Tuesday, February 21, 2012

1984

"1984" by George Orwell

War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Doublethink. Big Brother. George Orwell does what he does best and creates a startling world where the reader is submerged in interesting political and social statements. A disturbing dystopian future where The Party controls everything. The Party is never wrong. If they said something that did not come to pass, then the statement would be changed to match what happened. The Party is never wrong. Big Brother controls the past. What is truth? Is it what you remember happening, or is it what Big Brother tells you. If Big Brother says 2+2=5, then 2+2=5. Telescreens and microphones are everywhere; two-way devices that allow Big Brother to watch and listen to you every minute of every day. The world is in constant war. The Thought Police strictly enforce thoughtcrime.

The book is very well written, and has had a big impact on today's literature (dystopian novels are very popular now with the recent Hunger Games). For some reason, I didn't seem to enjoy this novel nearly as much as Orwell's Animal Farm. I would recommend Animal Farm over 1984 if you were to choose only one Orwell novel to read. 1984 is definitely worth a visit, even though it is full of war, torture, and deceit.

And that is How Lou Sees It.

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