1984 by George Orwell

From 1984

Quite a few of the teachers at my school teach 1984 by George Orwell with lots of success. I had not read 1984 in a very long time, or I may not have ever read it, and so I decided to give it a try.

I loved this very disturbing book...

1984 was published in 1949, and it is a novel that remains as one of the most powerful warnings ever issued against the dangers of a totalitarian society.

The world that Orwell creates in this book is a world where 'Big Brother' is always watching literally. It is a world where there is a force, known as 'Big Brother' that continuously controls everybody by watching and studying people's every move, including their body language and facial expression. People are not allowed to think freely, to have sex, or to express any type of individuality.

The main character, Winston Smith, is frustrated by this world, and he wants to join a secret party that he has heard about called the 'Brotherhood' which is believed to be against 'Big Brother' and his party. Winston starts to engage in behaviors like writing a diary, knowing that keeping a diary could get him killed UNTIL...

A girl named Julia, slips him a note that simply states "I LOVE YOU!" AND all of a sudden, Winston has the desire to live and even work with "The Brotherhood" with Julia by his side.

When I got to this point, my mind started going crazy thinking about the idea of love, and the idea that love seems to be a great motivator. This theme plays out in literature quite often in works such as The Hunger Games, Romeo and Juliet, Star Wars, Their Eyes Were Watching God etc. I started thinking that there really is something to this love thing, and people really do need other people in order to survive.

Winston and Julia managed to 'secretly' meet quite often, but "Big Brother" was watching, and they were eventually severely punished.

The entire book was quite disturbing, but the ending of the book was very disturbing, because Winston and Julia were driven away from each other, and they both eventually submitted to the doctrine of "Big Brother."

Oh, what an awesome story!!!

My people, this is a classic that should be read and re-read, because it is well-written, has a great story line, and gives the reader a lot to think about.

George Orwell

Happy Tuesday....

Get Up and Leap; then go read a book!!!

My next read is Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler