Ten lessons from 1984

 

By Mike Smith

08th of October 2025

Not sure who wrote this below, but I thought I would share it. We did this book in school and I remember my teacher asking us if we could think of any country that is like Oceania in 1984 and we all answered, East Germany, Cuba, Russia...actually what he was trying to do was to make us look at our own country, see the signs and make sure it never happened to us. Well, we are living 1984 today.

-------------

10 lessons from the book “Nineteen Eighty-Four”

1. Truth can be manipulated.
When those in power control information, they control reality itself. If history is rewritten, people can be made to forget what was once true.

2. Language shapes thought.
Orwell’s concept of Newspeak shows how limiting words can limit freedom. If people cannot name rebellion or justice, they may not be able to imagine them.

3. Surveillance destroys freedom.
“Big Brother is watching you” warns us that constant monitoring strips away privacy, individuality, and trust.

4. Fear is a tool of control.
The Party rules not through love or loyalty but through fear, punishment, and terror, which keeps citizens obedient.

5. Conformity can crush individuality.
Winston and Julia’s attempt to love and think freely shows how hard it is to resist a system that demands total conformity.

6. Propaganda replaces reality.
Endless slogans (“War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength”) illustrate how repetition can make people accept contradictions.

7. Totalitarianism erases humanity.
The Party’s ultimate goal is not just obedience but domination of the human mind—destroying even private loyalties and emotions.

8. Freedom begins in thought.
Winston’s rebellion starts with the simple idea: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four.” Independent thought is the first step toward resistance.

9. Power seeks power for its own sake.
As O’Brien tells Winston, the Party doesn’t care about justice or progress; it wants power only to keep and expand power.

10. Complacency is dangerous.
Orwell’s warning is timeless: If people ignore abuses of power, they may gradually accept surveillance, censorship, and manipulation as “normal.”