Author's Note: Today as I was reading 1984 by George Orwell, I was reminded of how literature is meant to reflect real-life, even if it's fiction.
George Orwell's dystopic book shows a government that abuses its power to keep its people under its control. The general population doesn't know anything of the unethical, illegal business the government partakes in. For those of you in seventh grade social studies, this should sound familiar. Right now, China is doing basically the same thing that the government does in 1984.
For those of you who know nothing of the current situation, China is in big trouble with democratic countries. The communist country recently hacked into the Chinese Gmail server and accessed the Gmail accounts of people who are known to oppose the government. Not only would Americans call it unethical, but it's also unconstitutional. Sadly, China isn't governed by the Constitution, so that type of thing is completely legal. Along with that, China censors any Google search, limiting the amount of knowledge their people get. If knowledge is power, China is keeping their people powerless, unable to oppose the government.
In 1984, the government does the same type of thing on a much larger scale. Telescreens, computers that record your conversations and actions, are put into every available space, cutting away privacy for every citizen. The government, like China, is paranoid that its people will build up enough knowledge to revolt, and decides to stop the problem where it would start. If China doesn't hang, it could end up looking like a scene right out of 1984, a scene that no one should ever see.
This is a really cool way to respond to the writing; what you did here -- applying directly to the world today -- is exactly what Orwell would want you to do, and this proves you understand the text at a deeper than surface level.
ReplyDeleteThat's really sad, what China does. i agree with Mr. J when he says that you understand things at a deeper level becasue I guess I've never grasped the concept og fiction relating to real world, even though iI've seen similarities. My social studies class hasn't studied China yet, we are on Central America. I wish I was learning about China though becasue then I could relate more.
ReplyDeleteI like this response because it is insightful, comparing, and is littered with facts while writing with your traditional style. Great job
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that similarity but didn't acknowledge it the way you did. This is a great piece to show people that fiction actually means something
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