Significance Of Big Brother In 1984 By George Orwell

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Little Brother, Big Issue
Big Brother. Defined by Merriam Webster as “An all-powerful government or organization monitoring and directing people's actions,” Big Brother exerts its dominance in George Orwell’s 1984 and completely shapes the dynamic of the society. Unfortunately, this is not just some fairytale power. Big Brother still exists in the modern world today, though it may not be as apparent or extreme as it is depicted in the novel. Around the world totalitarian governments still oppress and control the common people, and Big Brother can be seen through it all. In addition, Little Brother has fully morphed society as a whole, as invasions of privacy are all too common in today's world. People in today’s society must constantly have
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In the novel, Big brother completely ruled society in every aspect of human life. The Party, the governing body that embodied Big Brother, would stop at nothing to have complete and utter power over the individuals in the society. Big Brother was always watching the citizens, such as the main character in the book, Winston. Big Brother was constantly monitoring people through devices known as telescreens, of which Orwell writes that “The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dull mirror which formed part of the surface of the right hand-wall… the instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely” (Orwell 2). People had to live knowing they were being observed, and Orwell writes that “You had 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 3). This can be taken to understand that the characters in 1984, such as Winston, had to change their very behavior so as not to upset the governing body, Big Brother. Their privacy was completely invaded and basic human rights, such as the ability to say something privately and freely, were infringed upon and destroyed. The government and ruling body had the ability to do whatever it wanted in that society, and any …show more content…
While this kind a view is optimistic and hopeful, it is simply not accurate. Little Brother still invades the privacy of people every single day around the world, and as a result people are constantly having to watch what they do or live in fear that one mistake will ruin their lives. This is changing the attitude of society, and in some cases people are so afraid that they may upset someone and cause something to spread that they don’t say what they truly feel. Likewise, Big Brother is still a very real thing today as well. Ruling bodies and governments around the world, as well as in the United States are infringing upon the rights of citizens every single day. Surveillance systems to monitor people, rules about what can be read or disclosed, and other aspects of rule are all proof of Big Brother in society, and how it’s demand still invade the rights and privacy of people

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