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pgf.az23, January 1, 2013 (view all comments by pgf.az23)
one of the best books i've ever read. incredibly thought-provoking, and always worth a second read.
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Waney, December 30, 2012 (view all comments by Waney)
Everything about this book is captivating. It's groundbreaking yet at the same time, purely classic. Ahead of its time, yet timeless. From Big Brother to the Thought Police, I was hooked and wanted to know more about it all. Basically, I think everyone should read 1984 at some point. It's absolutely incredible and I loved it. I don't re-read many books but this will definitely be one of them. It is a hard read, but more importantly, it is a MUST read.
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Mars, August 5, 2012 (view all comments by Mars)
Orwell's intriguing tale accomplishes the task of making the reader completely petrified & horrified of Marxist turned Facist societies. The book is well written deliberately using elaborate language and difficult lexicon to rebell against uniformity and complacency. The novel is a true zeitgeist, opening up a passage to the Cold War. The only short-comings of the book is it's sluggish start (much worh the wait, I assure you) and the scholarly but incredibly drab writings of imaginary characters. To compare to Animal Farm, I would say it is entirely less riveting and must be read by an older, more mature audience. Even though emotions run high, it is not the most captivating book up until the beginning of the rising action. And even then has a dry spout for a bit. However, the themes are seamlessly inter-woven into the story. The many layers of this book are so profound that it may take some reflection to process your thoughts. Overall, an amazing book and a 4.5 easily.
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taggart.ella, March 29, 2012 (view all comments by taggart.ella)
George Orwell wrote 1984 in 1949 as a warning to the human race. Power struggles, especially those in a hierarchy, will be the end of independent, intellectual man. Orwell uses his main character, Winston, to illustrate this fall of man. Winston views himself as a normal Party member, but he has his doubts about it the Party's validity. He lives in solitude as his doubts of the Party increases. He finds companionship through shared idea; the same ideas that will later betray him to the perfect hierarchy. Winston's fall is a message to all readers with an interest in the psychology of political science. All readers looking to inform themselves about government must read this cautionary tale.
London in 1984 is not a part of the United Kingdom as we know it today. It is the capital of a global superpower called Oceania. This country is ruled by Big Brother and the Party and is always at war with either Eurasia or Eastasia. It holds slogans and it's own party speak as important tools for nationality. Winston, a member of the Party's work force. Winston works for "the Ministry of Truth- Minitrue" (4). This component controls the Party's archives. This alteration of history and information is one of the many awful tools the party uses to keep its power.
Those who rebel against the party always rebel through thought. They are captured by the Thought Police and taken to the Ministry of Love. "The Ministry of Love was the really frightening one. There were no windows in it at all. It was a place impossible to enter except on official business, and then only by penetrating through a maze of barbed-wire entanglements, steel doors, and hidden machine gun nests" (4-5). This ministry is the end of all free thought. Misery loves company, and those with ideas contrary to the party are not alone. Their true struggle when they, Winston included, find themselves in a struggle for power over their own thoughts.
The issue over power struggle is well portrayed in this novel. The fictitious setting and government allow for the reader to picture the emotions of the Party members as their government challenges their thoughts. Freedom of thought is the most important liberty humans have. When this is taken away in the novel, emphasis is put on the nature of man's desire for power. This emphasis hammers home George Orwell's concern for the human race.
Product details
336 pages
Signet Book -
English9780451524935
Reviews:
"Review"
by Anthony Burgess,
"1984 is a fantasy about disaffected journalists, novelists, poets, professors, and schoolmasters imposing an idealistic philosophy on the countries of the West — amalgamated into the superpower Oceania — which is no more than a notion of the nature of reality forged in an Oxford or Cambridge common room."
"Review"
by V. S. Pritchett,
"The most solid, the most brilliant thing George Orwell has done."
"Synopsis"
by Firebrand,
View our feature on George Orwell’s 1984. Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.
"Synopsis"
by Libri,
Satire on the possible horrors of a totalitarian regime in England in 1984.
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