George Orwell Influence On 1984

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell was extremely insightful for its time. The novel, published in 1948, touched on technological, social, and political issues way before its time. The dystopian setting of 1984 mirrors what Orwell saw happening around him during the time of Nazi Germany and communist Russia, both totalitarian governments. The book’s purpose is to warn society of what could come if the two parties were not stopped. Although technological, social, and political issues continue to change, the predictions Orwell made nearly seven decades ago still stand true in both Western, and modern totalitarian societies today. Along with his accurate predictions, Orwell has made an impact lasting way beyond 1984 by influencing popular culture

Described as an “oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror” the telescreen simultaneously received and transmitted sounds as well as images with no way of knowing if you were being watched at any given moment (Orwell 4). The lack of privacy given by the telescreen can be compared to cell phones and computers under the USA Patriot Act today. The Patriot Act was put into effect a month after the September 11th attacks as a way to prevent future terrorist attacks. Though it had ample support when it was put into effect, some people now claim that it violates their privacy. The act gives the government the ability to search telephone calls, emails, financial matters, and even medical records for people who are “suspected” of endangering the country (Denvil 2). This means that virtually all United States citizens can be watched at any given place, at any given minute, with no way of knowing, much like the telescreens in 1984. Although the motives behind the telescreen and the Patriot Act today appear to be different, Orwell was eerily accurate with technology being able to watch, see, and track your every

Thankfully unlike Oceania, the United States does not wage war to instill a sense of comfort or to brainwash its citizens to believe that “War is Peace”, but America is always in a state of continuous conflict much like in the novel. Orwell writes “Winston could not definitely remember a time when his country had not been at war…” (35). Today, in many cases such as my own, young people cannot remember a time where America was not involved in a military conflict. Since the terror attacks on September 11th, America has seamlessly jumped from war with Iraq to Afghanistan and now onto Syria and Libya. Yes, the war on terror differs from the wars between Eastasia and Eurasia, but the similarities between the two cases is