1984 And The Truman Show Essay, Research Paper

The Truman Show and 1984

The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell, is a fictitious book that actually reveals many underlying truths about reality. Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Truman Show , and the world today have many similarities and differences which are good examples of the hidden realities of society. Orwell s novel presents a warning about a possible, but not inevitable fate for humanity. The Truman Show exemplifies the fact that we are not aware of when our privacy is being violated. The world today, is a combination of both, in which we are being watched because of technological advancements which leave us with little to no privacy.

Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four as a warning for society of his day as well as the societies of the future. He wanted to alert people and make them aware of the possible dangers that could be encountered in the future. The novel pinpoints the dangers in today s societies and proves to us that the faith, which we have in our government, is a fallacy. We, today, blindly accept things fed to us by our governments in the same manner that the citizens of Oceania accepted doublethink and the changes in history and records. This warning is frightening when one realizes that it indeed could become a reality. In addition, the governments of our time are not very different from Big Brother and the party. Our government uses Newspeak to manipulate, deceive, and cover harsh realities with soft words. Too much power in the government leads to totalitarianism, such as Oceania. Thus, we have learned power is a very dangerous force, and to avoid this, our government has chosen a democratic environment over Big Brother s totalitarian government.

In the movie The Truman Show , the main character, not knowing that millions of people were watching him, grew up in a world where there was absolutely no solitude. He was unaware of many realities because they were purposefully hidden from him. For example, he had no idea that there were over two thousand cameras capturing his pseudo life, just for the entertainment of others. In today s society, we have cameras and other technological devices, which sometimes, unknowingly, monitor our lives. A random person, if given access to a social security number, is able to pull up any type of information that has been recorded throughout an individual s life. Eventually, Truman discovers that he has been scrutinized by an expansive TV audience throughout the course of his life. Without hesitation, he chooses to be independent, which, in turn, allows him to have privacy for the first time in his life.

Today, political organization and technology can produce much power and also, decrease ones privacy. In today s society, we have made dangerous technological advancements that virtually remove a person s liberty and privacy. Similar to both The Truman Show and Nineteen Eighty-Four, we have telephone taps, the IRS, police surveillance helicopters, satellites in orbit, etc. Security and efficiency may cost us our freedom if used improperly. Law and order could be the doublethink version of slavery. The Party in Nineteen Eighty-Four consists of men who have sacrificed every human quality for the sake of power. Big Brother maintains his power by fear and Truman is controlled by a technological dome, which is used for his phony world. Both ways of control are hidden realities to society and if we are not aware and alert, they will sneak up on us.

Can human nature be changed in such a way that man will forget his longing for freedom, for dignity, for integrity, for privacy? Can man forget that he is human? On the other hand, will our human nature react to the violation of these basic human needs by attempting to change an inhuman society into a human one? In Nineteen Eighty-Four, unlimited use of torture and brainwashing eliminated man s nature to strive for privacy, justice, truth, and solidarity. In The Truman Show , the director sacrifices Truman s privacy for his own personal gain and entertainment. The conclusion is reached that it is possible to dehumanize man with simple techniques that are common knowledge today. It is a powerful reminder to preserve these characteristics of basic human nature.

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