Essay --

In the 20th century, numerous ideas of the future have entertained society. Movies such as Star Wars and Back to the Future have greatly influenced how society views the future. No one could have predicted that George Orwell’s 1984 novel came in first place when discussing about the present day. The primary goal of 1984 is to paint how life will be like under the control of a totalitarian government. This novel is way ahead of its time and gave frighteningly realistic insights into the future. Currently, the people of America are living in this reality, which Orwell prophesied. Advancement in technology today is world changing; however, it can become a dangerous weapon when left in the wrong hands. It is used as a form of distraction and control. There is a vision that, one day, there will be a monitor in every household that regularly observes people’s interest and loyalty. Even though there are no helicopters flying by and peeking through the neighbor’s windows, the government manages to spy on the average Joe in a realistic manner. Many people do not believe that the American government can implement such action, but it has been achieved and is far worst than what Orwell could have imagined. The nature of the National Security Agency revelations with the help of Edward Snowden, who leaked top secret government information, are within the scope of the Orwellian vision of the all-seeing Big Brother. Readers of the novel are able to visualize the dark and unearthly world through the eyes of Winston Smith, the protagonist. The world that he inhabits is cruel and ran by a government that controls the entire population. Big Brother is an entity in the novel who is seen as the all knowing and powerful. He is said to exists; however... ...om the government. There are no more anonymous masses. Jump forward to today, and it seems that the American people are openly giving away all sorts of freedoms and their right to privacy. There needs to be a balance. People need to take action. Also, Orwell's points out that the government is appointed too much power over apparently small things such as the Patriot Act; however, it is just a blueprint that will help widen the window of opportunity for the government to attain more power. Society is headed for a downfall where the government increasingly takes away civil liberties, whistle blowers and journalists are prosecuted, and truth is becomes a crime. It is difficult to see how anyone could make the claim that society is not headed closer to that direction. 1984 made a bold prediction. There are evidently parallels between society today and Orwell's book.