"There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent there will be no need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life."
-George Orwell, 1984
What is freedom? The Oxford English Dictionary defines freedom as "the ability to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without". There are many different types of freedom: from religious freedom and cultural freedom to freedom of speech and expression. In Canada, one has the freedom to practice a religion of one's choice or even no religion a all. One has the right to express one's opinion as long as it does not infringe on anyone else's freedoms.
In 1984's, the citizens of Oceania have virtually no freedoms. They do not have the right to elect their government nor any say in, or even knowledge of, in affairs of state. They survive on rations and little pocket change and practically always don't have enough of something. Though the proles are allowed to wear what they like, Party members only wear a specific uniform. They do not have the freedom to love openly, sex and marriage being for the sole purpose of procreation. The citizens of Oceania do not have the freedom to express themselves through music, art or writing, nor anything else creative. Privacy is non-existent and no one is allowed to have secrets. There are no simple pleasures, no true friends and no trust.
No comments:
Post a Comment