I think that today's society is a «half version» of George Owell's novel, 1984, in some ways it is similar and in others, uniquely different. The closest we come today to a «Big Brother» is the mob. The people are also controlled by watchful security cameras and subliminal messages. However, something in life today is very different from that of 1984, it is the people. In the words of the famous lyricist, «Power to the People». In analyzing «Big Brother» there are similarities between it and the mob. The Mafia is a crime
Family that can see everything, there is no going against the mob or else someone is going to die. The Mafia is so widespread that it has operatives all over keeping an eye out for cops or law enforcement, this is the Mafia's «telescreens» (Orwell 6). Another startling similarity between the mob and «Big Brother» is the Mafia's strange way of making someone disappear or «vaporize» (Orwell ). Almost unknowingly a person's identity can be changed, altered, or deleted.
Authorities use security and surveillance cameras to observe criminal activities or possibly every
Day activities. Too much surveillance liberties are given to police or FBI. By using hi-tech cameras which Can actually document a person's life. Unknowingly, there may be a cute little camera installed in the bedroom. Another way that today's society controls the masses is subliminal messages. Illegal now,
Subliminal messages were widely used in the entertainment business, especially during the fifties. An example
Is that movie makers would add a split-second commercial add for popcorn and soda during a movie. Customers would actually be manipulated into buying these products. Even though, this kind of Brainwashing is illegal, it is still very hard to detect, who's to say that we are not bombarded by subliminal Messages just by watching commercials on television. This is too risky, to think that a person's actions and emotions can be swayed by someone else's perversion's. Again, this is very similar to 1984. Of all the things there are today that would make it impossible for there to be an inner or outer
Party, as in 1984, is that there is each other. No matter how hard our government tries, they cannot reach everyone. Contrary to 1984, where they do get everyone, I feel that was extreme and unlikely. I find it highly unlikely that a form of government can find a way to get the whole world to follow them. 1984 is not a reality, strength lies in numbers. In conclusion, life in the nineties, is a very resilient time. In this time, there is a substantial amount
Of restriction of the public, much of which is for law and order. A lot of this day and age may resemble George Orwell's 1984. It is nothing but a facade of government mixing with technology at a dangerous level. There's nothing to fear because 1984 is far-fetched and an anti-socialists nightmare.
Introduction - This story takes place in a state called Oceania. The main characters introduced are Winston Smith who is a worker on one of the four branches of government on Oceania. This four branches are «The Ministry of Truth» where they falsificate or remove all past documents such as books, newspapers, magazines, records, tapes and anything containing information about the past and are rewritten with the «accurate» meaning of whatever the Government (known as «Big Brother») wants it to be. All past records are erased and everyone must believe what the new ones say or else they are caught by the Thought Police. The Thought Police are a group of modern people who are like the police of our time except that this police can see you every single second of your life through special devices that look like T. V.'s called Telescreens. This Telescreens are placed in the houses of people, outside buildings, parks, walls, anywhere they could be put and are always turned on.
The Telescreens are constantly giving you information of the wars won and also telling you what to do and always watching every movement you do, no expressions are admitted in Oceania other than hatred or the one «Big Brother» tells you to. The second branch is called «The Ministry of Love» where people were punished, tortured and were taught to hate each other. The third branch is called «The Ministry of Plenty» where economic affairs were handled, they decided who got how much of something almost always being too little of a ration. The last branch is called «The Ministry of Peace» which handled all the war affairs such as where the next bomb they launched would hit and who they needed to destroy next. Big Brother had a slogan that read «WAR IS PEACE», «FREEDOM IS SLAVERY» and «IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH». Winston worked in the Ministry of truth where he's job was to rewrite the news on the newspaper called Times. Another character is O'Brien who helps Winston love Big Brother for Winston hated Big Brother. Julia is the girl that falls in love (which is a very big crime) with Winston. Katharine is Winston's wife though he hasn't seen her for three years. Eastasia and Eurasia are the two other states fighting for power with Oceania. The proles are the only people who are not controlled so much by Big Brother, they act as we do and can have their own believes, thoughts, feelings or anything they feel like. Emmanuel Goldstein is the boss of an underground brotherhood that wants to destroy Big Brother.
Conflict - There are uncountable conflicts on this novel but the main one is the struggle of Winston to disobey Big Brother and try to rebel against it and destroy it trying to bring back the original past of mankind.
Climax - The climax of this story is when Winston and Julia join this secret brotherhood commanded by Emmanuel Goldstein who's sole purpose is to destroy Big Brother by opening the eyes of people by a secret book that didn't have a name, it was just called «the book» which contained the beliefs of Emmanuel as to what Big Brother was doing.
Falling Action - The falling action here is when after Winston and Julia have sex in their own little hiding place which was a room who they rented from Mr. Charrington (who was really O'Brien in disguise) in a place where the proles lived, the Thought Police, commanded by O'Brien catch them and takes them to the Ministry of love where they are punished, humiliated and are made to confess everything and anything that they ever knew while being tortured by O'Brien. Winston betrays everything he loved by punishment and is made to betray everyone and everything he believed in by facing his greatest terror which is rats.
Conclusion - The conclusion is that after a few months or years of rehabilitation, Winston is taught to obey Big Brother and love him even though his mind tells him otherwise and he also has to learn how to control his mind to suit whatever Big Brother says is true or not such as 2+2 being 5 and not 4, and he knew it was 5 because Big Brother said so and there was no proof of it being incorrect. After he gets rehabilitated they send him off out of the Ministry of love and is killed by a bullet that enters his head and finally at the end he knows that he now loved Big Brother even though Big Brother had killed him for he never betrayed Big Brother after his rehabilitation.
1984 by George Orwell
Home
Download
