1984 Has Come True Today Essay

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Recommended: George Orwell's 1984 analysis

George Orwell warns his readers of 1984 of the danger that lies in losing the personal freedom to obtain individual thoughts leading to the transformation of a utopia into a dystopia. Based on Keri Blakinger’s article "A look at some of the ways George Orwell’s ‘1984’ has come true today,” shows how society could truly be drifting towards a similar reality because there are means in the world that can manipulate people’s thoughts to conform through language manipulation and technological surveillance. Orwell develops the willingness to conform through the outer party members and the proles. The people blindly accept any statement the Party issues as true; Winston says, “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you …show more content…

In support of this blind conformity in people, Blakinger identifies many instances in which people in today’s society blindly accept and follow trends which are imposed upon them through modern technology. Through cell phones, many people access social media platforms, which impose selected messages by advertisers unto easily impressionable users. The presence of Newspeak is simultaneously present in the world of modern technology. Blakinger describes the idea of Newspeak as “where words are strung together and abbreviated to create new words,” which on the elemental level is identical to the use of texting slang. In 1984, it is used to remove words from its language and create a universal common vocabulary. It isn’t too far off to say that today’s society, through use of slang and emoticons, is resorting to the blind conformity of 1984 as Orwell warned. The majority of people today own a smartphone, which in a way becomes one’s own personal telescreen like the ones present in every room in Orwell’s 1984. Similarly to the idea of never being out of sight of a telescreen, it is a rare sighting to spot a millennial without a

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