1984 is a cry for awareness .George Orwell urges us to protect our freedom of speech , of opinion and privacy .Through this satire of modern society , Orwell tries to open people's eyes .
The totalitarian government of oceania tries to suppress the freedom of speech in any way possible . The first method is simply by suppressing the language ; by "destroying words …ever day .Cutting language down to the bone " (p46) . This is literally keeping people from expressing themselves . Freedom of speech is also the ability to publish or write anything . In Winston's world we never hear of and independent newspaper or radio station . And even without being published , expressing yourself on paper can be "punished by death , or at least by 25 years in a forced labor camp " ( P9 ) . Winston's diary is therefore an act of pure rebellion . Not only is it dangerous to voice one's opinion , but the very simple act of having an opinion is life threatening . As winston will sadly experience by the en of the novel . In the society of 1984 thoughts can be controlled by the " thought police " . Having an opinion that differs from the party's like Winston's will lead him to explain that he had " committed - would still have committed , even if he had never set pen to paper - the essential crime … .Thought crime they called it " ( p19 ) . Big brother not only controls the way people act , but he controls the way people think . For example when winston is arrested , he doesn't just stop acting rebellious .O'brien ganged his way of thinking to the point that " he loved Big Brother " ( p 245 ) The very invasive meted the party uses to control opinions leads us to the theme of privacy .Privacy is one of the prevalent themes in1984 because it is represented at so many levels . The omnipresence of cameras and microphones everywhere is a threat to intimacy . Intimacy which is strictly controlled by the Party anyway . The citizens can not choose their spouses ( we remember Winston's unhappy wedding ) ; or have any type of sexual intercourse outside of a marriage . The government is so present in people's everyday life that it could be considered as a brutal invasion in their minds . If one can't even think about something without fearing being killed , then where can he have some privacy if not in his own head ? Orwell tried to warn us , and maybe we should listen . Everyday , even in our schools , more cameras are installed , ew technology like mobile phones can allow people to locate you , take you picture etc… Let's not let it escalate .
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