Syme and Newspeak

                One issue that really stood out to me in 1984 was the idea that words were being eliminated from the language. This event came up when Winston sits down for lunch and Syme enthusiastically explains that he was helping to delete word, including descriptive adjectives, from Newspeak. His logic behind this action is that it will render thoughtcrime impossible. Replacing words like “great” with “plus good” and “wonderful” with “doubleplus good” will make rebelling impossible as people aren’t capable of displaying their beliefs. I found this very interesting and concerning because a future without the ability to express one’s emotions is scary. Literature is based on how people form their sentences, what tones the use and what words they choose to utilize. The fact that the government is trying to eliminate this is one of the biggest forms of oppression.

                I found an article written earlier this month in The Guardian that relates to this topic. Back in 2007, the editors of the Oxford Junior Dictionary decided to delete a list of word and then replace them. What was interesting was that all the words removed had to do with nature (acorn, adder, ash, heron, mistletoe, newt, otter) and the words that were added had to do with technology (broadband, bullet point, blog, chatroom, cut-and-paste). This has come up recently because writes are gathering to campaign to get these words back in the dictionary. They are explaining that even if these words are seldom used anymore, which studies show they are, they should still be available.

                This is similar to 1984 because this company is deleting words that are more associated with the past and replacing them with more current language.  In my opinion, even these small changes are a little concerning because language and writing are one of the main ways we hold onto the past. In 1984, the past has been corrupted and this has had unhealthy consequences on the people of Oceania. Obviously, our society should strive to not become like Big Brother and so we can’t be deleting words.

 

Link to Article: http://www.theguardian.com/science/the-lay-scientist/2015/mar/03/why-the-oed-are-right-to-purge-nature-from-the-dictionary

 

False Realities and Big Brother

                In both 1984 and the Truman Show, this idea that there is no privacy is prevalent. In the Truman Show, there is literally no privacy. Truman lives with a camera on him 24/7. Even while he sleeps, showers, etc. In 1984, Winston lives in a house that has a camera to track his every moment and facial expressions. Thought police, neighbors, and employees are constantly suspicious of each other and are willing to turn each other in for any type of rebellion. The simple idea of having a private thought is difficult for both of them, and that is why they fight back. Truman is sick of having is life predetermined and Winston is sick of being restricted from living the life he wants.

                Another similarity between the two works is the lack of real relationships they have with other people. In Truman’s world, everyone around him is an actor and none of them truly care for him. His wife leaves him not for any real reason, but just because she can’t handle the stress and conditions under which she can act. His best friend, Marlon, always comforts Truman when he is upset or seems to be catching on to the deception, but Marlon only does this to keep the show going and reassure that Truman believes that his world is real. In Winston’s world, relationships between husband and wife are different than today. They are not as close as they should be. Winston and his wife, Katharine, do not actually love each other. Katharine sees marriage and sex as her duty in this society and she and Winston share no sort of affection towards each other. Parents and children have a similar issue. As we can tell from the Parsons family, the children are taught early in their lives to love Big Brother and report any suspicious activity to the thought police. This means that children are always watching their parents and will report them without hesitation. Therefore, parents are seen to be afraid of their children and so their bond is much less strong.

                Finally, I have found that in both stories, the message in both is that love can make a person open their eyes and rebel against something they see is wrong. In 1984, Winston meets a young girl named Julie and their start a secret relationship. They meet in secret to be with each other and talk about the faults of Big Brother. Julie opens Winston’s eyes to life without constant government surveillance and he is actively participates in their discussions about life without Big Brother. In Truman’s situation, he falls in love with a girl on the show. They run into each other and she attempts to explain how his life is a lie and that he is living a false reality. She’s the person that ignites his suspicions about the world he lives in, and eventually he is able to free himself from Christof. Love is a powerful emotional that was highly influential in both of these situations. 

Civil Rights are the Greater Good

As citizens of the United States of America, we pride ourselves as being one of the most free countries in the world. It may not always of been that way, but through civil rights movements, our country has the privilege to experience freedoms that others are not granted. In my opinion, our civil rights is one of the most important parts of what makes our lives special. It lets us express ourselves and think freely. This lets us become our own individuals with our own ideas and opinions, unlike in 1984. Therefore, I believe that giving up our civil rights is never necessary to protect the greater good.

A great example I have about this cause occurred during World War II. Skepticism over Japanese-Americans throughout the United States led the government to enact an interment policy. Right after Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt put over 100,000 Japanese-Americans in interment camps for the duration of the war. Government officials said that incarcerating these people would ensure that the secrecy of the United States during wartime was kept.

A more current situation in which some would say that we are giving up our civil rights for the greater good is when President Bush enacted the Patriot Act. This act was put into place back in 2001 and its purpose is to "provide appropriate tools required to intercept and obstruct terrorism". That means that the government has the ability to bugs phones and conduct additional surveillance on people they suspect of being involved in terrorist activities. For years, people have felt that the Patriot Act has been intruding on American citizens, but according to the Bush and Obama, its necessary for them to spy on us so make sure we are safe. This decade-old act is coming up in the news because parts of it expires in a couple months and so there is debate as to whether Congress will renew it.

In my opinion, civil rights should be the number one priority in a society and having those rights is the greater good. The government should never have to take away our rights to protect our rights. Most of the time they are just lying to us for their own person gain.

Testimonials, Bandwagon, Name-Calling, etc.

We see propaganda dozens of times everyday. When we are driving down the highway, looking through our mail or just watching TV. Most of the time, it is just an advertisement to buy the hottest new car or the iPhone, but sometimes propaganda can be used to persuade people to do or not do something. That is the kind of propaganda that I feel is beneficial.

The government loves to use advertisements to inform Americans on issues. For example, there are always commercials on TV or in magazines that talk about the danger of smoking tobacco. Most of the time the main type of propaganda used is fear. These advertisements depict people talking about the negative physical effects smoking has had on their lives and why the habit should never be started. The commercials are often uncomfortable for the viewers and gives them a sense of fear about smoking. Similar propaganda is used for texting and driving and other issues that are causing deaths throughout the country.

I believe that propaganda is useful in times of emergency as well. Throughout World War I & II, the government used bandwagon, plain folks and testimonials to get people to fulfill their duties during times of conflict. They promoted women to enter the work force, people to buy war bonds, and just get young men to fight overseas. Nothing the government said was false, but they did a great job of getting its citizens to unify and work to make sure the war went as smooth as possible.

All in all, most of the time, propaganda is not usually very beneficial. When political campaigns use logical fallacies or glittering generalities they are just doing so to hurt their opponent and that is not good to society. As long as the advertisement is actually for a good cause and does not try to trick its viewers, I believe that it's beneficial.

Utopian Society

Protests, riots and other demonstrations are prevalent in our society. People hatred of their government is creating distrust with the one idea that was meant to better our lives. In my idea of a perfect world, people will not feel oppressed or silenced by their rulers that are meant to merely watch over them and keep them safe. For this to occur, the government must take a step back and give all the people the freedom they deserve. This means that people will be given the opportunity to take a lot of responsibility for themselves. This, hopefully, will drive people to have a good work ethic in order to be successful in reaching their goals. Obviously, there must be a government but its impact in our everyday lives would be miniscule. Just like in Utopia, I believe that each city should follow basically the same set of rules. Therefore, all people will feel just as free as the next person, causing little disputes when they interact. The government will consist of a small committee, kind of like the Supreme Court, that's main duty will be to enforce laws and hear issues that arise as times and the culture change.

In a perfect world, the idea of bias would not exist. In my opinion, a lot of beliefs and information are misconstrued because it is represented in a biased way. For example, most political news channels discuss the news favoring either liberals or conservatives. If people were to watch different news channels that talked about the same issue, each person would get a different idea of what actually occurred. This leads people to disagree and can cause conflicts. If all people were to get the same information with no bias, society would run a lot smoother and the true resolution to a problem would be easier to find.

My idea of a utopia is absolute fairness and equality for all. Each person would have just as much as their neighbors and no one would strive to become more wealthy or powerful than others. Similar to "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", there would be no pain or suffering in a utopia either. Everyone would function as a unit to ensure that society thrives.

While that is my idea of a utopia, I do not believe that it is something we should strive for. First, it would be impossible to set up a society like that, and also it would be pretty boring. With no unhappiness or diversity, it would be tough for writing, art and sports to exists. Competition is a vital part of society that helps it grow throughout time.