1984 – Book Review
Published in 1949, 1984 by George Orwell illustrates a future world ruled in totalitarianism by the Party, living by the slogan: “WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.” In Oceania, one of the main ruling powers of the world, people are always under the watchful eyes of the telescreens placed in every corner, always in danger of being taken by the Thought Police if only they dared to have thoughts against the Party or Big Brother, the leader and the guardian of the Revolution.
In this world of poverty where the war is never-ending and the childrenare betraying their own parents, lives Winston Smith, a 39 year old man working in The Ministry of Truth, doing his duty to the Party like any other citizen. Only that, with time, Winston is beginning to realize how wrong things truly are and starts secretly writing in a journal about this society where everyday, people are being vaporized and true love has been abolished long ago, the only strong emotion being loyalty to Big Brother and faith in the system.Moreover, when he meets beautiful Julia and finds out they share the same hatred for the party, Winston goes fully on rebelling and starts meeting with her in the second story of an old junk shop and building their own world, but still knowing in the back of their minds that they will eventually get caught and discover the true horrors behind The Ministry of Love.
With this book, George Orwell managed to depict a lot of political issues that we’ve seen at Nazi Germany and communism in the past and left me shocked at what a man might be capable of as a result of the thirst for power, and hoping that our society will never meet the drastic events of the Orwellian 1984.
Quotes
“Big Brother is watching you.”
“The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible
and glittering – a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous
machines and terrifying weapons – a nation of warriors and
fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the
same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually
working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting – three hundred
million people all with the same face. The reality was
decaying…”
“History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless
present in which the Party is always right.”
Dănilă Alexandra
Cls. a 9-a F
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