Many people debate whether George Orwell's 1984 was written solely to criticize or whether it portrays today's society. I believe George Orwell wrote 1984 to express his feelings about how society is governed. There are many examples of irony that support my position. 1984 is a political satire, the one used by Orwell to criticize man's use of power. The slogan of Oceania is that war is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength. These three sentences reflect some of the disturbing factors in our society today, which is why I believe 1984 resembles Orwell's dystopian creation. 1984 is a dystopian novel set on Airstrip One, which was once British. Oceania is always at war with another superpower and their main goal is to gain maximum power in the whole world. The main character is Winston Smith, a man who works for the party and is supposed to change history to fit what the party has told him. Winston lives in a society where he is constantly listened to and watched by telescreens and microphones to ensure that he is enthusiastic about hatred and to ensure that he does not commit any crimes. Everywhere Winston goes he always sees posters that say, "Big Brother is watching you." Big Brother is the party leader who may or may not be real. The official language of Oceania, the country where the airstrip is located, is Newspeak. Newspeak is the only language in Oceania that reduces its words every year so that it is harder for people to commit thought crimes. Winston is a dedicated worker, but often thinks about rebellion against Big Brother. Winston idolizes a man named O'Brien who he thinks is part of the Brotherhood, a terrorist group that constantly sabotages the party. Winston begins to like a woman named Juli... middle of paper... They ignore the fact that what they might do might be morally wrong because all they want is to be the best. They are ignorant, but this is what gives them the strength to pursue what they want, whatever they have to do. Some might say that there is nothing wrong with wanting to improve oneself and work for the good of others, but the steps people take can also hurt others around them. I believe this happens in every nation, just like it happens in Orwell's 1984. While there are many reasons why people disagree with the statement that 1984 is like today's society, of course I agree. We may not have reached that point yet, but there are many similarities between our societies. The slogan “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength” shows how scary the dystopian society of 1984 is. Hopefully, conditions will never reach the same level.