1984 by George Orwell, Erich Fromm (Afterword)

A classic novel you can't missby Mr_Rivers

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January 18, 2010: In 1984, George Orwell creates an imaginary world of what the world was becoming when he imagined it in 1949. His ideas were influenced by the totalitarian systems of Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union of his time. In the novel the main character, Winston Smith finds himself in a society where "The Party" led by "Big Brother" is very powerful and takes control over every aspect of the human individual and his/her life. Not only are one's actions and words being supervised every second, but also thoughts especially anti-Party, which eventually lead to crime itself. This world of "negative utopia" (the complete opposite of a dreamworld) is reflected upon "The Party's" slogan "War is Peace", "Freedom is Slavery", and "Ignorance is Strength". The past doesn't exist, because it is constantly altered, while there is no such thing as the future because change and hope are just a needle in a haystack. Only the present exists, and even though the possibility that things will change someday seem very unlikely, some hope still lies in Winston. He is all alone in his anti-Party beliefs, and he must be very careful to avoid being discovered by the "Thought police" because otherwise he's a deadman.

The idea of the novel is extremely original. It's genre is political fiction, which makes it a very complex text, and somewhat challenging to read. I found the novel very interesting due to the amount of creativity put in by the author towards creating a completely different society from the one we live today, but probably not one too far-off from the totalitarian systems of the past. Although, the novel advances pretty slowly, it really pulls you into the story because everything that is happening seems strange and new, making thins unclear. Nevertheless, as the novel goes on little by little things are explained.

The novel certainly stirred in me an uneasy feeling. The events that happen and the society where the novel is developed really have an impact on one and are very touching. One may not realize this at first, however one will be able to learn many things, mainly to appreciate certain values as well as the fortunate lives we lead. Such values may include love, hope, friendship, freedom, loyalty, justice, and compassion. Frankly, I would recommend to everyone, despite any disinterest in anything having to do with politics because there is much more to the story than a world where almost every aspect of one's life is controlled. 1984 will provide one with a new angle at which to oversee the world. It will most likely change one's views if it was able to change mine.

I Also Recommend: Eagle Strike (Alex Rider Series #4), The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Series #1), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7), Crispin.

Reccomend, With Reservationsby chsxcountry1

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January 03, 2010: This book is alright but can be dry at some points. Overall this book is very original on the idea although there are some historical parallels that can drawn. For example Big Brother can be represented as the Third Reich. The Thought Police can be equated to the Ministry of Propaganda. The writing style is varied. It can be dry at times but it also shows flashes of brilliance. The idea of Big Brother is also very interesting. One could equate it to ones own morals and how you should police yourself but there are also people who do it for you. This is of course refering to the law. Then you also have to think that the Thought Police as a conciense in the fact that they control what you think. This soceity makes you wonder if the people are highly primitave and lack morals and things of that nature and need another person to act as this for them. This soceity also parealles to the Hews under Nazi Germany in the fact that they fear the thought police and big brother so much. This book has a lot of symbolism and contains many themes but the writing and plot are dry and predictable. So while i do reccomend this book be prepared for some dry points