him from being arrested, and as a result gets himself arrested for contempt of the court. Abigail and the girls lie and say that the statement is false. John Proctor finally snaps and confesses his relationship with Abigail. Elizabeth is called to the court to confirm John's confession, not knowing that John has confessed, she says no to protect her husbands name. Seeing that things are going bad, Abigail and the girls pretend that Marry Warren has bewitched them and causes her to panic, in the end, Marry Warren gives up and says that John Proctor is the Devils man and that he is the one that threatened her to turn against the other girls, this gets John Proctor arrested.

Here, we know for that the relationship between Elizabeth and John Proctor has much since improved compared to the beginning. Before, she would occasionally remind John of his sin, but now, when she is asked that is John a lecher, she replies, "No, sir." (Miller, 113) After that, we know that she has forgiven John Proctor and no longer blames him from her attempt to protect his name in court.


Act IV

The last act starts in prison where everyone who has not yet been executed are waiting to hang. Hale is disgusted by the courts decision and tries to convince Elizabeth to tell John Proctor to lie to save himself. After Elizabeth and John have talked, John says that he has decided to confess, he signs the paper and snatches it before it could be stowed away and claims, "I confess to God, God has seen my name on this! It is enough!" (Miller, 142) Without hard evidence, the court cannot pardon John, although he knows this, he chose the right thing to do, and that is to not lie even if he hangs for it.

The Crucible has the elements of a Parable, teaching a morale lesson with a short story. In the last moments of the decision between life and death, he chooses to keep his name given by God and not lie even if it might save his life. The moral would most likely be that even if we make mistakes throughout our lives, we can cleanse and purify ourselves by making what was wrong, right, and that is exactly what John Proctor did, although he lost his life, he chose to not lie in the presence of god and made right what was wrong.