1984 Book Club Essay

1984 Book Club Essay

Jared Dougall 711

                Some nations and societies have mirrored Big Brother’s oppressive ways, such as Joseph Stalin’s fascist regime in the former Soviet Union, and more recently, China. Throughout the book “1984”, by George Orwell, I found remarkable similarities between China’s government and that of Big Brother’s, such as the “telescreens” that spied on the people of Oceania, the single party government with no elections, and the “Thought Police” that controlled the people’s minds. From banning social media to wiping events out of history books, the events that took place in Oceania are taking place right now on the other side of the globe. Although many say the Chinese government has gotten less strict in recent years, the government is still extremely similar to Big Brother.

                First, China has only one political party, like Big Brother. The leader or Chairman of China’s political party, Xi Jinting, is the supreme leader of the country. There are only a few elections on the local level where the party picks the candidates, and there is no way to vote for or against anyone in a role of power, especially on the national level.  Also, anyone who does anything that could be interpreted as anti-party, such as throwing away a newspaper with Chairman Xi Jinting’s face on it, could face serious repercussions if discovered.  Similarly, in the book, anyone who showed a sign of disagreement or even frowned at something said by Big Brother, if reported, could be sent to the Ministry of Love or prison.

Second, in China there is no freedom of speech. Anyone who speaks out on topics the Chinese government has banned, or against an important position held by the government, could face jail time, or even death. A man named Leo Showbaa was imprisoned for 11 years because he asked for China to be more democratic, and proposed new thoughts and ideas to the Chinese public (Leo Showbaa won a Nobel Peace Prize, but was unable to collect it because he was not allowed to leave the country). The situation with Leo Showbaa is like the book because Winston wants to change the government, and was imprisoned for it, just like Leo Showbaa.  The Chinese Communist Party works to ban news from abroad that the party does not like.  That is why Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are all banned in China.  Big Brother and China both operate in a way that leaves the party with all of the power, and the people with ignorance. 

Third, the Chinese Communist Party tries to control the population’s thoughts, words and actions by controlling what they see on television and hear on the news, and by altering written history. The news in China is very closely monitored by the party. Every morning, the party’s Ministry of Propaganda sends E-mails to the major new stations stating which topics should not be discussed and which are party-approved. Not only that, but certain issues such as Taiwanese independence and the Dalai Lama can only be discussed by people who share the party’s opinion. Big Brother does this in 1984 when the only people who speak about the war effort against Eastasia are the party fanatics. Similarly to Big Brother, China also has a “memory hole.”  For example, in 1989, college students in Tiananman Square protested against the government and asked for China to be more democratic.  They were fired upon by soldiers and tanks. That event has been wiped from the history books in China, and is forbidden to be discussed. This is similar to 1984 because even though Oceania was allied with Eastasia 65 years ago, later, when the alliance ended, Big Brother claimed that Eastasia had always been the enemy, and Eurasia had always been the ally, wiping all newspapers, books and propaganda of any evidence of the alliance with Eastasia, thus creating a “memory hole”.

Fourth, Big Brother and China are similar because they both spy on their population to ensure that no one is rebelling or speaking against the party.  Although there are some Chinese social media sites, they are constantly scrutinized by thousands of internet sensors who flag and remove anti-party propaganda, and in some cases, send police forces after those who post inappropriate comments about the party.  In “1984” Big Brother uses telescreens, which are TVs that constantly show party propaganda and Big Brother’s latest news, but have hidden cameras that monitor each citizen’s actions, and that person’s reaction to the propaganda. If a citizen’s response isn’t suitable, the Thought Police place him under arrest. The Chinese government uses similar methods. Without any permission, they can hack the camera and microphone of any Chinese citizen’s phone, the web cam of any computer and can tap into phone conversations. This is the way that both governments can monitor their people at any time.

In conclusion, some (if not most) of what occurred in George Orwell’s 1984 is happening today, in China. Oceania and China both have single party governments with no elections and strict rules that cannot not disobeyed. With foreign social media banned in China and propaganda filled news, the people in China are isolated from the outside world, just like the population of Oceania. In China, the government conducts espionage on its own people, and controls the freedom of speech, similar to Big Brother as well. Although China may not be as successful at controlling its people or have as many resources as Big Brother, it is frightening how alike the two governments are.