December 2016
language of 1984. The people who live in the
world of 1984 accept two beliefs that contradict
themselves. It is used to force the people to
believe in what the government wants them to,
even though the truth is quite contrary. Even the
party slogan oozes of double think: “War is
Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is
Strength.”
countries, the same issue reads, “Why the U.S.
Will Never Save Afghanistan.” This change
brings light to how some news sources operate,
which makes it harder and harder to find the
truth. News sources will give headlines that are
easier for Americans to read, while other
countries receive the harsh truth.
Endless War
“War is Peace.” This is not only said by the
Orwellian society, but by our current one.
Military troops remain in certain foreign
countries to “keep peace.” This makes little sense
because, if the country was peaceful, there would
be no need for the military in the first place. The
very fact that war is needed brings evidence to
support that war does not create peace.
Another way that the government controls the
society is through endless war. Oceania (the
country where 1984 takes place) is constantly at
war with other countries. The endless war creates
controlled fear that forces the people to be
consumed with fear of the enemy without
realizing all of the malicious th ings their own
country is doing.
“Freedom is Slavery.” Another aspect of the
society in 1984 is the endless war created to
occupy the minds of the people rather than focus
on how the government is manipulating the
citizens. To defend against the War on Terror, the
Patriot Act put was put into place by George W.
Bush in 2001 that took away certain freedoms to
protect us. The act investigates certain people
alleged to commit acts of terrorism, but other
certain situations like spying on innocent civilians
can be used as an excuse to use the Patriot Act.
Today the War on Terror is eerily similar. The
vagueness of the name allows for anything to be
done in its name. This also leads to the question:
when is this War on Terror going to end? Never.
This allows the government to violate some of
our civil rights for the sake of safety. Combined
with the Patriot Act, our safety and freedoms
have been questioned, bended, and shattered.
Despite these many frightening similarities, the
future is still undetermined and has an infinite
amount of possibilities. This future is only one
possibility. 1984 provides an insight to this future
and can help society avoid an Orwellian future.
“Ignorance is Strength.” Time Magazine has used
doublethink in their own news. The American
version of the October 24, 2011 issue reads “The
Return of the Silent Majority.” To other
Juliet Laughlin
Joe Ramirez
Senior
Sophomore
Junior
“Those who give up freedom
for safety will get neither.”
“People should know the truth
rather than what they want to
hear.”
“It’s ok for allied countries to
help keep peace, but not
random countries”
Evan Krum
!24