Overview

           1984 by George Orwell is a novel that paints a disturbing portrait of the future. Society is controlled by the government, called The Party, an oppressive, power-hungry group lead by a figure known as Big Brother. Big Brother and The Party know everything, watching people through telescreens, secret thought police, and tracking their whereabouts to make sure they do not rebel. They change facts, figures, and history to their advantage, making it as though people never existed, and certain events never happened. Their goal is a conformist, empty, society that only lives to serve The Party. The Party members aim to remove all emotions from people besides hate, fear, and unconditional love for Big Brother, so that  people are dependent on them. 

Winston, the main character, does not feel the same love for Big Brother. Secretly, he is against The Party and believes that there are others who are against it as well. He meets a woman named Julia, and when he bumps into her in the halls at work, she slips him a note that says "I love you." They begin a relationship, but are eventually both turned in to the Thought Police, and tortured until they confess their crimes. The book ends when a reformed Winston realizes that he loves Big Brother.

I loved this book. It was disturbing, even haunting at times. (One of the worst moments for me was reading about Winston being tortured in room 101 with the rats.)  It made me realize how much I take for granted, such as the right to express my opinion, and most of all, the right to openly love someone else without it being a crime.

Although 1984 is supposed to be a vision of the future, I do not think that society will ever turn into that. Human emotions such as trust, love, and passion can never be eradicated. If someone like Big Brother were to come into power, some people would conform, but others would band together and destroy him. My generation is too emotional, and too vocal to allow something like that to happen.

Some people feel that in modern context, security cameras are like Big Brother. I agree personally, but only to a small extent. The fact that the security cameras are constantly "watching" us is partially for safety reasons- burglars and attackers are easy to identify.

However, being "watched" is an uncomfortable feeling. I often wonder if the people behind the security cameras are judging my words or actions, or if they ever think I'm suspicious. Some people believe that security cameras rob people of the benefit of the doubt. I thought this photo was an interesting way of expressing that:

Source:

Gotta Love Security. Web. 25 Aug 2010.
      <http://parranormal.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/security_big1.jpg>.