In the novel 1984, George Orwell’s predictions of the future are really advice, ?Don’t let the government control every aspect of your private lives. ? If we allow this we will be turned into robots of the system. Perhaps it is also a look at what is already. In many ways we are controlled, we are robots. In kindergarten we are taught how to be that way.
?Stand in a line, don’t talk, hands out of pockets, fire drill, bells ringing. ? We are truly controlled by words and bells. Nine-teen-eighty-four has come and gone; however that doesn’t mean we are safe. The author’s view of the future is no longer even close to accurate. It will NEVER happen that way.
No, today we have far BETTER ways of this happening. With computers containing almost all data, which can be quickly erased in large numbers at the touch of a button, information is much easier to ?rectify?. With new technology we could hide microphones in the fabric of clothing. Video cameras are smaller today.
They could be worn about people. Maybe in the future be implanted in them. Orwell’s future is dead. The reality is that it could be even worse. Orwell should NOT be discredited; he should be listened to and praised.
There are measures going through congress now that will inhibit our rights in the future. Our own congress makes measures to give themselves raises. They won’t vote yes on such bills as term limits. It is not inconceivable that a bill could pass to law saying that the president and congress shall stay in power forever. They could even convince us to allow it to happen. This is the future Orwell predicted; he just didn’t have it exact.
Perhaps it is being closer than we think only being shaded by conspirators. I loved this novel. It ranks far up there on my list of the best, if not the best. Not only did it keep me reading until the end, it told very much about where we are headed by not actually saying it. It also told you things by saying it. The entire principles of INGSOC may seem absurd, and to the intelligent person impossible.
However, they do have a certain air of universality. You can draw parallels to today. The way our congress and president act seems to be heading toward this type of government. It won’t be exactly as Orwell put it, and it will be shaded even more.
Perhaps if it does happen, it will be done right, and never end. This is what Orwell portrayed in the novel. He left the world in the exact same way we found it, minus a few people. Actually, they never existed. The sad thing is with today’s technology; I see this coming closer and closer. All someone has to do is piece it together.
