In George Orwell's novel 1984 Big Brother controls the population of Oceania in many ways. One of these ways is surveillance; monitor everyone's every move. This instills in people in their daily lives the fear of performing their moves and actions in a certain way. In our society today the surveillance described in 1984 is not as harsh and extensive but it exists. In a way, we also monitor ourselves socially, making sure we don't behave in a way that portrays us in a way we don't want. The practices of Big Brother in 1984 are not entirely similar to those of our government today, but you can find some small underlying similarities in the fundamentals of our lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In 1984, surveillance is a key part of how Big Brother has control over the lives of people in Oceania. Citizens are constantly under the control of the government. We monitor them in their homes, at work, in bathrooms; wherever they go, they are watched. Big Brother does this to make sure people don't do anything to go against the government's rules. This fear of being constantly observed and knowing that if they act badly they will be punished, forces the citizens of Oceania to live their lives in line with the rules established by the government. There are several types of surveillance used by the government. Telescreens are the main form of surveillance in Oceania. These screens see and hear everything and are placed in homes, workplaces, public areas and other places; “Any sound made by Winston, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by it” (Orwell 4). There are also small microphones hidden in some parts of the country, in trees or other places. If monitoring people's every move and every word isn't enough, there's also the Thought Police, which tries to monitor people who supposedly think badly of the government and Big Brother. By monitoring television screens, they accuse people who behave in a certain way of being against Big Brother. They also use children as spies to listen to what their parents say and report them to the Thought Police if they speak negatively against Big Brother or the government - the Thought Police connected to any individual wire was a guess. It was also conceivable that they were watching everyone all the time. But in any case they could connect to your cable whenever they want (Orwell 5). You may also be interested in Conclusion Generator for Final Essay The government also monitors you at public events, such as the Two Minute Hate. If you do not attend such meetings or show sufficient enthusiasm, you become suspicious of the thoughtcrime government. Thoughtcrime is thinking in a way you shouldn't be: “Thoughtcrime does not involve death: thoughtcrime is death” (Orwell 30). We are not as heavily monitored in our society as the people of Oceania are, but there are many ways our government monitors what we do. Due to technological advancements, we have the Internet, computers, smartphones, and GPS among other technologies. The government can very easily access our social media accounts, internet history, call and message logs, and location via GPS. At any time the government can know who you are talking to and what you are talking about and also know your exact location. Many people have a sense of security and privacy, but there are many ways for the government to know what you are doing. In 2013, a scandal broke out against the.
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