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Is 1984 Still Relevant Today

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1984 was written after World War II by George Orwell as a warning against totalitarian communism.1984 serves as a warning to future generations about the future that may result from a totalitarian government's tyranny. 1984’s protagonist Winston Smith is a rebellious Party member who hopes to uncover the corrupt activities of the Party and undermine their transactions with a vigilante group led by Goldstein. The book is based on his rebellious actions that strictly go against the Party’s ideals and beliefs. Despite being written in 1949, 1984 is still relevant to our world through the use of constant surveillance, censorship of the truth, and manipulation of the masses. The world of 1984 is enveloped in big posters with the phrase “Big Brother …show more content…

This may be reflected in real life with the Patriot Act passed in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. This act was justified to prevent future terroristic events from impacting the USA. The Patriot Act allowed the US government to listen in on private phone conversations and emails. This expanded the US government's power over the citizens' privacy. Putting the government over its people is the first step to the end of privacy, even if it is justified at first. The protagonist of the book, Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, which serves the purpose of informing the people of the latest news. Instead of being accurate, the Ministry of Truth is extremely biased towards the government and constantly prompts propaganda to fit its agenda. The sayings of Big Brother are shifted so they have the effect of predicting the future and false news is reported to benefit the oligarchical government. Winston’s job is to dispose of any materials that threaten the oligarchy. The lies portrayed by the Ministry of Truth serve to show how easily news can be corrupted. Many people have different political opinions. Even for us, news outlets are …show more content…

This is through the expansion of doublethink. With doublethink, people don’t think about ideas against the oligarchy, even if it is true. The government of Oceania is given the power to say “2 + 2 = 5” and although 2 + 2 must equal 4 for all advancements in science, engineering, and daily use, the citizens don’t doubt it at all. The government has also invaded daily life through the invention of newspeak. Newspeak does not allow for one to express dissatisfaction with the government, so even if they could feel it, their feelings would be alone and amount to nothing. These two ideas go hand in hand to create subservient citizens who hate the brotherhood, which values freedom and democracy. The government has power over education. It is through the Department of Education of the federal government that the curriculum, which is taught to every child and adolescent, is created. In the early years of our lives, we are most influenced by our surroundings. The government's influence on us is integrated into our daily lives as well through our years of

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