Transcript Big Brother Is Watching You!!!

Big Brother Is Watching You!!!
Journal Privacy
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How much do you value your privacy?
Do you think in today’s world, people give
away their right to privacy too easily?
What are some factors that could lead to or
have led to a loss of personal privacy? Do we
gain anything by giving up our privacy?
Should an individual’s right to privacy
outweigh the community’s or society’s
needs?
Are there times when an invasion of privacy
is necessary to protect the society as a
whole?
1984
By George Orwell
George Orwell (1903-1950)
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Born Eric Arthur Blair
in Eastern India
Educated at Eton
(the Exeter/Andover
of England)
Served in the English
Imperial Police in
Burma (where he
became a critic of
imperialism)
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Resigned in 1920 and
became a writer
An anarchist in the late
1920s; in the 30s he
became a socialist
1941-45 worked on
propaganda for the BBC
By 1943 literary editor of
the Tribune; by this time,
prolific journalist, novelist,
critic & commentator
Most known for two works,
Animal Farm (1945) and
1984 (1949)
1984 Background
Anti-totalitarianism:
Orwell said that all the serious work he
wrote after 1936 was “written, directly
or indirectly, against totalitarianism
and for democratic socialism”
 A cautionary tale about betrayed
revolutions
 Based largely on Stalin’s Soviet Union
 Different theories about the title …
 Represents a futuristic totalitarian
society, a dictatorship, a …
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dystopia:
--a vision of society that is the
opposite of utopia
--a state in which the conditions of life
are extremely bad, characterized by
human misery, poverty, oppression,
violence, disease, pollution
1984 and Orwell have become
synonymous with the loss of personal
privacy to the state
“Orwellian” has come to mean allpervasive, all-invasive surveillance
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What events during George Orwell’s
life or in the world at the time do you
think shaped his political views?
World Map of 1984
Three superpowers are running the world:
1. Oceania, which encompasses Britain, North
America, South America, southern Africa and
Australia
2. Eurasia, which encompasses the former
Soviet Union and its satellites
3. Eastasia, which encompasses China and
its satellites
Social Structure
Journal Paparazzi
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Should photographers and paparazzi
have the right to photograph anyone
they want at any time?
10-Minute Fishing Expedition
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Go to Google or your search engine of
choice
Type in “wire tapping” or “domestic
spying” or “domestic surveillance”
Print out the information from three
different and reliable websites (look for
recognized news sources and
organizations) on wire tapping and
domestic surveillance
Bring to class tomorrow (15 points)
Power and Control—Creating a
Totalitarian Society
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The Scenario: You have successfully
overthrown the present government of a
small democratic country. Now that you
are in control you must devise a plan to
stay in power and maintain total control of
the lives of your subjects and political
enemies.
Power and Control—Creating a
Totalitarian Society
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Following is a list of items which your command
staff has determined are of possible importance
to the success of your dictatorship.
Step 1: Individually comprise a list of 10 items
on a separate sheet of paper of the most
important items that need to be controlled
immediately by your authority if you hope to
maintain complete power.
Power and Control—Creating a
Totalitarian Society
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Religious organizations
Military/armed forces
Universities
Fire departments
Book publishers
Newspapers
Police departments
Hospitals/doctors
Visual artists
Natural resources
Movie/TV/Radio
Music industry
Computer companies
Clothing manufacturers
Food distributors
Food production
Oil/gas companies
Political dissidents
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Chemical producers
Professional sports
Banking industry
Judicial system
Public libraries
Government agencies
Museums
Factories
Water supply
Commercial airlines
Workers’ unions
Telephone companies
Scientific research labs
Space agency
Power companies
Other?
Power and Control—Creating a
Totalitarian Society
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Once you are assigned groups, each
member choose a specific duty:
Leader—
Recorder—
Speaker—
Reviewer
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Step 2: The Leader will now moderate a
discussion of each member’s individual
choices. As a group you must agree upon
one list of 10 items. A reason for each
choice must be provided.
Step 3: After each item has been
approved, the Reviewer restates the
reason for the choice to the Recorder
who writes it on a separate sheet of paper.
Step 4: The Speaker will explain the
group’s list to the entire class when called
upon.
Follow-up Journal
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Could a totalitarian society exist in this
country? Why or why not?
Must all of the above items be controlled
to have a successful tyranny?
Does a totalitarian government need a
leader (or figurehead)?
Can people learn to love (worship) a
tyrant or only to fear him or her?
Is a totalitarian society with no
crime/poverty better than a free society
plagues with crime and poverty?