The book “1984” by George Orwell is a fictional work written as a discourse on Orwell's views on what it would be like to live in a totalitarian society. I am convinced that his opinions were based on his personal life experiences as he witnessed firsthand many of the violent crimes perpetrated by those in positions of authority. Often these crimes against a segment of society were committed by other members of the same society in the name of political progress or at other times out of fear for their lives. Thanks to his experiences, Orwell began to write about his hatred of political power and the concept of a totalitarian society. “1984” serves as a warning to readers about how violent a government can become when it seeks total control of its population. Furthermore, it shows in great detail how a society can allow itself to be controlled through a series of psychological abuse and manipulation of historical information. The story is written as a narrative told by the main character, Winston Smith. Winston grapples with his troublesome thoughts and feelings of rebellion against his oppressive government which uses devices called telescreens to monitor members of society. These television screens are placed in central locations in your home and are capable of transmitting and receiving both visual and audio data. Winston lives in the country called Oceania and the government is known simply as “The Party”. Winston recognizes the danger of even having dangerous thoughts and feelings as they are considered thought crimes. Indeed, Winston Smith lives in a society so controlled by the Party that even unexpressed thoughts and feelings could be punished. Punishment can range from periods of manual... to half-paper... to his physical freedom. He is no longer a threat to the Party, so he is not executed but is freed. But he discovers that true freedom is slavery during a chance encounter with Julia in the city. As they talk, they both realize that although they are now free, they are truly slaves because they cannot love anyone except Big Brother. This book was written in the 1940s as a warning to society against the dangers of allowing a totalitarian society and although it is fictional in nature, many of the dangers it warns against are still real today. Around the world, many live with extreme government interference in their daily lives, unable to freely express their opinion without fear of reprisal. Governments use modern technology to invade the privacy of their citizens. There were many aspects of the book that left this reader a little uncomfortable.