Mindcrime Analysis

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The novel 1984 by George Orwell not only was a play on a possible Nazi-ruled future, but inspired many pop-culture references in later years. A notable example is the song Operation: Mindcrime by Queensrÿche, released in 1988 on the album of the same name. The album itself follows the story of a man named Nikki, as he goes through problems with heroin abuse and being brainwashed by a man under the name of Dr. X and working for an ‘underground revolution’. Both 1984 and Operation: Mindcrime are revolutionary in their fields with themes of dystopian upset, gaining fame and popularity for years to come. They share some basic concepts and steps while also having basic contrasts to differentiate from one another. From the themes of rebellion to…show more content…
Winston is shown to receive brainwashing near the end of the novel, as a means to scrub him clean of the adultery and sins that he has committed against the Party, and turn him back into a proper productive member. The brainwashing is meant to take away his rebellious urges and the desire to get away from the Party, and make him just a cloned mine in a sea of many others. On the other hand, Nikki is brainwashed into doing terrible things against the current government power. When called over the phone and told the word “mindcrime”, Nikki will go and follow directions given from Dr. X and assassinate any number of political figures that pose a threat to him. In the song Nikki is told he has nothing to lose and all to gain from these assassinations and aiding the doctor. In reality, Nikki is doing nothing good under the influence of heroin or brainwashing, and is simply digging himself in a deeper hole each time he answers the phone and takes the needle. Regardless of brainwashing being present in both novel and song, the reason of said influence in nowhere near in similarity, rather completing two completely opposite

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