1984 Reality Is Real Essay

“Reality is not external” (Orwell 205) quotes O’Brien. This truth remains controversial through countless arguments. To be sane is to see reality as it is, taking it for face value. Winston is adamant on believing in only what he can see. He believes that in a world where the truth is perpetually distorted his senses are the only credible indicators. Throughout 1984, however, we see that Big Brother has ultimately become the only truth to most people. Even today, ‘Big Brothers’ are prevalent in T.V. shows, radio, and various other forms of media. I believe that any Big Brother is capable of becoming our reality and can decide what we see as real or not. One key component to the question “Can Big Brother decide what is real and what is not?” is to accept the fact that reality is all in your head. It is how one perceives the outside in their head. This reasoning gives reality substance and complexity. In context, Winston was able to accept the reality of the rebellion, or the brotherhood, because he wanted to believe that life had offered him a way out. The brutal truth is that Winston was in a desperate situation that enabled him to conjure a reality to his liking. We see constantly in modern
day, and even the past, how a situation can distort our perception of life. Pessimists and optimists alike have their own way of seeing things. They exemplify the basic principle that reality is in internal spectrum. What you choose to believe and how you see it is the underlying definition of reality. In their case, they will either choose to treat things with a smile or with worry. Pessimists have a peculiar way of identifying the goodness in life – they don’t. Instead, they find the faults in any possible matter because it makes sense. For something to make sense is beyond the reasoning of science and what lies in front of you. To be able to wholly accept a concept goes deeper into the psychological factor. Big Brother was aware of this and was able to utilize this knowledge among a whole nation, and also Winston. All it takes is the ability to force someone into a certain situation to get them thinking the way you want them to, or at least a predictable state of mind. Most media today use Big Brother’s methods to lure people into believing what they want.
They ease their audiences into a situation where they can find comfort in the convenience of social media and subtly become blinded to the real truth. Media bias is something to take into consideration when taking in information. Several television stations are able to appeal to some audiences where they are able to assimilate them away from the truth and into popular opinions. They use these tactics to either degrade or promote people. Because social media has become so convenient and highly used in homes, it has power that parallels Big Brother. In a way, we also live in Orwell’s 1984. We have become so accustomed to the luxuries of our homes that we forget to think for
ourselves.