“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse”. This quote from Edmund Burke demonstrates that the more authority a person or group is able to have over something, the more likely corruption or wrongdoing is to occur. Looking at George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and Florian Henckel von Donnersmack's film, The Lives of Others, both depict a society in which people are completely monitored and controlled by the government in charge of them. Both manifest the dominance of both parties, reflecting the quote stated by Edmund and are in complete control. This then makes it a stronger government, which at the same time results in an abuse of power. Both parties make similar choices about how their system works, however, the Party of 1984 ends up being too extreme than the other, making it the worst but stronger. This is seen through their abuse of power through surveillance, how they hide history or facts from everyone, and their sympathy towards their citizens. Power is the most important thing a government should have to control everyone. One way to completely control citizens is through surveillance. Winston, the main character of the novel, has a TV screen in his home that monitors his every move: "Any sound made by Winston, above the level of a very low whisper, would be picked up by him.. . he could be seen and heard” (p. 3). The 1984 party has TV screens everywhere that could literally track every move a person makes wherever they go and it's made for everyone. Likewise, there is also a surveillance system in The Lives of Others, however, it is not as severe as that of Nine...... middle of paper ...... way they hide history or facts to everyone and their sympathy with their citizens. Power is an important thing, especially in a world where people need someone or a group to rule them. However, too much power leads to abuses in which citizens begin to fear the government that rules them. On the other hand, if a government is too lenient, then it risks losing its power and collapsing easily. Considering these points, better leadership would be an equal distribution of power between society and government. Works Cited Orwell, George: 1984. United States: New American Library, 1961. Print “NINE EIGHTY-FOUR.” 1984, by George Orwell. Np, and Web. April 9, 2014. “Look at other people's lives online. » Free Putlocker. Np, and Web. April 9, 2014. “The lives of others. » IMDb. IMDb.com, and Web. April 9. 2014.