Big Brother

       Big Brother, although we never see him in the novel, is the leader of Oceania, and the follower of the Party. Throughout the novel Big Brother appears on posters, coins, and on different broadcasts. The reoccuring saying of "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU", constantly haunts the main character, Winston. Big Brother is a figure that represents power and control over the people of Oceania and is a constant reminder that they are always being watched over and everything they do is monitored. It forces the people of Oceania to obey the rules of the Party at all times. Their freedom and individualism is completely striped from them.
      I feel like Big Brother exists in some ways in our society, but definitely not as severe as the novel depicts. Our lives are somewhat controlled by different things. There are a lot of different rules and regulations that we have to follow in order to complete a task in the proper manner. If you step outside the guidelines, occassionally the outcome could be somewhat severe. Paperwork for insurance, employment, education, and for even the doctor's office is so indepth that I feel like it is a little overboard. I know that in some situations the amount of information we have to provide is necessary, but in other situations there is no reason to give away that much information about someone. For example, I recently applied for a job where they needed my license, social security card, and a voided check in order to have my paycheck directly deposited into my account. I thought it was a good way of dealing with my paycheck, but that was the only option for pay. They didn't even give other employees the option of actually receiving a check. I thought that that was a little to much to ask for. Maybe someone doesn't want that information given to a workplace before they are even hired. They took a copy of all three of those things and, surprise surprise, they lost the copy. To me, our privacy is also being taken away. I chose to give the place my information but I was under the impression that all of that information would be safe. Who knows who now has a copy of all that information.
    That was a very specific example, but there are other cases where our privacy is taken away and we are being controlled to do something that is unnecessary at the time. Going back to the novel there is absolutely no way I would feel comfortable living in their society. Being able to tap into phone conversations is one thing, but to constantly have your life monitored is absurd. Social lines have been crossed over way too far and there is no way possible that I would ever agree to the lifestyle that the people in the novel would have to obey. I feel 100 times safer in the world I am in now with semi-privacy and control then to live in a time where the government controlled my every move. Obviously, after reading the novel it is crystal clear that the government and the law are not always positive aspects of a society.