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Similarities Between 1984 And 21st Century America

1170 Words5 Pages

Tyler Lew
Mr. Roche
European Literature
26 March 2023
Oceania vs. 21st-Century America
As the turn of the millennium has unfolded, many people agree that America is not the country it used to be. Torn by politics, racism, and lies many turn to the pages of dystopian novels to attempt to predict the future. A popular novel, although written long ago, is constantly quoted for its alarming relevance to today’s society. Written in 1949 by George Orwell, 1984 tells of a horrid dystopian society dominated by a totalitarian government named Big Brother, holding complete control over every aspect of its subjects' lives. Through the perspective of Winston, a man struggling to appear orthodox to others while maintaining his rebellious and individualistic …show more content…

Although America in the 21st century is developing similar dystopian qualities to the fictional society within George Orwell’s novel 1984, the dystopian qualities of constant surveillance, news modification, and dehumanized state demonstrate how dystopian qualities can exist within the United States without becoming problematic.
The United States of America passed the Patriot Act because of the government’s obligation to itself and others to become a safer place from both internal and external threats, showing striking similarities to George Orwell’s 1984 where citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. After being apprehended and locked inside the Ministry of Love for conspiring against the Party, it was made aware to Winston that “for seven years … there was no physical act, no word spoken aloud, that [The Thought Police] had not noticed, no train of thought that they had not been able to infer” (Orwell 276). The secrecy and power of the Thought Police to monitor Winston’s activities is frightening and demonstrates the fear inhabitants of Oceania live under. Big Brother spying on its citizens demonstrates how large governments utilize constant surveillance to ensure their …show more content…

Undisputedly phones have quickly become indispensable objects which dominate our daily lives, leading to both addiction and dehumanized lives. However, many Americans during pressing times of the covid pandemic truly believe phones have had a positive impact on their life, as “59% of respondents agreed that their phone has been their lifeline during the pandemic, and a similar number say that it has kept them from feeling isolated and lonely” (Klaviyo). Compared to Victory Gin, phones can be a positive driving factor by connecting individuals, whereas alcohol only takes the pain away temporarily and ultimately brings the intoxicated back to their original state, if not worse. Although phones do have a constant presence in our lives does not mean that their presence is entirely harmful. Phones possess nearly endless abilities, the impact a phone has is entirely dependent on the actions of its user, not on the device. Many Americans today show justified hatred towards the government for its numerous misdemeaning and overstepping actions. However, the ability to freely speak out against the government without repercussions should be taken note of and cherished for the freedom it gives its citizens a voice. Although American

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This makes the slogan of Big Brother and its totalitarian ways

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Imagine your TV is always on and always watching your every move. Welcome to 1984. From now on you must be very careful what you think for you must always live in fear of committing a thought crime. Even one negative thought about Big Brother could force the Thought Police to erase you from existence or, as they say in Newspeak, to make you an unperson. This is the daily life of a citizen of George Orwell’s fictional country called Oceania.

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The Relevancy Between George Orwell's 1984 And Our Present Day George Orwell's 1984 continues to be relevant today in the ways of government control, technology, and the similarities between 1984 and the controls effect on people. Politics are important. Being informed about whatś going on in the world is important, but oftentimes people let it affect them greatly. It can affect their mood, influence their thoughts.

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The individualists in this world are seen as the rebels, as they work against the way the Party wants to operate. Winston’s real rebellion begins when he starts meeting Julia. Once he becomes close with Julia, he starts expressing himself, showing more of his actual character and not the face he puts on for the party. This allows Winston to become more of an individual, and separate himself from the Party life. Orwell illustrates the positive affect that this gain in independence has on Winston on page 157.

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Britney Thomas Ms.Rusciani Honors English 4 Jan 5, 2023 In 1984, George Orwell introduces the concept of non-stop surveillance through Oceania’s patronizing party slogans, their strategic way of twisting their own words, the irony of their own beliefs, and the dehumanizing effects they have on their own characters. In doing so Orwell seems to be telling us that surveillance has the power to strip one of their identity. This same concept is seen in the daily lives of many children who are raised by helicopter parents.

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1984 follows a man named Winston Smith who resides in Oceania, a country ran by a totalitarian government called INGSOC. The government controls almost every aspect of peoples’ lives and going against the government results in elimination or torture. Surprisingly, 1984 relates significantly to several of today’s societies and governments, including the United States, Russia, Cuba, and North Korea in ways of mass mind control, electronic intrusion, and endless war. The USA PATRIOT Act allows the government to get a hold of an individual’s private records without a warrant.

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Moderation of expression, a significant part in 1984’s government, “Ingsoc”, plays a key element in America’s division. The “Ministry of Truth” is a branch of Ingsoc’s government that acts with controlling the Thought Police, and they censor the world’s history as well. They also use technology such as the “telescreen” to see and hear everywhere in the country. If a citizen is caught acting in “Thought Crime”, that criminal is rehabilitated through brainwashing in the mockingly named “Ministry of Love” (Orwell 2-4). Similar to Ingsoc’s “Ministry of Truth”, the United States has its own federal spying organization.

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When George Orwell wrote 1984, he had ideas for technology that weren't even invented yet. He made predictions for a distopian world that are very similar to the world we live in today. Though there isn't a ton of technology in 1984, there is enough to compare it to today. In today's world, we have a lot of technology.

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As the world watched World War II emerge as one of the biggest wars in the history of the universe, George Orwell wrote 1984 to criticize the totalitarian approach of the socialist leaders in countries like Germany and the U.S.S.R. The book was written in 1948 when the act of communism became a dangerously threatening type of government to the citizens all over the world. In 1984, Winston, the main character of the novel, reflects on London’s dystopian society by creating his own diary, which is an act that brings him immense threat to the quality of his life. Even today, many citizens face the same types of situations that Winston experiences throughout the book. There are obvious parallels between the novel and America in 2016 in concepts

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George Orwell’s 1984 is a precautionary tale of what happens when the government has too much control in our lives. The protagonist, Winston Smith, is at odds in a world in which he is not allowed to counter the government’s surveillance and control. Perhaps more striking is the noticeable relationship between the novel and modern society. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 the book predicts the surveillance of Big Brother in modern day societies.

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In George Orwell’s 1984, the protagonist, Winston, learns about life and love as he watches the world around him conform to the party and comrades give up their rights. Orwell asks the question, “When should we give up privacy for security?” Through the Party’s constant surveillance and the comrades’ distrust in the people around them, Orwell shows that as security is prioritized over privacy, human nature leads to an increase in suspicion and far fewer relationships. The Party’s watchful eyes in the novel shows the reader the security and observations by the Party and Big Brother as they disregard privacy in order to have rule and power.

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In 1984, George Orwell depicts a dystopian society pervaded by government control and the obsolescence of human emotion and society. Winston is forced to confront the reality of a totalitarian rule where the residents of Oceania are manipulated to ensure absolute government control and servitude of the people. The theme of totalitarianism and dystopia is employed in 1984 to grant absolute power to the government and ensure the deference of the people through the proliferation of propaganda, the repudiation of privacy and freedom, and the eradication of human thought and values. The repudiation of privacy and independent thought and the ubiquity of government surveillance is employed to secure absolute power to the government over the populace

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In 1949, a man predicted the domination of citizens by the totalitarian government and their custom of technologies to dictate the society. His name is George Orwell, a well-known British author, who wrote one of the most famous dystopian novels, 1984. The novel 1984 illustrates the totalitarian society and the life of Winston Smith, who works at the Ministry of truth and his humiliation by the party of the country, Oceania. George Orwell’s exaggeration and mockery of the totalitarian governments in the novel 1984 is now turning out to be one of the nightmare come true in our modern society.

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In George Orwell’s futuristic novel, 1984, he predicts that from 1949 to 1984 a revolution will occur to restore order to Oceania. From this revolution emerged a government that uses mind control and twenty four hour surveillance to control its citizens. Throughout the story readers get to know the thoughts of the main character, Winston Smith. This new government, The Party, is controlled by an elusive man called Big Brother. To keep the citizens of Oceania under command and loyal to The Party, they are only exposed to certain things.

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In George Orwell’s novel 1984, A theme of violation of human rights is thoroughly present, from violation of privacy, violation of the freedom of speech and religion, and the loss of humanity in general from the ever present form of Big Brother. As the villain of the novel, Big Brother- who represents the government -has absolute control over the citizens’ lives. While 1984 effectively conveys the dangers of a totalitarian government, Orwell’s predicted society is not present in today’s world. Comparatively speaking, the United States of America has more rights and freedoms than Orwell’s Oceania, but in some cases the rights of the citizens must be violated for safety reasons and other justifiable causes. Orwell’s novel 1984 paints a picture

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