In the book 1984 by George Orwell, the author, portrays a dystopian society that leaves the reader with a sense of uneasiness. Throughout the story, the author describes tactics used by the party to keep a sense of fear instilled in the citizens. The use of the telescreens, the thoughtpolice, the memory holes, the ministries, and the party slogan “War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength” have created obedient party members in Oceania. However, some of these ideas that Orwell touches on, which seem so invasive, are apparent today. The world we live in has led many to believe that George Orwell predicted our future in the book 1984; seemingly safe social media platforms such as facebook are being used to monitor people and report false information, the power of back door access on iphones, surveillance cameras and computer webcams that can be tapped into, and the endless war that has become an epidemic we all fear.
With the development and advancements in technology, many new conveniences have appeared, but in turn led to the arousal of many fears and questions about the safety of technology. In the book 1984, the citizens of Oceania are watched carefully through telescreens in order to ensure that all citizens are obeying the party. Today, this can be compared to the government’s ability to watch people through computer webcams(Beale, 1). “With our National Security Agency involved in warrantless wiretapping, maintaining a call database, and engaged in data-mining, we can be forgiven for wondering if Big Brother is no longer a fictional character” (Denvil, 1). People are paranoid at the thought of being watched at any time without even knowing. In addition, the government can gain back door access on iPhones and other smartphone devices. This means they can access any information stored on your phone and see content you are searching. They even have ‘the ability to load and execute modified firmware without user intervention” (Blunden, 1). Telescreens watched over Winston carefully, and ultimately, the hidden telescreen became the reason he was caught in his love affair with Julia. Winston and Julia were clueless of being watched in the room above Mr. Charrington's shop until the words, which seemed to have come from the picture, “you are the dead” were spoken.
The citizens of Oceania must use memory holes to get rid of any evidence of the past. The concept of things being destroyed in order to be forgotten is present in modern society. People are greatly concerned about their image and attempt to portray the best version of themselves on social media in order to maintain a particular public perception. Therefore, they constantly try to admonish any picture or sort of evidence that would undermine the image that they are trying to portray. On social media, there are choices to hide, delete, or report posts that you no longer would like to appear publicly. Similarly, people like to get rid of information on their phones that they do not want: this could be by deleting text messages, erasing browser history, and deleting contacts. There are even certains apps where pictures and videos that you post or send disappear seconds after the recipient views it. The concept of controlling information including where it exists, and altering images creates a distorted vision of the past and present. In the Ministry of Truth, they alter any information in order for it to be “correct” so that Big Brother is always viewed as right. Today the press, which includes the news and magazines, lead readers to believe false information because “the Press controls and contains the flow of information in our society”(Reddit, 1).
Across society there is a lingering fear from the threat of terrorism and due to weak national security around the world. The never ending war in our country can be compared to Oceanias constant state of war with Eurasia and Eastasia. Our military is always involved in other countries as “we do seem to have a habit of moving seamlessly from one military conflict to another” (Denvil, 1). In addition, to always being involved in war, the leaking and hacking of confidential information over the internet presents a constant battle in need of attention. The enumerable conflicts pose more battles our government must face and find ways to prevent from spreading.
George Orwell’s novel has become more relevant to society today than ever before. The seemingly intangible concepts that are identified in 1984 are now apparent. The uneasiness that the novel causes the reader reflects the modern world's widespread instability and state of distress. It may not be long until another one of Orwell's predictions comes true and our own language becomes Newspeak.
works cited:
Orwell, George. 1984. Inglaterra: Pearson Education, 2008. Print.
"9 Similarities Between 1984 and Today." Reddit. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 June 2017. <https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/2nljsk/9_similarities_between_1984_and_today/>.
Blunden, Bill. "Apple’s IPhone: The Backdoor Is Already There." Counterpunch. N.p., 22 Feb. 2016. Web. 6 June 2017. <https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/22/apples-iphone-the-backdoor-is-already-there/>.
Beale, Lewis. "Opinion: We're Living '1984' Today." CNN. Cable News Network, 03 Aug. 2013. Web. 06 June 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/03/opinion/beale-1984-now/index.html>.
Denvil, Alasdair. "4 Predictions From Orwell’s '1984' That Are Coming True Today." Mic. N.p., 18 June 2013. Web. 6 June 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/49409/4-predictions-from-orwell-s-1984-that-are-coming-true-today#.hrBIZm2BT>.
1984 Essay
Siddhartha Essay
In the book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, the author argues that materialism can only get you so far through the main character Siddhartha. Siddhartha is a wise man who takes a leap of faith into the unknown. He doesn't want to live the life that is expected of him and decides to journey to find himself. Throughout Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment, the temptations Hesse portrays, leading Siddhartha off his path, validifies the statement materialism can only get you so far.
In the book, Siddhartha begins his journey by stripping himself of all the extravagant items he has and leaving his privileged life. He became a Samana who lives with close to nothing. As a Samana, he fasted and practiced self-mutilation his goal was "...to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure, and sorrow- to let the self-die." After many years, Siddhartha felt he learned all that he could from the Samanas and became discontent. Even the oldest Samana had not achieved nirvana, and Siddhartha knew it was time to go. Although Siddhartha didn't realize what he wanted to as a Samana, he learned many invaluable things due to removing himself from a materialistic life.
Later In the novel, Siddhartha does a complete 180 and leads an exorbitant life full of wealth. He becomes the apprentice to a wealthy merchant. To attain this position, he tells the merchant, Kamaswami, what he has learned from being a Samana. Siddhartha says "(He) can think, (he) can wait, (he) can fast." These are invaluable skills because "his life was always directed by the art of thinking, waiting, and fasting," yet Kamaswami wasn't interested in these skills he took on Siddhartha because he could read and write. With Siddhartha's new life of riches, he still was discontent. He learned the ways of the ordinary people, but only the unpleasant ones. Siddhartha had everything anyone could ever want to possess physically, but "slowly the soil sickness of the rich crept over him." Siddhartha let the life of luxury get the best of him, and he lost his light. Trapped in a cycle of hoarding wealth death came upon him. Siddhartha lost his way to enlightenment due to the money that crept over him.
The irony displayed at the end of the novel is crucial to Siddhartha's final steps toward complete understanding. Siddhartha meets his son, spoiled by his mother, cannot handle life on the river without all of the luxuries. His son ultimately runs away allowing Siddhartha to come to terms with what he faced with his father as a young boy. Siddhartha realized he must let his son journey to identify himself as Siddhartha did. When Siddhartha moved on from his worldly life, he discovered things you cannot buy. Siddhartha found a river; the purest form of simplicity and learned the most valuable lessons from it. He learned more from a river than he ever could learn from having an unlimited amount of wealth and power. The river allowed Siddhartha to contemplate himself and life as a whole, so it ultimately became the stimulus that led him to nirvana. Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment proves materialism can only get you so far.
works cited: Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. Mumbai: Jaico House, 2016. Print.