Spies

            Spies have been present in society ever since there have been two opposing viewpoints. The purpose of a spy is to retrieve information from one side and to bring it back to the other side. Now, being a spy isn't that simple, they have to do it all without being caught. They first have to infiltrate enemy lines by blending in and not sticking out even in the slightest. Then they have to work their way up the ranking system of whatever they are spying on until they reach the point where they have access to the information that they are trying to get. Finally, the information has to be passed back to the original side so that the information can be used, and all of this needs to be done without ever getting caught in order for the information to be successfully passed on and used.

            There have been countless spies in the real world. There have been good spies, and terrible spies as well as famous spies and spies that no one will ever hear about. These spies also completed, or in some cases didn't, missions that ranged from very short to very long and missions that were ranked from low importance to extremely high importance. One of the most famous spies is Nathan Hale. Nathan Hale was a spy for the Continental Army that spied on the British Army while they were stationed in New York. This famous first spy for what would become the United States of America is most known for his phrase uttered just before he was hung by the British. This famous phrase was “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

            Spies in 1984 are slightly different than those in the real world. First of all, their title is not a spy, but yet something that is much more confusing in nature, the thought police. Second, their intended target is not truly the enemy, but instead the target is controlling the government’s own people. Finally, the intended result of the spying is not to get a leg up on the opponent, but instead to shut down any unwanted ideas from floating around against the government. The three main similarities between the real world spies and the thought police are that they alter themselves in some way whether that be physically or through personality, that information is taken from one group by another without consent, and that the main purpose of the spying is to make the government be stronger and have more control over something.