My Life : My First Day In Society

“Good morning Ms. Robertson,” Daniel said to the woman sitting behind the desk doing paperwork. The woman looked up, straightened her glasses and her face lit up.

"Yes. I'm Roderick Cross, I just called about an appointment to meet with someone to look through your public

I walked the few meters to her room and knocked. I heard her groan as a sign of giving me entrance.

The citizens of the community live every moment of their lives monitored by the government. Their grades in school, what they do in their spare time, even what they do in their own “homes.” All of it is carefully monitored and documented. All of this makes sense though, at least for a totalitarian government. In order to maintain the dystopian society in which they have built, they must monitor each and everybody’s lives.

“A Surveillance Society,” by William E. Thompson and Joseph V. Vicky (2012) is a selection from the text book Society in Focus that tells the readers about the widespread use of cameras in public places and also the risk of high tech surveillance. The authors gives the reader information about many topics such as the growing trends, different types of surveillance technology, Information sharing and the effect surveillance has on the way we are living today. Since September 11, 2001 after the horrific and devastating terror attacks surveillance systems have been increased in public. Often cameras are disguised as street lights and other things so the the citizen doesn’t even know that they are being videotaped. The author argues that this

She took a deep breath and slung the door open, momentarily releasing music and a chill into the hallway. Walking in, her eyes

“Who would like to read today?” A nurse, clad in her pastel blue scrubs smiles directly at me when she says this, holding the blue laminated paper in her hand.

As being constantly watched raises anxiety in some, fear of being victimized also grows leading to an increasing opposition in government surveillance. Some challengers believe that money spent on buying, installing, and monitoring cameras should be invested in hiring more police and training them to become a stronger force against the evils of the world. Money drains into the steady income of the faces behind the screens of hidden cameras. Who is watching the

“My name is Eli. And yourself?” The voice came out with a slight southern accent.

One of the main ways the government inflicts their control on the citizens is through the invasion of privacy. In this society, every home is installed with telescreens and microphones that watch the residents every move. The government does this to watch for any signs of abnormality in citizens. The cameras are installed in streets as well to prevent conspiring among the citizens. Citizens are watched everywhere and there is no escape from being scrutinized. The caption “Big Brother is Watching You” (Orwell 3), is posted all over the city as a constant reminder to people that they are never away from Big Brother’s watch and that Big Brother knows everything. Winston feels that the picture is “so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move” (Orwell 3). Obviously, pictures can not move, yet Winston feels like it watches him constantly.

“That’s not my name,” He interrupted. “Look, we need to find Mike before it’s too late.”

Rose tugged on one of her dreads, "Hello Jaden, how ar-" "It's Jade, not Jaden. Only my grandpa can call me that." She sheepishly interrupted. Rose snickered and pushed her tray off the marble platform. "Don't tell me what to do."

In elementary school, I had two best-loved teachers. My kindergarten teacher, Dr. Barron had the kindest heart. My first day of school, I scarcely remember her greeting each student with a friendly smile. That first day we learned her class song. “Dr. Barron’s bunnies come to school every day, school every day, school every day”. Throughout the remaining years in elementary school, I would visit her class for a friendly conversation. My second favorite teacher in elementary school was Mrs. Jacobson. Mrs. Jacobson was one of the sweetest teachers I recall having. On our class trip to Disney World, I vaguely remember her being the life of the party. The last day of school was hard for me, I adored her so much, just as much as she adored all of her students. Tears were shed following the last bell that day. In high school my freshman Advanced Placement Human Geography instructor had a considerable impact on my life. She was the type of teacher that you could trust with your personal information and was never there to judge you, but encourage and push you through the tough times. She also labeled Fridays as “Mint Fridays” so every Friday she would award her students with a fresh mint.

Her warm greeting seemed to calm my growing nerves. She leans over the counter abruptly, wrapping her strong arms around my body.

“Thank you, Rosy, but Margaret is in trouble, those men are evil. She’s in a lot of danger. I hope I did the right thing by calling the police.” Looking out the window, he said, “I see their car out there now, I’m going to talk to them.” Picking up the keys, she unlocked the door.