Florez 1

lvanna Florez
Dylan Altman
English 114 B
May 5, 2014

Distinct, Yet Not So Different

There are many aspects used in our everyday lives that are truly
taken for granted, considering our ignorant appreciation to space. It has
almost become subliminal to our minds to even think about the
difference within the way we change our behavior according to the
physical atmosphere we are in. In George Orwells 1984, space that
people use in their everyday lives is watched with intense control,
where their society is dictated every second of their lives. The society
we live is supposed to be a free will community, where are actions are
based more morals. The morals we are raised to live by everyday are
there for us respect, while learning to act a certain appropriate way
depending on the time and place.
Todays society is different from to Orwells view of society
because their world consists of complete control, where they do not
how the will of speaking or acting for themselves. In our real world, the
Florez 2
corruption being implied by our government is very known as to the
society in 1984 has no kind of awareness of the blind fold they have on.
An environment where the protagonist, Winston Smith is constantly
being watched makes it hard to truly express how he really feels
towards the control of the environment. The space he interacts with is
not different than any other space because there is no more or no less of
vigilance. The book quickly introduces the slogan, WAR IS PEACE,
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH (Orwell, 4). This is
the idea of doublethink to the reader. This quote demonstrates the
massive amount of control the Party holds to the people. Oceania
remains under the power of an authoritarian regime, because of the
contradiction portrayed through the slogan. The party intends to
manipulate their citizens in a way that will express freedom, peace, and
strength when truthfully, war, slavery, and ignorance is what the people
represent. The space used, as a society is general in 1984 is entirely
dominated by a totalitarian government that will not allow any type of
foreign behavior from any of the citizens living in that area of London.
Many similarities arise within the way in which our society and 1984s
space is completely handled.
Florez 3
Though similar behaviors as well as patterns occur within each
society, the greatest difference existing is the outcome of the citizens
reaction. 1984 appears to be a society created to demolish any kind of
instant hope to survive the authority held by their government. A
myriad amount of oblivion lives over the minds of these innocent
people. It is definitely not be known that there is an obsession with
always being in control, while the people are enslaved into complete
regulation. While the party begins to exercise their powers of what they
control within everybodys space, they also represent the idea of Who
controls the past controls the future. [And] Who controls the present
controls the past, (Orwell, 34) which ultimately creates false non-
idealistic occurrences of what the party wants everyone else to believe,
by recreating the past, present, and future in their own words. They
want the people to be aware of historic facts preventing past situations
to occur, or to put forth a moment that will only benefit the government
in the future; essentially leading to more formidable power given to Big
Brother. We as American citizens decide what we want to do, knowing
the consequences of our actions, depending on the behaviors made
within each space used.
Florez 4
In the 21
st
Century, we want to believe that our society has
created fair rules in order to created this Democracy, which appears to
be what we have in the Unites States. Looking at the society in 1984,
democracy is non-existent, it is a world where people do not realize the
harsh control they are in. Their everyday use of space is controlled by
the government, where they dont realize the power they have to use it
in any way other than how they are told to use it. Our world in 2014 has
a mindset of self-discipline, a society where our morals drive us to act a
certain way as a certain space. Take a park for example; there is not
certain restriction for us to behave a certain way, but we have a more
playful as well as free mindset to convey our personalities differently
than we would if the environment changed to a library. Though there
are rules and laws implied in any kind of society, the obligations in 1984
are more likely to be obligations, to the point of vaporization as a
consequence. They are not even permitted to think a certain way, for the
suspicion made by any officer will cause them to act upon bad
consequences.
Our present society is aware of the rules we have to abide by and
we are also allowed the freedom of knowledge, to receive and search for
as much information as we want to be aware of everything going on
Florez 5
around us. The difference is that we are ignorant. We know how our
government might be corrupting our lives and the way we live, but we
dont try and do anything about. No matter how any society in life will
try their hardest to be in complete control of anything, it is known that
we are just a society that is being brainwashed somehow. Maybe not to
the extremity of the party in 1984 but In the end the party would
announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.
It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the
logic of their position demanded it(Orwell, 173). There is no way for
the society in 1984 so realize the brain washing that they are going
through. Their use of space is monitored as every second, and has to
comply those behaviors everywhere they go.
It is believed that our society and the society in 1984 is very much
the same, we are aware of how to act in a certain space, and so are they,
though, their situation is created with no warnings, with no knowledge
of the drastic tyranny and manipulation being engraved in their brains.
We are aware, yet there is no forth action being taken. Everyone is
world should be allowed to feel, think, and take action any way they
want to, it is a part of living in the this world; thats why 1984, having
those restrictions gives each one of us the message to not take
Florez 6
advantage of the freedom we truly have. The spaces given to us allow us
to choose how we want to react to them, and most importantly to not
take advantage of them.