The first time I read Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell I was 17. I read it for my history class as an example of a totalitarian state. This time I am reading it for a Socio-Linguistics class.

The main character in the book is Winston Smith. A 39 year old resident of London, Airstrip One, Oceania. This was once Great Britain but is now a totalitarian state made up of, in large, the English speaking world. Winston is a Outer Party member who works in an office job in the Ministry of Truth where he 'corrects' wrongs in printed material in line with the Party slogan "Who controls the past (...) controls the future: Who controls the present controls the past" (p37). Winston has dangerous thoughts of rebellion against the Party and its front figure, the mysterious Big Brother.

The book is a frightening look at what could possibly happen in a world where everything is rigidly controlled by one entity, Big Brother. Big Brother plays the citizens off each other and themselves. Citizens are constantly watched through the ever present and turned on telescreen, through which the party can monitor the individuals and feed them propaganda. In addition to this the citizens are encouraged to inform on each other. Children are members of youth groups where they are taught to spy on their parents and each other and report any instances of unorthodoxy, so called thoughtcrime. Another facet of this dystopian society is the discouragement of sexual relations for other puposes than reproduction. The citizens live in constant fear of doing something that will get the reported to the Thought Police and taken away to the Ministry of Love (which really deals with torture).

Winston shows an intellectual resistance to the ideas of Big Brother. Through his job he is exposed to the reality of the falsifying of information. He also has a memory of seeing proof that former members of the party could not have committed the crimes of which they were accused off. The books other important character is Julia, a young woman, whos rebellion against Big Brother is more physical. She has the apperance of the perfect Party member, but as Winston discovers, rebels in her own personal way. The books shows Winstons decent into full rebellion and what happens next.

I would highly recommend that everyone reads this book at least once. I would actually say that everyone should read it every few years because there are so many layers to the book and as new things are learned and new events take place you see new things in the book. ( )

1984 depicts a dark world run by tyranny. I read it when I was thirteen, and it started my interest in politics.

It really shows the "perfection" of the totalitarian government. There was no escape from it by the time it had fully asserted its authority.

George Orwell really wrote a masterpiece of dystopian fiction, and I'd recommend it to anyone. ( )

You often hear 1984's lasting terms in today's society. Big Brother, a television show I've never watched but still an idea hatched from this book is one good example. Then there is The Satellite of Love, off of MST3K, a Satellite that has nothing to do with love but with scientific torture--a direct nod to the book's fictitious government buildings.
A flag of the Ingsoc party as shown in and mov...Image via Wikipedia

There are countless others, and to focus on the terms used in today's buzz worthy society would be exhausting: Thought Police, Double Speak, New Speak, etc. Not only does this book create an appropriate paranoid view of those in power, it's simply good. This book is a masterpiece, no matter the message. The sentence structure of Orwell and his ability to use transparent, fluid language is astounding. It's almost distressing to read such work. How can one ever attain this magnitude of a story?

Conspirators use this book often as a curb to excess government involvement in the public's life. It would be hard to say what Orwell thought about each group groping for quotes for their own advancement, but I think he said it best in the book, when he coupled socialism with its ugly cousin, fascism. I don't think Orwell was denouncing all socialism, but simply stating that it was a vehicle in which many could be abused.
Minor spoiler ahead--one paragraph long:

In reading 1984, I hoped that the story of Winston Smith would end well. I really did. But in hindsight, that would have lacerated the entire idea of the story's message, its warning. Orwell couldn't let us off with a rosy ending because he knew that this world he had created on page, Ingsoc, had no rosy ending. It's quite difficult seeing the character break down like he does, but it sheds the light on any romantic idea of resisting torture.
The abuses of power almost seem comical at times. However they never leave the realm of possibility--it's not a parody of what can come but a frightful prediction.
Favorite lines:
"Socialism assumes that economic status is permanent."
"The thing in room 101 is the most terrible thing in the world." ( )

Hello! My name is '1984'. You probably remember me from that drunken political argument that you had at your friend's party last week-end. You know, when the discussion turned to the current election and the guy with the Converse All-Stars and messenger bag lamented how "Orwellian" the current administration is, and everyone nodded their heads because this guy seemed so astute, while you just stood there and thought to yourself, "Orwellian? That's all you can come up with?! Have you even read a book since you spent $3.95 on the '1984' Cliffs Notes for Mrs. Cliche's sophomore English class?"Yeah...that's me. But, I swear, I'm not just a hackneyed metaphor, I'm actually a really good read. ( )

Orwells' classic 1984 presents a chilling prospect for human society in the face of a totalitarian government and an ignorant populace. With the language growing ever smaller, and the imagination growing ever weaker, people become less and less capable of free, independent thought, which is exactly what the government wants. A small group of individuals, terrified to identify themselves, are still trying to stop the constant degradation of the human ability to think and reason, but perhaps it is too late, and no one, not even an independent thinker, can defeat Big Brother. ( )

It's a classic alright - bit too much talky talky, not quite enough action, but that could just be the frame of mind I'm in this month.

Oh, it's horrible that "Big Brother" is so bad... or is it? Do we really think the world isn't already like it's portrayed in this novel? How would we know anyway? Next time you think you're enjoying your McDonalds, or cut short a visit with a loved one so you can get home to watch your favorite show, think about just how much of your life isn't being controlled by outside forces.

Sure, these forces aren't starving you to death, or making you rewrite books, but that's only because there's more money in selling you food and magazines and gossip about celebrities like it's a matter of life and death to know if Jon cheated on Kate.

Don't believe the lies. Big Brother has already gotten us. ( )

Everyone needs to read this book to see how we are moving ever closer to living in a Big Brother world. ( )

A classic must-read. Orwell is brilliant. ( )

Read in 10th grade for school. Thought it was cool then, still think so now. ( )

The big daddy of dystopias. There's not much I can say that hasn't been said. Orwell was one prescient dude. ( )

I have probably read 1984 more times than any other book, and it never loses its fascination. In Junior High school, the oppressiveness of the police state (and the sex scenes) stood out, along with Newspeak, which was a lot of fun to play with when sending notes back and forth. Later on, the psychological and political aspects come more to the fore. I only wish Orwell had called it 2034 or 2084. It would be tragic if it falls off the required reading lists because someone thinks it is outdated. ( )

This is arguably one of the most frightening depictions of what our future could look like, once you get past the fact that it takes place in 1984. I have attempted to read this book several times but not being much interested in politics I always found it dull. I recently was inspired to read it again after watching The Zeitgeist Movie and found it much more compelling. Much of Zeitgeist appears to have been lifted straight out of 1984. But interestingly, while the totalitarian socialist world of 1984 comes about through communism, in Zeitgeist it is capitalism that leads us into socialism. After reading 1984 and watching Zeitgeist I have been left with an enormous amount to think about. ( )

One of the most terrifying books ever written. It has made me forever skeptical of government authority. ( )

I think it would have been cooler to read it before the year 1984 occurred. It would have been scarier reading it thinking that this actually could happen in 1984. ( )

I've wanted to read this for a long time, but was never forced to in school and just didn't get around to it until now. It's an important book. Not only does it detail the dangers of totalitarianism, but also raises some really good questions about the nature of the past. Basically, if something happened in the past, and then all documentation was changed so that it appears to have not happened, and then everybody says it never happened, how can you be so sure you really remember it at all?

A brilliant book, if a bit slow in places. It's driven much more by description of the dystopian land of Oceania than by character or plot. If you're interested in the inner workings of the socio-political landscape, you'll enjoy it. If you just want a fun little sci-fi romp, this probably isn't for you.

All the same, I think it's a book people should read. The world of 1984 may seem overdramatic, but it is one plausible outcome of the gradual sacrifice of privacy and property in favor of governmental protection or the nebulous "common good." It's something worth thinking about. Indeed, that is perhaps this book's strongest point: it left me with an unusually large number of things to think about. That, my friends, is truly high praise for a novel.

[Note: Star Trek: The Next Generation totally ripped off this book in the episode "Chain of Command" with the five/four lights thing. But Picard was a whole lot more badass under pressure than Winston, so they get points for that.] ( )

love the varieties of language and how much more thorough this dystopia is than others of its ilk ("We" specifically, haven't actually read "Brave New World" yet). Newspeak is a cool idea, and the emotions of the characters are pretty powerful throughout the second half. ( )

when i first read this book, i loathed it. there's a section where winston (the main character) is reading a book and i found that part rather dry. i was inspired to read it again from a friend and i am so glad i did! there are some truly great scenes in this book which i won't write out for fear of giving things away. all i have to say is more than a few times, i felt my heartbeat quicken at crucial parts in the book. it's worth reading and worth considering what any society's future could turn into if the love of power outweighs everything else. in a place where you are never truly alone, not even with your thoughts, where even the language is changed to control your thoughts or ability to think outside the box and you're surround by perpetual war and less than stellar living conditions, what becomes of your humanity? i think orwell paints a thought-provoking, mind-blowing, soul-stirring picture of the possibilities. ( )

Though the date 1984 has passed us by, no one who has ever read Orwell’s novel 1984 can deny the lasting and often accurate impressions it predicts about our world today. The novel centers around a character named Winston Smith, an employee for the Ministry of Truth. The Ministry of Truth is only one of group of government branches dedicated to keeping their dictatorship stable. By erasing the past through elimination and tampering with evidence, The Party (the government) in turn controls any desire for the public to disagree with the society. The story begins with Winton having doubting thoughts of the party, though never expressing them out loud for fear of death. The plot begins to thicken when he meets a woman named Julia, and together they stand up against the party in their own way.
1984 has to be one of the most magnificently written books I have ever read. Orwell’s diction and imagination is beyond the vast majority of authors present in our culture. Even being written more than half a century ago, Orwell’s message is as clear as the first day he wrote it. In our class, we are currently studying utopias and dystopias. There could not be a more perfect book to fall into this genre than 1984. In fact, 1984 may very well be the king of this genre, combining all other points and opinions about a dystopia and combining them into one cohesive, skin-crawlingly realistic masterpiece. The world of Winston Smith is one of never ending oppression, where the individual soul and personality is not only discouraged, but mercilessly snuffed out. If it was not clearly stated earlier, this was one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend it to anyone who actually wants to think about what their reading. No, this isn’t a Stephanie Meyer “comfort food book” which, while perhaps filling you up, will leave you utterly less wise by the end. No, this is a book that you can read once, twice, and then one hundred more times and still have material to try and wrap your brain around. It is a masterpiece, and its prestige is rightfully earned. ( )

I first read this book when I was in high school and found it riveting. Orwell's vision of the use of language to control the populace is brilliant. As a result of reading this and Animal Farm I becam a lifelong devotee of Orwell the writer. ( )

This is an interesting book that makes you think about life and how you would like the world if you weere in this book. It also has some romance, action, and rebelling. Overall I liked this book. ( )

The book 1984 is a book about the future. It is about a dystopian world all about hate. Winston Smith is the main character who falls in love with a girl named Julia. He also breaks a lot of rules and is then punished... It was written in 1949 so it has older words and phrases things differently. It stays on one idea for like a chapter at a time, and i think it is terrible. It was very very very boring. ( )

This book hardly needs a review, I know of no one who has never read it! However, just in case there is even one person considering whether to take it up or not, here goes...This is a must read. Read it and you will know why. It will not be a pleasant experience. I read the book during my jr year of high school. I was in my boyfriend's car when I finished it and even though the car was moving, the ending so horrified me that I threw the book out of the window! We had to stop the car and go back for it as the book belonged to the school. If freedom means anything to you, stop what you are doing now and get this book. You will not regret it. ( )

Winston Smith lives in a world where there is no freedom of speech, mind, or press. Everywhere he looks there is a telescreen mounted on the wall, through which Big Brother, the ever powerful leader of Oceania, monitors his every move and emotion. “The Party”, of which Big Brother is the dictator, is the ultimate controller in the society in which Winston lives. The Party controls the past by erasing any history books and the future by rewriting old newspapers. It is treasonous to even think anything against The Party or discuss The Party in anyway.

The novel 1984 by George Orwell follows Winston in the year 1984 as he attempts to defy the laws of Big Brother. Winston, does not agree with the way he is forced to live under the rigid oppression of the party, living not as an individual, but a product of Big Brother. He does not voice his opinions for fear of being killed by the “Thought Police. When Winston meets Julia, a young girl who works in Winston’s department, his hatred for the party only increases. Julia is a young, perhaps foolish, optimist concerned with having fun and defying the laws of Big Brother in any way possible. Together, Winston and Julia embark on a journey in the hopes of disobeying The Party without getting caught.

Similar to the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1984 gives readers a glimpse of a dystopia disguised as a utopia. Written in 1949, 1984 describes what readers are supposed to believe to be a perfect world. However, readers soon realize that the world depicted in the novel is far from perfect. Like in Brave New World, citizens of society have no freedom. They have become nothing more than identity-less, thoughtless drones, controlled by The Party. In his novel, Orwell warns us of the dangers of attempting to create a perfect society. In attempting to achieve a perfect society through a totalitarianism government, people have lost all identity and freedom to think.

Because I read Huxley’s Brave New World and Orwell’s 1984 simultaneously, I often found myself mixing up the two novels, as both share many common themes and characters. Both books describe societies in which the government is the ultimate ruler of society, and also the antagonist in the novel.

1984 is a good length, not too long or short, so the story moves quickly but still includes a fair amount of detail. I enjoyed the third person point of view in this novel as it allowed me to get to know one character in depth (Winston), and figure out the thoughts of other main characters (Julia) based on clues in the book.
I would recommend 1984 to anyone who enjoyed Brave New World and reading about a frighteningly utopian society. I give this book four and a half stars out of five because of its ability to warn the readers about the dangers of creating an unattainable perfect society. This novel will make everyone glad that our world is not perfect, as the world in 1984 pretends to be, and that we are able to think and talk as we please. ( )

HATE HATE HATE THIS BOOK...I CAN'T STAND GEORGE ORWEL..SORRY ( )

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