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A Reader posted a review at 2008-07-21 12:42:55.
(Language: English)
My pocket dictionary was printed in 1992 with the inscription ‘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.’ In direct contrast, the ‘Newspeak’ dictionary in 1984 is designed to limit the scope of thought. ‘Its vocabulary grew smaller every year.’ The chief responsibility of 1984’s protagonist, Winston Smith, is to destroy contentious references in history books as an employee of the government. He is continuously watched by ‘Big Brother’ and his thoughts are monitored by the ‘thought police.’ 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 ‘Big Brother’ is nothing more than a recently axed television series. That said, 1984 is a classic. If you haven’t read it, I would strongly recommend you do so.
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