George Orwell's 1984 Came True in 2013 by Frank

George Orwell's 1984 Came True in 2013 by Frank - July 2013 Scholarship Essay

The best book I’ve ever read for school is George Orwell's novel 1984, originally published in 1949. Every year, critics declare that Orwell's dystopian vision of the future has become a reality, but that has never been truer than in 2013.  The novel’s themes of constant surveillance, government censorship and a perpetual state of war are horrors that we have come to accept as a part of every day life.
This year, hacker Edward Snowden exposed that the United States’ National Security Agency has used phone and Internet companies to spy on innocent American citizens without a warrant. Instead of being heralded as a hero for blowing the whistle on massive government corruption, 30-year-old Snowden was targeted and hunted by the government after being accused of putting national security and government secrets at risk. It’s no wonder sales of the novel increased by over 7000% in the week following the NSA leak.
Microsoft announced it's latest gaming console, the Xbox One. The Xbox One includes a Kinect camera, which uses facial recognition software to recognize and greet users. Big Brother is watching you play Call of Duty.  Skype, a program also owned by Microsoft, was recently criticized for a security flaw that exposed users personal information and content. Cameras are everywhere, and we’ve accepted that we’re constantly under surveillance. 1984 taught me to be critical of the world we live in. I learned to question everything and do independent research before accepting secondhand information. As long as this book is kept in schools, we can (in a small way) prevent an Oceania-styled society from ever coming to pass. Arming citizens with information and awareness is the best way to protect them from Big Brother.