Author
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair)
Title
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
First Publication
1949
Date and publisher of this edition
Wolters Noordhoff BV Groningen, 1998.
This book is part of the Blackbirds series 1998
Special reason for choosing this book
I chose this book, because I like science fiction very much and this book was suggested in Eldorado for this genre.
Summary
In the year 1984, we see Winston Smith, a citizen of London, and he works at the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue). England is part of Oceania, ruled by The Party of Big Brother. Wherever you are, Big Brother is watching you. The motto's of The Party are: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength
Winston starts keeping a diary. That seems perfectly normal, but in 1984 it isn't: all events in this time are alterable, the Party controls the past, the present and the future. The past is altered by changing newspapers at the Ministry of Truth into whatever the Party had predicted (so they can prove they are always right), where Winston works. For Winston, keeping a diary is some kind of act of protest against the Party.
Then Winston falls in love with Julia. He first thinks she is a member of the Thoughtpolice. They rent a room in the Proletarian sector of the city, where there are (so they think) no telescreens. They engage many anti-Party acts (love, sex and other thougtcrime).
At the Two Minutes Hate, Winston meets O'Brien. Winston thinks O'Brien is a member of The Brotherhood, a secret society against The Party, run by Goldstein. Later he turns out to be a member of The Inner Party and Winston and Julia are captured in the room they rented. Mr Charrington, the owner of the room, also turns out to be a member of the Thoughtpolice. Winston and Julia are brought to the Ministry of Love (Miniluv).
Winston is interrogated and constantly told he is crazy and that they are only trying to help him. O'Brien reveals the true purposes of INGSOC (English Socialism). Winston eventually comes to realize this as the truth. The only thing he cannot do is love Big Brother. He loves Julia. Then O'Brien takes Winston into Room 101. In that room is the worst imaginable thing for the person that goes into it. O'Brien fastens a cage with two rats onto Winston's face. Winston finally betrays his love. "Do it to Julia!" he shouts.
Winston is released and is given a job in a sub-committee, with others alike him. When he is not at work he drinks and plays chess. When he meets Julia again, they only say they have betrayed each other, and walk away.
As Winston sits in a bar and he looks up to a poster of Big Brother, he realizes that he loves him.
Most intriguing characters
Winston Smith: Winston is the main character in the book. He is a 39 year old man, who works in the Record Department of Minitrue. He was married to a woman named Katherine for fifteen months. Later on he falls in love with Julia.
He is against the regime of The Party and feels quite lonely among those Party lovers. After meeting O'Brien and reading the book of Goldstein he's more convinced of himself and feels stronger. When Winston is arrested, he has a change of character (because of the tortures). Before his arrest he has an own opinion, memories of how things were and his doubts about the regime, after it Winston deeply believes in The Party and eventually he even loves Big Brother.
O'Brien: he is a member of The Inner Party, but makes Winston believe he's a member of The Brotherhood, a legendary organisation of the resistance. O'Brien is intelligent and truly believes the ideas of The Party. He knows exactly what to do to make Winston do something, or convince him. In Minilove, O'Brien is the one who tortures Winston and eventually takes him to Room 101.
You only have Winstons opinion about O’Brien, and Winston himself doesn’t know precisely if O’Brien is an enemy or a friend.
Historical time
The story takes place in 1984. For Orwell it was just a date in the future, but not that far away that people wouldn't listen to his warning. The time lapse is approximately a year.
Place
The story takes place in London, the capital of Airstrip One (= England). The world is divided in three parts: Oceania (America and England), Eurasia (Russia and Europe) and Eastasia (the rest).
The place is not really important. The main point of the story, a totalitarian regime like that of Big Brother and the Party is the most important, not the place.
Narrator and point of view
The book is written in the third persons view completely. The reader sees the story through Winstons eyes. The reader also knows his thoughts, so there is an auctorial narrator.
Theme
The book is written in 1949, during the Cold War, so I think the main theme is a warning against totalitarian regimes.
Genre
Science fiction (anti-utopia). Utopia is a ‘perfect world’ and the world in 1984 is more or less the opposite of a perfect world.
The author
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) was born in India, in 1903. His parents were members of the Indian Civil Service. After an education at Eton College in England, Orwell joined in 1922 the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. This experience was the inspiration for the novel Burmese Days (1934). In 1933, he wrote his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London He published three other novels in the 1930s: A Clergyman's Daughter (1935), Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936), and Coming Up for Air (1939). His major works of the period were two documentaries: The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) and Homage to Catalonia (1938).
Orwell's two best-known books reflect his distrust of autocratic government: Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
Orwell's reputation rests not only on his political shrewdness and his sharp satires but also on his clear style and on his essays, which rank with the best ever written. The four-volume Collected Essays, Journalism, and Letters of George Orwell was published in 1968.
In January 1950, Orwell died.
My opinion
I think 1984 is a very good book: it makes you think of how it would be if there was a totalitarian regime instead of democracy. You realize it's not that far-fetched as you may think when you haven't read the book yet. In the time Orwell wrote the book, in the Cold War, such a regime (communist or fascist) was not imaginary, but a real possibility. Nowadays, that threat is much smaller, but the technology for things like telescreens is there and you never know if a new dictator will stand up, who will supervise everyone and kills everyone who stands in his way.
The book was not difficult to read. I liked the use of Newspeak. Funny you can keep people ignorant with a language. The theorie of The Party is 'if there are no words to describe a crime, you can't commit it'. In Newspeak you even can't revile The Party, because there are no words as 'stupid' etc. The most negative word to describe The Party in Newspeak is ungood…
The writer, Orwell, himself is against totalitarian regimes (both communist as fascist) and in 1984 he tries to give a warning for what might happen when people like, for example, Hitler are not stopped. Due to the book, I started thinking about our own democracy and how it would be if we lived in such a totalitarian state.
The story is told in a realistic manner, but a world as described in 1984 (everywhere you are supervised by The Party, everywhere posters and other things of Big Brother) is hard to imagine. It is hard to imagine too, that most of the people in the book don't ask questions about the regime themself. It has to attrack attention when suddenly your country is in war with a whole other country, doesn't it?
I think the text is well constructed. It remains surprising: you only know for sure O'Brien is a member of The Inner Party, on the moment he comes and tortures Winston. Further there are elements in the text, which give some kind of indication of what's going to happen. For example: in the room Winston and Julia rent of Mr Charrington, Winston sees a rat. Rats are his worst nightmare, so you could consider this a sign. Another example are the words of O'Brien, in Winston's dream: "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness". At the moment you read this, you have no idea what it's about, but later you discover that de Ministry of Love (Minilove) is meant.
De meaning of the author is to warn for totalitarian regimes. I think he has done a good job. The world as described in 1984 really is a dreadful vision.
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair)
Title
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
First Publication
1949
Date and publisher of this edition
Wolters Noordhoff BV Groningen, 1998.
This book is part of the Blackbirds series 1998
Special reason for choosing this book
I chose this book, because I like science fiction very much and this book was suggested in Eldorado for this genre.
Summary
In the year 1984, we see Winston Smith, a citizen of London, and he works at the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue). England is part of Oceania, ruled by The Party of Big Brother. Wherever you are, Big Brother is watching you. The motto's of The Party are: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength
Winston starts keeping a diary. That seems perfectly normal, but in 1984 it isn't: all events in this time are alterable, the Party controls the past, the present and the future. The past is altered by changing newspapers at the Ministry of Truth into whatever the Party had predicted (so they can prove they are always right), where Winston works. For Winston, keeping a diary is some kind of act of protest against the Party.
At the Two Minutes Hate, Winston meets O'Brien. Winston thinks O'Brien is a member of The Brotherhood, a secret society against The Party, run by Goldstein. Later he turns out to be a member of The Inner Party and Winston and Julia are captured in the room they rented. Mr Charrington, the owner of the room, also turns out to be a member of the Thoughtpolice. Winston and Julia are brought to the Ministry of Love (Miniluv).
Winston is interrogated and constantly told he is crazy and that they are only trying to help him. O'Brien reveals the true purposes of INGSOC (English Socialism). Winston eventually comes to realize this as the truth. The only thing he cannot do is love Big Brother. He loves Julia. Then O'Brien takes Winston into Room 101. In that room is the worst imaginable thing for the person that goes into it. O'Brien fastens a cage with two rats onto Winston's face. Winston finally betrays his love. "Do it to Julia!" he shouts.
Winston is released and is given a job in a sub-committee, with others alike him. When he is not at work he drinks and plays chess. When he meets Julia again, they only say they have betrayed each other, and walk away.
As Winston sits in a bar and he looks up to a poster of Big Brother, he realizes that he loves him.
Most intriguing characters
Winston Smith: Winston is the main character in the book. He is a 39 year old man, who works in the Record Department of Minitrue. He was married to a woman named Katherine for fifteen months. Later on he falls in love with Julia.
He is against the regime of The Party and feels quite lonely among those Party lovers. After meeting O'Brien and reading the book of Goldstein he's more convinced of himself and feels stronger. When Winston is arrested, he has a change of character (because of the tortures). Before his arrest he has an own opinion, memories of how things were and his doubts about the regime, after it Winston deeply believes in The Party and eventually he even loves Big Brother.
O'Brien: he is a member of The Inner Party, but makes Winston believe he's a member of The Brotherhood, a legendary organisation of the resistance. O'Brien is intelligent and truly believes the ideas of The Party. He knows exactly what to do to make Winston do something, or convince him. In Minilove, O'Brien is the one who tortures Winston and eventually takes him to Room 101.
Historical time
The story takes place in 1984. For Orwell it was just a date in the future, but not that far away that people wouldn't listen to his warning. The time lapse is approximately a year.
Place
The story takes place in London, the capital of Airstrip One (= England). The world is divided in three parts: Oceania (America and England), Eurasia (Russia and Europe) and Eastasia (the rest).
The place is not really important. The main point of the story, a totalitarian regime like that of Big Brother and the Party is the most important, not the place.
Narrator and point of view
The book is written in the third persons view completely. The reader sees the story through Winstons eyes. The reader also knows his thoughts, so there is an auctorial narrator.
Theme
The book is written in 1949, during the Cold War, so I think the main theme is a warning against totalitarian regimes.
Genre
Science fiction (anti-utopia). Utopia is a ‘perfect world’ and the world in 1984 is more or less the opposite of a perfect world.
The author
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) was born in India, in 1903. His parents were members of the Indian Civil Service. After an education at Eton College in England, Orwell joined in 1922 the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. This experience was the inspiration for the novel Burmese Days (1934). In 1933, he wrote his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London He published three other novels in the 1930s: A Clergyman's Daughter (1935), Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1936), and Coming Up for Air (1939). His major works of the period were two documentaries: The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) and Homage to Catalonia (1938).
Orwell's reputation rests not only on his political shrewdness and his sharp satires but also on his clear style and on his essays, which rank with the best ever written. The four-volume Collected Essays, Journalism, and Letters of George Orwell was published in 1968.
In January 1950, Orwell died.
My opinion
I think 1984 is a very good book: it makes you think of how it would be if there was a totalitarian regime instead of democracy. You realize it's not that far-fetched as you may think when you haven't read the book yet. In the time Orwell wrote the book, in the Cold War, such a regime (communist or fascist) was not imaginary, but a real possibility. Nowadays, that threat is much smaller, but the technology for things like telescreens is there and you never know if a new dictator will stand up, who will supervise everyone and kills everyone who stands in his way.
The book was not difficult to read. I liked the use of Newspeak. Funny you can keep people ignorant with a language. The theorie of The Party is 'if there are no words to describe a crime, you can't commit it'. In Newspeak you even can't revile The Party, because there are no words as 'stupid' etc. The most negative word to describe The Party in Newspeak is ungood…
The writer, Orwell, himself is against totalitarian regimes (both communist as fascist) and in 1984 he tries to give a warning for what might happen when people like, for example, Hitler are not stopped. Due to the book, I started thinking about our own democracy and how it would be if we lived in such a totalitarian state.
The story is told in a realistic manner, but a world as described in 1984 (everywhere you are supervised by The Party, everywhere posters and other things of Big Brother) is hard to imagine. It is hard to imagine too, that most of the people in the book don't ask questions about the regime themself. It has to attrack attention when suddenly your country is in war with a whole other country, doesn't it?
I think the text is well constructed. It remains surprising: you only know for sure O'Brien is a member of The Inner Party, on the moment he comes and tortures Winston. Further there are elements in the text, which give some kind of indication of what's going to happen. For example: in the room Winston and Julia rent of Mr Charrington, Winston sees a rat. Rats are his worst nightmare, so you could consider this a sign. Another example are the words of O'Brien, in Winston's dream: "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness". At the moment you read this, you have no idea what it's about, but later you discover that de Ministry of Love (Minilove) is meant.
REACTIES
:name
:name
:comment
1 seconde geleden
R.
R.
echt net zo goed ik had een 8 thanks
20 jaar geleden
Antwoorden