Themes in 1984 essays

Themes in 1984 essays 1984 is rather interesting as it contains many themes, mostly about society and control. It also warns us about the dangers of a totalitarian rule and what our world would become if a single authority ruled our entire lives. In this essay, I will express my opinions about and reactions to these themes. In the world of 1984, the world is divided into three superpowers: Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia. In the novel, Oceania is permanently at war with either East Asia or Eurasia, with constant air raids and bombings. It is not a pleasant view of the world and a picture that everyone feared greatly during the Cold War. Obviously, one of the major themes in 1984 is totalitarianism. In 1984, Oceania is controlled by the Party, which is symbolised by Big Brother. It is the perfect totalitarian society, a modern day example of a government with complete control on society. In the novel, Party holds complete control on the people of Oceania. Every single action is scrutinized and searched for a possibility of an act of disloyalty to the Party. The Party uses several ways to control the people, namely, psychological control, physical control and control of the media, language and technology, as described below: Psychological control is achieved by the means of enormous amounts of propaganda, spread through the telescreens in every home. Every single action by the Party, victory or failure is disguised as a success and blasted into the citizens minds, overwhelming the minds capacity for independent thought and creativity. The posters of Big Brother are another form of propaganda. The words Big Brother give a sense of someone who can be trusted and is close to you, yet Big Brother is watching you sounds like Big Brother is observing your every move and gives a warning not to break the law or cause trouble. Other ways of psychological control are the Junior Spies, where children ...

The Seismoscope Is One of the Great Chinese Inventions

The Seismoscope Is One of the Great Chinese Inventions There are few things more disconcerting than the sensation of the seemingly-solid Earth suddenly rolling and pitching beneath ones feet. As a result, humans have sought ways to measure or even predict earthquakes for thousands of years. Although we still cant accurately predict earthquakes, humans have come a long way in detecting, recording, and measuring seismic shocks. This process began nearly 2000 years ago, with the invention of the first seismoscope in China. The First Seismoscope In 132 CE, inventor, Imperial Historian, and Royal Astronomer Zhang Heng displayed his amazing earthquake-detection machine, or seismoscope, at the court of the Han Dynasty. Zhangs seismoscope was a giant bronze vessel, resembling a barrel almost 6 feet in diameter. Eight dragons snaked face-down along the outside of the barrel, marking the primary compass directions. In each dragons mouth was a small bronze ball. Beneath the dragons sat eight bronze toads, with their broad mouths gaping to receive the balls. We dont know exactly what the first seismoscope looked like. Descriptions from the time give us an idea about the size of the instrument and the mechanisms that made it work. Some sources also note that the outside of the seismoscopes body was beautifully engraved with mountains, birds, tortoises, and other animals, but the original source of this information is difficult to trace. The exact mechanism that caused a ball to drop in the event of an earthquake also is not known. One theory is that a thin stick was set loosely down the center of the barrel. An earthquake would cause the stick to topple over in the direction of the seismic shock, triggering one of the dragons to open its mouth and release the bronze ball. Another theory posits that a baton was suspended from the lid of the instrument as a free-swinging pendulum. When the pendulum swung widely enough to strike the side of the barrel, it would cause the closest dragon to release its ball. The sound of the ball striking the toads mouth would alert observers to the earthquake. This would give a rough indication of the earthquakes direction of origin, but it did not provide any information about the intensity of the tremors. Proof of Concept Zhangs wonderful machine was called houfeng didong yi, meaning an instrument for measuring the winds and the movements of the Earth. In earthquake-prone China, this was an important invention.   In one instance, just six years after the device was invented, a large quake estimated at a magnitude seven struck what is now Gansu Province. People in the Han Dynastys capital city of Luoyang, 1,000 miles away, did not feel the shock. However, the seismoscope alerted the emperors government to the fact that a quake had struck somewhere to the west. This is the first known instance of scientific equipment detecting an earthquake that had not been felt by humans in the area. The seismoscopes findings were confirmed several days later when messengers arrived in Luoyang to report a major earthquake in Gansu. ChineseSeismoscopes on the Silk Road? Chinese records indicate that other inventors and tinkerers in the court improved upon Zhang Hengs design for the seismoscope over the centuries that followed. The idea seems to have spread westward across Asia, probably carried along the Silk Road.   By the 13th century, a similar seismoscope was in use in Persia, although the historical record does not provide a clear link between the Chinese and Persian devices. It is possible that the great thinkers of Persia hit upon a similar idea independently.