https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y Solai Alagappan en-us 2022-05-12 13:36:08 UTC 2025-11-09 18:54:02 UTC hello@padlet.com salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2181301096 George Orwell was born in Motihari, Bengal, and grew up to become a part of the Burma division of the Indian Imperial Police. After his marriage, Orwell spent six months in Spain as a volunteer against Franco. He was hit by a bullet and witnessed the attempt of Soviet-sponsored hit squads to surpass the Trotskyist POUM militia. This event played a huge role in the development of his political beliefs and how he felt about totalitarianism. 

]]> 2022-05-12 13:54:56 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2181301096 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2181341975 2022-05-12 14:17:31 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2181341975 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193624376 Participants in the Milgram experiment were told to send electric shocks to who they thought was another participant but was really an actor. When the actor got a question wrong from a memory quiz, the experimenter would tell the participant to send a shock despite the crying, screaming, and begging of the actor. More than half the participants administered the shocks, even the ones described as lethal. The experiment’s shocking results implied that people were willing to follow authority even if it meant doing something immoral. However, the experiment had many flaws, both ethical and methodical. Whether or not authority can have complete control over us remains a mystery, but the study reveals that humans have the capability of doing immoral acts under the influence of a powerful figure. ]]> 2022-05-21 01:25:03 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193624376 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193644603 This piece, titled Mind Control, depicts a crowd of people in front of a large eye. The eyelashes of the eyes reach down into the people’s brains and take control of their minds, leaving them in a zombie-like state. The piece communicates how a single power source, such as a watching eye, can take control over people. It mirrors the way in which Big Brother uses posters with watchful eyes to remind the citizens of the Party that they are being monitored and must act the way they are supposed to. ]]> 2022-05-21 02:09:31 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193644603 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193647092 This poem, “Control by Fear” by Francis Duggan, talks about how fear plays a role in obedience to political authority. He mentions how leaders gain respect only through instilling fear into their followers and that fear can be used as a weapon. The ideas presented in the poem reflect how Big Brother in 1984 used fear to gain loyalty and make people do what he wanted them to do. Fear is constantly being fed to the citizens of the party, and it’s what prevented Winston from living freely. ]]> 2022-05-21 02:14:25 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193647092 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193655991 George Orwell wrote 1984 in the year 1949 and served as a warning for the future. Orwell held socialist beliefs but was against totalitarianism. World War II had recently ended and Orwell wanted to warn against the totalitarianism of the Soviet Union and Stalinism. Orwell was against the way that Stalin would utilize fear and propaganda to gain loyalty. Fear was commonly used by totalitarian leaders, including the character of Big Brother,  in order to gain control over others. ]]> 2022-05-21 02:34:29 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193655991 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193659855 This article talks about how fear is being used to “control” people and make them adopt certain political beliefs. The article describes it as “how free people enslave themselves and allows tyrants to prevail”. Powerful figures knowingly create that fear and use it to gain loyalty, similar to how Big Brother used fear as a tool to manipulate people into believing in whatever he pleased. ]]> 2022-05-21 02:42:37 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193659855 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193686783 Although the events of 1984 did not happen, Kieran Guckian talks about how our society is experiencing an increase in internet use and how we could potentially be living an “Orwellian nightmare”. Although the internet is a place where we are free to say and do anything we please, it’s almost impossible to avoid corporations that use your data to influence you and fake news. The article talks about how companies use people’s data about what they like or don't like to create an algorithm that guaranteed to make you spend more time and money on their app. Although it’s not a totalitarian government, it’s concerning to see how people are unknowingly drawn to applications that are designed to take up as much of their time as possible. ]]> 2022-05-21 03:53:49 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2193686783 salagappan2022 https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2197687468 2022-05-24 13:18:43 UTC https://padlet.com/salagappan2022/atrffvyibifwdz0y/wish/2197687468