1984

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Summary: "Perception Is Reality"--taken to its logical extremes.
Review: 1984 is a novel about a futuristic society in London where every one and every thing is totally controlled by the government. An entity known as "Big Brother" embodies the state and commands absoloute obedience and religious devotion from the populace; he is considered to be all-powerful and all-knowing. This represents the worst possible outcome for future, technocratic, materialistic and relativistic society: whatever benefits the masses and keeps the ruling Party in power is acceptable and there must be no deviation from the Party line. Population control is maintained through rationing, propaganda, mind-control, executions of POWS, unpleasant sensory distractions, total repression of sexuality and familial bonds, 24-7 work loads, pointless wars against forign enemies, destroying words so people cannot express themselves and erasing any knowledge people have of the past before the Party's "Revoloution."

No privacy for individuals is allowed. TV "telescreen" cameras are everywhere, watching everyone around the clock. Their motive is not to deter crime in the general sense but to deter "thought crime," cases where individuals seem to be manifesting symptoms of political dissent or nervousness about their existance. This is especially scary, given that 1984 was published in 1949 after the fall of Nazi Germany and the ascendancy of the Soviet Union over Eastern Europe. Today telvision cameras are everywhere watching people's movements, and some new ones can even identify facial features and match them to a name and personal history on a computer database. 1984's "telescreens" are double trouble--not only can they monitor citizens but they constantly barrage them with government propaganda. Today everyone who has electricity can now voluntarily turn on their TV and inject their minds full of whatever the government and the corperate media conglomerates want you to hear. If someone watching you through your TV screen bothers you, think about what it would be like if you were never allowed to turn your MTV or the FACTOR with Bill O'Reilly off!

The government also uses torture on specific "thought-criminals" in order to destroy their resistance to Party dogmatics. The objective is to cause so much physical, mental and emotional stress that the subject is unable to reason for themselves and accepts whatever the Party says is true. In the novel this is justified by the notion that "Perception is reality." Whatever a human brain thinks is true is true. The stars are not flaming balls of hydrogen fusion millions of light years away, no, we can stretch out our hands and touch them if we want. We are not bound by the law of gravity--we can float into the air if we want to. Even 2+2=5 if we so desire. The only problem is making everyone think exactly the same as everyone else. According to this there is no truth except what the person in charge says is truth and whatever they can do to make you believe it, then it is true. This is happening all around our world today--the rule of relativism. If there are no concepts of right and wrong, then Anarchy and/or Totalitarianism take over and the world is ruled by Might Makes Right. It nearly happened in the 1940's, and could happen (and is happening) again. The American people may not be controlled by the use of brute force and sexual repression now, but they are directed by government and media propaganda in the same way as described in Orwell's 1884.

Rating:
Summary: 1984
Review: This was a decent book it was written well, there was times when I did not want to put down the book becuase it had some interesting parts in it. But the down side is that I thought that these were to few and far inbetween becuase it was kinda of slow paced and I would lose interest and want to do something else. I found myself forcing myself to read it (becuase I had to for school) rather than read for enjoyment. another negative about the book is that 1984 has pasted and it was nothing like this and it just kind of ruins it for me I would have given this book a 4-5 stars if I had read it sometime between 1950-1965 which I bet was a very good book back then. But I think that some people would really enjoy it and I can understand why alot of people rated the book higher than I did but I personally didnt feel the book.

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Summary: INTELLIGENT, THOUGHT PROVOKING, MOVING AND SCARY!
Review: I can add little to the numerous compliments already expressed for this classic fiction except to say the following:

1. It is more than science fiction - it held relevance back in 1948 and has political relevance in 2003. It is a story that explains with the utmost clarity how people can be corrupted and controlled by their political leaders.

2, If you find the political elements a tad boring then try the following abridged audio version. I very highly recommend the absolutely brilliant reading by an English Actor John Nettles. This audio version will persuade any doubter of the absolute genius of George Orwell.This audio version is so brilliant that even those who are familiar with the story will be in for a treat.

3. This novel gets better and better with each reading - reading it not only makes you more poliically aware but tackles the philosophical question 'what is human?'/ 'what is real?'

Worth every one of it 5 stars - one of the few 'must reads'.

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Summary: What a grim future!
Review: Long before I read 1984, I read Brave New World and Anthem. All three have similar subject matter: the bleak future. Both Brave New World and 1984 depict technology run rampant and used to further de-humanize the populous. 1984 is a bleak book, but in parts very powerful. I would say, however, that at times Orwell lost my interest. He is in love with narrative, which is fine, but occasionally it drones on. I would say that Brave New World is a better book to read about how the future CAN go wrong, mainly because it is much more entertaining. But 1984 has a ton of integrity, especially in the ending.

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Summary: A True Classic
Review: George Orwell's 1984 is a true classic. Orwell's megastate Oceania is a truly frightening dystopia. Winston Smith and his girlfriend, Julia, rebel against a monsterous police state bent on controlling the very thoughts a person may have. Thoughtcrime,doublespeak, and Big Brother are terms we have come to use to describe our real life governments attack on our own liberties. Smith rebels against the maddness and oppression of Oceania by having a secret love affair with Julia, a woman sworn to celibacy for the "Party". After being arrested by the Thought Police they are brought to the "Ministry of Love" where Winston is submitted to unremmitting torture and brutality at the hands of his torturer, O' Brien. O'Brien is the consumate collectivist.He loves and worships pure power and enjoys "destroying minds". He informs Winston that the Party determines ultimate truth and that truth is whatever the Party says it is. He chillingly tells Winston " Here is a picture of humanity, a boot stamping on a human face, forever." a truly wonderful, frightening, but appropriate classic in these tmes of assaults on our liberties. A truly great book.

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Summary: Timeless and provocative
Review: My city, Bloomington, Indiana, chose "1984" to read this year for its One City One Book event this spring. In 2002 we read "A Lesson Before Dying," also a wonderful book, but this year, the organizing committee let the citizens vote from a list of nominees. We selected "1984." As part of the National Library Week celebration last week the Indiana University librarians sponsored a discussion "1984" at our Lilly Library, which houses our rare books and special collections, including some Orwell material. The discussion was led by an emeritus English professor; he introduced the discussion with three themes/questions he found to be interesting. The discussion took off from his excellent introduction. I urge other communities to select this book to read and discuss. It is a darkly compelling novel that lends itself to many approaches and interpretations. Thus, it is a fabulous book to read and discuss with others. In fact, as I read, I couldn't wait to hear what other people thought about the book. It's a love story and a thriller. It's a political treatise and a rumination on totalitarianism. As other reviewers have said, against the backdrop of the war with Iraq, it is timely. But it is also timeless. The themes and issues explored "1984" will be relevant every year. I couldn't put it down!

Rating:
Summary: 1984
Review: This book was a blend of horror, mystery, sci fi and real-world polictal irony. It was masterfully writeen, with all the right words in the right places. I would highly suggest this book to anyone who enjoys the "future" (which is really the present, in Orwell's case). It is ver interesting to see how things were predicted to happen: which came true and which didn't?

Rating:
Summary: 1984: Good but not great
Review: My name is Sean and I chose this book as a lit circle book in Mrs. Matau's class at Walla Walla High School. I liked 1984. It has conspiracy and oddly enough no written laws.

Your used to watching the TV, in the book it watches you as well.If you can see the screen, Big Brother can see you.

If you like undercover conspiracy stories then you will more than likely enjoy the theme of this book.
Hope that helped you get a good idea of George Orwell's 1984.

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Summary: True prophecy
Review: I just finished reading CONQUEST OF PARADISE, a brilliant book about the decline of the entire world into a totalitarian dictatorship that seemed as real any I've ever read. It reminded me of the prophetic Orwell's 1984. As the years pass on, the foresight of George Orwell's book becomes more and more amazing. He writes the book as if 1984 is a distant future year when the government and the press run the present, past, and future. Are we not getting to that point now? I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to wake up and see the state of affairs we are in presently in this country, and CONQUEST OF PARADISE paints a frightening picture of how technology may take us there.

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Summary: My opinion
Review: If we will not defend love and truth, this stuff book writes about can really happen. We are defenders! World is becoming darker and darker. It's up to us, to make good. Stop the mad politics, who kill people, and think, they are doing the right thing! Book is very good, everybody should read it, and also must understand what it means. MY father grew up in communist state, and they were teached in school, that this book is a NACI book?