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Summary: 1984 and my childhood
Review: Mindlessly mechanical, very few things move her emotionally. "Things will be all right for future generations," she tells my father. She has no need for family history, her own or mine. She fears creativity until recently. My mother, a misanthrope who grew up under communist China's educational system, even after residing in the States for more than twenty-five years, cannot seem to snap out of her past "education" by the communists. In my memory, she seems to hold little joy in her life. What a novel 1984 is; it sheds light on my questions: "Who is my mother?" and "What is my mother?" In a sense, "Chapter One" of the Book rings a personal truth to my upbringing, so many things that my mother said to me about the world, during my childhood, puzzled me. Whatever psychological lessons my mother went through during her "education," I doubt she'd ever share it with me. Nonetheless, I would not be surprised if she received training in doubletalk, doublethink and the indoctrination "freedom is slavery." It was very easy, almost too easy, for me to project myself into the novel, because it felt so personal and real.
So it was easy for me to imagine myself living in a Totalitarian society, but it would be too much of a nightmare, for I already have a slight taste of it in my childhood. Unknowingly, in the past few years, I have worked in my small ways to strengthen my knowledge and belief in a democratic society, may it be researching history, studying the structure of mainstream media, or becoming more aware and decoding the means of deception and misinformation, which is so pertinent to understand the actions of current Bush administration.
Even though the main character, Winston Smith, in 1984 eventually learned to love the Big Brother after forty years, I am still optimistic about meeting my responsibility as a US citizen, participating in quasi-democracy and reading once more 1984 as a novel, not a history book. But, if it ever becomes truly historical in content, by then, 1984 would have been either re-written or George Orwell vaporized out of existence.
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Summary: Profoundly Moving
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. How prophetic and relevant to the times we live in. Not only does it scare the hell out of you, but the characters are so well developed that you really care about them. It is a tragic story on two levels, both for humanity and for the individual characters. But make no mistake, although it is a great story of fiction, it is also a warning. It may never happen, but it can, and we are heading down that path.
So much has been said already in these reviews, I will just add my endorsement and say that "1984" should be required reading for every high school student, and then it should be required again in college. If you have read it some time ago, read it again, you will find more the second time through. Peace.
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Summary: A brilliant satire
Review: Orwell was a socialist, who had served in the Spanish Civil War fighting fascism - a true believer. However, the betrayal of ideology, mass murder and abuses by Stalin in the name of socialism prompted Orwell to write _1984_: a brilliant satire and a classic of 20th century literature.In the future, there is the one state, ruled by "Big Brother", an allegedly benevolent ruler who is rather sinister. Obedience is demanded, subjects are not even allowed the freedom of thought. All labor and effort is geared towards the "greater good", in a totally egalitarian society that is as stifling as it is sterile. Written as a criticism of Stalinism and the Soviet system, its biting criticism is testament to the extremes of ideology. While it is an easier read than the earlier Soviet work by Eugene Zamiatin's _We_, I feel _We_ is the better book. Nonetheless, 1984 is worthy of a reading.
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Summary: A Classic
Review: Orwell's 1984 is one of the true masterpieces of the 20th century. It presents a dark world where all individuality suffers under the reign of Big Brother. Orwell had a prophetic gift for seeing how the truth suffers from power, and how everything, including language, is cynically manipulated to suit an agenda. In an age of brutal tyrants, ceaseless propaganda, shameless spin control, revisionary legacy tours, and mass media news cycles, this novel deserves new review. A profound book, and a must read.
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Summary: mostly introduction
Review: so i assume everyone already knows what an amazing book 1984 is, and if you don't, well, in case you haven't figured it out based on how this sentance has begun, it is. amazing that is. read it, it's great. the deal with this version is that pynchon wrote the intro, and that's what i'm looking at here. so, i was rather, as it were, stoked about this coming out. pynchon is one of my favourite authors, and to have him writing the intro for such an important book was, to say the least, an enticing concept. well, unfortunately, i really didn't think much of his intro. basically, the biographical information is presented in a rather dry and uninspiring tone, and the philosophical aspects seem, in the worst sense of the word, academic. it provides a somewhat interesting picture of socialism's evolution and existence, but, ultimately, i found it failing in its (presumed) goal of introducing the work at hand. moreover, i found it rather wanting for pynchon's personal style. basically, i'd recommend checking this out of the library for a reading, but if you already own a copy of 1984, don't bother picking this up as a second for the sake of the intro, it is, unfortunately, not worth it. on the other hand, if you don't already own 1984, get two, they're cheap.
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Summary: A review from the classroom of Mr. Jolley
Review: Step into a time not too far into the future-a time of hatred, lies, pain, conformity, and secrets. Let this new and horrifying reality encompass and draw in your imagination. This is no ordinary story. There are no heroes, no friends, or family. Only power, enemies, and fading hope exist. War is a continuous part of life. It never ends and never changes. The past can, even, be changed or erased. They call it a perfect world. "It's never been this good," they say. No one objects. No one ever rebels, or at least, those that do are never heard of again. They just disappear. They are wiped out of existence and forgotten. Don't dare think of rebellion, for eyes and ears are always watching and listening. They are waiting for you to make a mistake and give yourself away. The smallest blink of an eye or twitch of a muscle could make you a suspect of a thought crime. Yet, there are rumors of a group of rebels that still fight back. Is it only false hope, or do they really exist? There is no way of knowing. No one can be certain of anything here. Just do and believe what you are told. It is the only way to stay alive.
This depiction of the future is revealed in George Orwell's shocking novel, 1984. The book is about an ordinary man named Winston Smith who is lost in the twisted world in which he lives. Nothing is extraordinary about him. He follows the rules and never questions his instructions. Yet, something inside him begins to stir. Deep within the hollows of his mind, it awakes. It haunts his every move, thought, and dream. The yearnings become too much for him, and he can no longer ignore them. Determination, soon, overcomes fear, and he decides to pursue the insane desires. However, one cannot forget that there are always sacrifices to be made in return for decisions. The question is whether or not you are willing to make them. This is what Winston must face. Will he discover what is calling him, or will he turn away in fear? Will he return to the conformity, hatred, and lies of the world? Well, that is for you to discover.
Orwell's amazing novel is thought-provoking and terrifying. This book is definitely worth your time. From the very first word to the very last words of the book, your imagination is captured and inspired. Powerful imagery and symbols give unmistakable meaning to the story. The effects of this book still stay with you long after the book is read. If the chance is ever given, take the opportunity to get lost in Orwell's breathtaking novel.
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Summary: The Man doesn't want YOU to read this...you have to read it!
Review: The Man doesn't want you to read "1984" 'cause He can't let you know His intentions. It's all about control, man. Look at September 11, which was, like many of the missile attacks in "1984," staged by the US government to justify war. The Department of Homeland Security (Orwellian in its name) and the War on Terror (in classic Oceanic fashion, everything "bad" has "terror" and everything "good" has "freedom" in its name-- all language and understanding has been reduced to simplicity) were initiated afterwards, amidst much doublespeak and Orwellian rheteric from the mouths of the Bush Administration. The neverending war against Eurasia/Eastasia used to justify domestic surveillance and limitation on civil liberties in "1984" are mirrored in the present day by the ongoing "War on Terror" and its consequencial PATRIOT act that has curtailed civil liberties. Anyone who says this book is "dated" or "outdated" is either ignorant, blind to the condition of this great nation or working for THE MAN!!
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Summary: Through a dark mirrior, George Orwell's world of 1984
Review: There are many different types of books out there: fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror, history, and biography. But only a few of them have the same impact that George Orwell achieves in his book 1984. It seems part paranoid fantasy, part tribute to the malleability of the human psyche, and part historical allegory.
The issues, even presented in the outdated means that they are, still ring true for our modern society. The line between patriotism and nationalism is a thin one, and one that Americans look at each day. But in Orwell's world that line was crossed, and the result was a totalitarian government beyond anything most of us can imagine. With the government controlling all jobs, information, deeds, and actions, even to the smallest thought of their peoples, his world is stark and horrible to those of us used to a freedom. But the steps into that world are not that far away from our modern media control. In his world of 1984 the media serves the purpose of brainwashing the populace at large, and an ongoing war keeps the pressure on. And while some may claim that the media in our own country has the same control over us, in his world, the media is the government, and has no other agenda than that which the government sets forth.
The strange part is that all of this occurs to us, through the eyes of the main character, Winston Smith, as he falls in love with a young woman named Julia. In Oceania, the nation-state in which Smith lives, love is not allowed, and not tolerated. Winston Smith is, in essence, an insurgent in his own nation. He sleeps each night knowing that something is wrong, but not being able to say exactly what. As a reader we can see exactly the horrors to which he is made to endure, and though they might make us scream and shout, he is unmoved. But love draws him out of that sheltered reality, and into open insurgency against his own nation.
This is the beginning of the end for Wilson, as the romance, and the pleasures, are short lived. Like a terrible wave the police of the world he inhabits come crashing down upon him to break his spirit. The way they torture him is gruesome, and should offend anyone who values our human rights. But in the end, Wilson himself comes to love "Big Brother" the face of the state of Oceania. He forgets his insurgency, through a conscious adaptation of his logic processes. He has to know that whatever the nation does is right, even when it contradicts what he has experienced in the recent past. In Orwell's words, Doublethink.
These are just the surface issues that come across in Orwell's vision world the deeper issues are buried. As in, how could such a world come to exist? Well, he explains that after World War 2, there came a mighty nuclear war that wiped out most of the population centers of the world. And that out of the nuclear ash arose a political methodology that swept the nations, a kind of socialism that blended into totalitarianism. This totalitarian regime took hold and great purges, on the scope of the great purges in the early communist USSR, ran across the world as we know it. 3 stable nations were born: Oceania (The Americas, the Pacific Islands, Australia, and England), Eastasia (China, Mongolia, The Indonesian Peninsula, and Japan), and Eurasia (All of Europe save England, and all of the Former USSR). The rest of the world was in a constant state of conquest by one of these 3 super-nations, with the captured populations used as slaves. The constant state of war between the nations served to keep control over the people within the nations.
This is a world devoid of hope. Indeed, devoid of any emotions except hatred, fanatical delight in the war effort, and the obedience to the governments of the nations. This is the worst vision of what the Nazis in Germany hoped to accomplish in their conquests. A world without any laws, but what the government states to be true at that moment. A world where people disappear, but no one notices, or even cares, a world of total devotion to the state as a whole, without regard to creed, race, or social status.
It isn't often that the characters in a book become common usage in the world at large, but the phrase "Big Brother is watching you" has become synonymous with the government watching over its citizens. It shows up today in almost everyday speech. Especially when people are talking right to privacy issues. This seems apt, as privacy is one of the things that Wilson Smith never had, and will never have. Big Brother (the government) watched his every move of his life, recorded his every word, and rifled through his belongings at their leisure. This book is the origin of that phrase.
Orwell gives us a black and white view of the virtues of that world, and its drawbacks. The astounding thing is that it isn't still more talked about. We have, most of us, read this book. But how many too the time to understand the social and political ramifications it speaks of? I will from now on, that is for sure.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: This book is entertaining, but hardly prophetic. The world is not like 1984 or even close to 1984. Anybody who thinks so needs to learn more about the world or 1984.
The problem with this dystopic vision is that Orwell really doesn't understand technology or the way that it affects the world.
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Summary: ** HOW PROPHETIC **
Review: This is one of those classics that I never got around to reading while in high school (it was required, but I just didn't read it ;)... At the request of a colleague I picked this book up last year and was blown away by point of the book. In the chaotic and unclear times we live in, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who wants to understand what the point of the elite is and what the point of government is. Everything is about control and power ... AND KEEPING IT. We live in the novel 1984 ... and that's scary. Should be required reading for all Americans.
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