Preview

The Theme Of Privacy In 1984 By George Orwell

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
504 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Theme Of Privacy In 1984 By George Orwell
In George Orwell’s novel “1984”, privacy is invaded by the authoritative figures, to keep control over the citizens. From the onset, the party hired people as thought police, hiding their identity from the public. In order, to keep an eye on people “a few agents of the thought police moved always among them, spreading false rumors and making down and eliminating the few Individuals who were judged capable of becoming dangerous …” (Orwell 74). The government of Oceana appointed thought police to assess the behavior of the citizens. Their duty is to point people out that they believe can be harmful to the party. They find people who are not loyal to the Party and may betray the party to join the brotherhood. One of the fears Winston has is that …show more content…
Winston expresses his thought about the picture saying “it was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran” (Orwell 3). Big Brother’s picture is posted all around Oceana. It is there to warn the people that every move they make is seen by Big Brother. It makes them believe that Big Brother is really watching their every move. It also makes them believe that Big Brother is the only one they should love. The citizens are loyal to Big Brother because they fear him. Also, if needed, the citizens should betray their own families in honor of Big Brother. Furthermore, the Party has telescreens everywhere for their constant surveillance. Julia and Winston are caught by “the picture [that] had fallen to the floor, uncovering the telescreen behind it” (Orwell 230). The telescreens are used to keep an eye and monitor negative actions against the Party. The government comes after the person who goes against the Party. It is not tolerated by the Party if someone does something that is against the Party rules. The telescreen helps Big Brother get inside of people’s minds and have control over
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Control And Manipulation In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four
    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Control And Manipulation In George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four

    The surveillance surrounding the citizens results in huge effects on the citizens, including a lack of conversational skills and also results in the citizens scared to be honest and true. The Party has convinced the community that the Telescreens are normal, as The Party has the ability to change any piece of history or knowledge and then have population believe it. With technology you can acquire knowledge and use it for good reasons, but in 1984 you can argue that the surveillance is too extreme. Orwell depicts this extremity of surveillance through the fact that even Winston knew that, “even a back could be revealing” and also the point “you could not control the beating of your heart, and the telescreen was quite delicate enough to pick up”. This use of second person pronoun, “you” engages the reader and makes us more sympathetic to Winston’s situation. Winston has a dream, where he is in the Golden Country, a place he is unsure whether he has seen in reality before, or not. Inside this dream he sees a girl who rips off her clothes and Winston is overwhelmed by the way she just easily destroyed the culture and system of The Party and Big Brother with a simple action as he feels, “the gesture belonged to an ancient time.” Because of the privacy restrictions on the people, a simple action can feel so rebellious, and because of this they have to live controlling themselves, down to their own heartbeat, otherwise the consequences can mean imprisonment, torture and even…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Struggle Of 'Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984'
    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Struggle Of 'Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984'

    The point of the party is to keep citizens in a real exhaustion by telling them to do the morning exercises and then go to work in the agencies of the party. The state benefits by keeping the citizens in exhaustion because in this way the citizens are busy and tired from working and can be manipulated easier. Citizens have no free time to think about the circumstances they live in. They have no time to analyze the manipulations of the Party because they are occupied by doing works the state obligates them. Winston works in the Ministry of the Truth, which actually is the ministry of lies and manipulation. They change the history and the newspapers in the favor of the Party. All names of the ministries contrast their real work, for example: The Ministry of Truth produces lies and manipulations, the Ministry of Love is a place of torture and punishment, the Ministry of Peace makes war, the Ministry of Plenty controls the food and keeps people hungry. In Newspeak they are known as MiniTrue, MiniPax, MiniLuv, and MiniPlenty. Citizens believe that life was much worse before the Party came to power. They have no idea that they are living in the worst nightmare ever. The Party destroys family structure, does not allow their citizen to keep records, documents, photographs, have friends or fall in love. The sexual relation was allowed only to create new Party members. Even a facial expression or a thought that would question the power of the Party (a thought-crime) can lead to an arrest. In this case, even your own self can be your biggest…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    'Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984'
    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    'Big Brother In George Orwell's 1984'

    When trying to maintain control within the people, the party makes use of propaganda and fierce icons such as Big Brother. He can either be a watchful protector or a force not to be messed with.In the beginning of the novel Winston describes him saying, “ Big Brother seemed to tower up, an invincible, fearless protector, standing like a rock against the hordes of Asia.” The Government signifies him as a “fearless protector”…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    1984: A Cautionary Tale
    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages

    1984: A Cautionary Tale

    Technology has been used to aid in the manipulation, fear, and intimidation of the voiceless citizens. Telescreens, which represents the Big Brother’s secret eye in its entire people, is a clear indication of oppression to people like Winston had to endure. Each citizen was required to have a telescreen in their homes for the Party to monitor and control their activities. Additionally, telescreens were placed in all public places, streets, work and social places. Technology in the book was reinforced so that the society would portray the strictness of government. Without technology, the characters would have found a leeway to go against the government. Winston uses newspaper clippings which can be used against the party and also devices to re-write the dictionary were…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    George Orwell's 1984: Big Brother And The NSA
    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages

    George Orwell's 1984: Big Brother And The NSA

    The role of Big Brother plays a huge role in George Orwell's 1984. The statement BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING is given the sense of always being watched and I feel that the statement could be compared to today's society. The people of Oceania are constantly under a state of surveillance to see if they agree with the parties sense of their society. Orwell stated and quoted in the book saying “The telescreen received and transmitted simultaneously. Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Examples Of Dystopian Government In 1984
    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Examples Of Dystopian Government In 1984

    In the society of 1984, the totalitarian government uses certain devices to spy on the members of the Outer Party to have greater control over them, thus giving the government ultimately all of the power. The Party uses technology such as telescreens to tap into the lives of the Party members, watching every move they make and…

    • 1973 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Similarities Between 1984 And The Nether
    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Similarities Between 1984 And The Nether

    The Party expels all privacy and removes any glimmer of hope that freedom is attainable by forcing the citizens to live and think a certain way. Technology plays a significant role in achieving this goal because in Oceania, “technological progress only happens when its products can in some way be used for the diminution of human liberty” (Orwell 201). All technology is created for the purpose of oppressing the citizens’ freedom and forcing them to live in fear, eliminating any possibility of a revolt against the government. The telescreen is a technological advancement made by the Party that contributes considerably to forcing people to act a certain way. Telescreens compel the citizens to live “in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized” (Orwell 5). Despite never knowing whether they are being watched, the fear of the Party and the possibility of being watched are sufficient for them to constantly act as if they are. Technology has completely eliminated all privacy from the citizens’ lives and they must act a certain way or will face serious repercussions. In 1984 and the Power of Technology, this concept of privacy is discussed, stating, “if there is no privacy, then the population can be controlled; perfect knowledge allows complete control” (Luegenbiehl 295). Technological advancements have not only allowed…

    • 1832 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    George Orwell's 1984: Dangers of Totalitarian Control
    • 1818 Words
    • 5 Pages

    George Orwell's 1984: Dangers of Totalitarian Control

    Orwell uses the phrase “Big Brother is watching you” to instill fear in the people. An inevitable motif in Nineteen Eighty-Four is the “Big Brother Is Watching You” poster, which is first introduced when Winston enters the Victory Mansion. The elevators in the Victory Mansion are broken, meaning that the inhabitants have to walk many flights of stairs day in and day out. The more they walk, the more posters they see, further enforcing the oppression free thought and action; the posters are omnipresent and boundless. This poster is propaganda; it is used to disseminate the idea that Big Brother tracks your every move. The purpose of this campaign is to induce…

    • 1818 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    1984 George Orwell Analysis
    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1984 George Orwell Analysis

    The passage at this point describes the living conditions and how horrible they are, many of the resources that are needed for survival are in poor condition. These conditions will not help families prosper. Finally the society in 1984 undergo major propaganda. "On the walls were scarlet banners of the Youth League and the Spies, and a full sized poster of Big Brother". In another room someone with a comb and a piece of toilet paper was trying to keep tune to the military music which was issuing from the telescreen." (Orwell paragraph 3). In the scene where Winston was in Mrs. Parson's apartment it is shown that there is a lot of propaganda for example the banner, the poster of Big Brother and Mrs. Parson's children listening to the military music from the telescreen. Big Brother is trying to appeal to kids to become the next generation of soldiers, he is also trying to make himself an appealing individual because he wants his people to believe that they live in…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    1984- Technology in Todays Soceity
    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1984- Technology in Todays Soceity

    Today’s society is majorly impacted by the rapid development of technology; in the novel George Orwell had used technology as an example of lack of privacy. To begin with, our advanced technology has reached such an extent that it is very straightforward for the government to figure out everything about us from our past including, our previous vacation, were we live, where we attended school or even last time we made a purchase through our debit or credit. To gain access into a person’s life the government has issued every citizen a social insurance number, this card contains a person’s entire record of everything that they have done in the country. This is related to what George Orwell had expressed in his novel, the government in the novel is being referred to the big brother. In the novel the big brother kept watch over every step that was done by the humans, there was even a sign which said “big brother is watching you,” this is the same as our government now since most things we do are being watched or even listened to. Another example of this would be the use of telescreens in the novel. The telescreens previewed everybody’s room in the building; therefore if any movement or discussion going on will not be private, “Any sound Winston made, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Examples Of Privacy In 1984 By George Orwell
    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Privacy In 1984 By George Orwell

    In the novel 1984, the author George Orwell depicted a society where everyone was being constantly observed by cameras and their thoughts were controlled by their leader, Big Brother. Big Brother watches over them to guarantee they are following the rules. He also uses his power to dictate their thought to ensure that the community would do as he wanted. When this novel was first written, in 1948, the thought of something like Big Brother watching and controlling you seemed far-fetched. Reanalyzing this story now, we see that our society, with all of the advancements in technology, is not far off from the dystopian society depicted in 1984. “Many privacy-shattering things have happened to us, some with our cooperation and some not. As a result, the sense of personal privacy is very different today than it was two decades ago.”(pg.21)…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Stockholm Syndrome In 1984 By George Orwell
    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Stockholm Syndrome In 1984 By George Orwell

    In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, the main character Winston despises the idea of Big Brother. Big Brother is the leader of the society. Every citizen is under constant surveillance by the authorities. This is mainly by telescreens. In the end of the novel, Winston begins to completely change his mind and learns to love Big Brother.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Privacy Issues In 1984
    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Privacy Issues In 1984

    While overlooking the downloaded documents, Snowden found out the NSA collectively gathered millions of records from Verizon providers. Also, the NSA involved in carrying out the order to “collect 250 million contact lists from both yahoo and gmail,”(Business Insider). The NSA used their own tactics on the American people to which they need the protection of their government to fight against these acts of stolen privacy. In the novel, “1984”, the ever presence of the telescreen, the common day security camera, constantly in use to oversee the people of the nation in order to keep them in check. Big Brother, who enforces the usage of the telescreens on the people of Oceania, to peep on the actions and duties to which every single member of the society must complete their own jobs. Telescreens in 1984 are the equivalent to the modern day security cameras, but in the sense of discomfort shown by the sight of the telescreen. “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself – anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide.”(Pg.65) Identically used for the similar purpose, both the US government, from Snowden's leaked information, and the Big Brother eyes (telescreens) create that eerie feeling for being punished as a result of doing the “wrong” actions. Keeping an eye for the “safety of the people” and to also spy on them for the wrongdoings of what might come in the…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Government Surveillance In 1984 By George Orwell
    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Government Surveillance In 1984 By George Orwell

    The telescreen is a tool operated by the Party to continuously monitor the activity of the people to inhibit any degree of public or private disobedience against the Party. Orwell refers to…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    1984 By George Orwell Research Paper
    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages

    1984 By George Orwell Research Paper

    Technology has strived through history to make what it is today. To the making of the wheel, cotton gin, to the first transportation system in America. A particular piece of new technology, the smartphone, allows communication through two screens and permits audio. This has particularly brought to attention because of its similarity to George Orwell’s 1984 telescreens. In the book, an authoritarian government ruled by Big Brother controls its people by various telescreens planted around various places, hidden to the eye. Shown by the quote, “Big Brother is watching you,” the setting in 1984 is ruled by fear. An alarming question brought upon us is, “are we reaching a similar setting as George Orwell’s imagination?” Although there may be important counterarguments, the answer to that question is no.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics