Since the beginning of time man has tried to build vast empires to control the globe. Manifest Destiny has been sown into our human nature creating in us the desire to conquer. In the United States, we are accustomed to a safe democratic government where everyone has a voice and freedoms, but what if it all changed? What would it even look like for America to be stripped of all our freedoms, rights, and liberties? We think this is crazy and could never happen, but George Orwell illustrates, throughout his novel 1984, the possible dangers of complete government control. Even though this exaggerated society seems farfetched, many of his fictional governmental qualities are starting to line up with our government today.Throughout the novel the totalitarian government, called Big Brother, is constantly attacking the people psychologically. One of the first things that strikes protagonist Winston Smith is a poster in the street, reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 5). From the very beginning of the book, the government is already shoving fear down on top of the citizens of Oceana. This threat is not all bark either, but all citizens are being monitored by cameras and microphones everywhere. In every single room there is a “telescreen” with propaganda of how great the country is. Nazi Propaganda leader Minister Joseph Goebbels said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” And that is exactly what Big Brother did. They had complete divisions set apart to change the history of the country to make it sound like they were doing great. The people who remembered the truth (like Winston) were considered rebels of the state and were to be “vaporized” (Orwell 51). It was not e…
…ca we don’t have the “Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Love, Ministry of Truth, and Ministry of Plenty” (Orwell 8) we are slowly heading that direction. As time goes on and more technology advances, will the government be restricted? If we are heading in the path that we are on, America could be Oceana before we know it. Instead of the year 1984 George Orwell should have written 2084.
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Works Cited
“Americans Are Now Living In a Society That Rivals Orwell’s 1984.” Infowars.com. 9 Nov.2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.
Malinowitz, Harriet. “The ‘Newspeak’ of our time.” The Women’s Review of Books Sept. 2004:19+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.Toure, Andrew. “Commentary: Appreciation for George Orwell’s ‘1984’.” Weekend All ThingsConsidered 22 June 2003. Literature Resource Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Harcourt, 1949. Print.
