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A review by dreaminfables
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
5.0
1984 is terrifying because it is simply too real.
WAR IS PEACE.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
Orwell's dystopian world is centred around a totalitarian nation with mass surveillance, where the state is an enemy of individualism and propagates the cultivation of collective consciousness that only speaks the language that the Party dictates.
This book is probably not the best plot/character driven story, even the writing style isn't as captivating and yet it makes an excellent read only because Orwell holds a mirror up to the darkest and harshest truths of our world.
1984 remarkably displays that the concept of an utopian society where capitalism(described as the supreme source of all evil) is rooted out of the world is just that. An equal for all state can only exist as a concept and that control by an authoritarian state gives way to more control which effectively removes any means by which it may be opposed or expelled from the system. Why is this book not shelved in horror is beyond me. From the moment that I learnt about the works of the Thought Police I was well, terrified.
I have read a few reviews where although readers revered and enjoyed the book they didn't like the text from "the book" by Goldstein for it was very much like reading a textbook.
In my opinion, the detailed explanation of the formation of the state and its many ways sets the book apart from a generic dystopian novel. Orwell explores the many facets and nuances of thought processes, of self and society, of modern political discourse in a manner that is accessible and easily understood.
This is my first read and I cannot claim to have fully captured the essence of the book for it demands a second or albeit a third read. I can see myself re visiting the book many times in the future.
WAR IS PEACE.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
Orwell's dystopian world is centred around a totalitarian nation with mass surveillance, where the state is an enemy of individualism and propagates the cultivation of collective consciousness that only speaks the language that the Party dictates.
This book is probably not the best plot/character driven story, even the writing style isn't as captivating and yet it makes an excellent read only because Orwell holds a mirror up to the darkest and harshest truths of our world.
1984 remarkably displays that the concept of an utopian society where capitalism(described as the supreme source of all evil) is rooted out of the world is just that. An equal for all state can only exist as a concept and that control by an authoritarian state gives way to more control which effectively removes any means by which it may be opposed or expelled from the system. Why is this book not shelved in horror is beyond me. From the moment that I learnt about the works of the Thought Police I was well, terrified.
I have read a few reviews where although readers revered and enjoyed the book they didn't like the text from "the book" by Goldstein for it was very much like reading a textbook.
In my opinion, the detailed explanation of the formation of the state and its many ways sets the book apart from a generic dystopian novel. Orwell explores the many facets and nuances of thought processes, of self and society, of modern political discourse in a manner that is accessible and easily understood.
This is my first read and I cannot claim to have fully captured the essence of the book for it demands a second or albeit a third read. I can see myself re visiting the book many times in the future.