By George Orwell

2-24-22

Intro 1984 was one of those books that was always on my list of works to read. It's iconic title along with its message that can be applied to many issues ranging in our society today. Some even call the novel prophetic. What surprises me is the novel was published in 1949, over 73 years ago (in 2022).

About the Author:

Eric Arthur Blair (often going under his pen name George Orwell) was a novelist, journalist, and critic. He has written six novels, three books, and over 500 articles about linguistics, literature and politics. His work remains influential in popular culture today and many of his novels are interpreted with more meaning hidden underneath.

Backstory 1984 follows a character named Winston, who lives in a society where the past is constantly re-written, so the present always looks like it was better than what came before it, even if it truly wasn't, Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to "fix-up" news-articles to be in favor of the political party, IngSoc. Because Winston is a member of the party, he is required at all times to have a telescreen in his home. It is impossible to turn off, and the resident is never alone with their own thoughts. A telescreen is similar to a television, but it is capable of two way communication. The 'screens have cameras and microphones built into them so they can monitor the residents for any unusual tendencies that are deemed by the party to be suspicious. If a person commits a crime, the thought police kidnap those that disobey in the middle of the night, never to be seen again.

My Connections to the modern world While reading the novel 1984, I have drawn multiple similarities between the fictional dystopian story, and the current world we live in today. The novel has become quite popular in pop culture. One aspect of Winston's world that I have drawn a lot of connections to is the telescreens. These devices are mounted in many homes and public spaces, and constantly playing propaganda, (whether it be how "great" the economy is, marches, or for morning stretches.)

Recently, in the last 5-10 years, big tech companies, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, etc. have been pushing virtual smart assistants that you voluntarily purchase for your home that, when activated with a wake-word, (Hey Alexa, Ok Google), you can ask a question, schedule a timer, play music, listen to the news, anything. These devices sound helpful, but there is a nightmare of privacy issues involved with having microphones listening to every conversation, just in case the "magic word" is said. For example, Google's assistant collects all recordings of your requests by default and has real humans listen back to improve the product. Who knows if people are listening through these devices for other purposes and snooping in on your conversations. Hackers, the government, anyone could be listening to conversations inside your house. These devices are glorified wiretaps that people willingly put inside their homes for the illusion of usefulness. That is a lot of power to grant to a multi-billion dollar corporation who misuses their customer data time and time again for advertising and other mischievous plans. And this is only one part of the direction big corporations are moving towards to learn as much about you as possible.

My Connections to the modern world Cont. On page 97 in 1984, this paragraph from when Winston was talking to an old man stuck out to me.

"There's no telescreen!" he could not help murmuring.
"Ah," said the old man, "I never had one of those things. Too expensive.
And I never seemed to feel the need of it, somehow.

This dialog explains that the telescreens are an optional purchase for proles (normal folk) in this society and is seen as a luxury item that people want, even if it provides no practicality other than to brainwash the owners.

Connections to THX 1138: Recently, I have watched the film "THX 1138", George Lucas's debut film as a director. Released in 1971, it follows a dystopian society [See where this is going?], where the masses are controlled by Android Police and the mandatory use of drugs to suppress human emotions is used. I found this movie while writing an essay about the digital alterations of the original trilogy in Star Wars. The main character, THX 1138, works in a factory producing androids. The film features a character that is on a similar level of notoriety to big brother.

THX's factory as depicted in the film:

OMM 0000 OMM 0000 is a "god" that offers confessions and consolation to anyone in the society. It takes on the image of Jesus and gives people the direction of "Work hard, increase production, prevent accidents, and be happy." It's obvious to the viewer that OMM 0000 is an illusion, with each confession booth having a recording saying the same thing over and over. While I don't think that fear plays a big role in people believing OMM compared to Big Brother, people choose to believe in him because it gives them hope and expresses some form of human compassion that no other being can provide. OMM also lives independently of the current state of affairs and is more of a static being, compared to Big Brother. To play devil's advocate here, the movie is only 86 minutes long, and there wouldn't be enough time in my opinion to depict another conflict compared to the novel-length 1984.
OMM 0000 is visually represented as Christ in this painting by Hans Memling.

Surveillance in THX 1138 Just like in 1984, mass surveillance is commonplace in THX 1138, with uniformity stressed and your every movements picked apart and analyzed. Later in the movie, THX's partner, LUH 3417, swaps her medication with THX's, and his emotions start coming back. LUH and THX get romantically involved and have sex. Their natural desires being no longer oppressed. They get caught, manage to escape the city, and achieve true autonomy. LUH and THX broke free from society by having a personal rebellion. It started off just affecting them, but it quickly gave them a new way of thinking and saw the problems within their society; almost as if a blindfold was removed from their eyes. Winston had his diary that started to make him question his entire lifestyle and current way of living. Winston wrote this in his diary in an attempt to question precisely why his society is falsifying records of the past.

"I understand HOW: I do not understand WHY."

What has got me thinking... This film and novel got me thinking about what I perhaps have been blinded by for as long as I can remember. The past six months I have been drastically changing how I spend my free time. I have came to the realization that video games are a waste of time and technology is becoming a distraction from the modern world. Technology should only be used as a tool, not as entertainment. We are one of the first generations to have grown up with the internet and an iPhone for every man, woman, and child. Statistically, more children today spend their time self absorbed in their devices and don't play outside. Children are more depressed, hopeless, and don't know how to communicate properly to others. "Children are the future", as many teachers and parents say to us. Is this what "we" want? Do "we" know any better alternative? "We" assume this is how everyone lived before us, constantly connected, having your entire past digitally archived for any person to look through. Getting "cancelled" on social media for one small thing you did many moons ago. Even how social media is designed to be a slot machine for your brain, and needing constant stimulation and afraid of being bored. I can''t even begin to think of the social and emotional ramification of technology in our modern society. This has more or less just a brain dump of my thoughts and what I have noticed. I don't really have a solution to this problem, than avoiding the matter altogether. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

Ending of 1984 The final 90 pages of 1984 surprised me, and while I read, I kept holding out in my mind, believing that Winston will somehow escape the Ministry of Love and take down Big Brother with Julia. The book paints a different picture, with Winston succumbing to the tactics employed by O'Brian and the party. The torture was successful in reprograming Winston by making him betray Julia in room 101. A place that uses your worst fear against you. Winston then gets released back into the world, now someone who loves big brother. The ending also reveals that no one truly can stick to their ideals, as even an emotion as powerful as love, can get overrun with fear and hatred. This is what intrigues me the most about the ending. I like to think that I will not back down from authority and never betray my friends and family. But after reading what Winston went through, it shed light on a perspective that anyone can be re-taught to believe/obey any commands with enough abuse and pressure. I can't imagine betraying anyone close in my life.

'“Sometimes,” she said, “they threaten you with something you can’t stand up to, can’t even think about. And then you say, ‘Don’t do it to me, do it to somebody else, do it to Soand-so.’ And perhaps you might pretend, afterwards, that it was only a trick and that you just said it to make them stop and didn’t really mean it. But that isn’t true. At the time when it happens you do mean it.'

This quote from Julia stood out to me, as it perfectly emcapsulates how she felt when she was tortured beyond belief.

Peculiar Words List of words that were new to me:

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