University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

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Student Reviews Orwell ' s ' 1984 ' To the future or to the past, to a time when thought is free, when men are different from one another and do not live alone— to a time when truth exists and what is done cannot be undone: From the age of uniformity, from the age of solitude, from the age of Big Brother, from the age of doublethinl — greetings! This passage signals the beginning of the end for Winston Smith, the fictitious hero of 3eorge Orwell ' s thought provol ing novel, 1984. The novel, which was written In 1949, is assentially the pessinnistic predictions that Orwell made for the future. Orwell predicts the fusion of political, social, and religious fears, developing a totalitarian world devoid of all individuality. Big Brother Is the object on which all these fears rest. Big Brother uses the fears of national defense and national security to oppress the people politically. By keeping the masses in a constant state of fear for their country ' s safety. Big Brother an better exploit them with little fear of reprisals. Socially, Big Brother exploits the fear of being different. There is a uniform for those In the Inner Party as well as the Outer Party. Those outside the Party, considered imbeciles and less than human, are not required to wear a specified type of uniform. In the social context as well, sexual frustration Is used to make the people more uniform. Sex is considered unenjoyable, a menial task that one must do in order to bear children. This serves to beat down the masses, making them unemotional toward each other while channeling that emotion toward Big Brother. Finally, Big Brother is the center of the religion of the day. He Is at all times seen as benevolent, kind, and omnlscent. Everywhere one looks on the streets, one sees the huge face of Big Brother on posters, eyes staring out at all. Under the picture Is the caption, Big Brother Is watching you. On the other end of the spectrum Is Emmanuel Goldstein. All things that are bad are blamed on Goldstein. He Is evil. He Is the enemy. He Is Independent thinking. All of the problems of life are due to the manipulations of Goldstein. Another interesting Idea put forward in 1984 is the altering of history. Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past. The most Important things contained within the covers of 1984 are a warning and an understanding. Orwell warns us of the pitfalls we must watch In our trends toward socialism and our loss of Independence. He clearly shows us that we must never give up our individual rights In exchange for comfort or appeasement. —Jackie Pettus PRAYERS FOR PEACE from many different reli- gions are posted by Dr Tom Osborne, assistant professor of history, during World Peace Day. In contrast to the quiet celebration in Wildwood Park, fear for national security is one of the ideas used to oppress the people in George Orwell ' s 7984. (Photo by Patrick Hood) Student Life 15

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The arrival of 1984 sparks comparisons with reaUty and the conditions in Orwell ' s noveh Is n3i rofher WatcKin You? lust how close are we to the 1984 that George Orwell wrote about in his classic novel? It is a general belief that 1984 was written as a prophecy. Dr. Thomas Os- borne, Assistant Professor of History, said, Orwell is a prophet in the Old Testament sense, in that he wrote the truth as he saw it. But he understood more than details; he clearly under- stood the direction of which this world is moving. Orwell ' s predictions were a bit off the mark, but his novel is still chilling because we have moved along the same general lines. Many feel that since there are no Big Brother Is Watching You posters in shopping malls or at Burger King that Orwell ' s terrible vision of the future has been averted. Yet, 1984 is present in our violence-ridden world. Many countries have societies that closely parallel the book ' s Oceania. American reporters who were allowed into the country of Iran after the hostage crisis was resolved returned saying that it was much like 1984. Perhaps we have seen Big Brother alive in the minds of leaders such as Stalin and Hitler. But Dr Osborne feels that such a threat in the form of any one person is unlikely in our present world. The danger this generation lives in is not that there will arise another Hitler, but the danger that Big Brother will take the form of the faceless and name- less, the form of the unknown. If our lives are controlled by forces we can- not see or hear, they will therefore be unopposable. Perhaps 1984 is not a fulfilled pro- phecy, but it still serves as a warning. Orwell ' s book is mistaken frequently for science fiction, but is, in reality, a study of the absolute control of power. America is more fortunate than most other countries, but let us not overestimate ourselves. The Orwellian use of euphemisms in language has in- filtrated our lines of communication. Dr. Osborne points out that, Certain A PEACE MESSAGE attached to a balloon is re- leased by Mrs. Eleanor Gaunder, assistant pro- fessor of English. Mrs. Gaunder was one of sever- al UNA faculty and students to attend the cele- bration in Wildwood Park. (Photos by Patrick Hood) School children contribute to World Peace Day through colorful signs. ' APPOSE 1Y % VE- features ring true, especially that our language is closing in around us. When Reagan refers to his MX missile sys- tems as ' peacekeepers, ' those who have read 1984 instantly see through the de- ception. To refer to expenditures for nuclear weapons, more than enough to obliterate human life, as ' defense bud- get ' is an Orwellian use of the lan- guage. Call it, say, a ' mutual suicide budget, ' and see what kind of reaction the American public would have. Orwell ' s book is a warning, and just because we have made it this far does not mean that the world is safe. As newsman Walter Cronkite wrote in his excellent introduction to the recent edition of the novel, 1984 may not ar- rive on time, but there ' s always 1985. — Clark Perry mmsas smtsm ss s fmrn mst-

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TAKING TOP HONORS in the most crowded craft category is this raft, carrying a crew of Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital employees. More than 25 people steered the raft down Cypress Creek. (Photos by Patrick Hood) HOPING TO CAPTURE the annual Coober Peedy award, a dog prepares to brave the wa- ters of Cypress Creek. The award, given to the first canine to cross the finish line, is named in honor of the dog who rode the first winning raft six years ago. VM