I am reading 1984 for honor's english. I couldn't stand not knowing what was going to happen in the end so I read spark notes. (I know I shouldn't have, but...) Those of you who have read this, what do you think of it? I think that the book overall is actually really good. Even though I don't like sci-fi. Yes, the main character is upsetting in the end. But I think the message it gives to us as mandkind is easy to relate to and actually true in a sense.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." -James Dean
Although it was written in reference to the Soviet Union and that variety of totalitarianism, it is relevant to the fight in the U.S., where totalitarianists are trying to impose government oversight of the medical industry. Big Brother knows best.
Even if you have read the Sparks Notes and you know the ending of the book, please still read the novel if have the time. It's not a long novel, and it's not difficult to understand. I enjoy it and I read it almost non-stop except for breaking half way to show up in the office for work.
Are you equating Big Brother with Obama? That seems a bit extreme. Here in the UK we have had a government run national health service (NHS) since the 1940s, and I can't see that the UK is any more or less totalitarian than the US.Originally Posted by PeterL
We can still vote Big Brother in or out, so it is *the people* who have ultimate oversight of the NHS, not your straw totalitarians. The NHS is so popular that David Cameron, leader of the conservative party (our Republican equivalent), has continually stated that he will not reduce government funding of the NHS, and backs it to the hilt. In fact his son was treated by the NHS on a continuing basis for a very serious disability. Cameron's family are worth millions and could have flown him to Florida, but he stuck with the NHS.
No, I was equating Big Brother and intrusive, totalitarian government. While it is possible to elect representatives, the government itself remains, and the bureaucracies have a life of their own that is barely touched by the law.
I was actually disappointed with the ending although the novel was generally good (it's hard for me to think of it as 'sci-fi' though, even though it is). Maybe I'm being sentimental but I wanted him to die with some dignity, if not escape to the wilderness with Julia and start a rebellion. You develop an affection for the protagonist and although it might have been practical, it's hard to respect him when he ends up 'loving' Big Brother or even betraying Julia (which I can't say for certain most people wouldn't do). It was depressing.
As great as 1984 was, I liked Animal Farm even more.
Orwell wrote an amazing warning against totalitarianism of any kind that has ended up being used as propaganda for an "Us vs Them" mindset.
"Big Brother" has become like Hitler, people will carelessly shout the name at anyone who holds an opposing viewpoint. I think that the biggest mistake people make when discussing the book is making it into a partisan statement. Leftists will say that Right-Wingers are trying to create a society like that in 1984, and vice versa, usually depending on what party happens to be in power. To me, the book (although using elements of the Soviet Union) is not a partisan statement, it's a warning about corruption that goes above left and right, as something that can happen with any government no matter what name is attached to it.
Now, delving into partisan politics, Orwell was a socialist, and probably didn't think that giving medical insurance to every citizen was a step towards an evil dictatorship.
1984 is a great read, but am I the only one that found Animal Farm to be the superior satire? I don't know, maybe it's my love for the absurd.
Maybe you just have a soft spot for farm animals
I promise I am still going to read it. I like it in a weird sort of sense. It's not like one of those kind of books you can't put down but pretty close. I also agree with Desolation. I think it was a huge warning for us in the future. Both us "the people" and also the government.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." -James Dean
As a Yank. I sure as heck wish we had NHS here.
Meanwhile, re 1984, there was an appendix which stated that 'Newspeak' as it was practiced in the year 1984 was only the inital stages of an imposed transformation. The real new speak and its full ramifications were not to take effect until the year 2050. This means that Orwell was saying that the scary events of 1984 were only the beginning. Far more suppression was to follow.
“... by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord ... I am now, as before, a Catholic and will always remain so.”
--- Adolf Hitler
After reading "1984," my view of what "Big Brother" is had changed. Until then, I thought of it as the totalitarian government, a sort of play on words to make it seem as if it wasn't such a bad thing. In "1984," however, I see it more as if the government itself is watching the people, while "Big Brother" is simply a tool of comfort for the citizens to feel a sort of safe haven love for.
I think George Orwell is a brilliant writer. The way he writes his stories is quite amazing, when he wrote 1984 he had ideas that people haden't even thought of yet.
I love how the ideas of 1984, or even just the terms, have become so pervasive in our culture. Read the book for the first time, and you come across all sorts of ideas that are commonplace, but that a lot of people have no idea where they originated. The common watcher of reality television probably has no idea where the term "Big Brother" even came from. Fascinating.
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