Book Review- 1984 by George Orwell
| 1984- George Orwell (Pic from Internet) |
Published on 8 June 1949 this dystopian social-science fiction novel and the cautionary tale is the last published book of George Orwell.
Orwell effectively scours the themes of mass media control, government surveillance, totalitarianism, and how a dictator can alter and affect history, thoughts, and lives in such a way that no one can circumvent it.
The story revolves around the life of Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of 'the Party', who is baffled by the omnipresent eyes of the party, and its ominous ruler ‘Big Brother'. Smith belongs to the ‘Outer Party’, and his job is to rewrite history in the ‘Ministry of Truth’, bringing it in line with prevailing political thinking. However, Winston’s yearning for truth and character leads him to secretly rebel against the government and at last face the aftermath.
The novella includes some fancy words like doublethink, memory hole, unperson, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Thought Police, Room 101, and Big Brother.
E.g. The Party’s slogans repeated considerable times is the exhibition of doublethink. The slogan runs like this:
This novel gives new implications to the importance of freedom. It demonstrates that power and tyranny are made possible through the use of words and how they intercede.
To me, 1984 reads more than a novel. It’s a prophecy that perhaps the complete control of an entire nation under a totalitarian state is perfectly possible. It throbs me that the percentage of the control of states and markets is unfailingly increasing not only in our daily lives but also in our thought processes.
The book is full of quotes that compelled me to take a respite and mull over it. Few of them are-
“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”
“Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else.”
“If you kept the small rules, you could break the big ones.”
“The consequences of every act are included in the act itself.”
WAR IS PEACE.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
To me, 1984 reads more than a novel. It’s a prophecy that perhaps the complete control of an entire nation under a totalitarian state is perfectly possible. It throbs me that the percentage of the control of states and markets is unfailingly increasing not only in our daily lives but also in our thought processes.
The book is full of quotes that compelled me to take a respite and mull over it. Few of them are-
“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
“Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”
“Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else.”
“If you kept the small rules, you could break the big ones.”
“The consequences of every act are included in the act itself.”
Dear Ekta,
ReplyDeleteVery strong theme and extreme situation when it's to write/rewrite about a nation under Ministry of Truth by a person who discovered that what's true and not true, but has to meet the masters desires.
Thought provoking and whirlpool kind of book.
Sincerely I won't go ahead for reading this book as it appears too heavy for me .
Keep writing.
Thanks for reading the blog post. The concept of the book is no doubt heavy but to the experience eyes as yourself, I think this would be a 'light read.
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