muse- resistance

The song “the resistance” by Muse has many indications and analytical interpretations that relate to the novel “1984” by George Orwell. They share many themes, such as the theme of stealth. The song states, “ is your secret safe tonight? And are we out of sight”. This portrays the importance of hiding in 1984. It shows the necessity of hiding and this is confirmed when the song continues, “ or will our world come tumbling down”. This also shows how important it was for the characters of 1984 to hide themselves from the eyes of the party, which were everywhere in the form and shape of technology. The next theme present is fear. Winston and Julia were afraid of being uncovered and caught. This is also shown in the song with the lines, “ will they find our hiding place? Is this our last embrace? Or will the walls start caving in”. Winston, Julia, and the rest of the resistance share this same fear. They recognize the punishments they may face, but once a rebel, the person can never go back. They are not able to forget what they have learned. The third theme is the theme of hopelessness and suppression. This is uncovered with the lines, “the night as reached its end - - we cant pretend - -we must run - -we must run - - its time to run”. This reveals the theme of hopelessness because it portrays the idea that this is the only possible option left for their survival. In other words, they must run, or else they will be stuck in a suppressed and thoughtless world and risk being caught and killed for simple thinking.

In your own words, please explain how “war is peace”

According to the theories of Big Brother and The Party, they believe that as long they are at war with a strong outside force, the people will be able to unite under one common cause to fight the “common enemy”. As long as this enemy is there, the people will stand under one roof, and they will prosper and procure under the belief that they must be united and strong as a nation to achieve this high quality of life which is only there acting as a façade to the truth behind their quality of life. Since there is a common enemy, the Party is able to have a higher level of control leading to the vulnerability of the people. When they are at war, they will not be tempted to revolt according to their bad treatment; in fact, they may not even realize that such bad treatment exists. Being at war awards the feeling that they must be united to stay and fight strong against the evil that is pushing inwardly. Also, in this situation, citizens are empowering the government by allowing them to make larger decisions without their consent. This can be very dangerous, because the more powerful a government gets, the more selfish it can become. The government may destroy all rights of the citizens, turning them into slaves or zombies. They will be viewed as pawns, and this is a very valid example that pertains to the novel 1984.