Fig 3. American Cancer Society Logo. Digital image. Flicker. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
Fig 1. Stressed. N.d. Flickr. Web.
Setting is an important factor while looking how the government in the book 1984 by George Orwell parallels with our own government and our own world. The setting in 1984 is one of despair. The people in 1984 were “being watched at any given moment”creating a sense of no privacy which can lead to stress (Orwell www).They had to always think about how to act because if they showed displeasure then they would “disappear”. They had to all wear the same cloths and had no way to express himself. They had to go to a job that they were assigned to and work almost all day then go home and be watched to see if he showed any displeasure. Winston was one of the few people in the book who was displeased with his life. He tried to hide the displeasure on his face but sometimes a little would slip out to show the world how he felt. Having to suppress his inner feelings causes Winston stress and discomfort.
According to The American Cancer Society smoking “creates pleasant feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. It acts on the chemistry of the brain and central nervous system, affecting the smoker’s mood. Smokers also may use tobacco to help manage unpleasant feelings and emotions”(ACS www). The reason the government disperses cigarettes in 1984 is so that people suppress these “unpleasant feelings” rather than acting on them. The government in 1984 is what is creating these unpleasant feelings causing Winston to need to smoke. "Stress is very common, affecting us when we feel unable to cope with unwelcome pressure"(MHF www). The government didn't care about fixing what made the people feel "unable to cope", they just wanted something that would numb them. They did not care about the people they just cared about suppressing the peoples true feelings.
After looking at the setting in 1984 you can see some parallels in our government and setting. In our government we are watched, of course we are not watched as closely as the people in 1984 but we are still watched in public areas. This causes some people stress or paranoia but not most people. Other things in our life that causes stress is our jobs and paying bills. With the need for money being so high, finding jobs can be stressful and going to work can be even more stressful. To take the pressure off and relieve some stress most people smoke. Our government does not give cigarettes out for free they do not ban them. The government knows that cigarettes have Nicotine and “nicotine is a poison” yet knowing this they do not ban them or even limit the amount you can have (ACS www). They allow cigarettes that have nicotine in them so that we can have a “getaway” or a way to suppress our feeling and accept the world we live in.
The setting we live in shapes the actions that we do. Both governments portrayed show that they do not create a fun and exciting world, they create a world full of stress where we have to find a way to cope. Most people cope by smoking or drinking to numb their pain. By the government not making cigarettes illegal they are able to suppress our stress and grief by suppressing our emotions.
"The idea that people smoke cigarettes to help ease the signs and symptoms of stress is known as ‘self-medication’"(MHF www).This is important to know because the government is not changing what is making us stressed and pushing us to try and self medicate with Cigarettes. This is not only dangerous to the people who choose to do this but it is also dangerous to people who are around these people. The smoke they omit can get into the lungs of someone who chooses not to smoke and affect their health too. Cigarettes also clam people and reduce their stress which will never lead to change. If the people are taking away what make them mad, then they will never have a reason to change the current society that we are in. We need to find a different way to cope with this stress or change it all together.