Dictatorship?

Danny Miller

1984
By George Orwell

There is something eerily familiar about this story. While it does seem to be a bit exaggerated, this is a fully established government that seems to be well underway, while we, in the United States, are only less than a month into our new administration.

Since I began reading 1984 - only a few days ago - I have already become fascinated by the parallels it reveals to our world today. This book was recommended to me by a family member on the grounds that bears eye-opening similarities to America under our current administration, and also that it is, at this point, the top selling book in the country.

Some of the major connections I have made include ignorance towards the lack of free speech and free press, a leader that near resembles a dictator, the hatred of "political orthodoxy," (11) or political correctness, and constant war with specific regions (In the novel: Eurasia and East Asia – In reality: Afghanistan, Syria etc.).

The main character, Winston Smith, must be careful of what he says or does, because Big Brother – the leader – is watching him. Not figuratively, literally. In his home is a TV screen, which cannot be turned off, that both transmits and receives signals, allowing for the government to spy on what he is doing, forcing him to keep his hatred of the "Thought Police" (14) and Big Brother to himself.

He attends the "Two Minutes Hate" assembly, where images of government-disapproved people – specifically, Emmanuel Goldstein, a Jewish man who was deemed "the Enemy of the People" (11) – are displayed on a large screen for everyone to shout and throw things at. At the very end, a large picture of Big Brother appears on the screen, and that is when everyone calms down, including Winston, insinuating that this is some sort of brainwashing session.

Again, while claiming that this is reminiscent of our current government is quite a stretch, it has strong parallels to what we are beginning to experience across America. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this book, and I believe that anyone who has any interest in politics whatsoever should read this book as well. Once I am finished, I will return to share my thoughts, so stay tuned!