Student Essay on Is the World of 1984 Possible?

Is the World of 1984 Possible?

Summary:   The lack of privacy in 1984 is something that is clearly shown in the text. Orwell shows us this by introducing the ruler of Oceania, Big Brother. He is watching everyone at anytime and it is put up all over Oceania "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU."

George Orwell's world of 1984 is a dark and sinister place. In a world controlled by high and demanding power constantly living in fear of doing or saying something is somewhat similar to the world of 1984. It is a place where no personal freedoms subsist. It is a place where no one knows the meaning of privacy. It is a place where you must do as you are told and where no one has love for one another. George Orwell's world of 1984 is slowly becoming ours. In the modern world people are subjected to no privacy. The development of cameras and microphones are used to destroy privacy and in a way, cease freedom. The political world is becoming very high demanding, where many nations are trying to seek "absolute power" and trying to become totalitarian governments. Truth is a mystery and secret in 1984 and we are reflecting that by destroying the truth through the media and politics.

The lack of privacy in 1984 is something that is clearly shown in the text. Orwell shows us this by introducing the ruler of Oceania, Big Brother. He is watching everyone at anytime and it is put up all over Oceania "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU." Society is constantly kept at watch and observed without knowing. All this is controlled by Orwell's invention of the telescreen. The telescreen is a fundamental invention of machinery that Big Brother and the Inner party use to observe Oceania's public and to limit how much free thought each person makes. It watches every facial expression and records any abnormal body language or movement you make. Even in your homes there is no escape. All this lack of privacy is seen in our world today. The technological inventions of the camera and microphone have made it possible to destroy privacy in society and homes. Cameras now have developed into sizes that are smaller than a button and are now becoming unnoticeable to the naked eye. Now we are afraid of being watched and are vigilant in anything we do. The world does not seem as free as before. Many homes, organizations and governments are being watched with surveillance technology such as spy cameras and security cameras. Many parties and organizations are being exposed and we see that in the media. Privacy in society now seems worthless and freedom is fading away. Is privacy better in 1984 or is it better now"

In 1984, the political democracy is a totalitarian one. In the Encarta dictionary, Totalitarian is defined as a centralized government system which a single party without opposition rules over political, social and cultural life. The Inner Party is the sole government that rules Oceania. It controls everything and everyone and whoever who disagrees is punished. Everone must obey and the party teaches that to all members in Oceania, "He who controls the past controls the present, and he who controls the present controls the future." In our present world today, some nations around the world are run by governments which seek absolute power over its people. Nations like these that do seek power, reflect from the text of 1984. Slowly many nations are realising that power is the way to go and many nations will try to take control of the world. An example is America. At the moment America is one of the very strong nations that is in fact taking control over minor countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Once a lot of nations are ready to take control, there will be wars on which country is superior. This is shown in the text with the war with Eurasia and Oceania. It is only a matter of time when countries will fight to become the superior nation in the world.

Truth is something that is usually understood as fact or reality that is known to be right. However truth can be manipulated so easily. The speed of truth to untruth can happen in a blink of an eye in 1984. The text shows that the Inner party terminates people's identities and creates a whole new one. Birth certificates and death certificates are no where to found and everything is changed. Truth in 1984 is altered everyday and not just through secret means. It is done over the media as well. The telescreen shows a lot of news about the war with Eurasia and Oceania and how Oceania is destroying the nations, but in fact all of it is not true. Much information is misleading; it is just used to tell the people what to do and to keep them in a steady state. The party uses the media as a tool to get in the publics head. It is a domineering act that actually works and is seen in the text. An example of this is the character Winston in 1984. He goes through his life living with the truth. His beliefs are with the party and that's all he knows. The truth he believed in the text was what he understood or acquired from the party. The party mislead him to make him think that Oceania was without a doubt a no blunder place. This is seen in society today through the media as well. The media hides the actual truth to change a story and the public is deceived from the truth. Governments also hide the truth from many companies and organizations to ensure their position stays in the workplace. It's all over the world and it is gradually increasing. Many people are wiped clean of their identity, kidnapped or even murdered from underground networks that are linked with political leaders. Their families are held ransom and they must follow what the network says and must obey. This is something that is seen in 1984 and something that is occurring. Truth is seen clearly for people who are very intelligent. For an average person it is hard to know what is what. How do we know what's true and what's false"

The world of 1984 is definitely a work in progress in our world. It is something that is not going to happen tomorrow but it's only a matter of time we are going to be watched by telescreens. But are we ready for it? Will it be possible to handle? These questions will be answered in time. But without a doubt the world of 1984 is possible in our world today.