Nineteen Eighty-Four, Research Paper Example

Human Rights and Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four

The modern conception of human rights is exemplified by the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” ratified in 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. Many International Covenants are based on the same principles as the UDHR. When contrasted with Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) the articles of the UDHR indicate precisely those elements of individuality and humanity that are the target of destruction by the State, as personified by Big Brother, in the novel. Conversely, the novel serves as a cautionary tale for precisely why the principles written into the UDHR are necessary for the survival of human civilization as we know it. The satirical tragedy of Orwell’s novel is meant to compel the reader to develop an increased regard and respect for human rights. The modern evolution of international standards for human rights is meant to function as a firewall against the encroaching fascism that is depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The elements of the UDHR are meant to establish a kind of objective record of the collective social standards that have developed in the modern world. As such, they are designed to protect all people against the abuses that are narrated in Orwell’s novel. As Gene H. Bell-Villada pointed out in “1984: Looking Backward at Orwell’s Novel of the 1940s” (1984) the elimination of objective standards and even of objective reality are goals of the Party. Bell-Villada writes “In his climactic confrontation with Winston Smith, O’Brien preaches a kind of collective solipsism that denies objective truth” (Bell-Villada). In destroying objective truth, human rights must be systematically dismantled. In fact, it is impossible to establish a true autocracy without trampling human rights. The fact is that universal human rights and the threat of fascism are deeply connected. It is hard to imagine the emergence of a state like Orwell’s Big Brother in any society that respects universal human rights as they are understood in contemporary times.

For example, the first article of the UDHR states “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” (Mittal). In Nineteen Eighty-Four freedom and rights have vanished. Even an individual’s thoughts are monitored by Big Brother. The novel opens with Winston routinely accepting a world where his every move is watched. Big Brother’s face is everywhere: “The black mustachioed face gazed down from every commanding corner” (Orwell, 7). All aspects of life are tightly controlled. The population exists as slaves to the order of the State. This is a direct contrast to article 4 of the UDHR, which states “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.” (Mittal). Just as the entire construction of the State is intended to annihilate these rights, the UDHR is constructed to avert and blunt the potential for real-world dystopias. In other words, the first, and potentially most important, steps in preventing autocratic terrorism is to instill a universally accepted set of human rights in global laws, education, and protocols.

By protecting an educating the global population about basic human rights, the capacity for autocratic states is diminished. Human rights are protections for individual liberty. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, the state uses torture to finally break Winston. By the novel’s end, Winston has attempted to break free of the State. After being tortured by O’ Brien, he breaks. He sees the portrait of Big Brother after he’s been tortured: “He looked up again at the portrait of Big Brother. The colossus that bestrode the world!” (Orwell, 320). He now believed in the power and honor of the state. Article five of the UDHR states “5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” (Mittal). Obviously, the protections that are built into the UDHR as well as many other modern international covenants are carefully designed to ensure that there are worldwide protections established against the emergence of the kind of tyrannical state that is depicted in Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Works Cited

Bell-Villada, Gene H. “1984: Looking Backward at Orwell’s Novel of the 1940s.” Monthly Review May 1984: 22+.

Mittal, Anuradha. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Earth Island Journal Winter 1997: 28+..

Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four . Starbooks Classics, 2014.