A Comparison of 1984 and Secret State of North Korea Anonymous 11th Grade

The novel, 1984 by George Orwell describes a dystopia, a future state in which the government is totalitarian. The documentary film, Secret State of North Korea, directed and produced by James Jones, follows a reporter that interviews different people and shows the challenging life in North Korea under the dictator Kim Jong Un. 1984 is a fictional novel in which the author shows life in a totalitarian society. Secret State of North Korea is a real life documentary film which shows the reality and power of a regime as it really is. The value in comparing these two specific presentations of society is that one gains a better understanding through two very different sources showing life under totalitarian rule. Secret State of North Korea and 1984 have similar themes such as propaganda and fear tactics while they differ in the impact of technology on the power of the regime.

Both the documentary film and the novel are similar in the theme of propaganda. Propaganda is the use of biased, misleading information to support a political point of view. In the North Korea documentary, the government broadcast Kim Jong Un’s speeches that shows a strong economy, with well-fed children and stores filled with many products. This is different...