The film Enemy of the State and 1984 are similar in terms of the power of surveillance shown in both stories. While in Enemy of the State surveillance is used to stop a citizen from releasing a tape showing the murder of an official, in 1984 surveillance is used to keep citizens in a constant state of fear and to prevent rebellion. Despite these differences, the message is clear; the power of surveillance is a dangerous tool against the basic rights and freedoms of citizens.
A similar theme in both stories is the fact that this surveillance leads people to their eventual demise. In Enemy of the State, during the scene in which agents are chasing the character, a fire truck hits him. In 1984, when the Thought Police capture Winston, he is tortured and eventually is an empty shell of his former self.
I feel that this pertains to modern society as the Patriot Act allows the government to tap phones in an effort to “stop enemy combatants” from organizing any future terrorist attacks. This power of surveillance is scary in that the government has the power to infringe upon the rights of citizens in the name of national security, but nobody really knows how that power is truly being used. This aspect of the Patriot violates the Fourth Amendment and I feel is therefore detrimental to our socie