1984 Present Day America

Are American citizens truly liberated by and granted a certain level of security and privacy from the Constitution, or are they merely naïve puppets being led by scrupulous puppeteers who reverently serve a faceless, supreme governing power? Some people would argue that the American government is a holy benefactor, established by God, which puts a premium on personal freedom and security and utterly respects its citizens’ basic right to privacy. Others, however, would vehemently denounce the government as a great serpent that regularly spies on and exploits its citizens’ right to privacy while simultaneously concealing its many clandestine machinations and unspeakable horrors from the public. In 1984, Orwell satirizes the totalitarian regime …show more content…
Thus, 1984 can be related to present-day situations by providing a subtle commentary on the effects of America’s media and federal investigative agencies.
1984 can be related to present-day situations by providing a subtle commentary on the effects of America’s media. Winston, the protagonist of the novel, finds himself constantly bombarded with political propaganda supporting Big Brother, the supreme figure of the land and the face of Oceania’s government. In the opening pages of the novel, Winston observes various “pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move” (Orwell 2). The ominous feeling of being watched is virtually inescapable as nearly every wall is covered with signs and posters reading “BIG BROTHER …show more content…
As Winston goes about his daily routine, he must be ever mindful of the Thought Police, Oceania’s dedicated law enforcement organization that measures the mind of every citizen to ensure that the entire nation is receptive to and unified under Party ideals. If anyone is found to be at odds with the Party for any reason, he is immediately dubbed a traitor and “vaporized” (Orwell 19). That is, “people simply (disappear)” and “every record of everything (they have) ever done (is) wiped out” (Orwell 19). Likewise, in present-day America, federal investigative agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, monitor all channels of communication in order to find and erase individuals who they perceive as threats to public safety. For example, if one were to even mention joining ISIS or Al Qaeda, then the FBI would undoubtedly swoop them up off of the face of the earth, most likely never to be seen again. This type of systematic spying and purging is limiting in that it eliminates any form of privacy and creates an unconscious sense of paranoia among citizens. 1984 does an exquisite job of highlighting the constricting nature of this method of carefully analyzing the personal lives of individual citizens. Hence, 1984 can be related to present-day situations by providing a subtle commentary on the effects of America’s federal