Examples Of Corruption In 1984 By George Orwell
Sentinels of Corruption
A poll taken five years after the tragedy of 9/11 shows that forty-six percent of American citizens do not feel safe in their own country (“Poll: Many Americans Feel Less Safe”). In a nation, people need to feel safe from both foreign and domestic threats. Citizens from both Oceania and America do not feel this safety because of Party and Government surveillance, intimidation, and corruption.
In 1984, there is a heavy emphasis on surveillance and how it affects the citizens of Oceania. Much of the surveillance in London, the main city in the Airstrip One province, is done with the help of telescreens and spies, whether they are children or adults. Telescreens monitor your life at home, office, and other places of gathering. They hear and see everything. The slightest sound or the most insignificant movement can be picked up by the telescreens. “You have to live- did live, from habit that became instinct -in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (Orwell 5). This is why Winston was always so careful …show more content…
There are several reminders that the party is always watching, one of which is the Big Brother posters all over the city. “It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features… BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran” (Orwell 1). If that reminder isn’t always on your mind, the threat of the Thought Police finding something they don’t like in your behavior is. Because there are so many telescreens and spies all over the city, no one ever gets a minutes rest from complete composure. At any minute they could haul you or the person next to you away. The constant threat is what keeps most people in line and loyal to the
A poll taken five years after the tragedy of 9/11 shows that forty-six percent of American citizens do not feel safe in their own country (“Poll: Many Americans Feel Less Safe”). In a nation, people need to feel safe from both foreign and domestic threats. Citizens from both Oceania and America do not feel this safety because of Party and Government surveillance, intimidation, and corruption.
In 1984, there is a heavy emphasis on surveillance and how it affects the citizens of Oceania. Much of the surveillance in London, the main city in the Airstrip One province, is done with the help of telescreens and spies, whether they are children or adults. Telescreens monitor your life at home, office, and other places of gathering. They hear and see everything. The slightest sound or the most insignificant movement can be picked up by the telescreens. “You have to live- did live, from habit that became instinct -in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (Orwell 5). This is why Winston was always so careful …show more content…
There are several reminders that the party is always watching, one of which is the Big Brother posters all over the city. “It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features… BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran” (Orwell 1). If that reminder isn’t always on your mind, the threat of the Thought Police finding something they don’t like in your behavior is. Because there are so many telescreens and spies all over the city, no one ever gets a minutes rest from complete composure. At any minute they could haul you or the person next to you away. The constant threat is what keeps most people in line and loyal to the