Edward Snowden revealed some government secrets, but due to the nature of these secrets, I believe that this act makes him a hero rather than a traitor. He revealed to the world that everything they do or look at on the internet is constantly being watched and recorded by the government. Some people now think of him as a traitor, but I think that this was important for people to know since it is an invasion of their privacy. This is eerily similar to the way that the characters live in the book “1984”. Every move they make is being watched by the government on telescreens. In the TED Talk, Snowden says, “People should be able to pick up the phone and to call their family, people should be able to send a text message to their loved ones, people should be able to buy a book online, they should be able to travel by train, they should be able to buy an airline ticket without wondering about how these events are going to look to an agent of the government, possibly not even your government years in the future, how they're going to be misinterpreted and what they're going to think your intentions were” (Snowden). He’s talking about how people can not do simple things like send text messages to loved ones without being watched, and he thinks that this is not right. In “1984”, they are so used to being watched by the government that no one seems to really be opposed to it. However, it is clear that the protagonist, Winston, is not always happy about it and the novel states, “Winston kept his back turned to the telescreen. It was safer, though, as he well knew, even a back can be revealing” (Orwell 5). With similar intentions, Snowden talked about his beliefs on the matter and said, “Journalism is not a crime, communication is not a crime, and we should not be monitored in our everyday activities” (Snowden). The people in the novel would probably think in this manner as well if there wasn’t great punishment for those thoughts. Snowden ended off his talk by saying, “we don't have to give up our privacy to have good government” (Snowden). This is a very knowledgeable thing to say and although in “1984” people do have to give up their privacy, neither the characters in the book nor people in the real world who wish to use the internet should have to in order to comply with their government.
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In the book “1984” by George Orwell, the government, also known as Big Brother, is constantly watching everyone and never gives anyone privacy. It seems that this theme could be sprouting in the real world with cameras that people are setting up in their homes such as Amazon Alexa’s and Google Home’s. These artificial intelligence devices assist people with their daily lives, but it’s also possible that they are watching and listening to people at all times. If they are constantly gathering data, that information could be hacked by someone else which could lead to dangers for whoever owns the device. An article exploring this topic states, “Some doomsayers call it “the end of privacy.” Whatever is coming, we stand barely at its Stone Age” (Abel). This shows that while some people are oblivious to the fact that these devices could be harmful, others know that they could lead to the end of privacy for everyone. To add on to this, in the book there are devices called telescreens set up by the government who watch and listen to the characters at all times. The main character Winston says to himself, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away” (Orwell 79). This illustrates in more detail just how closely the government is watching them and how much power they possess. In conclusion, even though these devices can be helpful, it’s important to make sure that the information they collect is protected so that we do not end up living in a world all too similar to that of the book “1984”. The catastrophic results of the Tiananmen Square protests in China which occurred in 1989 were oddly similar to those of the events which occured in the book “1984” by George Orwell. To begin, after the protests, the Chinese government tried to erase the events from everyone’s memories; essentially pretending that they never actually happened. The government did this by erasing all online articles which had anything to do with the events, and taking any information about them out of history textbooks so that children would not learn about them in schools. Also, the news reporters weren’t allowed to speak about the events, and when they wore black to honour those who died, the government went as far as to fire one of them from their job. As mentioned earlier, very similar things occurred in the story of “1984”. The whole premise is that the government is trying to take over everyone’s lives, and rewrite history. The government in the story does very similar things such as changing the information in articles and textbooks, and getting rid of people that have done something unhelpful to them. In the book Winston thinks about how the government gets rid of people and he says, “Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word” (Orwell 21). The book was written in 1949 and is set in 1984 (at that time that year was the future). When it was written everyone thought that the ideas in the story were very far off and none of them would ever happen, but a while later it became clear that some of the things in the book really did happen in parts of the world, almost as if the story predicted the future. The fact that the protests occurred in the year 1989 shows how accurate parts of the book were as it’s set in 1984, only five years before 1989. Overall, the protests clearly connect quite well with the book, and it’s frightening to hear about what governments are capable of doing when people want to oppose them.
“If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor” - Eleanor Roosevelt. This famous quote relates to both the short stories, “The Pedestrian” and “The Fun They Had” as well as the movie “Interstellar”, in very different ways. Within the short stories, the characters’ lives are very predictable. Everyone relies heavily on technology and they do the same things every day, making their lives rather mundane and boring. However, only the main characters in the stories seem to be upset by this, and even they are slowly learning to accept this lifestyle. It does seem as though their lives lack “flavor” since they are so predictable. On the other hand, in the movie the opposite of this takes place since what occurs is something very unpredictable and it adds a lot of interest to the main character’s life. The protagonist, Cooper, is asked to go on a mission into space. This is a very unpredictable thing and one could say that it definitely ends up adding “flavor” to his life, especially since before he leaves for the mission he talks about how he does not enjoy his work as a farmer; he finds it rather boring and has to do the same things every day. Going up into space does not seem to be exactly the kind of excitement that he is looking for, but in the end his mission pays off and I believe that it makes him feel as though his life is more worth living. Therefore, I believe that the short stories and the movie connect to this quote in completely different ways and they show both sides of its theme. The short stories examine an extreme of predictability someone can have in life whereas the movie examines an extreme of unpredictability, although I feel that in reality it is important to have a mix of both in one’s life in order to be truly happy. The short story “The Large Ant” by Howard Fast supports the idea that humanity is innately violent, however, I believe that we are capable of changing that. Within the story, the fact that humans are violent was proven when all eight of the people who saw the large ants killed them right away. Their first thought was to kill the creature in order to protect themselves. The main character speaks to Dr. Lieberman about it who says, “That is why, so long ago, we at least recognized the injunction, ‘Thou shalt not kill’ even if we never gave more than lip service to it” (Fast 8). He is talking about how people believe that they are not violent even though they often are. A man named Fitzgerald is also involved in this conversation and he says, “What then-panic, hysteria, changes that this is the result of the atom bomb? We can’t change. We are what we are” (Fast 8). He’s talking about what would happen if they told the whole world about these creatures (the large ants), and why he thinks they should not. He feels that it won’t change anything because people can not change their violent instincts. In addition to these points from the story, an example of human violence in the real world is war. Wars have been happening for a very long time and continue to happen today. They stand as proof that many people think that violence is the best way to solve their issues. Many people get hurt or die in this process. Not every single person is violent, but enough people are to make it seem as though humans are as a whole. However, I believe that we have the capability to change this. We can do this by thinking about and reflecting on our actions and by teaching others how to not be violent from a young age, in order to take those tendencies away. Overall, the short story helps people to see that humans are innately violent, but there are definitely ways that we can change that. A common theme that is present in both “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury and “The Fun They Had” by Isaac Asimov is to never take anything for granted no matter how mundane it may seem. Both of these stories are set in the future and people are living under very different circumstances compared to the present. The example represented in the first story is walking. In this future everyone is glued to their TV screens and they rarely go outside, so when the main character Leonard goes out for a walk simply for the reason of getting some air, it seems unusual and suspicious. Therefore, he is taken away by a police car. Leonard also describes how since in this setting everyone is always inside he feels like he is alone in the world. The story states, “he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone” (Bradbury 1). This story really allows one to think about the direction that the world seems to be going in and it serves as a reminder to never take anything for granted, including something as small as going for a walk. The second story illustrates the same theme. The characters talk about school and how they do not enjoy it. Each student has an individual mechanical teacher who stays with them in their home and teaches all of their lessons. Presently, kids often talk about how they don’t like school and how they wish that they did not have to go, but the setting of this story demonstrates how no one should take school for granted, and how different it could potentially be. Since the kids in the story are living in the future, they find a book about schools many years ago and they are in awe of the things they are missing out on, especially the social aspect it used to possess. When the main character Margie is thinking about the old schools she imagines how, “All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day” (Asimov 2). It is clear that both of these stories serve as reminders of how important it is not to take anything for granted and to appreciate the smaller things in life, because no one knows what the future might hold and those smaller privileges could easily be taken away.
Family, friendships, and the bonds that connect people can be so important and can influence a person’s life in many ways. Firstly, both family and friends are often there for each other and willing to help each other out. This is demonstrated in the short story, “The Winner” by Barbara Kimenye when the protagonist is having trouble answering questions in an interview and Cousin Sarah steps in to help him out. The story states, “At that moment Cousin Sarah caught his eye. ‘Perhaps I can help you,’ she said. ‘I am Mr. Ndawulá’s cousin.’” (Kimenye 4). Cousin Sarah then proceeds to assist him for the rest of the interview. This same point is reflected in Shakespeare’s “King Lear” when sisters Goneril and Regan team up to challenge their father’s decisions. Regan says, “Give ear, sir, to my sister; / For those that mingle reason with your passion / Must be content to think you old, and so- / But she knows what she does” (Shakespeare 2.4.233-236). Regan is confirming that she believes in her sister Goneril and agrees with the decisions she makes, even if they are different from their father’s. It’s easy to see that these bonds and relationships can be a major part of one’s life. Another aspect of relationships is how they motivate people to make decisions. This is often by one’s feelings or other’s actions. If these feelings are positive, relationships can be healthy and long lasting, but if they are negative relationships usually end quickly. Overall, the bonds that we have with the people we love are some of the most important in our lives, and it’s essential that we cherish them in order to create and maintain long lasting relationships. Having siblings can impact the direction of your life and the decisions that you make in many ways. We can start by discussing how parental preference of one sibling over another can shape our actions. In the Ted Talk Jeffrey Kluger states, “A study I cite in this TIME magazine covering in the book "The Sibling Effect," found 70 percent of fathers and 65 percent of mothers exhibit a preference for at least one child” (Kluger). Though it can be difficult for parents to control these feelings of favourtism, they’ve been known to cause some harm to children (most often mentally). Those who are not favoured tend to feel left out often, and this can create tension between siblings. This dynamic is demonstrated in the first act of Shakespeare’s King Lear, when Edmund tries to frame his brother. Edmund declares, “It is a letter from my brother that I have not all o’er-read; and for so much as I have perused, I find it not fit for your o’erlooking” (Shakespeare 1.2.36-39). Edmund had felt left out for his entire life, he was constantly being compared to his brother Edgar and was made to feel as though he would never be as good as him. These built-up feelings pushed Edmund to do something drastic; he framed his brother and made it seem as though Edgar was plotting against their father. On the other hand, it’s also valuable to realize the importance that siblings have in our lives. In his speech Kluger states, “There may be no relationship that affects us more profoundly, that's closer, finer, harder, sweeter, happier, sadder, more filled with joy or fraught with woe than the relationship we have with our brothers and sisters” (Kluger). He’s explaining how strong the sibling bond often is, and how important it can be. In the first act of King Lear, the importance of siblings is often demonstrated by the actions of Goneril and Regan. They often consult each other before taking actions, and they make many decisions together as well. Goneril says, “Pray you let’s hit together. If our father carry authority with such disposition as he bears, this last surrender of his will but offend us” (Shakespeare 1.1.304-306). At this point in the story, both Goneril and Regan had received their piece of land, but they knew that their father was acting strange and might make bad decisions in the near future. Therefore, they planned to stick together to ensure that he didn’t do anything that would not work out in their favour. The way that they trusted each other instantly with the discussion of their feelings on this topic shows how strong their bond must be and how important they are to each other. In addition to all of this, I have three siblings of my own and I would agree with the point that they are some of the most important people in my life. Many people in your life will come and go but your siblings will hopefully be connections that you can maintain for a lifetime. Overall, although siblings often argue with each other and don’t always have perfect relationships, they are so important and those who are lucky enough to have them will often keep their connection with them for life. |
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December 2022
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