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so do you think the "party" in 1984 is an oligarchy or a dictatorship?(basicly if you dont know what that means is, do you think B.B. is real and has absolute control over oceania or are the real people with the power the inner-party memebers who just use B.B. as a figure head)
I don't think he's real... I think it's made up by the Party to make the people concentrate their "love" on him rather than on an institution or on a group... And I think something in the book states that, or rather that's how I interpret some statements, however I think that there can be many interpretations to this... well this was mine :)
I've just finished to read the book (for the second time actually) and I'm amazed, speechless... what an incredibly deep and intelligent book... everything is so well described that it seems real... actually some things are so similar to reality... and I think Orwell didn't even know as much as we do when he wrote that... what an ingenious thinker...
"everything is so well described that it seems real... actually some things are so similar to reality... and I think Orwell didn't even know as much as we do when he wrote that... what an ingenious thinker..."
I believe that Orwell took his background from the Europe, particularly Germany, of his day. The realism of the book has become so much greater since it was written because governments treat 1984 as a handbook, not as a dire warning.
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Yes treating it as a handbook is rather a shattering thought. I wonder how many governments have come and gone or will and will break or make the peoples due to what they are currently reading?
big brother isnt real; its all to do with propoganda. He is an immortal figure and ideal, used by the inner-party in order to control the masses. But in my opinion, i dont think orwell put too much importance to the existence of big brother. real or not, his function would still be the same. Perhaps he existed at some point, but it was important that the idea of big brother would be eternal. We can draw comparisons with Stalin. After his death, the soviet union was no longer what it was, and its hold on the masses was weakened. Even though its reign coontinued for another 30+ years, it gradually loss its hold on its most valuable possessions, the people.
Sure... but it was written in 1949 if I'm not mistaken, and some things he describes are similar to realities that weren't so known as they are today (eg Stalin's crimes, as Stalin was still alive back then)... so in a way it feels like he was understanding so much more than what was evident... I don't really know how to say it, but well I think his analysis is particularly brilliant...Quote:
Originally Posted by Whifflingpin
It could be either way and work the same. For example, Ronald Reagan was a figure head. Contrast him with Castro, who is both boss and figure head. There are other examples that would be better, if you want to think about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by jessezzel
yes orwell was brilliant; you should try reading his other works such as
" In the Whale and other essays", amazing stuff, favorites would have to be shooting an elephant, and one about coal mining, which is quite an eye-opener. Come to think of it.. all his stuff is..
BB ent real, cus O'brian says at like one point in the book that he will never die, you chould take it as that BB ent real, and is just like a god figure... or that BB is in actualy fact real, but he's spirit will live on...
i think that the Party just use BB as a means of control.
please excuse my grammor and spellin, its 1.50 in the morn, and i've just finnised my A'level course work on 1984 and Brave New World. i'm so pleased....perhaps this is the only time i've actually done any work at school....
opps, god knows what the hell i'm doing here