Argumentative Essay

Personal privacy and space is never granted throughout 1984. Every person is always subject to observation, even by their own family members and friends. Furthermore, since Big Brother is always watching and the Thought Police are always on the lookout, it is impossible for any kind of individualism to flourish. The sacrifice of individual rights cannot be constituted by the protection of a collective.

In 1984 by George Orwell, the citizens of Oceania have quite obviously given their individual rights to a higher entity in exchange for protection as a collective, not a person. These citizens are under constant surveillance, even in their own homes and thoughts, by the government, through “telescreens.” These citizens are also monitored by their own children and several government agencies. When an individual has negative thoughts about Big Brother, the personification, or face, of the government, they are taken to the ministry of love, where they are “convinced” of Big Brother’s righteousness, occasionally under the gentle touch of torture.  The citizens of Oceania are plagued with frequent power outages, which do not affect the telescreens, little food, and other issues; however, since Big Brother withholds the information that things could be better, as they once were, and that it has the citizens best interests at heart, they do nothing. The government often sacrifices a person to save the collective, and itself.

In the case of Katz v. US, extended 4^th amendment rights were extended to include objects of immaterial state obtained via technological means (Justia Law). This applies to information sent over the internet, such as instant messages, emails, and search queries. To obtain this information without a warrant is made illegal by this Supreme Court decision.

The word “individual” appears to be quite similar to the word “indivisible,” implying that to be one’s self, one must be inseparable from one’s self.  If this is truly the meaning of the word, then does individualism exist in the world of 1984, as evidenced by Winston’s submissiveness to “the Party,” or is it that individualism has fully escaped that world in such a way that one is separable from one’s self? If so, are the citizens of Oceania still human, or have they simply become part of the collective machine that fuels “the Party”?

Bibliography:

"Katz v. United States 389 U.S. 347 (1967)." Justia Law. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2015.