Lowkey Scared

Not really scared but paranoid. Sometimes when im texting my friends or talking to someone on the phone i always think in the back of my mind, who is there? Ever since we started reading i always wonder like who is watching me and when. Is is constant or is it at certain times? Its a weird feeling I get at the tought of someone watching me. Its not as much texting but calls or facetime because they could actually see my face or listen to my voice and I find that so creepy. Like right now as I type what if someone has my camera turned on, on my laptop and I don't know because the light is't on. Are they watching me take stupid selfies on snapchat? It makes me feel very uncomfortable knowing that there is that possibility. I kind of want my own privacy on some things. It would really help my nerves to know for sure someone isnt watching me on my video camera at this second. There is never going to be a for sure answer. I will never know and its kind of upsetting.

Thought police

        The novel 1984 written by George Orwell portrays a society that is constantly under governmental supervision, and punishment. One aspect that this novel puts forth that intrigues me is the idea of the Thought Police, and thier way of punishing members of society. The Thought Police has a way of knowing your thoughts, and using them against you for punishment. How they do, I have no clue, but just the concept of the Thought Police makes me think a little more. 

        I know that if I were to know that my thoughts are monitored by the government and those thoughts could jeopardize my life, I would think twice before I think (which makes almost no sense). Winston Smith knows that the things he thinks about will get him in trouble, it's just a matter of when, but he does such thinking anyway. Winston does not care about the Thought Police even though they hold so much authority over him, but for what reason? Simply because Winston knows he can't escape the Thought Police, so there is no point in holding thoughts in. The society we live in can get to this point in technology later down the road. Would it change the way you think? It would definitely cause me think about different things. 

Socratic Seminar

I don't like having socratic seminars. I feel like the people who always talk will always take over the discussion leaving no room for everyone else to talk. I feel like especially since our class has a lot of strong headed people its hard because everyone wants to talk and put their opinion out there but all everyone does is talk over eachother. Its good because we keep the conversation going and everyone has their own opinions but the quieter people never really get to say their opinion because theyre talked over. No one really knows where people stand because they dont really get to talk. I feel like we should just have debates honestly. Those get heated and are pretty fun.
I also feel like when we have the socratic seminars we get stuck a lot. We kind of just go off topic or everyone agrees and it kind of just stops there. It gets really awkward at times.

Brainwashing

In the novel 1984, by George Orwell, one thing the Party does is brainwash and manipulate the citizens of Oceania. The Party does this by getting to the young citizens; in fact, the youth leagues and the spies are examples of how they get to the children.  They turn these young citizens into believing that the Party and Big Brother is great, and to adore and be faithful to them. All the Party wants to do is turn the youth into respectful party members and get them on their team.  What they do to the children is they give them so much propaganda, so they believe everything the Party is telling them.  A great example of this is when Hitler did this to the children in the schools, manipulating the kids into thinking what he wanted them to believe, especially with the propaganda of Nazi Germany.  The party uses the brainwashed children to their advantage; for example, the children will condemn members of their family to the thought police, literally betraying their family and being completely loyal to the Party and Big Brother.  Once the children have been brainwashed and manipulated by Big Brother, they are no longer loyal to anyone but them.  This is really smart by the Party because they know exactly what they are doing and they are using the brainwashing and manipulating to their advantage.  Brainwashing the children of Oceania is a significant way of how the Party rules and controls the people of Oceania.  If everyone is brainwashed by the Party and Big Brother, the Party can practically do whatever they want with no one to stop them in their path.  This nearly makes them unstoppable, which can be quite scary.  It is very difficult for our government to brainwash us because we have many smart and intelligent people in our society and they will not believe what the government is telling them.  The only way for them to accomplish this is to start from the youth.  That itself will be difficult to do because many of the children’s parents will find out what they are learning in school and be totally angry about it because they know it is false, and they will surely do something about it.  In the end, the Party and Big Brother brainwashes and manipulates the citizens of Oceania very well, they use this throughout the novel to their advantage.  

Until they become conscious.....

“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” This quote really sticks out to me as it just circles around itself. The first part means that until they realize that they are being oppressed they will never fight back, and the second part means that once they have rebelled they will wonder if life was really better before the Party took over. The quote directly addresses the proles as they are too busy with their own plight to be aware of such a thing, they cannot see the bigger picture. The quote itself is a metaphorical paradox.

Freedom and 1984

     Ever since I finished 1984, I've had the same reoccurring thought come up; could our society ever be anything like the society 1984 envisions?  That is, a society where there are authority-like figures and technology who restrict average people from thinking, acting, living freely.  Big Brother is behind everyone's restricted freedom and harsh lifestyles.  It is to such an extreme that there is even a rebellion called The Brotherhood, whose goal is to destroy the opposing party.  During the Socratic seminar, people had constantly said that our way of life "is a milder version of 1984".  Both sides have points to them, so it did make for an interesting topic during the Socratic seminar.  However, I feel as though a lot would have to change in order to become even slightly similar to 1984.
     In 1984, we are introduced to Winston, who would most likely be described as an anti-social person who doesn't care for the rules Big Brother sets.  We find that throughout the entire story, he thinks against Big Brother, sometimes even breaking their laws by writing in a diary and reading a book written by Goldstein(founder of The Brotherhood).  If Winston were to live in our society, he would be considered an average person.  That being said, our population greatly exceeds our government.  The government is highly reliant on the people and the reverse as well.
     During the Socratic seminar, a lot was said about our phones and technology being traceable.  I feel this is only needed to ensure the safety of all people.  I also feel that constant checks on everyone's search history and phone calls should be disregarded, as it's to combat the WAR ON TERROR!  Let's say for example, you are planning to do something bad on a federal/county-wide level; you will most likely be intercepted and eventually tried for that crime; thank's to the government's new developing ways of monitoring communication.
     Do you as a citizen of the United States of America prefer Privacy or Peace?    
     

The Concept of Nespeak

Newspeak serves as a way to limit the practice of self expression and the freedom of thought. In 1984 it is shown to have worked well. If you can’t express your thoughts or feelings then you eventually become frustrated and end up forgetting what it was that you were feeling in the first place. If people don’t know exactly what they are thinking then this narrows their mind into a box of limitations. If no one can think for themselves then thought crimes become virtually impossible; with the concept of newspeak it narrows you down so much that when you can’t express what you are feeling you are going to just want to give up. With that you mind is just going to get smaller and smaller until you won’t want to think outside the box anymore.

Is Big Brother Our Future?

Many of us don't seem to think that a government like that of 1984 will become our system. I also agree with this for various reasons, but I can't say I don't have suspicions. With our technology advancing by the minute, it's hard to say what will be next. While the purpose of our technology may be either for entertainment or the work place, who knows how it will be put to use. Much of our gadgets today are wrongly used and that may or may not be the case in the future. I like to think that our government is trustworthy and has only good intentions for our society but does that mean that they will go to a further extent to maintain a civilized or protected society? How far will they go? Will they undergo new systems without our awareness? It's possible that while having good intentions, they will do things that may be out of our comfort zone. On the other hand, we don't have much to worry about right now. The changes we are seeing around the country are advanced yet simple. It's not something that we have to be overly cautious about. I guess what I'm saying is that we shouldn't be quick to assume. We shouldn't be closed minded. If our government is taking actions and many of us are uncomfortable then we should speak up. If we allow small, unusual changes, sooner or later we'll be overwhelmed with greater more dramatic changes in our society.

After reading 1984, I have concluded that their society is not fit to live in. In my standards anyways. However, we as U.S citizens think we should have freedom because our Founding Fathers said so in the Constitution. But look at different third world counties: Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador etc...They don't have freedom like we do in the states. They are kind of like the citizens in 1984 because they have no say in what happens in their countries. They just go with the flow and try to make it another day. It's sad but true.

Technology

   Technology is a huge part of our everyday lives and a lot of us feel as if we can't live without these technological devices.  The scary part about it is that the more we feel we want or need these gadgets the more advanced our technology will continue to get.  Even our phones are so advanced that we can be tracked based on the data stored in them. So as technology continues to thrive it makes me realize the possibilities in the advances we can begin to make in years to come. For example, maybe one day telescreens will be a part of our normal lives and we will constantly be watched. 1984 seems like more of a foreshadow of what our world can become rather than just a book about a completely controlling government.
    1984 is very eye opening for me because it made me look at how much technology can make a difference in the world.  Technology getting more advanced isn't a bad thing at all but if used the wrong way it can spiral out of control and become a way of controlling our every move.  I see the book as more of a warning to us so that we take note of what is going on around us and make sure we use our resources for good rather than bad.  As a whole, I feel our society has to be more aware of how we use the technology we are given to prevent something like 1984 from happening in the future.

How does technology function today? Good or Evil?

During the Socratic Seminar we were unable to discuss question #21 that basically is asking whether technology today is good or bad. I think technology today Is both. The internet started out as technological advance for quicker research and information, and although we still use it for that internet today is mainly used among us teens to play the newest game or go on the newest social media site. I believe the internet is being used less and less for its original purpose just as in the article "That's No Phone. That's My Tracker" we agreed cellphones are being used less and less for their original purpose. Television today is putting a bad influence on our generation. All these new reality tv shows are encouraging violent altercations, sex, drinking, partying, smoking, etc. On the radio, there's rarely a song that comes on that isn't talking about drugs, sex, or shaking your butt. Technology in general is being used less for what it was created for. So yes, there are some downsides to technology but there is also great enjoyment that comes from the music we hear, television we watch, and social media we can't get enough of.

Creeps

"That's No Phone. that's My Tracker", by Peter Maass and Megha Rajagopalan explain how all the technology in our "phones" are used to track us and extract infromation. From that right there I already knew that it tracked my location and you can gather information with the stuff I input into it. People know that there phones do these certain things, for developers to know how to make our life's easier they look at certain things that would be convient for us to use. For most of the people have iPhone have there privacy location settings on. That tracks you in your general use of the phone. It also organizes things based on your location, like your photos,posts, tweets etc... 

       On the name of the device itself will stay phone until some high tech new invention comes in, that wipes the phone generation away. Smart phone is still a phone, they just call it a smart phone because all of the new things it lets you explore and how it is a multimedia advice. You understand your phone to the extent that you want to use it, but to that extent you don't to changing the name of the device. It is something that doesn't throw the thing off completely or degrade the true functionbilty of it.

"That's No Phone. That's My Tracker"

According to the article “That’s No Phone. That’s My Tracker”, calling our everyday devices “cell phones” is naïve; however, I disagree. Many are already aware of the various capabilities and functions of our technologically advanced phones. Very few, however, are threatened. While the several features on our phones contain personal information, they make our lives easier. For example, there are applications that we use on a daily basis such as calendars, alarms, safari, and even banks. It would be nearly impossible for most to give up their phones, which was an alternative mentioned in the article. It may be alarming to some people that our cell phone companies can easily access our information as a result of a request from law enforcement, but that only happens if you are somehow involved in an investigation. They can’t just access your information without reason. If this is a concern for people then the companies should notify an individual when they are going to do so. Despite the fact that we ourselves share personal information through applications and social media on our phones, we should still feel secure. Still, I don’t think calling them trackers will raise more awareness or prevent people from doing certain things. They may be a form of tracking system but they are also more than that. So if we have to change the name because we do more than make calls on our phones, then trackers wouldn’t be any different. I don’t think this will ever evolve.

Do people have a right to be alone?

During the Socratic Seminar we discussed whether or not we all have the right to be alone. Many if not majority of us as a whole agreed that yes we all have the right to be alone. For some of us that are actively involved in our school through the many clubs, activities, and sports we are generally always around our classmates and people. Sometimes we just need to take a step back to recollect ourselves or at least catch a breath. In 1984 members of the Party could never be alone, solitude was dangerous and probably led others to suspicion that you were doing wrong or up to no good.
If I were living into a society like this I would definitely have trouble. As much as I love being around my friends and people in general, sometimes I need to be on my own. Some things personally I have to just do alone, I can't take someone with me everywhere I go. To be in a world where individualism wasn't excepted and everyone must conform is just terrible to me. 

Socratic Seminar question

                While reading through the Socratic Seminar list, the question that really caught my eye was number 5. “Of pain you could only wish one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was as bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes.”  It caught my eye because I don’t believe that physical pain is the worst thing in the world, and I’ve in a way experienced it firsthand. I won’t argue that I personally wouldn’t want it to go away, but there’s a reason behind pain, and sometimes the reason is much greater than the actual pain.

                For my mother, having to maintain me alive and giving birth was one of her greatest physical pains. She visited the hospital daily to get injections to keep me from dyeing and went through many painful medical procedures that put her through hell, and yet through all the pain she suffered losing me would have been worse than everything she felt along the way. She fought through the pain and would’ve given up her life for mine in an instance. In the face of pain she was a hero because she didn't give into it and fought through it.

                I use my mother's story as an example because she is living proof that emotion overpowers pain, something that Orwell contradicts. It’s arguable that what my mom did was out of motherly love, but her emotions drove her to block out the fact she would face pain. If people really believed that physical pain was the worst thing in the world many would give up at life. I completely disagree with the statement and think that its outrages.    

The Balance

During our seminar a discussion about what would be the right balance of our privacy and the government being able to watch us. Most of the class claimed there would never be a balance that people could agree on. I don't know but in my opinion I think what we have now is the perfect balance. We aren't being watched 24/7, we can think whatever we want, and we don't live in fear that we are being monitored or stalked by anyone or anything. However, we can be tracked if needed.  We can be found if we are lost, sometimes.  During a crisis I'm sure things would change but I still believe what we have now is the best balance of both sides.

Big Brother

    While reading 1984, I realized the freedom and the ability we have to do what we want in our country. Of course we have rules and regulations we have to follow but they are nothing compared to what they have to follow in the book. The rules and regulations we have set up in our society are necessary and seemingly easy to follow, in my opinion. In the book, it seems as if Big Brother is dehumanizing their people by looking down on normal human traits, like exploring their thoughts.  
    In our world, the government watches over us but in an appropriate way to keep us protected. If our government wasn't in place helping run our country it could turn into complete chaos because people could do whatever they pleased. In 1984, It seems as if Big Brother is always watching which takes away the privacy that people need.  Big Brother causes people to live in a bubble and have no voice or say in the way their society is ran.  The government they have in place basically controls every aspect of their lives which I believe is abusing their power as leaders. 

Is Winston a True Hero?

One topic that wasn’t discussed during the Socratic Seminar on Friday was number 18 on the list of questions which wanted us to discuss Winston as a heroic figure and describe the qualities that define him as one. I wouldn’t say that Winston is a heroic figure, but there are some parts in the book that where he has the characteristics of a hero.

            When I think of a hero I think of someone who is admired by people because of their strength, bravery, and their determination to defeat a villain and fight for what is right. An example in the story where Winston can possibly be seen as heroic is when him and Julia go to O’Brien asking to join Goldstein and the Brotherhood. The action itself was very heroic and showed that he was in fact determined to defeat the enemy (The Party), however he obviously didn’t succeed with his plan which leads me to think he actually isn’t a hero. There were so many points where he tried to fight against the Party, for example when he tried to resist O’Brien when he was held as a prisoner or when he was reading Goldstein’s book, however, by the end of the novel the Party and Big Brother were the true winners.

            The only time I felt like Winston was a hero was when he was writing in his diary. He wrote down how he honestly felt about the party and everything, and he really WANTED to do something about it, but never actually mustered up the courage to do anything. This is the main reason why I do not see Winston as the true hero of the story. He never really did have the courage, and even though he always questioned his society and never believed the lies (until the end), he never put his words into action.

            A huge reason why Winston couldn’t be an ultimate hero is because Big Brother and the Party are too powerful and too intelligent. It’s difficult to fight those with more power than you, especially when they are always a step ahead of you and they are familiar with a situation similar to Winston’s. In the end, Winston may not have been the hero, but a least he tried to fight the enemy till the very end before he lost his true identity and fell under the spell of Big Brother.

Life

     I've already made one post about 1984 so I'm just going to switch gears and talk about senior year. It's crazy to think that we're about to be out of Mayfair and on our own paths. I remember when I couldn't wait to be in high school, and then I entered, and then I remember when I couldn't wait to be a senior and now I'm here, and now I can't wait until I graduate, and that's about to come pretty soon. I'm sure everyone has had these thoughts. Now since we're about to have our semester finals I just realized that it's about to be over.
     I can speak for most people when I say that senior year has been the best year of high school. First of we don't really even get homework like that for the most part, and it's just full of activities. From Homecoming to Grad Night, it's just all fun. I'm really looking forward to the end of then year when we have all the senior activities and stuff like that. But most of all, I can't wait for Graduation, not so much because I want to get out of Mayfair, more so because I just want to take the next step in life.

Desperate Times = Change

Many of the student's posts that I am reading have been heavily about the subject of the government in 1984. Many are stating that it would be almost impossible to live in a world like that but in reality, many have already experienced it. 

In the dictator days during and before the world wars, many people and citizens have lived in complete fear, total surveillance, and a loss of individualism. Most bloggers are saying that we could never live or experience such a world like that but when more than half of the population is poor and helpless, they look for a hope of change. That is how the dictators came to rule in each of their countries. Same goes for the world in 1984, after their revolution, I believe that the population looked for a new savior and government, thus giving power to Big Brother and adjusting to the way they ruled. I believe that if a situation ever happened similar to theirs, the citizens would easily give over their individualism for a hope, with or without knowing.

In conclusion, I believe that yes, we are vastly different but when it comes to a time of change, we will adjust and adapt to a new change, whether we like it or not. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

LB Feds

I would like to speak on the recent article the class read called, "Long Beach Police to Use 400 Cameras Citywide to Fight Crime" by Richard Winton. I think that even though you put more cameras then bodies out there crimes that take bodies will still happen. Just because you have eyes watching doesn't mean crime won't start. Even though "40 year low in serious crimes" has hit long beach still let's you know crimes still happen. The 400 cameras would be a invade of privacy, and the city should have asked the residents. Of course that doesn't happen. Then there's a second feeling of understanding because less crime period is good for the city. The statistics prove that it works  so I should keep being implemented.also the link to 1984 isn't exact because be brother they were looking over everyone and everything. Not just one city and certain things.

Phones/Trackers/Distractions

               

                 After the discussion in class about phones being trackers, it got me to realize that there’s more to them. The way I see it, phones are like kids, they cry out when they need you, and you have to make sure they always have power(fuel/food) to run on. Sounds kind of familiar to me. They’re also a HUGE distraction to our society nowadays. I feel like most people worry about how a new phone update will affect the usage of their phone, rather than more important topics such as a terrible breakout of a certain disease that could potentially affect them. It’s not true to for everybody, but I feel like it is for many.

                 More and more I am starting to realize how big of a role my phone plays in my life. Not only is it my form of communication with many, but It is also my biggest form of distraction that takes me away from bonding and creating new experiences. I believe that my phone has been keeping me from learning new things. I have had the opportunity to travel and visit many educational places that could better my knowledge, yet I found myself taking pictures and sending text messages that really took away from the actual learning experience.  I feel like my phone has also kept me from being thankful and communicating with my loved ones.  When I’m at the dinner table, or even out to eat I become too consumed by my phone and I don’t take the time to appreciate the fact that I have food on my plate or that I am fortunate enough to be spending  time with my parents.

I know I’ll probably never stop using my phone, but I would like to start slowly becoming less attached to it. When I didn’t have a phone for nearly a month, my life seemed to get so much harder and just the fact of not having a phone made me feel uneasy. Phones have definitely brought upon bad habits, but the good that comes from them definitely outweighs the bad.

Future Governments

After reading about the society in "1984" I was quick to think that we could never possibly transform into such a terrible style of living like in the novel. However, after hearing everyone's opinion I am starting to believe there is a possibility. What got me thinking the most was when Ms. Fletcher talked about how we could keep getting more and more conservative through elections and after several years it could happen. I always thought we the people are too smart to let that happen, but it could be out of our hands. Maybe we won't even realize it is happening. So if you were like me and thought we could never evolve into a society like in "1984" then I suggest you open your eyes a bit more. We have all the technologies. A controlling government is the last piece, and who knows how close we we are to that?

1984 the lifestyle

  In the novel 1984 Winston Smith lives in a society which the government monitors his every step, thought or move. The thought of actually living in a government, that is this controlling is mindblowing.  

    Winston's government makes living life a living hell. Thinking about this, I ask myself how could I possibly go through the vigorously demanding government Winston Smith deals with on the daily basis. I'm not quite sure on who could possibly live a life of non-privacy. Having a typical phone conversation with a friend with someone overhearing in the room next to me, irritates me. Therefore adapting to a society in which a government overseas any activity you plan on doing could be hard. 

     After reading this book I came up with the conclusion that it might be hard to adapt but it is a part of the human evolution to do so. Growing up in that type of controlling lifestyle you would adapt to it because that's all you would know. That being said, if the government were to change as of now to that type of lifestyle the human population would decrease exceedingly. 

Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else, or does it?

    Reality exists only in the human mind, nowhere else but is it really just a word? Reality is a word we use to say what we're experiencing right now, and that it's real and its where we live. This word reality is just in our heads its not around us, it doesn't exist in a physical form like us. or does it? We use or say this word to other people that this is reality(real) not a dream or your imagination running wild. All we know about reality is what we know and see in our world around us. Like Winston in 1984 the reality he knows is what is around him. His reality is the Government and the telescreens watching them for thought crime. His reality is based on the Government watching them and for them to believe in Big Brother and the party. Our realty is way different or even the same? But our reality is what ever we see it as. If we can see our reality how can we tell the difference from reality and a dream?  When we're dreaming we feel like that's our reality even though its different from our world we know, so why can't we tell the difference between reality and our dream when we know what reality is? so is our world a dream and our dream is our reality or is reality just a word we place on what we think reality is. How do we know that all of this isn't a dream. So what's your option? What do you think our reality is? Is it like Winston's, or is it completely different?

I Think We All Agree

As I was reading most of the posts about the Socratic seminar, I think we all agree that it was not only educational but a fun way to spend the class time. Personally even being in AP English last year, I've always liked the Socratic seminars because it lets me express my opinion and it allows my peers to answer, reject, or discuss what I have said. I mean, props to Adam for arguing back with me, and Heidi for supporting my reason; it was very entertaining. It was a great discussion. Just one person's opinion can spark anyone's interest in the class. I also believe that this is the prime goal of the class. To be able to get a entire class of seniors to seriously discuss a very highly respected book is nearly impossible. So good job Fletch!

I think that we should have these more often. Maybe not just about books but just a subject that Fletcher would like us to know more about and understand more in depth. I think that the Socratic seminar is a great way to get the whole class involved and be able to get a better understanding of the things they may not think about themselves while reading a book or an article.

Winston's Shoes

           In the novel 1984 Winston Smith lives in a society that the governemt watches his every step, and monitors his every thought, and does so with no escape. To think about it, living in such a society would be terrible, and I am no sure that any one of us would be able to do so.

           The government that Winston lives under makes it impossible for him to perform simple tasks such as thinking badly about them, or even write in a journal. Thinking about this, I asked myself how I could possibly go through what Winston does on a daily basis, and it is simply impossible. All of the daily routines that I go through, from thinking, to using the internet, are already against the rules under this type of government, and would drive me insane. I know that I would not be able to live knowing that my thoughts were being monitored by a higher power, and anything that I think can cause me to be killed. Thought is the biggest part of a persons day, and this type of government rids of free thought, making a day in that society so much harder. 

           By reading this book and giving it some thought, I believe that I would not be able to live in the society that Winston does, not even for one second. If the world we lived in started to become what the world of Winston's is I would try to leave as fast a possible. I could not possibly deal with constant supervision, and that extreme governemnt control. 

Could you?

Socratic Seminar

       In the Socratic Seminar on Friday, the class discussed the topic “ should citizens be prepared to give up personal freedoms and privacy during a national crisis?”.

       In my opinion, it’s hard to distinguish and find a balance between what “we” are willing to give up. But in reality, what are freedoms? We have already given up our privacy to technology and we aren’t actually free. Any little action is watched/listened to and we don’t have the freedom to give our consent. Freedom is difficult to explain and some of our privileges have already been taken away.

       So we shouldn’t give more “freedoms and privacy” in a national crisis that they don’t already have from us. Yes it would be helpful in a crisis because it would help from devastation, but what else can we really give? The government does what they want to, so technically we have given up our privacy. They should be able to prevent a crisis and loss in society with the information already in their hands. We have been victim’s to the government all this time.

First Socratic Seminar

On Friday, we had a Socratic Seminar and it was my first ever Socratic Seminar.  I didn’t really know what to expect from it.  Would it be entertaining?  Fun?  Boring?  Awkward?  To tell you the truth I enjoyed it very much.  I enjoyed how people were expressing themselves including myself for a short bit.  It was quite entertaining and fun to me.  I liked how we the students controlled the seminar by bringing up a particular subject from the piece of paper/1984.  From the beginning all the way to the end, I feel that I listened very well & understood what we were discussing as a class.  One thing that we talked about was #24, “In a post 9-11 world, what is that acceptable balance between government control and individual freedom when an individual’s privacy issues are at play?”  Many people gave their input on the particular question; in fact, one person stated that there will never be an acceptable balance because many people have different opinions on things and no everyone will be satisfied, which I agreed very much.  As well, we talked about #25, “Should citizens be prepared to give up personal freedoms and privacy during a national crisis?”  As a class, we came to the conclusion that it all depends on the situation, and the decision is going to be decided when the time comes.  One thing that we talked about that I was very fascinated with was our discussions on our government.  Why does the government keep secrets from us?  If there are secrets, we don’t actually know that for a fact because we are not the government.  Should the government be allowed to hack into our webcams on our computers and wiretap our calls on our phones?  The comparisons between 1984 & us?  Are we going to become 1984 in the future?  Is this just the start of it?  All of these questions intrigued me in the Socratic seminar very much.  I didn’t know that there was a 9,000% increase on sales on Amazon because many people were seeing the similarities between us and the novel by George Orwell.  Plus, this book was written in 1949 so the technology in 1984 has not been invented yet, which in my opinion, is very great by George Orwell.  In the end, I enjoyed my first Socratic seminar and I would like to do many more in the future.

Nightmarish Vision

Orwell's’ warning has become more powerful with the passage of time, since we can now compare it to our world. The phrase “Big Brother is watching” has become more significant in our society.

Now in day, we don’t have as much privacy as we may think. Our phones and social networks have deprived us from a lot of information and gave it out to the public. You never know when a creeper may be looking into your information. There have also been recent hacks like the icloud and sony hacks where the information was stolen. It’s scary to know someone may be looking at you right now from your webcam. So it’s difficult to know if we really are “alone”.

Another similarity of 1984 with our world is the language Newspeak. “It’s vocabulary was so constructed as to give exact and often very subtle expression to every meaning that a Party member could properly wish to express…”. Can’t we relate to this, when we text? In fact, I know when I text I just write “TTYL” since it’s a hassle to write the whole phrase “Talk to you later”. We have created many acronyms like OMG,ILY, or LMAO to express ourselves. We may not use “ungood” or “doubleplusungood” but we still have our constructed language. It’s crazy how we have created many words/sayings that other generations may had not known.Imagine our sayings in the next years.

Our world and Orwell’s negative utopia have become so similar, to an extent, that it’s frightful to imagine how it will be in the future.   

Being Alone. Good or Bad?

I want to start off by saying that society itself expects people to interact with others. Whether it is on social media or in person, everyone is expected to take part of the community. We perceive those who are lonely as outcasts, and naturally believe that their lives are filled with grief and despair. This of course is part of human nature. Personally I do not like being alone because I always feel the need to socialize with others. I am somewhat afraid of loneliness because I feel that I can lose my sense of identity since I wouldn't have people supporting me, pointing out my mistakes, or giving me a different view point. Of course people have the right to be alone, Being alone can actually be helpful at times. It allows a person to keep their mind clear if they find themselves mentally overwhelmed.  Being alone also gives a person an opportunity to learn new things about themselves that they could not otherwise. You can gain insight as an individual by understanding the way you see the world. People have the right to be alone. It makes them feel unique and one of a kind. It blocks them from all the negativity this world has.

The Future of our World

During the Socratic Seminar, many people talked about whether or not our world is becoming similar to 1984. While it’s obvious that society is heading in that direction, I do not believe that any of us will actually live to see our world eventually transform into such as dystopian society.

            The ideas that Orwell wrote in 1984 are an intense reflection of our world today. Perhaps the biggest similarity is the overuse of surveillance. The Party in 1984 watches over their community just like our government watches us, but the main difference is that the Party can interact with those that they are watching. I can’t image if in today’s world the government can speak to us no matter where we are, whether is be our living rooms or our classrooms. I may be wrong but I don’t feel like our government would invade our homes and invade our privacy in that way. I understand that they can track us through our phones and even our laptops, but would they really go so far as to be present in our homes with us telling us how to act and what to believe?

            Also, in the novel Winston holds the job in the Ministry of Truth that allows him to alter the truth about events in the past. In Oceania, the Party changes information in the past for the purpose of propaganda and making sure that they are idolized. They want the people to believe that Big Brother and the other party leaders are never wrong. In our society, the government will change the past or hold back the truth because they claim they are “protecting us” and they do not want to reveal any mistakes they have made. In my opinion, if the government wanted the people to trust them, they need to be honest with us and tell us the full truth. Even though it may be scary or it may change the way we seem them, we need to know what’s happened in the past and what is happening now so we as a society don’t make the same mistakes again. Also, if any information they hold back has to do with the possibility of war or anything that affects how we live, they need to tell us first before anyone so that we know how to handle it.

            Overall, I don’t think our world transform into one like in 1984 for many many years. However, if we want to prevent that possibility from happening, the government needs to give us more of the one thing we desperately need: the truth.