Today in 1997 when Nielson proposed a new way to do ratings, that consisted of ones TV seeing the outline of a person who was watching it, and interpreting the data, people froze in fear. TV's are in every household, but no-one is afraid of them anymore. That is until it was realized that the technology is viable to create a TV that can record who is watching for the purpose of statistical TV ratings. This suggestion was met with an uproar as people whispered, big brother is watching.

Paranoia and skepticism is common in the real 1997, but we are far from Orwell's 1984. Another thing about Orwell's imagined government. They did not have the power to control natural disasters. This is obvious, but if you think about it, one might even be willing to take the blame for lets say, a tornado, if it gave them power and caused people to fear the government even more. But this is not real control, and that is what the inner party of 1984 knew, and feared. The control of the party was always on the brink. But as O'Brien stated, power is being able to inflict pain on others. But, true torture, is not the pain itself, but the fear of pain. The party put the fear of thought crime into the minds of the people. The party can not read the citizens thought, but the fear that it is possible, gives them the power to keep certain thought out of the heads of the people.

During the begining of the novel, O' Brien actually befriends Winston. But in 1984, you never know who you can trust. O' Brien gives winston a dictionary that contains an illegal documant, about a revolution. Because of this discovery, Winston thinks O' Brien is like himself. He was set up from the start. Winston first goes to a meadow with Julia, but later in the novel, this is where he retreate from his torture, and eventually O' Brien in Winston's mind is there too. Winston Kept a journal before he was jailed. But in 1984 this is not allowed. Winston must hide his writing, but even those thought are later discovered.

Go To Next 1984 Page.