1984 by George Orwell

It sometimes makes you wonder if they're getting any ideas. Anywho, I love George Orwell. He fought for communism for the country of Spain I believe... I can't even remember. I read a long story/biography on him months ago. He puts a lot of interesting things to the concept of a government... marxism and animal farm... 1984 and the world today. Like a Nostradamus premonition in a way.

 

1984: Very clever, very meaningful but also very dreary and miserable.

 

George Orwell was a man truly ahead of his time, indeed!

 

Progressive thinkers for a better future

 

Soma? why not.

But Aldous Huxley himself wrote in 'Brave New World Revisited' (1956) "In politics, the future is likely to be closer to George Orwell's '1984' than to 'Brave New World'.

Ultimately, both present a pretty grim picture.

?amoS

 

I've just started reading it now. Its very worrying to think how close we are getting already, and the parellels that can be drawn. Take 'telescreens' for example, which are pretty much CCTV (many CCTV systems these days record sounds aswell). They cover almost all public areas, and how long will it be before we are persuaded "for our own safety and security" to have them installed in our homes? The 'thought police' are something not very far off with police getting more and more power to intercept communications. Overall, 'Big Brother' is already watching us, its just that at the moment he's not that interested (unless you are suppected of being up to no good), in the future he may be more so. One bit that made me laugh was where he was "correcting errors" in news reports, I bet many politicians would like to do that. "Now, about that error where before the Iraq war you miss quoted George Bush and Tony Blair saying Iraq had WMD, when they actually said he didn't have any at the moment, but would like to have them so we should go to war with him. Could you correct it please".

 

Yeah that's funny hypothetically...but if newspapers actually were 'rewritten' like that, I don't think I would be quite as amused.

 

It's good, but it's not something you think about a lot afterwords.

 

It's dark. Very very dark and grim. But a very good read; it's shock value makes you really think; it may also make you feel depressed and sick.

But it really gets your mind thinking about where we are going and what we might be facing right now, although in a less extreme version.

By the way, I think "1984" is more likely than "Brave New World" as I find the idea of baby manufacture and years of conditioning to be very far fetched.

 

Yeah 1984 was very dark and grim but one of the best novels ive read. Its scary to look at all the similarities in his book compaired to today especially since the man wrote it back in the 40's(?). Another good one is The Handmaid's Tale by Margarite Atwood

 

its a good book. we have to make sure that none of that crap happens to us, as it seems likely it could. i liked brave new world better but both very good books. i think 1984 seems more likely to happen, but the baby maufacturing doesnt sem so off, people are all ready wanting to pick the sex and what their baby looks like.

 

It is an interesting comparison. In one future, no one reads because the government destroys books; in the other, no one reads because nobody thinks or wants to. In a variety of ways, today seems to be an amalgam of both views.

 

I too was saddened by what happens to our dear friend Winston... but you know, it really couldn't have ended any other way. I loved this book, I really did. It terrifies me, honestly, because our society is becoming more and more like this all the time. Swipe cards at work so security can track your every move around the building... cameras on campus... the government getting far too much control over what goes on in our lives... *sigh* but I think this is a book that's beautifully written, carefully choreographed, and definitely worth a read. And if it doesn't strike you, read it again. And again. And again.

 

im reading it right now, i got mixed emotions about it, still not sure..

 

its a great book, hope you're not afraid of rats though...

 

i'm sorry, i've never finished it - it scares the crap out of me!!!

half way through and i was totally paranoid and had a surreal edge to my interactions with the world around me. it's strong stuff - or maybe i just get too engrossed in what i read. 1984 is horror genre for me. maybe some day i'll finish it though!!

 

One of my favourite books ever. I loved every word.

 

I'm not a fan really. It was okay. Something to have checked off on my list.

 

great book

if you control the collective, you control the world

 

I love 1984 and Animal Farm