Had to write this as an assignment, thought I'd put it up here.
1984 was an excellent book, while being an unpleasant reminder of what today could easily become. The dialogue was interesting, and Orwell's characters were developed.
The ideas were imaginative, not only the message but the various tools used to carry that message out. The Room 101 scene, was the perfect touch to complete the ending, in which Winston does not even feel despair anymore, only love for Big Brother, the symbolic totalitarian dictator.
According to a September 6 editorial this year from the New York Times, George Orwell himself was watched by England’s Special Branch for most of his life. Orwell’s file was recently released from Britain’s National Archives. “According to one sergeant, Orwell’s habit of dressing ‘in Bohemian fashion,’ revealed that the writer was a Communist, a conclusion that will seem strange to anyone who has read ‘Animal Farm.’ Orwell’s file seems to have been rather gently vetted by Britain’s spy agency, MI5, which perhaps understood that a casual dresser is not inevitably an enemy of the state.” (Quotation a direct quote from article) And thus, ironically, but very predictably, Orwell himself was under Orwellian circumstances.
Winston Smith himself was the perfect person to be the main character; he was in a place of slight power but insecurity, he had reasons to dislike Big Brother, and every day, he goes to the Ministry of Truth, where he revises documents from years ago, injecting obvious lies into them, showing him what the Party really does: change the past to suit them.
The only bad thing about this book, I feel, is the lengthy chapters of Goldstein’s book, which took up about an entire tenth or more of the book.
The important twist, which I overlooked as merely interesting at first, rather than vital, was when Parsons, the completely brainwashed, Big Brother loving man, is found to have spoken out against Big Brother in his sleep.
“‘Down with Big Brother!’ Yes, I said that! Said it over and over again, it seems.”
It shows that, even though he says “Between you and me, old man, I’m glad they got me before it went any further,” there may be sub-conscious hatred towards Big Brother in many people, even someone like Parsons, which would seem to show that even though the last four words of this gripping novel would seem to show that the last man left in the world “died” in the end (and then he really did die, though this is not in the actual book), perhaps people such as Parsons, who act and even believe they are complete adorers of Big Brother, may actually be the Party’s worst enemy.
In either case, this was a very good book, and I was disappointed when it was over. I look forward to reading his other books and works of literature.
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I'm so happy! I'm reading this book this year in English class, so it's good to know it won't be a drag! Thanks guys!
~Deoris
Orwell wrote "Animal Farm", not "Animal House" lol.
Btw... Orwell wasn't a communist, I think you should know by both his books that he was critical of communist societies yet noted their benefits.
I started this book several times, but I found it a bit too... well, obvious, and certainly passive and unoriginal for our times. It seemed almost cheesy. I mean, "two minutes of hate"? Mmm... I know numerous people who like this book, yet for me, it was just an average, dull novel. Not that my vote counts in it anyway. I read Animal House by him and I really can't remember if it was good or not, just that all of his concepts are very, very interesting. Just the way he portrays them is so.... old!
Yes, it is a very good book, but call me too optimistic: I liked Bradbury's book much more for the ending, which certainly presents a much more hopeful view. Though the books obviously have very different aims, but there's obvious reasons why the books are always compared to one another. Both are books that almost accurately predict our society's ways, which is scary but almost acceptable.
I do like the book a lot too. It teaches you how much control a person can really have over others. It's extremely well-written and truly puts some things into perspective.
I probably won't read it as much as Bradbury (or my other favorites like Austen or Lee), but I'm sure I'll explore it someday.
Like many great books Orwell's style was a little draggy and fat. However the story as a piece of speculative fiction was nothing short of a masterpiece.
I know! I actually read it all, but it must've took up a whole sixth of the book and was dreadful boring. But 1984 is an amazing book, besides that.
It's our this year's book report! Currently reading but I soo like the idea! For it be written in 1950+, I think it's a very very great achievement. What I don't like though is sometimes it's kind of boring. But it's interesting nonetheless. Can't wait to find out what happens in the end!
1984 was an excellent book to read and I thought the story line was so memorable. As others have said- it's a good scary way to look at society and what it's coming to.
Having said that- I found myself skipping parts of the extract from the book that Winston is given. It was like a never-ending history lesson that repeated the same thing over and over again. Some of it wasn't even key to the actual story.
I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in a thought provoking and slightly scary read.
xxx
I actually found the writing stilted and quite boring to read. Winston was also pretty angsty, as I recall. The book is still genius, though. The plot, while no longer original, remains powerful, and in today's society 1984 is a must-read to make people fear where society is heading.
I preferred Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. They both have a similar premise but are much more personal and human. And gripping!
1984 is the best book ever written.
Period.
I recommend this book to everyone. It's a very thought provoking read and extremely well written.