1984, Science-Fiction or Reality
“On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran';(Orwell 3). The novel 1984 follows Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth, who lives in a world where the government watches every move you make and attempts to control all your thoughts. Winston’s job is to change the past so his government can hold a tighter grip over the present and eventually the future. The government even has the ability to make its citizens believe that 2+2=5. Though all this may seem purely science fiction, 1984 subtly parallels our reality in many ways.
In 1984 the government was able to watch every move their citizens made by the use of telescreens, helicopters and spies. “In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a blue bottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the police patrol snooping into people’s windows';(Orwell 4). However unlikely it may seem, our government has the capability to watch us just as “the party'; watches the citizens of Oceania.
As we speak, hundreds of satellites orbit our planet, each capable of watching everything we do outside. This technological advancement highly mimics that of the telescreens in 1984. If our government wished, it could use helicopters to peer into our windows just as “the party'; did in the novel. “‘I didn’t want to say anything in the lane,’ she went on, ‘in case there’s a mike hidden there’';(Orwell 125). The mikes that can hear your conversation are much like the cellular phones in our society. Cell phones have become common place but perhaps that was not by chance. A cell phones works by sending signals through the air, which could very easily be picked up by an outside source. If they so choose, the government could listen to every conversation made on a cell phone. Technology, rather than helping to retain our privacy, actually takes it away.
Many references are made ...
... middle of paper ...
...as tempted to take it into one of the water-closets and read it at once. But that would be shocking folly, as he well knew. There was no place where you could be more certain that the telescreens were watching continuously';(Orwell 112). In the novel, the spies were the Thought Police. In our society, the same people exist, except we call them the FBI, the CIA or even boss.
1984 was not written as a prophecy of the future, but rather a warning of what was to come if man did not change. Man has, apparently, not changed because our reality parallels that of the novel. “‘Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past’';(Orwell 260). As technology advances, it becomes easier and easier to control the thoughts and actions of others and, therefore, the present. If George Orwell was correct, then he who controls the present controls the past and he who controls the past controls the future. We must never let that much power fall into the hands of a single man or group. We must always be able to do what we want to do and think independently and we should always be free to know that 2+2=4.
Many people today are fighters and make attempts to stand up for what they believe in. Another way 1984 impacted us today is that the novel was a prediction of a controlling government. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever” (page 267). Just like in 1984 they had “telescreens”monitoring their every move, we know there are so many surveillance cameras used everywhere we go. There are also microphones and the government is able to tap their citizens’ phone to monitor what they say.
In the book 1984, Orwell uses the ominous Big Brother to depict what a government with all control would feel like; giving the reader a real sense of how powerless a population would really be under an all-controlling regime. Winston, the main character in the novel, sees posters throughout London with a man gazing down underneath contains the words “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU.” Even though Big Brother is virtually everywhere, Winston secretly questions whether or not he actually exists. Orwell uses Big Brother to symbolize the vagueness of a totalitarian government, what it is like to leave all power in the hands of government officials, and then just simply take their word for what they say or what they do. Although the term Big Brother can in one way be considered as a reassurance of protection, the following words “big brother is watching you” also insinuates that he is an open threat. Although this story takes place after Big Brother has risen to power, Orwell does not fail to emphasize that this power was not taken; it was given, as power always will be. The only way Big Brother, or a totalitarian government can truly work, is only after we give them the power to take that kind of control. When looking back at history, we can see similar situations as with Adolf Hitler...
decided that it wanted to combine all it’s Chicago employees into one building. On July 27, 1970, Sears announced to the world that they would be constructing a building that not only was the largest office building ever built at 4,500,000 square feet, but was also the tallest building ever built at that time at 110 stories tall. It was 100 feet taller than the World Trade Center in New York. The design of the building was a monumental task that was undertaken by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. It was originally built to accommodate the growth that the company was expected to have, with Sears only using around half of the space originally, but eventually, much of the space turned into residential, retail space, and office space for other companies (Kerch, 1991). In 2009, Willis Holdings agreed to list part of the buildings and receive naming rights, so the Sears Tower became the Willis
Every writer leaves his mark, his imprint, in his writing; a thumb print left behind the ink if you know how to look for it, and Donne is no exception. The problem is extracting Donne’s imprint, and essence, from the poem, and understanding what that tells us about him. In one poem in particular this stands out, his Holy Sonnet IX, where Donne’s imprint lingers, giving another story behind the text, of his belief in God, but also his inner questioning, and confliction and doubt which come out as contradictions. Behind the text, Holy Sonnet IX, as Donne speaks through his speaker and poem, we come to understand that he is a religious man, though conflicted, which leads to doubt and contradictions, as he resents God in a way, while also just craving for his absolution and for him to forget and forgive his sins and wash them away, sins which weigh on him heavily and he believes taint him.
Upon my reading of the novel 1984, I was fascinated by George Orwell’s vision of the future. Orwell describes a world so extreme that a question comes to mind, asking what would encourage him to write such a novel. 1984 took place in the future, but it seemed like it was happening in the past. George Orwell was born in 1903 and died in 1950; he has seen the horrific tides of World War ² and Ï. As I got deeper into this novel I began to see similar events of world history built into 1984.
Imagine being watched by your own government every single second of the day with not even the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and all the above to yourself. George Orwell’s 1984 is based on a totalitarian government where the party has complete access over the citizens thoughts to the point where anything they think they can access it, and control over the citizens actions, in a sense that they cannot perform what they really want to or else Big Brother, which is the name of the government in the book 1984, will “take matters into their own hands.” No one acts the same when they are being watched, as they do when they are completely alone.
The Crucible shows that women had no say so in how their life and marriage went. Their husbands spoke for them. The only task women had to worry about was reproducing, praying, and understanding their place in the family. Farming was usually run by the farmer and his wife. The woman usually fed the chickens, collected the eggs, or did the milking. Being a midwife was also very important to the community. It was usually run by two women, who helped with childbirth. Spinning wool and flax into thread was a very important task due to the limitation of fabrics during this time. Children usually helped their mothers tend to the farm, or became servants in homes at a very young age. Working as a servant was done by young girls, until she and her prospective husband had saved enough money to start a business, and or get married.
The Willis Tower was originally the Sears Tower when it was built in 1974. The Willis Tower is currently located in Chicago, IL. on S. Wacker Drive (Gallun, 2003). Let us go to the building when it was the Sears Tower, which was built by the company called Sears, Roebuck & Co. (Currently Sears). When the Sears Tower was built, it was the tallest building in the world with a height of 1,450 ft. architectural height! The Willis Tower was the tallest building for 25 years! That is the second longest record holding for tallest skyscraper, after the Empire State Building 45 years as tallest skyscraper in Manhattan. When the Petronas Towers were built in Malaysia, it surpassed the Willis Tower. In 1994, Sears, Roebuck & Co. sold their building, the Willis Tower, to AEW Capital Management (Sears Tower, 2012). Then, they sold it to TrizecHahn in 1997 (Sears Tower). Next, TrizecHahn sell the Willis Tower to MetLife, which then sold it to 5 NY investors (Sears Tower). In 2009, the company Willis Group Holdings got the Sears Tower’s naming rights and officially changed its name to Sears Tower (Keen, 2009).
1984, a novel by George Orwell, represents a dystopian society in which the people of Oceania are surveilled by the government almost all the time and have no freedoms. Today, citizens of the United States and other countries are watched in a similar way. Though different technological and personal ways of keeping watch on society than 1984, today’s government is also able to monitor most aspects of the people’s life. 1984 might be a dystopian society, but today’s condition seems to be moving towards that controlling state, where the citizens are surveilled by the government at all times.
In the novel 1984, the characters are always being watched. They feel as if there is no benefit to being watched, especially when they get arrested for things they say. Technology is at the point where, “Who controls the present controls the past” (Orwell
John Donne uses poetry to explore his own identity, express his feelings, and most of all, he uses it to deal with the personal experiences occurring in his life. Donne's poetry is a confrontation or struggle to find a place in this world, or rather, a role to play in a society from which he often finds himself detached or withdrawn. This essay will discuss Donne's states of mind, his views on love, women, religion, his relationship with God; and finally how the use of poetic form plays a part in his exploration for an identity and salvation.
Gutenberg’s printing press was one of the most important inventions of the renaissance, as it has had a major impact on both the Renaissance and todays world of printing. The Gutenberg Press, impacted the renaissance by, making books and information easier and cheaper to reproduce and print, spreading more information easier and faster to vast audiences eager for new information, helping advance science and technology, and also by helping the economy grow stronger through creating new industries and the constant purchasing of books.
invent some of the greatest inventions the world has ever seen. Thomas Edison truly was a gifted
Writing is arguably the most fluid way of expressing emotion, thought, personality, and wit. One’s thoughts are spread to others, by simply writing them down, and expressing them. Ultimately however, it is how one defines the language that distinguishes genuine individuality of thought. Often times in literature, there is often a common literary structure including certain emotions and thought. This traditional literary structure includes common moods, styles, or emotions as a reflection of the culture of the time period. In sixteenth century England for example, literary works were rarely if ever created in isolation from other currents in the social and cultural world. John Donne, a seventeenth century poet, created works during a period with a lack of literary mold - a lack of traditional literary structure. Because Donne lived in an era where there was a lacking of a traditional literary structure, he did not have to define himself as individual from the perceived normal. Donne and other metaphysical poets branded this time as a period of metaphysical definition: an attempt to articulate a more precise analysis of metaphysical concepts by using writing characteristics that express a particular feel and human quality. Focusing on the arrangement of lines in Donne's poems, one can see how it affects the tone and meaning of his message. It is believed that the structure of each line, and the length and number of syllables in each line is important to the flow and effectiveness of the poem. In Donne's writing, small yet significant details are crafted through punctuation and separation of syllables. Without the constraints of traditional literary structure during his time, John Donne accentuated particular metaphysical traits in H...
The above mentioned ideas prove that Donne successfully conveyed his meaning to the reader in a concise manner where every word was loaded with profound ideas. Pound includes this particular poem as an example of great literature because it follows his logic—one has to be very well read to understand the poem its full extent. Furthermore, it satisfies all the criteria to be classified ‘great literature’ by Pound, but the reader is left with the task of understanding why Pound believes what he does.