Suerveillance and Repression

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Surveillance and repression can be used in the most brutal and hostile situations against people in a society. Such used of surveillance and repression are what the totalitarian leadership of Big Brother stated against society in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. People living in this repressive society have to face surveillance and repression on a day to day basis. People are being watched at all times with no privacy, even in their own homes. Winston Smith one of the main characters in the novel, is going through such experiences of strict surveillance and repression in the novel. Smith, a 39 year old member of the society, working at the ministry of truth, is completely against Big Brother. Smith believes in the existence of a secret brotherhood who is plotting the takedown of Big Brother and he wants to join. However the party makes it almost impossible for society to revolt. Smith, manages to revolt significantly against the party by committing a variety of crimes. The crimes range from keeping a secret dairy where he writes how much hatred he has for Big Brother. The act of having an affair with Julia, which is prohibited by the party. Smith is married making his affair with Julia more dangerous if caught, unfortunately for Smith his marriage did not work due to the repression and surveillance both his wife and himself suffer from. Smith commits thought crime that is punished severely in society. Smith and Julia’s belief of the secret brotherhood leads them into trusting O’Brien, a high ranking member of the party. O’Brien however betrays them and gets them arrested by the thought police. In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, surveillance and censorship play an important role by... ... middle of paper ... ... wanting to have a baby with Smith to make their relationship stronger family wise, she feels as if it was her duty to bring a new member to the party. The women in the novel were portrayed as baby making machines and nothing else. The women brought new members (kids) to the party, then as the years pass those own members that they brought are going to be the one’s turning them into the thought police. In today’s society if a women gives into sexual intimacy with another person it’s for love, but in the novel women had no right to deny any man since it was against the party. The party repress the whole population from living their lives as they wanted it to, they had no right to make their own decisions. By the party repressing society from finding and marrying their true love, they destroyed any sort of family connections and any type of sexual intimacy.

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