In the novel, citizens of Oceania have telescreens in their homes in which they can receive news and watch propaganda material. I’m not going to equate these two realities directly- but it’s enough to get you thinking for decades upon decades.Īs for the technology, Orwell was not so far off either. In 1984 there is a department where workers quite literally spend all day altering documents and making propaganda material. Hundreds of books have been pulled off of school shelves, warnings on social media, etc. Censorship, propaganda, and technology that is always watching- sound familiar? No matter what your political affiliations are, there’s no doubt that censorship remains rampant throughout the world. All of this familiarity can really make a reader wonder- is this where we’re headed? We’re Already ThereĪs a reader, especially a modern reader, of the novel, it’s clear that some of the things Orwell prophesied about are already here. Zoom out and there are mentions of familiar countries and religions. Corporate-office-like workspaces, simple names, and technology are all a part of the novel’s core story. Something that 1984 does best is placing the reader in a world that is different from their own, but still creepily familiar. Sometimes I stray from fantasy novels and their confusing names and messy worlds.
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