What Students think about 1984.

I think this book is very relevant to today's society. Just the surveillance under which the citizens of Oceania are bears a slight but definite resemblance to the Bush Administration's wiretapping policy. I would recommend this book to anyone who believes a totalitarian state could never happen in a modern day country, although I don't think the situation in the book to be entirely plausible, let it stand as a worst case scenario.

Also, I thought it was a very interesting read, except for the chapter on "The Book", that got a little dry.

The book 1984 certainly deserves to be recommended to both adults and students. It has many underlying messages: Watch the government, ask questions, and especially don't forget history. Students should read this book so that they are aware of both how fortunate they are to live under the government they do and also how unfortunate they could be.

Though many of Orwell's warnings weren't yet relavent in the year 1984, they are slowly becoming mirrors of different parts of the world, like North Korea. It is important to learn about 1984 in conjunction with real life applications so that students know actual exhibits of Orwell's messages.

The book 1984 should certainly be recommended for students and adults alike. Its messages are many and include: watch your government, ask questions, and especially don't forget history. This book teaches us that we are quite possibly on a road to a totalitarian eternity. Though Orwell's warnings weren't yet relevant in 1984, they are slowly becoming mirrors of our present, in places like North Korea. The book should be taught in conjunction with real life exhibits of Orwell's warnings so that students can see actual examples of his teachings. It is important for us to see what could be so that we can appreciate the government we have and avoid the one described in 1984.

I thought 1984 was overall a well written book and is important to read. It's important to read about Orwell's thoughts and see what he got right about the future and what things he didn't get so right. Such as telescreens, Orwell was right in the fact of a much more observed future. If you look in a large city today, you find cameras everywhere. Also i agree on how the government is controlling, maybe not to the extent in 1984, but the the government has a way to only let you hear what they want you to hear.
I indeed recommend this book to any student and adult/young adult who should see Orwell's thoughts. The book should make them do the very thing we do on these forums, question and discuss.

While 1984 isn't the worst book I've ever read, I certainly didn't enjoy it as much as I had other dystopian novels such as Brave New World and A Clockwork Orange.

I think Orwell's problem stems from the lack of originality in his writing as well as his frequent use of the comma. When I say lack of originality, I mean not his themes, motifs or ideas for these truly were visionary, but that his prose and punctuation were not up to par with the other author's I've read.

I also don't like the fact that the "bad guys" of this novel do not receive any bit of poetic justice and the world simply remains the hateful, dirty place it was at the start of the novel. Orwell presents the problem but neglects to come up with an answer.

But if there's beauty to be found within this novel, it's within the memorable, well written lines. "You're only a rebel from the waist downwards." is very smart and clever, and the final paragraph is very well written. Overall, like I said above, I thought 1984 was an entertaining read with a theme before it's time.

This book was interesting and makes you question a lot about the future and people's individual rights. I believe George Orwell is an expert in descriptive witting and keying in on your senses. However at times I thought too much into the meaning behind what Orwell was explaining. I think high school students should be required to read this piece of literature but for me this was not a "cup of tea" kind of book but caught my interest more towards the end. My overall thought is that Orwell is correct in most things he predicted but since 1984 is already in the past I lost interest before I started reading.

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Originally Posted by neilgee

How strange Becca. I just counted and there's nine different students on 4 posts and three on 5 posts all just posting once on this thread.;)

This set me pondering after I logged off last night so this morning I checked if there was a connection between the other posts the "students" had made and sure enough all of them have only posted on other 1984 related threads.

Another thing: they all ignore any attempt to broaden the debate [like my mention of Zamyatin's novel] and sound similar enough in style to have been written by the same person!

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Wouldn't it be weird if it was just one guy talking to himself? Like, pretending that he's a teacher conducting a class?

I'm a student in college and this book is one that unfortunately escaped me in high school. I wish I could have read this at an early age. George Orwell was a prophet and this book was his magnum opus. This book tells the world like it is and how free thought has been almost outlawed by the forces who rule the world. Each member is society is expected to conform to the rules and regulations set up by people of the upper classes. 1984 should be read and thoroughly understood by all people of all ages, but especially high school students who are an impressionable age.

The book 1984 has some crucial themes that I believe is true of our society. Wherever you go nowadays there are surveillience cameras and "bugs". There really is no privacy. Also it is my opinion that our modern culture has also demonized privacy. Even now as I write this anyone in the world can read it. Also history and language is controlled by our government to some extent. Our school books are written for us by our country. He who controls the present controls the past, right. So the view of such countries as Germany or Austria are not written in our history books because we control the past. Overall I believe this is an OK book.

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Originally Posted by 20soccer12

... Even now as I write this anyone in the world can read it. Also history and language is controlled by our government to some extent. Our school books are written for us by our country. He who controls the present controls the past, right. ...

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Scary huh?

To add - in some cases the ones controlling the past control the present.

I'm at university, read it during high school by accident (one o my friends/classmates recommended it), I think it can be interpreted from the point of view of the society we live in => it is a true piece of literature (it offers several, different meaning to each society during the times). And it is also is an excellent book if you simply read it, for yourself, without looking for its meanings and messages (which one cannot overlook)

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Originally Posted by JuniperWoolf

Wouldn't it be weird if it was just one guy talking to himself? Like, pretending that he's a teacher conducting a class?

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Hee Hee. Suspicions are aroused by the first two posts that this might be possible. The second poster said there probably wouldn't be many replies and then as if the first poster took umbrage and wanted to prove a point and the thread just took off and you got this endless stream of "I am a student..." type posts which are still coming in occasionally. Wierd!:alien:

I think it's aweful. I don't have enough guts to fully digest the story. I fear that I'll be brainwashed by G.O himself...

The existence of power itself causes inequality. There's nothing we can do about that.

Here's my take/review on 1984:

I thought the book was a nice read. It showed me that if we as a society are not careful, we could end up falling into a pithole, which is the system of government present in the novel, from where there is no return. Even the small optimism that George Orwell imbues into the protagonist that the government can and will one day return to an earlier, less oppressive state is destroyed when the reader realizes that though the proles, common folk, can unify together to overthrow the government, this unity will never take place. Hence, the book tells the readers to pay careful attention to what the current government they live under is doing, so that if it ever decides to advance its jurisdiction and/or changes its intentions, readers can act as they see fit and not mindlessly stand by as their system of government morphs into the totalitarianlike kind in 1984. Besides the book's content, its style is written so that it's quite enjoyable to read, and one tends to get into it easier as they get farther and farther into the novel where a more accurate, horrendous depiction of the current state of things unfolds. I definitely recommend it as a book someone should read in high school, even though I read it shortly after I graduated from there.

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Originally Posted by Teacher

As a teacher and 1984 fan, I'm interested in your take on the novel and its relevence in a modern day high school classroom.

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I'm not a student anymore, but I find a novel like 1984 always relevant. I don't believe that the world will ever be a paradise of justice, open-mindedness and equality (although I believe in social improvement), so Orwell's novel will always be a good introduction to ideas about the preciousness of freedom, the dangers of totalitarianism and the misuse of language and the media to shape mass conformity and consent.

Milan Kundera, in The Art of the Novel, dismisses 1984, arguing that what Orwell had to say could easily have been said, and better, in a pamphlet. But I think Kundera underestimates how characters and dramatic situations facilitate ideas being impressed on one's mind.

Well being a high school student my opinion on the book 1984 is that it is a great book. But I think when the government is watching you and telling you what to do is a little creepy. I would say that this is a must read book for high school students because it shows you the what happened in history. I believe that this book is an eye opener if you do not read this book by the end of high school read it on your own.

As a student who is currently reading the book 1984, i believe that this is a very good book. Orwells depiction of the Government does scare me a little bit in the sence that you are constantly under survaillance. People dont have much freedom to do as they please. Some teachers may say that orwell was partly correct in saying how much power kids have in the novel. Today kids partly have alot more power than they should. Orwell depicts modern day life more and more as time goes on in the book. :dupe:

As your student in high school, I find this book somewhat interesting.

I like the fact that Orwell brings up the idea of individuality and its importance in life. Without individuality, could we really call ourselves humans? I feel that it is one of the most important things that we should put to use and hold onto tightly in life.

Another point, which was discussed in class, that Orwell portrays in the book is how uneducation can greatly affect society. When people do not have the access to information or the means to aquire knowledge that should be under everbody's belt, they lose sight of what is really important in life.

Overall a good book so far. :)

As a High School student currently reading the book, I find Orwell a fantastic writer and nevertheless a weird one at that. I say weird because of many things within his book 1984 that he guessed/foretold that is relevant to today. As an example the telescreens in 1984 correspond to the camera's in our society today, you can barley go anywhere without be under surveillance of who the man behind the curtain is. All in all I find the book a good read. :thumbsup:

Great comments all round!

I agree. This book has a lot to think about though. It may be tough for some people to understand what exactly is going on in it.

I beleve, as a student, that 1984 is a great book.