What do you find most horrific about Orwell’s vision of society in 1984 and Animal Farm.

I find one of the most horrific thoughts portrayed in both novels the idea that all of the ideas could happen. These novels represent the past, the present and the future. They are a memory of what has happened in totaliterianist Russia, a reminder of current day situations and a pessimistic exaggeration of what may one day happen. It frightens me that one day the future could be like ‘1984’. ‘1984’ quotes ‘If you want to see a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever.’  I find this frightening because of the present world situation and the ever increasing possibility that the way of life inflicted on the animals of ‘Animal Farm’ and the public of ‘1984’ could, in the near future be our lives.

The idea of the thought police in ‘1984’ or in ‘Animal Farm’ the dogs that represent the KGB of the Russian Revolution is terrifying because never having a private thought or emotion can destroy souls so much that eventually with enough torment to yourself you would become an empty robotic soulless body. In ‘1984’ Orwell wrote ‘Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it.’ This one quotation sums up the party’s individuality and in the Russian Revolution Stalin’s beliefs. In this day and age it is almost impossible but yet believable that we could be penalised for our thoughts and be watched all the time. Can you imagine living in a world where you are entirely alone but have no privacy? To me this is a horrific thought because as ever more surveillance systems are invented it becomes even more possible that we are being watched all the time. In ‘1984’ this thought is portrayed in a much simpler and understandable way, a telescreen.  

A horrific illustration of the truth in both novels takes place. Propaganda is used to make the general public believe in what is untrue. In ‘1984’ when Goldberg is used as a scapegoat and ‘Animal farm’ when Snowball was blamed for all the bad events that happened on the farm. This also happened in the Russian Revolution; Trotsky who is symbolised by Snowball was falsely depicted as the cause for the problems of the Russian Revolution. Squealer in ‘Animal Farm’ spread propaganda very powerfully, ‘the others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.’ Squealer represents the less obvious methods used by corrupt governments in all wars, dictatorships, and in everyday life to keep their people under control and oblivious to the horrors of what are happening around them.

I conclude that the most horrific idea depicted in both novels is at the end of ‘1984.’ Room 101 terrifies me because it symbolises your last most private thought being taken away from you and exploited to the party’s advantage. Room 101 symbolises many terrifying things; torture, physical violence, mental control and verbal abuse, and the constant reminder that the reason you are being tortured is for the love of Big Brother, or in the Russian Revolution, Stalin.

In both of these novels Orwell investigates human society. He searches for the truth – the political truth and facts, but also the truth about human greed and lust for power, and the way in which oppressed people can become too demoralised frightened – or blind to see what is staring them in the face – to rise up against their oppressors. It frightens me that in his investigation into the human race Orwell found that humans are violent, dictators with a dangerous lust for power. ‘1984’ quotes, ‘ Power is not a means, it is an end. One does on establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution to establish the dictatorship.’ ‘Animal Farm’ quotes, ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.’ Although this quotation does not make sense it sums up Stalin’s feelings towards equality because although in theory the point of a totaliterianist society is for everyone to be equal, in practise the Russian Revolution failed because that did not happen.

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