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>.