In the book 1984, by George Orwell, individuals are only accepted by being a certain way. When an individual such as Winston, who is seen to be different or doing what is unacceptable to society, is forced to conform. On page 290, Winston commits a crime. The crime leads him to the ministry of love where he is to be conformed to society. In the ministry of love the form of conforming is to torture and brainwash individuals to be fit into societies ways. Today in our time, we are conformed to be what we are told to be. Starting in kindergarten we are put into school, set into a strict schedule; when we are to eat, when we are to play, when we are to speak our minds. Kindergarten is the gate way to conformity, forcing each student into tight rooms, only allowed to speak when raising our hands. After school is over we are sent home to focus our minds on homework, where there is one answer to a problem or one choice to choose from. Is it wrong, or right? In the book the word “dismembered” is used. In relation to the society of 1984, in our lives we are dismembered by our family. Within our families, there are expectation that are to be met. If you are different, then you are put down or convinced to be as the other members in your family. Many aspects of our society are based on conformity such as 1984.

In the book 1984, by George Orwell, Winston reflects on the ways of his government. Winston’s’ government is solely base on fear and hatred. The conformity has demolished any type of self being. There are individuals who live in fear of Big Brother and are always forced to keep their thoughts or differences inside, in fear of being forced back into conformity by torture or killed. The hatred comes from the “sick and mental” who are forced out of society because they do not hide their differences. In today’s society we have a form of Big Brother in the way that there is hatred towards our government because the people who are different are to be taken away. President Trump is a big example of why people are being sent away for being different. Trump is a person who wants to deport all the individuals who have worked hard to be in the United States, but his way of seeing is that since they were not born here they don’t belong here. Since they are not to the standard of being an American, they cannot stay. In page 267, there is a quote that says, “there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph and self-abasement.” Individuals who are being conformed will no longer feel emotions and those who do feel emotion will feel nothing but self-abasement to what they must become. Trump and the society in 1984 are forcing individuals to hate and loath the governments.

In the book 1984, by George Orwell, Winston acknowledges that there is no longer any humanity in his society. People are no longer allowed to feel love, or any other emotion. All individuals are the same in the way that they all do the same thing everyday and are not allowed to be different. No one is allowed to express how they feel in anyway, not through art, not through science. However, there will always be power that compels the people to be loyal to the party and only the party. In our society, we see homeless who roam the streets, without food or anywhere to sleep. The homeless are ignored by the rest of society who are able to give and able to help. Society, in some ways, has lost emotions towards homeless we see endlessly. “...no enjoyment of the process of life.” In this quote, we are told that in the future life there will be nothing but a schedule for the people to follow having to do the same thing over and over. To think only what they are told to think. To be loyal to only the party and no other form of living life. In life, humans are distinguished as such because we have emotion. If we lose this sense of emotions, are we still human?

In the book, 1984, George Orwell gives Winston a job where history is erased. Winston works in the Ministry of truth, where he is in charge of all records. The records that Winston is in charge of are never saved but instead are erased to make sure there is no way of knowing the history of time. The party controls what can be remember from history and what can be saved of past time. Anything that they see will allow them to lose power over the citizens of Oceania such as, the individuals they free from their mistakes. In our society, we are based on the history of our times. In school we learn about the past presidents we had, the past ancestors we have had, and so much more. Although we have  had instances where important things in history are covered up or are not talked about. There will always be some part of those instances that stay in our history. On page 182 it says, “A large part of the political literature of five years was now completely obsolete” In this quote it talks about erasing the political news of the past five years. This shows how the party had all control of what was to be remembered and what was to be forgotten. Although the party’s goal was to leave no evidence of history, there was always the memories of all the individuals such as in our society where anything can be remembered.

n 1984, George Orwell presents the relationship of Julia and Winston. Winston is intrigued by the way that Julia is.  Julia is a person who does not conform to the way of society, where Winston is the opposite. Although Winston is a nonconformer in thought he has always longed to be as Julia and wants to express his resentment to the party. The relationship between Winston and Julia, is solely based on being honest with one another. Winston is happy to be in a relationship that is based on honesty. In the part of the book he decides to not hold back any of the feelings he has for her and tells her every emotion he feels for her. In our society we see that being honest is a key into all relationships. Whether it be between mother and daughter, sister and brother, girlfriend and boyfriend, etc. Relationship use honesty to be able to communicate and allow for feeling to pass from one another. Allow the emotions to build a stronger connection between the two individuals. On page 120 “It was even a sort of love offering to start off by telling the worst.” Although Winston had horrible things to say about Julia he did not want to lie to her since he already had to hind his true emotion from Big Brother. He wanted to create a true bond between him and another individual. Honesty was Winston’s last hope for feeling emotions and receiving them.  

Winston is described at the base of the Ministry of Truth, absorbing the reality of the power of the government through the line, “It was too strong, it could not be stormed” (Page 27). Pyramids are seen as powerful structures, once symbolizing the dwelling of the sun god. Their ministries are described as “immortal” and “everlasting,” emphasizing the extent of their superior influence over the people of Oceania. In a number of ways, our government relates to that of Oceania through having a large amount of power. Things that are necessary, like free insurance for immigrants and those incapable of affording it, was repealed by the  recent president for reasons such as it having too many benefits or causing a loss of money, which he seemed to believe is more important than assisting those in need. The slogan engraved in one of the ministries is “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH,” is their way of life, while our government seems to believe that threatening to begin a war creates respect and brings fear to enemy fleets, causing them to maintain at bay with a sense of “peace,” society notices, the way Winston does, that there is no such thing as peace with a government with so much power among others.

On pages 22-23, Winston is at the house of Mrs. Parsons, asking for a spanner. While talking to her, they become interrupted by her son and daughter threatening them with guns plastic guns. As he analyzes them, he realizes they are both Spies and feels threatened by the children. Their society is run by the younger generations, which are superior to family members like their parents. They inflict fear and uniformity among others, while in this society, it was once the opposite. Parents were once completely respected and feared. A child lived solely based on the orders of their elders, rightfully knowing their place in the household. Nowadays, parents wear themselves out, giving in to tantrums and misbehavior, simply for their children to stop fussing or to be given privacy and don’t realize how much respect for them has been lost until it is too late to shape up their children in a proper way. Apparently, kids like them become idolized in this society such as a girl named Danielle Bregoli, also known as “Bhad Bhabie.” She became known through her fights on live television with her own mother, constantly degrading her. The children in the story similarly threaten their mother and embarrass her in front of a guest, proving that children there and here have lost the basics of respect.