answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

"1984" was a book that very much foreshadowed what is happening now. Unfortunately, many people either can't or ae unwilling to see what is going on right in front of their eyes.

In "1984", government surveillance was everywhere. Where you went, what you did, who you talked to... the government knew your every move.

Today, we may not have monitoring systems in our homes (yet), but the government has increasing power to invade your privacy. Aside from the fact that your internet activities are monitored and your phone calls can be tapped... I know of a woman who recently had her home searched by police for no reason other than that she is an anti-immigrant activist. Last I checked, that was not a crime, but it leads me to my next point.

In "1984", Winston kept a diary where he wrote down all his treasonous thoughts. He was too afraid to act on them or speak about them- he would have been arrested and tortured, maybe even executed, if he had.

Today, our rights to free speech (and with it, free thought) are being eroded. In the US, certain speech is not protected. "Fighting words" are the best example of this. If you call someone a "(insert epithet of your choice here)" and he decides to punch you for it, you are in the wrong for "inciting violence" or something ridiculous like that. In Germany and Austria, men have recently been arrested, tried, and imprisoned for having politically incorrect opinions. In China, those who speak out against the government are arrested and tortured.

In "1984", undesireable history is effectively erased from existence. If the government decided something hadn't happened or had happened differently than the way it actually did, they spread Propaganda around and the masses were expected to believe it.

Today, history is a political tool and is often manipulated to serve the interests of certain groups. An extreme example is that the Chinese are taught that the Tiananmen Square masacre was started by students randomly attacking soldiers. But we see the same thing to a lesser extent in the west. The teaching of the Civil War is a prime example. Most people believe the war was fought over slavery (which isn't true) and that the South was evil and the North was good. The South does not get it's side of the story fairly told in schools and most people do not know anything about it. But it is essential to teach it this way so as to be able to promote politically correct propaganda, usually in the form of multiculturalism. Whether you beileve multiculturalism is good or not is irrelevent- what's important is that you are taught it is good, you believe it, and no one ever offers you another viewpoint. This tactic holds true for the teaching of just about every historical event.

In the world of "1984", a new language has also been invented with the purpose of helping to control the thoughts of the masses.

The comparison today would be the way the media lends connotations to certain kinds of words, which, after a period of time, most people come to accept as the actual definition of the word. For example, when most people hear the word "racism", they immediately think "hate". For these people, the definition of racism is hate. However, the real and original definition of racism was simply that one believed there were genetic difference between the races... nothing at all to do with hate. But people's perception of what this word means affects their social and political views. Another good example would be the word "liberal" or "conservative", which have now taken on meanings that are almost completely opposite from their original definitions and are also politically charged words, sometimes used as insults.

I'm assuming you are asking about this for a school assignment, so hopefully these are enough ideas to get you started. :-)

User Avatar

Wiki User

10y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

Winston Smith buys a diary , meets Julia , the two are captured by the "Thought Police" , O'brien tortures Winston and he now 'Loves Big Brother'.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: What are some examples of abuse of power in George Orwell's 1984?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp