George Orwell's book 1984 talks about the "obliteration of the self" in Oceania society. We Americans have the First Amendment which gives us the right to freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly. These five freedoms give American citizens the ability to embrace their individuality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Freedom of speech is the most important of the first amendment. People are able to say almost everything they think about government, people, etc., to some extent. If we lived in an era where the idea of ​​obliterating the self was practiced, any attempt at protest would be punishable by law. In 1984, any attempt to speak out or rebel against the government would have resulted in arrest, torture, and removal from society. People who went against the leadership would be forgotten and there would be no trace of their existence. In today's society, people can be praised and followed if they speak openly about important issues. There is no punishment for expressing an opinion, threats can be made against anything, as long as they are not carried out. Opinion can be challenged, but the person cannot be imprisoned, let alone tortured as occurred in 1984. Without the power of human opinion expressed to us by free speech, Americans would be living in an era of “accept the government, or you will die”. Freedom to petition is another vital part of the First Amendment that Americans have. In 1984 there was talk of a resistance that would one day take over the government and lift Oceania out of corruption. If many people had joined this so-called “resistance”, this could have created a “petition” to stop the government. This was not available to the citizens of Oceania, as no freedom was available to them. In America, as of January 15, 2013, if a petition gets at least 100,000 signatures, the White House will send a response. If there is a very important issue that needs to be brought to the government's attention, people will sign the petition. Without this right, many problems would go unnoticed and bad and imprudent decisions would be made. It is not possible to vote on these issues because the voting would take place too often and people would not bother to go. Other countries do not have the ability to go online and sign a petition that they believe should be presented to their government. Having this option gives Americans individuality as long as they don't stop the actions they talk about in meetings. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The First Amendment entitles American citizens to freedom of speech, religion, press, petition, and assembly. The obliteration of the self is not present in American society as the First Amendment protects us from this. This is a time when citizens can say and believe virtually anything that comes to mind, without the threat of being punished by the law. America is a free country and with the First Amendment in place we are guaranteed our individuality.