1984 NowBy Archimedes

ThesisIn the novel 1984, the

implementation of social classes, the invasion of privacy and dependency on machines are much like the characteristics of today’s society which are becoming increasingly similar to those in the novel.

OutlineI. Thesis statement: In the novel 1984, the implementation of social classes, the invasion of

privacy and dependency on machines are much like the characteristics of today’s society which are becoming increasingly similar to those in the novel.

II. Claim #1: In 1984, the implementation of social classes is similar to the way they are implemented today

A. Sub-Topic A: 1984 – Separation of the Outer Party, Inner party and proles (71, 188, 208)

B. Sub-Topic B: Now – Grouping of suburbs, cities, ghettos, ethnicities and economic classes (“Class”)

III. Claim #2: In 1984, the invasion of privacy is similar in degree to the invasion of privacy in today’s technological age.

A. Sub-Topic A: 1984 – Surveillance of the people by the Thought Police, telescreens and other people ()

B. Sub-Topic B: Now – Monitoring of phones, credit history and online status (Akin, Louis L.)

IV. Claim #3: In 1984, the dependency on machines and technology is similar to the way we depend on them today.

A. Sub-Topic A: 1984 – Industrial method of keeping low classes helpless & working (188)

B. Sub-Topic B: Now – Our society depends on technology- the internet and industrial means to make products (Atkins, William Arthur)

V. Closing Statement: Though Orwell’s foresight of the future has become more and more of a reality, the tyranny on which it functions is highly looked down upon in today’s society and will never come into existence long-term.

Claim #1 Implementation of Social Classes

The implementation of social classes in the novel is much like that of today. In the novel, the top class consists of “the directing brains of the Inner Party” (Orwell 188). “Below the Inner Party comes the Outer Party,” (Orwell 208) who are the middle class, and the “proles” are considered to be the lowest class and “natural inferiors” (Orwell 71).Today, these classes are the equivalent of the classes of economic status, including the upper, middle and lower classes, which contain exponentially fewer members as they progress in monetary value. Today’s classes range from “commercial and industrial capitalists” to those who obtain “low-paying manual labor jobs” (“Class”). The separate classes are also defined by their geographic areas in which they cluster, from well-kept suburbs to “decaying inner cities” (“Class”).

Claim #2 Invasion of Privacy

The invasion of privacy in today’s society is becoming more similar to the lack of privacy in the novel. In 1984, the citizens of Oceana are constantly monitored by “telescreens,” Thought Police and other people, where signals from the “telescreens” are “received and transmitted simultaneously” and the citizens have their “every movement scrutinized” (Orwell 3). The Thought Police are a group that control a great amount of power over the privacy of the people’s lives, making it dangerous to let one’s “thoughts wander” beyond the confines of the society’s rules and “the smallest thing” can give one away. Today, the Thought Police could be compared to a branch of the government dealing with the monitoring of associated criminals, and the internet reveals far more detail about an individual than the foretold “telescreens” in Orwell’s novel. Malicious computer programs available for sale have the ability to monitor targets “in real-time from anywhere,” “log every keystroke” and remain “completely invisible” (Akin). Though for an entirely different purpose, citizens of today are also encouraged to report criminal activity or suspicious behavior to the appropriate authorities.

Claim #3 Dependency on Machines

The superpowers in the novel 1984 rely on machines, and our societies of today are becoming more reliant on technology as well. Industrialization in the novel is exploited to “use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living” (Orwell 188). The aim is to keep the lower class from advancing in class and maintaining the society’s fragile economy and workforce long-term. Technology is also used to monitor, torture and frighten citizens with “telescreens,” forms of electrocution and rocket-bombs from supposed enemies. Today, we rely on industrial processes just as equally. Out global markets are becoming “more connected and interdependent,” and due to China’s “rapid industrialization,” it is now the “world’s second-leading economy” (Atkins). China owes its success to the invention of technologies which allow its large unskilled workforces (like those in the society) to perform simple manual labor to mass produce goods. These goods eventually make their way to countries of higher development that rely on China’s production.

Summary & Conclusion

The year of 2014 and the predicted year of 1984 are similar in many aspects including their industrialization, increased lack of privacy and classification of people into groups based on social and/or economic status. These trends have implemented themselves into our every-day lives as much as the need for oxygen, for both the people of today and the citizens of 1984. The implementation of these necessities has been the result of the basis of entirely different values, but the effects remain the same.

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