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Essay / Government surveillance in 1984 by George Orwell: false security
In George Orwell's novel 1984, Big Brother controls the population of Oceania in several ways. One of these means is surveillance; monitor everyone's every move. It creates fear in people in their daily lives to conduct their movements and actions in a certain way. In our society today, the surveillance described in 1984 is not as severe and extensive, but it exists. In a way, we also police ourselves socially, making sure we don't behave in a way that presents us in a way we don't want. The practices of Big Brother in 1984 are not entirely similar to those of our government today, but we can find some small underlying similarities in the foundations of our lives. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIn 1984, surveillance is a key part of how Big Brother exerts its grip on the lives of the people of Oceania. Citizens are constantly under government surveillance. They watch them in their homes, at their work, in the toilets; wherever they go, they are monitored. Big Brother does this to make sure that people don't do anything that might go against the government's rules. This fear of being constantly monitored and knowing that if they act they will be punished, forces the citizens of Oceania to live their lives according to the rules put in place by the government. There are different types of surveillance used by the government. Telescreens are the primary form of surveillance in Oceania. These screens see and hear everything and are placed in homes, workplaces, public spaces and other places; “Any sound made by Winston, above the level of a very faint whisper, would be picked up by him” (Orwell 4). There are also small microphones hidden in certain parts of the country, in trees or elsewhere. If it's not enough to monitor people's every move and word, there are also thought police, who attempt to monitor people they assume have a low opinion of the government and Big Brother. By monitoring the screens, they accuse people who act a certain way of being against Big Brother. They also use children as spies to listen to what their parents say and report them to the Thought Police if they speak maliciously against Big Brother or the government: The Thought Police plugged into any individual feed was just a guess. It was even conceivable that they were watching everyone all the time. But in any case, they could tune into your wire whenever they wanted (Orwell 5). You might also be interested. Conclusion Generator to Complete the Essay The government also monitors you during public events, such as Two Minutes of Hate. If you don't attend such rallies or show enough enthusiasm, you distrust the government when it comes to thoughtcrime. Thoughtcrime is thinking in a way that you should not think: “Thoughtcrime does not result in death: thoughtcrime is death” (Orwell 30). In our society, we are not as closely monitored as people in Oceania, but our government has many ways of doing so. watch what we do. Due to technological advancements, we have the Internet, computers, smartphones, and GPS, among other technologies. Our social media accounts, internet history, call and text logs, and GPS location are..