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1984


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(pub. 1949)





Webmaster's Note, 5/10/2007 - We have been informed by the rights holder that this work is still copyrighted in our territory. So we have removed it. You may still read our original summary though to the left.

Also commonly titled as Nineteen Eighty-Four

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1984 is possibly the definitive dystopian novel, set in a world beyond our imagining. A world where totalitarianism really is total, all power split into three roughly equal groups--Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. 1984 is set in Oceania, which includes the United Kingdom, where the story is set, known as Airstrip One.

Winston Smith is a middle-aged, unhealthy character, based loosely on Orwell's own frail body, an underling of the ruling oligarchy, The Party. The Party has taken early 20th century totalitarianism to new depths, with each person subjected to 24 hour surveillance, where people's very thoughts are controlled to ensure purity of the oligarchical system in place. Figurehead of the system is the omnipresent and omnipotent Big Brother.

But Winston believes there is another way.

1984 joins Winston as he sets about another day, where his job is to change history by changing old newspaper records to match with the new truth as decided by the Party.

"He who controls the past, controls the future" is a Party slogan to live by and it gives Winston his job, but Winston cannot see it like that. Barely old enough to recall a time when things were different, he sets out to expose the Party for the cynically fraudulent organisation that it is. He is joined by Julia, a beautiful young woman much in contrast with Winston physically, but equally sickened by the excesses of her rulers.

You will meet many recognisable characters, themes, and words which have become part of our everyday life as you read 1984. Where did Big Brother first appear? Certainly not on Australian TV! Written in Orwell's inimitable journalistic style, 1984 is a tribute to a man who saw the true dangers of historian Lord Acton's (1834-1902) statement: "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Submitted by The Atheist.



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Recent Forum Posts on 1984

questions about 1984. please help

what would you say the central conflict of the book is?? also...whats the signifigance of the title? thank you for your help.

Posted By AudioPh1x at Mon 28 Jul 2008, 5:00 PM in 1984 || 2 Replies

What does the novel say about what it means to be Human? (1984)

Hey guys i just need help with this question. Any helpful information would be great. Thanks

Posted By LordBaltimore19 at Tue 22 Jul 2008, 1:59 PM in 1984 || 3 Replies

Winston's Biggest Flaw?

What do you think Winston's biggest flaw is?

Posted By shadman at Thu 12 Jun 2008, 9:26 AM in 1984 || 1 Reply

Need Immediate Help Please!

Hi I have to do a term paper in a few hours and need your ideas on this topic: "Discuss the ideas developed by the George Orwell in 1984 about how acts of courage develop and nurture personal integrity." Please help me come up with ideas from the book, and what kind of things i can discuss. Thanks. So really what I'm asking is, how did Winston's acts of courage help develop him? Did it make him a better person? How do ones courageous acts help develop their character?

Posted By shadman at Thu 12 Jun 2008, 8:55 AM in 1984 || 2 Replies

Rate my essay...Also need help with 3rd argument

The essay topic is: "What is the author trying to say about the significance of the past?" Here's my essay(Yes, i used some of your ideas for my conclusion...Thank you!): “Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past.” This is a quotation from the novel 1984 by George Orwell. This book shows what the world might be like under a totalitarian regime, where the government controls every aspect of its citizens. George Orwell lets us imagine this world through a character named Winston Smith. Winston is an average man that works for the government, by changing the history and replacing it with what The Party wants. The Party is the name of the government and there leader is Big Brother. The Party attempts to control the people’s minds by getting them to love Big Brother. The warmth of the name “Big Brother” suggests a caring, and protective leader. The people of Oceania are under the impression that the past was a terrible place full of slavery and oppression, and The Party had made their lives easier. With The Party in control of the present, they can alter the past to justify their actions. Orwell is simply warning his readers, that the past is significant, and we must always keep the memories stored to stop future mistakes from recurring; and we cannot let any other information, such as the media, alter our perception on what has happened. Throughout the book, Winston struggles to recover his own memories, and attempt to imagine what the world in the past was like before the rise of The Party and Big Brother. Winston questions many elderly people, and visits an antique store in an attempt to do so. The glass paper weight that he buys symbolizes his challenge to try and connect with his past, and the history of the world. When the Thought Police come in and finally arrest Winston, the glass paper weight is shattered into many pieces. This symbolizes Winston’s lost hope for finding out, and connecting with the past. This task is easier said than done, because The Party prohibits keeping any pictures or documents that you may have from the past. This weakens the citizen’s minds, and creates a blurry memory of the past, which The Party replaces with their version. Throughout the book, The Party is constantly changing who they have been at war with, and who has been their ally, between Eastasia and Eurasia. On page 148, suddenly The Party claims that the war is against Eastasia, and they have never been at war with Eurasia. The citizens immediately believe this with no questions, and no one involved in the protest had doubted any of it. This shows that The Party has complete control of the people’s minds, and how blind the citizens are because of the history that The Party altered. In our world today, the media can alter our view on how we look at things; it is important that we recognise this kind of brain washing, and not believe everything we hear. Winston begins to realize that The Party controls the past, and thus controls the ability to say that “2+2=5”. He understands now that since The Party controls the peoples mind, and he is told that the Universe exists only in the mind, therefore The Party controls the Universe. Winston knows that since The Party controls the people’s minds, and has weakened their memory; there is no way of proving that The Party has failed in providing for the people. But with The Party controlling the present, they adjust the history and these false statements confirm The Party changing the world for the better. The ultimate goal of The Party is power, and they believe by converting everyone’s perception of the past to theirs they will have ultimate control over their people. Winston begins to understand this when O’Brian tells him that the past only exists in peoples minds, and since there is no actual evidence of the past, The Party’s version then becomes the truth. People in this day and age often say, “Forget about it, that’s in the past.” But Orwell pleads to us to grip onto the past, and not let go, by showing us what can happen if we let the past memories depart. (3rd argument goes here) Our history creates our identity, and that's why it's so important. If our history stops existing as our own, and becomes a universal truth, we lose every sense of individual existence, in a way, and become nothing more than mindless drones. Memories can be false and implanting them through The Party news broadcasts makes the past fluid. Clearly, there are no historians in 1984 as we know them. The Party ultimately attempts to control people by changing the past, and forces them to live a life of terror and fear. Orwell would have been fascinated by movements like Holocaust denial - where mountains of evidence are ignored and eyewitnesses become fewer. We know for a fact what happened, but people still try to change the truth. How much easier this becomes when one organization has control of all the information is what Orwell is conveying. Without physical reference points - like the ornament - memories are just that, memories, with no value at all. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Give me some feedback, and also try to help me think of some ideas for the 3rd argument. Thanks guys/gals.

Posted By shadman at Sat 7 Jun 2008, 7:08 AM in 1984 || 4 Replies

Need help on a Thesis statement

I have to write an essay on a novel we chose (1984) and I am having some trouble thinking of a good thesis statement. If somebody could give me some insight I would greatly appreciate it. Unit Theme: Censorship Purpose: To explore the clash between culture and personal belief Objective: To write a persuasive essay that convinces the audience that the banned book you have chosen should not have been banned or censored.

Posted By Mr. Gadway at Mon 2 Jun 2008, 2:59 PM in 1984 || 1 Reply

Radiohead + 1984

I just finished 1984 tonight, and throughout the read I have found that the music of Radiohead fits eerily with the helpless, terrifying nature of the novel. A few of their songs directly reference the book itself, and many others dwell on the recurring themes that Orwell addresses. Listening to their music throughout the read, I think, has enhanced its feel and given it depth. In this light, if there are any other Radiohead fas out there, I've compiled this track list as a "companion" (though of course it is not long enough for the whole read) which illustrates different points and occurrences during the course of the novel. I came up with alternate titles to the songs (which are printed first with the actual song title in parentheses) that help correlate the songs to parts in the plot. PART ONE 1. 2+2=5 2. 1984 3. War Is Peace 4. The Diary 5. Never Alone 6. The Paperweight 7. Doublethink PART TWO 1. Julia 2. Freedom Is Slavery 3. Thoughtcrime 4. The Brotherhood 5. The Book 6. We Are The Dead PART THREE 1. The Cells 2. Thou Art 3. Power 4. Room 101 5. Ignorance Is Strength 6. Death, Love and Failure If any of you are RH fans you can easily see the correlations between the mood and subject of these songs and those of the novel.

Posted By Piske41 at Fri 30 May 2008, 2:59 AM in 1984 || 1 Reply

Power of the Word

"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." 1. Is Big Brother the Catholic Church? 2. 1 is _ 3. Spell out Nineteen Eighty-Four. What are your thoughts?

Posted By Ahimsa at Wed 28 May 2008, 5:20 PM in 1984 || 3 Replies

Text Response Essay - Need Refining & Crit!

Prompt/Topic relating to the Novel Titled "1984" by George Orwell: How can Winston be considered a heroic figure? What qualities does he possess that could define him as one? My Response (In an Image Form) Please comment on your, criticism and also any ideas/improvements you would like to make! :) Thanks

Posted By R3B3L at Tue 27 May 2008, 9:14 AM in 1984 || 2 Replies

Is our society like he predicted?

Let me know of your opinions and examples.

Posted By EndoGlastic at Sun 25 May 2008, 9:15 PM in 1984 || 2 Replies

Post a New Comment/Question on 1984



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