Examples Of Persuasive Essay On The Book 1984

Michael Terentieff
3/24/2017
Period #: 7
English 2
Mrs. Challacombe
The 1984 Persuasive Essay
Many dangers can arise in civilization. In George Orwell’s book, 1984, the author outlines some of dangers to be aware of in the future. He describes a dystopian society in which all of the simple rights we take for granted are non-existent. They’re many different ways that he portrays danger to society in his book. There's a countless amount of them scattered throughout the book warning people of dangers to their way of life, and society. Today there are increasingly more, and more dangers to our civilization, and our way of life. These dangers can led to the ultimate downfall to our way of life, if we don’t

protect our rights. In his celebrated novel 1984 , points out some of these dangers in his book, that we see every so often today in our own world, including his concerns of the dangers of losing a way of life or a right. The dangers that he was concerned with had to do with government punishment for speaking against the government this was clearly outlined in 1984. These dangers include anti-free speech, and anti-religion.
Today there are many threats that oppose our way of life, and civilization. One thing that George Orwell warned us about was the government’s assault on free-speech. In the novel the Ministry of Truth redefines history to make them look good, and have cameras that watch you to make sure that you are obeying Big Brother (The Government). This is happening today in the U.S. Under the Bush Administration, “the intelligence agency has monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants over the past three years” ~ The New York Times.
The government in 1984 and modern governments both violate free-speech.

In Oceania all of the people are surveyed by telescreens. This is to make sure that they are not speaking against the government. They also do not allow assembly for descent in public. Cameras in public have significantly increased in number, the government today claims it is to make us safer. In 1984 Winston (the main character) is constantly thinking about telescreens and if they are watching him. Today there is great example in Britain. There in the city of Britain alone is one camera for every 14 people. This is getting very close to 1984. This is the closest that society has got to 1984 in the regard of government surveillance. Winston is constantly aware of telescreens acting like someone that Big Brother wouldn’t consider a threat, since they are constantly watching his every move, “He thought of the telescreens with its never-sleeping ear. They could spy upon you night and day, but if you kept your head you could still outwit them” Page 166. One example in today’s world is the law of workplace harassment. To one’s first reaction this would be “oh, that sounds good”, But is it really? Taking a deeper look into this law this law it is completely unconstitutional and quite absurd. An example of workplace harassment includes having a religious themed article. And Sexual harassment accusations can be made on verbal insults, art such as prints of Francisco de Goya paintings,and pictorial images. This

law discriminatory restrictions on free speech, based on viewpoint. This all ties up to 1984 because it is against free-speech. In 1984 NO-ONE has free speech period. The thought police, and fiction department does this in 1984 by abducting and torturing you. While the Fed’s in the U.S. don’t do this it is still a step in the wrong direction. If the government becomes too powerful than it can become too late for the people to rebel against them, this is why the people must not let the government become too tyrannical. This obviously happened in 1984 since Oceania (Britain) used to be a democracy but then turned into an authoritarian state of regime.
Another example of this is the spreading of false information, and having fake news. Today we see it repeatedly from high up officials we saw this a countless number of times in the Obama and Bush Administration, and will see it even more with the Trump Administration too. In 1984 this is exactly what the government does the spread/say false information to the people and brainwash them. Are leaders do this today too.
An example of this is when the Trump Administration kicked out news outlets from the White House Press Conference room. This is because President Trump claimed that certain news outlets were spreading “fake news” about him. This is not good because it hints to that the Trump Administration want’s to almost control the news.
While the argument can be made that CNN is fake news can be made. It still is a threat to not be taken lightly. Free press is what allows the public to make their own free opinion. The public should be able to make their opinion based on the truth, not government lies to support their agenda. In 1984 the Fiction sect. 1 ch. 4.Department controls the press completely, and they publish false facts to make the party look good. Winston even knows it because in the government said that they were at war with East Asia for six years, but then after that they change all of the books claiming that they were at war with Eur Asia that whole time, and the people even believe it. Here is a quote about the Fiction department, “the Times had been assembled and collated, that number would be reprinted, the original copy destroyed, and the corrected copy placed on the files in its stead. This process of continuous alternation was applied not only to newspaper, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound tracks, cartoons, photographs--to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance”. Page 39-40. This is not what is happening today, but we are going more and more towards that direction every day.
Some people may argue that these laws and censorship’s may protect us, not hurt others because it is so offensive.

Or that free speech can be hate speech which is wrong, and shouldn’t be tolerated, since 40% of college students do not believe in free-speech. While they may have a point, we live in the most accepting country in the world, and people shouldn’t be too sensitive. When you start dwindling away at our freedom it is very dangerous because it could be gone before you know it. It also is our fourth amendment right. Without this the civil right’s movement wouldn’t have happened, freedom of press, speech, etc is what led to the world that we have today. A great quote from George Orwell who predicted a anti speech world “If Liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell the people what they do not want to hear”. If you don’t believe in it then you don’t believe in the Constitution, and simple human right. I do have a bias that I displayed in this paper. I am against government interaction that is against free-speech, and against other of our rights. This was my bias in the

paper.
Today there's more, and more threats to our civilization and way of life. A lot of these george Orwell outlines in 1984. We must keep the government in check so that our society does not evolve into what George Orwell predicted. Make sure that you always question the government on anything that may be anti free speech that they act upon.

Citations:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/20/40-of-millennials-ok-with-limiting-speech-offensive-to-minorities/
http://www2.law.ucla.edu/Volokh/harass/
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/16/politics/bush-lets-us-spy-on-callers-without-courts.html?_r=0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_surveillance_in_the_United_Kingdom