Table of contentsLoss of identity and oppression of rights as symbols of dehumanizationLoss of emotion as another way to demonstrate dehumanizationConclusionSociety often finds people living prosperous lives, but there are also people living the opposite, perhaps even victims of dehumanization. The process of dehumanization is an attempt to make a person, or group of people, feel or appear less human. This action is commonly used to censor people and make them experience an alternate reality where the people applying power can maliciously control them to achieve their agenda. The concept of dehumanization is demonstrated through the novels 1984 and Night, in which the main characters of each novel are deprived of their basic human rights and assume the role of a predetermined object forcefully given to them by people in power. This was done by oppressing people and limiting their rights to possess an identity, to express their emotions, and by limiting their access to basic human needs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayLoss of identity and oppression of rights as symbols of dehumanizationLoss of identity is one of many branches of the dehumanization explored in both novels, each of the main characters in the novels are in danger/or have already had their identity removed and therefore become a lesser version of themselves. In the novel Night, Eliezer and his father were forced to enter a Nazi concentration camp because of their origins. Eliezer was slowly stripped of his true self, forced to run excessive distances until having a number tattooed on him, he was eventually known as a number by everyone around him. “The three 'veteran' prisoners, needles in their hands, numbers tattooed on their left arms. I became A-7713. From that moment on, I never had another name. (Wiesel, 42 years old). Although each individual has their own unique number, it is a method of identification that makes the person feel worse. Numbers are not prestigious or identifiable unique compared to the right to a name, thus representing the loss of identity as they take away a person's individuality. Similar to Eliezer's experiences in the concentration camp, Winston also faced a similar situation in 1984. A language known as Newspeak is the official language of Oceania. Winston is not in favor of the use of language itself and resorts to Oldspeak, the language which contained the idea of ​​thinking articulately, contained rebellious thoughts, and contained knowledge. Newspeak was invented to remove all these features of the old language, which is why Winston hates it. In a conversation with Syme, author of the Newspeak dictionary, he said to Winston: "Don't you see that the very purpose of Newspeak is to restrict the range of thought?" Ultimately we will make thoughtcrime literally impossible because there will be no words to express it. Every concept that can be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings erased and forgotten” (Orwell, 67). The quote describes a goal that the party is trying to achieve so that no one can rebel against them. By removing all meaningful words from a language and reducing them to a minimum, no one can commit thoughtcrime. This is directly linked to the loss of identity since Newspeak would prevent people from thinking in a wayarticulated, which would allow the Party to have easier control over them. The differences between Winston and Eliezer's experiences are that even though one of the people has already been dehumanized, the other is still in the right state of mind and can fight for their freedom. Eliezer has already lost his identity because he is in the camp and has to follow its rules and get the number tattooed, but Winston has still retained his identity at the time of this quote, but he will eventually lose it as the novel progresses. Another form of dehumanization common to both novels is the loss of basic human rights. The loss of basic human rights has had a considerable negative impact on the main characters. In the novel Night, as Eliezer was transported to the concentration camp with his father in a car, he describes this experience as being treated like an animal. “The Hungarian police put us in cars, eighty people in each. They handed us bread and a few buckets of water. They checked the window bars to make sure they wouldn't come loose. The cars were sealed. One person was in charge of each car: if anyone managed to escape, that person was shot” (Wiesel, 22). Jewish inmates are treated like animals, given the bare minimum to survive until they arrive at their destination to serve in the camps. The conditions described were inhumane: "The cars were sealed," implying that there was very little air to breathe and most likely no space to move because they were so crowded, thus contributing to the loss of rights fundamental humans, because we see humans as human beings. different species without worrying too much about their health. While this novel presents a more violent aspect of human rights, 1984 takes a different approach. In 1984, everyone in society is monitored, everywhere you go a camera monitors your every move. In this novel, the privacy of every human being is violated for the benefit of the Party. “Of course, there was no way of knowing if you were being watched at any given time. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police connected on an individual wire was only a guess. It was even conceivable that they were watching everyone all the time. But anyway, they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted” (Orwell, 5). The Thought Police blatantly invade the privacy of innocent people. People's freedom and rights are taken away for someone else's benefit. The quote "Big Brother is watching you" is a recurring quote that reinforces the fact that the government is always monitoring a person's every lifestyle. Loss of privacy is an example of human rights violation because the government takes away a person's freedom to do what they want, making everyone always afraid knowing that it can be monitored at any time. Demonstrating DehumanizationEmotions are crucial in everyday life because they communicate how we feel to the people around us, but when they are taken away from you, you become expressionless and feel helpless. In the novel Night, Eliezer had witnessed his own father being beaten by a person, while it would be in every son's best interest to help his own father, Eliezer didn't even blink. Instead of helping his own father, he simply watched him suffer. “I was petrified. What happened to me? My father had just been beaten, in front of me, and I didn't even blink. I had observed and remained silent” (Wiesel, 39). This shows that Eliezer knew what was happening, but for some reason he didn't do anything.