1984 (Signet Classics)
by George Orwell
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Book Summary Information
Author: George OrwellAfterword: Erich Fromm
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1961-01-01
ISBN: 0451524934
Number of pages: 268
Publisher: New American Library
Book Reviews of 1984 (Signet Classics)
Book Review: A Strange backwards world(Beware)
Summary: 4 Stars
George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair. He first gained fame for publishing 1984. He was born in 1903 in Bengal, India and died in 1950. He was poor until his 30's. He was frightened by communism and his books reflected that particularly in Animal Farm.
The author's goal in this book, 1984, was quite simple. He wanted to frighten people about a totalitarian, technologically backwards society where truth is changed to what is the present people say. What they say is are lies. The telescreens that are mounted everywhere destroy privacy everywhere but in the slums when they are like cameras. There is no such thing as love. If discovered, the secret would condition it out. There is a constant fake war as an excuse to make goods and then destroy them. There are 3 types of people, the proles, the outer party, and the inner party with all the wealth, goods, mansions, and servants.
The author without a doubt achieves his goal. It is akin to detonating a brick of C-4 to swat a fly. He definitely frightens the reader into a coma. The reader's own children turning them in for thoughtcrime. Could anyone imagine that? No Bill of Rights? Room 101 where all the reader's worst fears come out and haunt the reader? If there was a secret police, how would people live? By looking over their shoulders, and holding low pitched conversations, thats how. Once the reader died, there would be no trace of the reader. No mention on the newspaper. It would just be changed the next day. The reader couldn't say anything subversive, because the readers' co-workers would turn them in. The worst of all is that speech would all be polarized. Everything that you said would have negative or positive connotations.
The book has its strengths, when it describes the antiques shop and how there was relics like china. The description of Newspeak and the different ministries abbreviations are also strengths. The abbreviations are just a way of getting the mind to conform to new values. It was all about perception.
The weakness is when the baser instincts leak through into actions. One example is when Winston wanted to rape Julia because he thought she was part of the secret police. Another is the very graphic screen, when Winston is getting interrogated and sells out his love for Julia just to get the pain to stop. It is a little too strong in my opinion.
Summary of 1984 (Signet Classics)
George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision of "Negative Utopia" is timelier than ever-and its warnings more powerful.Satire, Classic Books
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