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Name of the eBook you are reviewing: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
“War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength (21).” In George Orwell’s novel 1984, this quote lays out the basis of his dystopian society. This society is incredibly pessimistic and cynical because it values ignorance over independent thought, conformity over autonomy, and callousness over harmony. Orwell wrote 1984 as a cautionary tale for the future and depicts how technology can be manipulated by authoritative powers to control citizens’ beliefs and values to the point where they prefer falsehoods over truths. For instance, in 1984 citizens are forced by the government, that is called “The Party,” to conform to the policy of Double-think. Double-think is the act of accepting contrary opinions simultaneously. As a result of this political indoctrination, citizens can’t form a stable opinion or chose just from unjust; double-think has manipulated them to abide by the Party’s agenda.
Review:
The protagonist of 1984, is Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in London. His job is to control and alter all media to fit the needs of the Party. Namely, Winston had to alter historical facts of past alliances and wars. This causes Winston to secretly doubt the Party’s intentions and seek out a purported hidden counter-revolution. Subsequently, just as Winston doubts and questions the Party, the reader can gain a greater introspective perspective into issues that greater impact society such as global warming and cyber-security. I found the most enjoyable part of this story was the relationship between Winston and Emily. Winston was very well characterized, despite his timid nature he was easy to sympathize with. Through subtle undertones Orwell makes Winston into a mirror of human nature; he showcases the ambition, self-preservation, and primal fears that all humans possess. In comparison, Emily is the female love interest. However, her motives, free-spirited attitude, and open sexuality make her into a progressive, strong female character. Overall, her boldness and her passion make her into a perfect foil for Wilson’s subdued temperament and uneventful life. → find and incorporate a scene that demonstrates their dynamics and how they interact with each other. Significantly, the relationship between Emily and Winston upturns the theme of the domestic housewife and nuclear family. Furthermore, what resonated with me the most was the theme of corruption. 1984 is a cautionary tale of this corruption; it is notably showcased through the use of telescreens. Like smartphones, telescreens are able to receive and transmit data and are multi-purpose devices that let The Party monitors all its citizens. Moreover, the telescreens prohibit free speech and thought, while violating basic human rights. The theme of corruption in 1984 also mirrors today’s current issues with cyber-security and technology. For instance, just as telescreens violate society’s privacy, Facebook had a scandal in which they were accused of stealing information from its users and providing it to third-party companies. In addition, from reading 1984 I gained a more cynical perspective about the world. When Winston is forced to doublethink, and he questions “ how could you establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory?... There was no knowing how much of this legend was true and how much invented. Winston could not even remember at what date the Party itself had come into existence.” This illustrates the great power that the government has over its citizens and although 1984 society, in general, is portrayed in an extremely light, it is not unlike modern dictatorships such as North Korea which surrounds their citizens from the outside world so they can’t understand the poverty they are living in. After reading about the issues and themes in 1984, I became more wary of the technology around me and how it will affect society at large. Alike to Wistons feelings of the Party’s propaganda and control over the media, "Who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." “and if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth. I am definitely more aware of how biases can influence the way information is spread and portrayed by the media. Today Western media outlets always have an agenda that influences the output and reception of their news. Depending on the political agenda of the newscasters, their media can be biased and perhaps portray certain groups or minorities disparagingly. With information being constantly manipulated, one can only hope that through reading this book people can become more informed about the current state of our media. In writing 1984, George Orwell taught me that you can incorporate very deep and meaningful themes without very forced or cliched exposition; the dialogue feels very natural and colloquial. As a result, I thought the novel was really reflective of Winston’s moods and emotions. The reader could really empathize and feel Winston’s struggles and tribulations. Overall, Orwell is able to construct a fictional world in a very short time that feels very real and well thought out. However, before reading 1984 I had very low expectations because I had read a few works by him before that I didn’t quite connect to as well. In my opinion, what made 1984 a better novel compared to his other works, such as Animal Farm, was the chemistry and dynamic between Winston and Emily. There were more human emotions and passions depicted that I could relate too and understand. I truly believe 1984 is a “book for the people” because it deals with very applicable themes and messages that anyone from any background can relate too. Everyone has dealt with issues of trust, responsibility, and security.
Would you recommend this to other users? Ultimately, I believe that if you like novels that are dystopian in nature and that also question or comment on society’s ideals, you will enjoy 1984. If you like novels such as “Lord of the Flies” or “Oryx and Crake,” you will also like 1984. All of these novels deal with similar tropes and themes of social constructs and human nature.
Rating(1-5):
“War is Peace / Freedom is Slavery / Ignorance is Strength (21).” In George Orwell’s novel 1984, this quote lays out the basis of his dystopian society. This society is incredibly pessimistic and cynical because it values ignorance over independent thought, conformity over autonomy, and callousness over harmony. Orwell wrote 1984 as a cautionary tale for the future and depicts how technology can be manipulated by authoritative powers to control citizens’ beliefs and values to the point where they prefer falsehoods over truths. For instance, in 1984 citizens are forced by the government, that is called “The Party,” to conform to the policy of Double-think. Double-think is the act of accepting contrary opinions simultaneously. As a result of this political indoctrination, citizens can’t form a stable opinion or chose just from unjust; double-think has manipulated them to abide by the Party’s agenda.
Review:
The protagonist of 1984, is Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in London. His job is to control and alter all media to fit the needs of the Party. Namely, Winston had to alter historical facts of past alliances and wars. This causes Winston to secretly doubt the Party’s intentions and seek out a purported hidden counter-revolution. Subsequently, just as Winston doubts and questions the Party, the reader can gain a greater introspective perspective into issues that greater impact society such as global warming and cyber-security. I found the most enjoyable part of this story was the relationship between Winston and Emily. Winston was very well characterized, despite his timid nature he was easy to sympathize with. Through subtle undertones Orwell makes Winston into a mirror of human nature; he showcases the ambition, self-preservation, and primal fears that all humans possess. In comparison, Emily is the female love interest. However, her motives, free-spirited attitude, and open sexuality make her into a progressive, strong female character. Overall, her boldness and her passion make her into a perfect foil for Wilson’s subdued temperament and uneventful life. → find and incorporate a scene that demonstrates their dynamics and how they interact with each other. Significantly, the relationship between Emily and Winston upturns the theme of the domestic housewife and nuclear family. Furthermore, what resonated with me the most was the theme of corruption. 1984 is a cautionary tale of this corruption; it is notably showcased through the use of telescreens. Like smartphones, telescreens are able to receive and transmit data and are multi-purpose devices that let The Party monitors all its citizens. Moreover, the telescreens prohibit free speech and thought, while violating basic human rights. The theme of corruption in 1984 also mirrors today’s current issues with cyber-security and technology. For instance, just as telescreens violate society’s privacy, Facebook had a scandal in which they were accused of stealing information from its users and providing it to third-party companies. In addition, from reading 1984 I gained a more cynical perspective about the world. When Winston is forced to doublethink, and he questions “ how could you establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory?... There was no knowing how much of this legend was true and how much invented. Winston could not even remember at what date the Party itself had come into existence.” This illustrates the great power that the government has over its citizens and although 1984 society, in general, is portrayed in an extremely light, it is not unlike modern dictatorships such as North Korea which surrounds their citizens from the outside world so they can’t understand the poverty they are living in. After reading about the issues and themes in 1984, I became more wary of the technology around me and how it will affect society at large. Alike to Wistons feelings of the Party’s propaganda and control over the media, "Who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." “and if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth. I am definitely more aware of how biases can influence the way information is spread and portrayed by the media. Today Western media outlets always have an agenda that influences the output and reception of their news. Depending on the political agenda of the newscasters, their media can be biased and perhaps portray certain groups or minorities disparagingly. With information being constantly manipulated, one can only hope that through reading this book people can become more informed about the current state of our media. In writing 1984, George Orwell taught me that you can incorporate very deep and meaningful themes without very forced or cliched exposition; the dialogue feels very natural and colloquial. As a result, I thought the novel was really reflective of Winston’s moods and emotions. The reader could really empathize and feel Winston’s struggles and tribulations. Overall, Orwell is able to construct a fictional world in a very short time that feels very real and well thought out. However, before reading 1984 I had very low expectations because I had read a few works by him before that I didn’t quite connect to as well. In my opinion, what made 1984 a better novel compared to his other works, such as Animal Farm, was the chemistry and dynamic between Winston and Emily. There were more human emotions and passions depicted that I could relate too and understand. I truly believe 1984 is a “book for the people” because it deals with very applicable themes and messages that anyone from any background can relate too. Everyone has dealt with issues of trust, responsibility, and security.
Would you recommend this to other users? Ultimately, I believe that if you like novels that are dystopian in nature and that also question or comment on society’s ideals, you will enjoy 1984. If you like novels such as “Lord of the Flies” or “Oryx and Crake,” you will also like 1984. All of these novels deal with similar tropes and themes of social constructs and human nature.
Rating(1-5):
