IndexLoss of identity and oppression of rights as symbols of dehumanizationLoss of emotions as another way to demonstrate dehumanizationConclusionSociety often finds people living a prosperous life, but there are also people who experience the exact opposite, perhaps even victims of dehumanization. The process of dehumanization is an attempt to make someone, or a group of people, feel or appear less human. This action is commonly used to censor people and make them live an alternate reality where those in power can maliciously control them to achieve their goals. The concept of dehumanization is demonstrated through the novels 1984 and Night, through the main characters of each novel being deprived of basic human rights and taking on the role of a predetermined object that was forcibly given by people in power. This has been done by oppressing people and limiting their rights to possess an identity, to show emotions, and by limiting their access to basic human needs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Loss of Identity and Oppression of Rights as Symbols of Dehumanization Loss of identity is one of the many branches of dehumanization explored in both novels, each of which the novels' main characters are in danger of/or have already had taken from them identity and therefore become a lesser version of themselves. In the novel Night, Eliezer and his father were forced into a Nazi concentration camp because of their past. Eliezer was slowly stripped of his true self, from being forced to run excessive distances to having a number tattooed on him, eventually being known as a number by all those around him. “The three 'veteran' prisoners, needles in their hands, numbers tattooed on their left arm. I became A-7713. From that moment on I had no other name." (Wiesel, 42). Although each individual has their own unique number, it is a method of identification that makes the person feel less like themselves. Numbers are not prestigious or identifiable as unique with respect to the right to a name, therefore representing the loss of identity because 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 using language itself and resorts to Oldspeak, the language that held the idea of ​​thinking articulately, held rebellious thoughts, and held knowledge. Newspeak was invented to remove all those features of the ancient language, that's why Winston hates it. When conversing with Syme, writer of the Newspeak dictionary, he says to Winston: “Don't you see that the whole purpose of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? Ultimately we will make thought crime literally impossible because there will be no words with which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed exactly by one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings effaced and forgotten” (Orwell, 67). The quote outlines a goal that the party is trying to achieve so that no one can rebel against him. By removing all the significant words in a language and reducing it to the bare minimum, no one can commit thought crimes. This is directly related to the loss of identity as Newspeak would prevent people from thinking articulately, resulting in the Party having easier control over them. The difference betweenWinston's experiences and those of Eliezer is that while one person has already been dehumanized, the other is still in the right state of mind and can fight for his freedom. Eliezer has already lost his identity because he is in the camp and has to abide by its rules and get his number tattooed, but Winston has still kept 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 drastically affected the main characters in a negative way. In the novel Night, as Eliezer was being transported to the concentration camp with his father, he described the experience as if he had been treated like an animal. “The Hungarian police made us get into the cars, eighty people each. They handed us some bread and a few buckets of water. They checked the window bars to make sure they didn't come loose. The cars were sealed. For each car, one person was entrusted: if anyone managed to escape, they would shoot him" (Wiesel, 22). Jewish inmates are treated like animals, receiving 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 there was very little air to breathe and most likely no space to move as it was so full, contributing to the loss of basic human rights as we see humans treated as a species different with minimal regard to their health. While this novel shows a more violent side of human rights abuse, 1984 takes a different approach. In 1984 everyone living in society is being watched, everywhere you go there is a camera watching 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 whether you were being watched at any given time. How many times, or with what system, the Thought Police connected to each individual cable was anyone's guess. It was also conceivable that they were watching everyone all the time. But in any case, they could plug in the cord whenever they wanted” (Orwell, 5). The Thought Police are blatantly invading the privacy of innocent people. People's freedom and rights are taken away from them for the benefit of someone else. The quote “Big Brother is watching you” is a recurring quote that reinforces the fact that the government always monitors a person's every behavior. Loss of privacy is an example of human rights violation because the government is taking away a person's freedom to do what they want, making everyone always scared knowing that they can be observed at any time. Loss of Emotions as Another Way of Demonstrating Dehumanization Emotions are crucial to 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 seen his father being beaten by a person, while it would be in every son's best interest to help his father, Eliezer didn't bat an eyelid. Instead of helping his father, he watched him suffer. “I was petrified. What happened to me? My father had just been shot, in front of me, and I hadn't even blinked. I had kept watch and was silent” (Wiesel, 39). This shows that Eliezer knew what was going on, but for some reason did nothing to resolve the situation. Elie has been changed so much by the camp that he doesn't even flinch at the sight of his father's life being taken away from him. The camp turned him into a heartless/emotionless being, while a normal human being.