The writing style of the famous English novelist George Orwell can be characterized as a critique of society incorporating political culture and disagreement with totalitarianism. Everything that characterizes his writing shines through in his most famous literary work, 1984, published in 1949 by Secker and Warburg. The novel follows the main character Winston Smith, who works in a government position tasked with rewriting history more favorably for the oppressive government. A recurring theme throughout the novel that can be portrayed in many ways in today's society is censorship. One example among many where this suppression of communication can be clearly displayed is the ongoing conflict over the mass genocide of the Turkic Uighur peoples in the communist state of China, currently governed by the Chinese Communist Party. This situation relates to 1984 with similar issues such as censorship, totalitarianism and propaganda. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In this age of technological advancement and everyday use of technology, censorship has become less widespread in countries that allow freedom of speech, press, and religion, such as the United States. However, it is narrow-minded to assume that this applies to all people in the world. In China, the media and even what people may have on their phones are incredibly censored through close monitoring and harsh punishments. This is a method of oppression implemented in a highly specific way towards a group of people called Uyghurs. The Uyghurs are a Turkic group of people who adhere to the religious practices of Islam. This has been an ongoing conflict throughout the 21st century that has brought many different types of censorship into play, from the Chinese government to the Uighur peoples. Examples of censorship in China against this specific group of people include the suppression of the Quran, religious practices such as attending mosques, and even the language of the Uyghur people. In China's Xinjiang province, Uyghur is no longer taught in schools, even though bilingual education was once the standard. Now only Mandarin is taught at school, effectively censoring the use of the native language of many peoples. This is closely related to the novel in the sense that a new language is invented specifically to prevent government opposition. While not exactly the same situation, language comes into play to erase thoughts in some people. For people in 1984 it was about preventing political rebellion, but for Uyghurs it means erasing their culture. Another relationship between the novel and the issue at hand is that of books. In both cases, a book (the Quran), or books in general, are censored to keep people in society oppressed. While this is not exactly the same situation, the same act of censorship is performed, but with different intentions. In 1984, the ban on free thought is the norm in their society, but this may also be the case for the Uyghur group, as their freedom of free thought to pursue their desired religion is again denied by an oppressive higher power. Throughout his career as an author, Orwell emphasized his opposition to totalitarianism and often made criticisms of society regarding this topic in his writings. Totalitarianism is a centralized and dictatorial system of government and requires complete submission to the state, a recurring theme throughout the novel 1984, with various examples. In the China-Uighur conflict, totalitarianism is all too prevalent. It manifests itself in many forms, and the method by farmore frightening than totalitarianism in China is placing Uyghur Muslims in “re-education camps” parallel to World War II concentration camps when they resist the oppressive government system. The purpose of re-education camps in China is to torture Uyghur Muslims into total submission to the government. Methods such as electrocution, forced sterilization of women, and brainwashing all occur within these camps as a terrifying method of control. Another form of control within China is the control of the Uighur population, diminishing it through methods such as forced sterilization and a limit on the number of children Uighur-Muslims can have. By far, however, the Chinese government's most common method of control over Uyghurs is brainwashing. They are brainwashed using cult-like methods, repeating phrases over and over and over again until they become permanently ingrained in their heads. They are forced to renounce their religious beliefs and claim that their only faith in life is in the Chinese Communist Party. A horrible event is occurring, which Orwell would heavily oppose due to his opposition to totalitarianism. This is one of the main characteristics that shaped his writing style and, therefore, can be seen many times throughout 1984. This is closely related to the situation in China in the sense that in the novel there is also a government that requires the total subjugation of its people through brainwashing methods. In the novel, however, brainwashing begins at birth, because from day one, children are brainwashed into believing that the government is the highest authority in existence. In contrast, the brainwashing of Uyghur people occurs when they challenge the government by practicing their native language or religion. The Uyghur peoples are a very ancient group of steppe peoples who have been around for a long time and their culture is essentially being erased from history and their struggles are being silenced, similar to colonialism in the Americas. They too have been brainwashed and their culture has been erased from history. This shows that the issues addressed in 1984 extend beyond certain situations and that the themes of the novel can be applied to many things throughout history and today, which is one of the factors that made Orwell such an incredible writer. When talking about the topic of propaganda in 2020, something that can be linked to it is the ongoing issue between North Korea and the United States. The North Koreans are often believed to be conspiring against the United States, and news reports across the country describe this as "propaganda." Propaganda goes beyond this topic and today can be seen everywhere, even in your own home. Propaganda can sometimes be a difficult subject to understand, but its essential meaning is a form of communication and is distorted or manipulated to favor one's point of view or argument. This could be a celebrity who says they haven't had any plastic surgery, omitting the fact they've received nose fillers because it's technically not a surgical procedure. For China, however, propaganda goes far beyond narrow self-image. The propaganda that exists in China is mainly communicated to other countries. This could be by telling other countries that the Uyghur conflict is all mere accusations, or by simply lying about what is happening. China has commented on the issue at hand several times, once issuing a statement noting that the conflict had improved with measures.