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Emma Kim

English 110 24-B

Diagnostic Essay

8/28/19

Living in 1984

Today we live in a world where technology is advancing faster and bigger than we

could’ve ever imagined. We have robots that clean our floors, speakers that control music,

lighting, and home security, and we even have machines that 3D print edible food. And while all

of these things are making life better, and some humans lazier, do we ever stop to think about the

negative aspects of these inventions? Some skeptics fear of the government using technology to

watch our every move and listen in on our conversations. In the book, 1984, written by George

Orwell, takes that exact fear, turns it into a reality, and even takes a step further. This is a book

that every La Salle student should read because overall it’s an interesting book, it can be

compared to our current reality, and it is this time in our life where we begin to identify, define,

and individualize ourselves amongst society. So, what exactly is this book about?

Published around the time of WW2, this book was set 40 years into the future. In a

dystopian society where the government use technology to watch and listen in on their people.

With strict laws against feelings, freedom of speech, and even expressive words, the goal of this

society is to use technology to turn humans inhuman. The two main characters fall in love but are

eventually torn apart when the government discovers their secret affair. The author concludes the

book with the realization that without a doubt, the government wins in the end. And what’s crazy

is that this book is becoming a reality in our society today.

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For the past few years, we’ve been living under the Trump administration and teachers

who are using this book in their curriculum noted that their students are finding similarities

between the book and our lives. According to a Huffington Post, Mike Becker, a teacher in

Michigan, said that his students are saying things like, “We’re living in 1984.” Becker, like many

others, realizes that the idea of government surveillance and filtering doesn’t surprise or concern

us as much as it should. Another teacher from Oregon comments, “They (the students) are

looking at comments Trump has made about voter fraud, Spicer’s comment about the

inauguration, Conway’s ‘alternative facts,’ and it just rings so similar to them about an

authoritarian government fluttering our news with information – some true and false.” In a world

that relies on technology to spread and gain information, it’s hard to filter what’s true, what’s

false, and how we, as young adults, determine where and what we choose to follow and believe.

This book, despite the sad ending, is encouraging and reminded people of the importance

of self-identity and not being afraid of exploring. Although Winston and Julia didn’t have the

happily ever after that most people would’ve hoped for, they went against the “norm” because

they believed that the love that they felt for each other could never be taken away from them,

even under the worst circumstances. When teens are in high school and college, they will

encounter new perspectives, experiences, beliefs, and ideas, and there is nothing wrong with that.

We are the next generation and in 10 to 20 years from now, we will be the ones making the

decisions, being in charge, and having the conversations that change our society. But how can we

gain knowledge and determine where our beliefs and morals lie if we never go against the norm?

William Milburn, a teacher from Oregon, said that he encourages students to read this book

because of, “The importance of bravery and that it’s okay to question and challenge information

that intuitively goes against our collective thoughts and beliefs.”

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To conclude, every La Salle student should read the book 1984 written by George Orwell

because it’s interesting, it can be applied to our own lives, and it encourages us to find ourselves

by challenging our values, our beliefs, and our society. It’s a long, and sometimes boring read,

but the message and feelings you get from the book are worth it.
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Works Cited

Klein, Rebecca. “High School Students Reading ‘1984’ See A Mirror, Not Science

Fiction.” Huffington Post, 2 Feb. 2017, www.huffpost.com/entry/teens-1984-george-

orwell-

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Orwell, George. 1984. Harvill Secker, 1949