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Summary: If you grasp its deeper meanings, 1984 will change your life
Review: This novel has changed my overall views on power, politics, economics and human nature to such an extent that I now look at my life in two parts: before I'd read "1984" and after I'd read "1984." This novel was a sort of enlightenment, or "awakening"for me. While I personally preffer Huxley's "Brave New World," I found the stark portrayal of Orwell's "Oceania" and Winston's fractured individuality to be far more powerful. My review might seem like an overstatement-and perhaps it is. After all, I first read "1984" in October of 2001 while in grade 11 and perhaps that is why it has had such a profound effect on my outlook. "1984" is a must read for ALL people, EVERYWHERE, who value their freedom and understand that so long as strong authoritative infrastructures continue to control our lives (governments, corporations, organized religion)with a blind following, our liberty is truly fleeting.
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Summary: Coolest BOok Ever
Review: This was a thought provoking and amazing story of oppression and totalitarinism
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Summary: Animal Farm for Adults
Review: Well, not exactly Animal Farm, but the same themes are pushed to their maximum logical end. Orwell writes of a government bent on controlling the people that obviously stems from a comunist base. his stark future is frighteningly belivable and his characters are human to a fault. they live fictiotuious lives to the best of their abilities. they are individuals in a see of conformity no matter what the goverment may say.
The book makes the reader aware of any numerous ways that people can be controlled. After reading it, any action heard taken by the government becomes suspect. As good literature should, it demands the reader superimpose the book onto daily life and do all they can to prevent such a future.
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Summary: Fiction or Prophecy?
Review: Winston Smith, member of the Outer Party, a small, petty cog in the great machination of "Big Brother", tries to step out from the shadow of his life in George Orwell's now masterpiece, "1984". Written over 50 years ago, this book was to serve several purposes, one being a warning to the present that a future like this, however fantastic and unbelievable, could be in the making should we allow for it to happen. Winston leads the dull life of a worker, not encouraged to think, or dream, for feel for himself. His whole life must be driven to support the Party, which promulgates an apparent non-entity Big Brother as the supreme one. Winston early on shows the spark of individuality that the Party so wants to extinguish; by daring to write a journal on his own, he seals his fate early in the story. Soon he meets Julia, another worker, who charms and dares him even further to enocurage having an affair. Together they make a lethal pair, and some lethal decisions, which leads to the great climax in the Ministry of Love. What lies in the story is an amazing prophecy of government gone mad. The Party believes in creating present truths by writing and rewriting the past on its whim. The Party understands in order to control the people, it must control the language, thereby, creating "Newspeak". The Party makes people simply vanish, eradicating them from existance. The Party realizes the people who follow are merely plebians in society, and therefore, should be encouraged to not think for themselves. In fact, the Party is able to directly lie to the people, using "doublethink", where they say one thing but mean the other. How much of Orwell's nightmare is something that can be true today? Do we have a government out of control, one that manipulates information for its own benefit, to justify war, ensure fear and terror reigns over the country; one that illegally detains people without trial, right to counsel, or even being charged with a crime; one that wants to extensively monitor our personal phone calls, e-mails, the books we check out of the library, the things we buy in stores. The dots are there to connect them; the challenge is, will you dare to do it, like Winston Smith dared? I believe 1984 is ultimately a hopeful book. Orwell wants to challenge humanity, that during times of crisis, we are able to rise up and change things, so the fateful prophecy so nobly and horrifyingly espoused in 1984 , will only stay between the covers of the book. The choice is up to us.
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