Monday, April 27, 2009

Review of 1984 by George Orwell

Summary From Amazon:Thought Police. Big Brother. Orwellian. These words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, 1984. The story of one man's nightmare odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory, 1984 is a prophetic, haunting tale.

More relevant than ever before, 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable-the destruction of truth, freedom, and individuality.
With a new forward by Thomas Pynchon.

About the Author from Amazon:

George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, born in 1903. He produced an impressive and critically acclaimed body of work, including his two most famous novels, Animal Farm and 1984. He died in 1950.


My Review:
I would like to say I found this book very disturbing yet interesting. Imagine the government controlling and monitoring everything you say or do. Telling you how you should eat and how you should dress. All this seemed to consume Winston Smith's mind. Every action he did made him wonder if the big brother(Government) was watching him.

All this changed when he met a woman named Julia who eventually becomes his lover. She is the symbol of rebellion against the government(Party). She is everything that Big Brother aims to destroy.

This book had me thinking about communism and how it would be if communism would have came to the USA. It is scary to think how the government could have that much power. This book is also a psychological thriller in which it makes you think and messes with you head.

Some memorable sayings or quotes from the novel that make you think:

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU how would you feel if the government is monitoring everything you do your right to privacy is violated
WAR IS PEACE is war really peace or is it a ploy for overall control.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY are really slaves to the government, are we truly free
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH while keeping the outsiders of the government ignorant the government keeps its power.

Its amazing how some of these says make you think today and how this book is still relevant to human fears today. The fear of communism and socialism.

Overall I enjoyed this book and its one my favorites and I would reread it again.

1 comment:

Rebecca Reid said...

I just finished it and I too thought it was chilling. FYI, on Wikipedia, Orwell clarifies that his intention is to speak against extreme totalitarianism. Not all communism/socialism is quite so totalitarian nor so extreme.