1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (ISBN:0451524934)

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		1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
	
				(5955 reviews)			
(253822 Readers)

			George Orwell		
	
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							ANKITA CHAUHAN
						
							few weeks ago						
Imagine a world where u r not free to say what u want to say because some one has stolen your freedom of expression. Imagine a language which is contracting day by day because some one wants to make your expressions become paralyzed.Imagine a world where history but not the future changes on the will of a person who has a desire to rule the world.
All this seems fiction but its the reality of...more
 Imagine a world where u r not free to say what u want to say because some one has stolen your freedom of expression. Imagine a language which is contracting day by day because some one wants to make your expressions become paralyzed.Imagine a world where history but not the future changes on the will of a person who has a desire to rule the world.
All this seems fiction but its the reality of our times. George Orwell had imagined all of this in the 20th cnetury itself through his masterpiece '1984'.
This is a story of a time when people have been deprived of their right to expression & their language is been shortened day by day so that people can not even think of anything. and all of this done by Big Brother who rules the entire nation.The country is forced into an eternal war and people are made to believe that this war is for their betternment and earlier the conditions were far worse than they r today.
             and who so ever tries to raise his voice against the system is destroyed and even get disappeared and no one comes to know or retaliate for this.
those who come forward are tortured like anything and are made to believe that they are wrong and whatever is being done is for their good only upto the limit that a person himself starts beliving in it.
its d relaity of our tmes also where d real big brothers are trying to rule us and making us believe at d same time that it is for d good of the world and we actually satrt believing in it....
a fascinating story of a future which has the capability to change everything from past to present to future.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
George Orwell (1948): 1984

Perhaps my thoughts after reading a book includes "this was a strong read" and similar phrases. A simple test of the strength of such thoughts about strength of contents is to check a week later, or even later, if these thoughts remain as strongly with me as on the day of finishing the book. Using such a test I'm sure there are many cases where I would be forced to...more
 George Orwell (1948): 1984

Perhaps my thoughts after reading a book includes "this was a strong read" and similar phrases. A simple test of the strength of such thoughts about strength of contents is to check a week later, or even later, if these thoughts remain as strongly with me as on the day of finishing the book. Using such a test I'm sure there are many cases where I would be forced to revise my opinion, in the direction of "well, perhaps it was not quite as strong, after all". But for "1984" the powerful strength of it surely and absolutely remains in me. This long paragraph therefore has the purpose of reaching its honest and deeply perceived conclusion "this was a strong read". I do recall most aspects of the book with absurd accuracy after all the years that have flown by since I read it (once upon a time, several years before 1984).

The softcover Norwegian edition book I once read had the memorable phrase "MÃ¥ leses av alle tenkende og vÃ¥kne mennesker" placed on its back cover. Indeed, I agree. Krig er fred. Frihet er trelldom. Uvitenhet er styrke. And intellectual freedom is honesty in concert with being allowed to claim that two plus two equal four.

In a footnote I put in that I disagree strongly with the reading and interpretation presented in "Morgenbladet" June 2007 by Espen GrÃ¸nlie.   hide

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							NanE
						
							few weeks ago						
So true, so current that it hurts!
One of the books that times can't change unless we start learning from our mistakes.
But depends on how many of us are willing to truly open our eyes and see where we are heading to, by repeating the errors of the past into our present and maybe future.
At the moment I m writing these lines, into my mind are popping some images from Gaza and images from the...more
 So true, so current that it hurts!
One of the books that times can't change unless we start learning from our mistakes.
But depends on how many of us are willing to truly open our eyes and see where we are heading to, by repeating the errors of the past into our present and maybe future.
At the moment I m writing these lines, into my mind are popping some images from Gaza and images from the Holocaust. Here is the link: http://www.tubel.ro/israel-vs-nazism-trist-dar-adevarat/
That comes to show that, maybe, Orwell's 1984 is even closer to us than we think.
As we speak, our lives are under the "magic" of television, internet and we are already using abreviations in order to describe our feelings. Feelings that are bigger and stronger than "I luv/ <3 u", or "soulm8", "needu2nite". Or they should be.When was the last time you slowed down to eat dinner with thgthe family, or went on a trip,detached yourself from worries and truly lived your life?   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Its ok but its a book written more to get ideas across than anything else so its interesting and I suppose it has some good points,but some parts of it just drag pointless on and on; going into detailed explainations of something you dont want really want hear about, and that you already got in the first place!(especially the chapter with Golstein's book! uugh I swear every time I tried to read...more
 Its ok but its a book written more to get ideas across than anything else so its interesting and I suppose it has some good points,but some parts of it just drag pointless on and on; going into detailed explainations of something you dont want really want hear about, and that you already got in the first place!(especially the chapter with Golstein's book! uugh I swear every time I tried to read that bit, it would find myself several pages on, not having taken in a singles word!) Also the characters really let you down! what made me keep reading was to see what would happen to them and see if they would somehow manage to beat the totalitarian system (that and the fact I had to read it for A-level! lol). I mean you would at least hope they would die fighting for what the believed in! but no! both the main characters end up being tortured and brain-washed into believing in the system! its really annoying!sorry rant over lol   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
I have discovered that my telescreen has an unsight spot behind a bookshelf in the Recdep office, so while I have the chance I will write a review of 1984 hidden from the prying eyes of the Party. Of course my speakwrite is on the fritz so I will have to write this review by hand in my journal. The book is about Winston Smith, a fellow worker here at the Ministry of Truth in Airstrip One, and his...more
 I have discovered that my telescreen has an unsight spot behind a bookshelf in the Recdep office, so while I have the chance I will write a review of 1984 hidden from the prying eyes of the Party. Of course my speakwrite is on the fritz so I will have to write this review by hand in my journal. The book is about Winston Smith, a fellow worker here at the Ministry of Truth in Airstrip One, and his attempts to find out about the Brotherhood. For me the book is doublethink, as it was both good and ungood. I liked reading about Winston's adventures but, because of his outrageous claims against the Party, the entire time I was reading the book I was worried I may get arrested by the Thought Police for commiting crimethink. If I were to resort to duckspeak, I would tell you that the book was doubleplusungood and to throw your copy into the memory hole, but that is untrue. I am not into science fiction, but 1984 was still an enjoyable read. Well, I had better finish this up. It is almost time for Physical Jerks and after that I need to alter the chocarat (chocolate ration) to show that it is up to 15 grams per week. That's about a third of a Hershey Bar now! I also need to make some "Down With Eastasia" posters for Hate Week. We've always been at war with Eastasia. At any rate, read 1984 but remember Big Brother is watching!   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
1984 is viewed by many in our generation as something as a relic and a clichÃ©.  It is a relic because of its age and its lessons about the perils of bureaucratic totalitarianism seem rather obvious.  It is a clichÃ© because we have read this sort of dystopian novel so many times before, and its themes (like in that awful recent V for Vendetta movie) are recycled year after year.

But a...more
 1984 is viewed by many in our generation as something as a relic and a clichÃ©.  It is a relic because of its age and its lessons about the perils of bureaucratic totalitarianism seem rather obvious.  It is a clichÃ© because we have read this sort of dystopian novel so many times before, and its themes (like in that awful recent V for Vendetta movie) are recycled year after year.

But a historical perspective is in order. This novel, along with We, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World, is the beginning of this theme; and such a themeâ€™s perennial re-usage is, I think, is mandatory for keeping our little project of humanity humming along.  As originators of a genre, they are important works.  For it seems that each generation has a habit of forgetting some (or many) of the lessons hard learned by the prior.  From the blatant oppression in states like North Korea, to the more subtle institutional pressures we experience in our own country, the world is rife with images that could be directly lifted from 1984 and the other dystopic novels.  While not paragons of high art, they remain frightfully relevant; so perhaps we ought to keep on reading.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
My pocket dictionary was printed in 1992 with the inscription â€˜The English language changes all the time. New words come into it, and existing words develop new meanings. You probably use and have to understand many new words that simply did not exist a few years ago.â€™ In direct contrast, the â€˜Newspeakâ€™ dictionary in 1984 is designed to limit the scope of thought....more
 My pocket dictionary was printed in 1992 with the inscription â€˜The English language changes all the time. New words come into it, and existing words develop new meanings. You probably use and have to understand many new words that simply did not exist a few years ago.â€™ In direct contrast, the â€˜Newspeakâ€™ dictionary in 1984 is designed to limit the scope of thought. â€˜Its vocabulary grew smaller every year.â€™ The chief responsibility of 1984â€™s protagonist, Winston Smith, is to destroy contentious references in history books as an employee of the government. He is continuously watched by â€˜Big Brotherâ€™ and his thoughts are monitored by the â€˜thought police.â€™ In the book, the world is divided into three countries that are constantly at war with each other. Male and female relationships are permitted only for the purpose of procreation and children are encouraged to snitch on their wayward parents. The book was first published in 1949.  My father read it prior to 1984 and said people of his generation wondered what would become of the world when that fateful year arrived. For people of my generation the world George Orwell creates is one of pure fantasy and â€˜Big Brotherâ€™ is nothing more than a recently axed television series. That said, 1984 is a classic. If you havenâ€™t read it, I would strongly recommend you do so.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
There is a reason why this book is classified as a classic. To be more exact, there is a TON of reasons why this book is classified as a classic. It is more emotional than Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, but strangely more expository as well. Imagery, details, concept, opening and ending, poem, romance, characters... in short, everthing in the story is open to interpretation. This book needs to be...more
 There is a reason why this book is classified as a classic. To be more exact, there is a TON of reasons why this book is classified as a classic. It is more emotional than Atwood's A Handmaid's Tale, but strangely more expository as well. Imagery, details, concept, opening and ending, poem, romance, characters... in short, everthing in the story is open to interpretation. This book needs to be re-read numerous times in order to grasp its myraid of nuances, and truly deserves a detailed analysis. Incredible.

Even if you don't study writing, as a novel this book still succeeds tremendously. It will suck you into a scary and freakishly realistic world (all the more so in our era) which will make you question your basic political beliefs. While it may be comforting to know that this is a work of fiction, the ideas it presents should be thought about as it is not too far off from our time... 
It's compelling, it has a moving romance, its an epic tale, it's powerfully written, and it is a novel. Do I need to say more? READ IT.

P.S. This book is a bit of a grind, and doesn't actually have a fun payoff at the end, so if you are the sort to HATE bad endings, avoid it. Otherwise, trust me, it's all worth it.   hide

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							ruby
						
							few weeks ago						
I love this book so much. It was my source of inside jokes with my friends for half a year after we read it. It's so well written and it's such a great social commentary on government control, and social classes and a great look into human psychology.  It is also a pivotal read when it comes to discussing politics because somehow or other a reference will eventually be made about this book, and...more
 I love this book so much. It was my source of inside jokes with my friends for half a year after we read it. It's so well written and it's such a great social commentary on government control, and social classes and a great look into human psychology.  It is also a pivotal read when it comes to discussing politics because somehow or other a reference will eventually be made about this book, and unless you've read it you'll have no idea what people are talking about when they mention thing like "Big Brother".  My favorite theme in the entire book though was dealing with sanity and what happens to the sane person in the insane world. It doesn't matter how accurate or logical you are, if all of society's convinced that "2+2=5" and you say it's four, you become the abnormal one.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
This is arguably the most influential book of the 20th century. Even people who have never read it know of big brother and room 101. Various parts of this book have influened everyone from the highest politions to popular culture.It is also scary how true many parts of the book have become. It may be that the book did not predict the levels of technology we have today, but in a society where we...more
 This is arguably the most influential book of the 20th century. Even people who have never read it know of big brother and room 101. Various parts of this book have influened everyone from the highest politions to popular culture.It is also scary how true many parts of the book have become. It may be that the book did not predict the levels of technology we have today, but in a society where we are seen on camera dozens of times a day many could argue some of it's main points have come true.It's interesting that the Government thinks that there always needs to be an enemy to keep the population in line, and people quickly forget who the old enemy even was. Think Americas hatred of communism, quickly followed by their hatred of terrorism. The fact that the country is at war is also used as the reason for constant surveilance.It can be even argued that Orwells ideas of Newspeak can be seen today as Governments try to twist our language and make certain words and phrases taboo, if it is something against their own policies.Ok, so I don't think that the totalatarian state that Orwell predicts will become a reality, but certain parts of his nightmare vision have and increasingly will become reality. The book certainly make me think hard about certain Government ideas in ways I may not of thought about if I had not read this book. The good thing about this book is that every time a Government "big brother" policy is thought up, this book is used as a counter argument. I am certain that if this book had not been written that there could be even more Government surveilance around today than there already is.   hide

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