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Part 1
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Part 2
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Summary of 1984
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1984

Search all of = 1984:

In 1984, Winston Smith lives in London which is part = of the=20 country Oceania. The world is divided into three = countries=20 that include the entire globe: Oceania, Eurasia, and = Eastasia.=20 Oceania, and both of the others, is a totalitarian = society led=20 by Big Brother, which censors everyone=92s behavior, = even their=20 thoughts. Winston is disgusted with his oppressed life = and=20 secretly longs to join the fabled Brotherhood, a = supposed=20 group of underground rebels intent on overthrowing the = government. Winston meets Julia and they secretly fall = in love=20 and have an affair, something which is considered a = crime. One=20 day, while walking home, Winston encounters O'Brien, = an inner=20 party member, who gives Winston his address. Winston = had=20 exchanged glances with O'Brien before and had dreams = about him=20 giving him the impression that O'Brien was a member of = the=20 Brotherhood. Since Julia hated the party as much as = Winston=20 did, they went to O'Brien=92s house together where = they were=20 introduced into the Brotherhood. O'Brien is actually a = faithful member of the Inner-Party and this is = actually a trap=20 for Winston, a trap that O'Brien has been cleverly = setting for=20 seven years. Winston and Julia are sent to the = Ministry of=20 Love which is a sort of rehabilitation center for = criminals=20 accused of thoughtcrime. There, Winston was separated = from=20 Julia, and tortured until his beliefs coincided with = those of=20 the Party. Winston denounces everything he believed = him, even=20 his love for Julia, and was released back into the = public=20 where he wastes his days at the Chestnut Tree drinking = gin.=20

Related Links:

1984 Summary,=20 Study Guide and Essays

Find essays on=20 1984

User Comments and = Reviews:

T Double edged = sword January 14th, = 2003 Rating: = 7.2667

1984 is a=20 must-read. The belief that we have complete = freedom=20 and privacy in this country is a dangerous = fallacy. I=20 apologize if this posting digresses from the = original=20 point of this board but it seems a good place = to do=20 so. As alluded to in 1984, such a place as = Oceania=20 would not be possible without technology or, = at the=20 very least, would be much more difficult to = establish.=20 While I understand and embrace technology, I = feel that=20 most people have very little understanding or = respect=20 for it. How many people really contemplate = what=20 actually happens when they send an email, talk = on a=20 cell phone, purchase online via credit card, = etc, etc.=20 The same technologies that grant one more = freedom have=20 the same capacity to harm and to enslave if = not=20 respected. Like many, I used to think 1984 was = simply=20 a great work of fiction with little chance of = actually=20 becoming a reality. The frightening truth is = that to a=20 large extent, it already has. The terabytes of = information compiled on every citizen already = exist.=20 All that is required is the motive to abuse = it, as=20 surely it has been for those individuals that = have=20 "popped up" on their radar screen as meriting=20 surveillance. For those that haven't already=20 familiarized themselves with it, look up the = "Homeland=20 Security Act" recently passed by congress. On = the=20 surface, it's a great idea for protecting the = country=20 from terrorism after 9/11. In reality, it = gives the=20 government carte blanche to acquire and use=20 information on ANY citizen at ANY time and for = ANY=20 reason without anyone's knowledge or consent. = The ends=20 don't justify the means if, in the process of=20 defending our "beacon for freedom", that = beacon is=20 threatened. Also look up "TIA" (total = information=20 awareness). 1984 might have been prophetic = afterall.=20

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=20

DC=20 Whitehall 1984 Poem April 15th, = 2003 Rating: = 6.7250

By = DC=20 Whitehall

Nineteeneightyfear. =

The party=20 knows everything
And now I=92m awful at = math
And=20 I stare in awe at a faceless king
While I = suffer=20 his Loving wrath.
I live in squalidly = flawless=20 Oceania
And know of thinking, an outlawed = antique=20
Swimming lost in a sea of voiceless = mania
I=20 fear the future of what will be Newspeak. =
I am=20 denied expression of individuality
I am = denied=20 free thought
I am denied illicit = sexuality
For=20 which all, I am caught.
In Emmanuel = Goldstein's=20 book I find comfort
But know that such is = only=20 ephemeral
For it is rebellious thoughts =
I=20 support Knowing all hope is surely decimal. =
In=20 fair Julia I found thoughts not harbored =
And love=20 for her found me stronger still
In her a = trust in a=20 fighting comrade was sheltered
Not to = mention an=20 unlawful thrill.
But fate tears the tether = that=20 binds humans together
And in O=92Brien I = discovered=20 a coarse fa=E7ade
In him I finally saw the = hater,=20 the butcher
For which he is denied the = kingdom of=20 God.
Hated technology
When in this = course of=20 human events
For which government owes an=20 apology
We the people, hold our privacy as = evident.=20
Doublethink is a crime
That we do not=20 commit
While they drink souls and = wine
It is=20 incarceration we unknowingly permit.
I = frequent=20 the Ministry of Truth
Hence I know very = well the=20 worth of letters
I change freely the = verity of=20 records
As I breed premature alzheimers. =
While=20 we should be endowed some rights
I ponder = over what=20 is life and liberty
As I stay up lawlessly = writing=20 cold nights
What is happiness in this = political=20 purgatory.
Now I=92d sell all my pity for = a bit of=20 gin
Since to me it is this drink They = assign
And=20 I=92d drink to my worries all over = again
And trade=20 all my glory for a spot of wine.
But = choices are a=20 luxury I now not know
Since dreaded three = words=20 heard
And before this of course I knew the=20 throe
Since notions of secrecy were at best = absurd.=20
I was immersed in a corrupt celestial = light
I=20 had anticipated something less dire
I wrote = same=20 four words a score that night
And I am = here for my=20 mind=92s desire.
Love is lost so closely = far=20 away
So I helplessly scream out her = name
In a=20 passionate fit of agony, my sanity did = stray
Yet=20 being locked here I must abstain.
Obscured = months=20 pass like hours and my mind breaks
As my = Brother=20 has found out my worst fear
My spirit is = broken, my=20 body aches
And I wish it upon my dear. =
I become=20 aware under the Chestnut Tree Caf=E9
Where = the=20 dismissd go to think
Calmly I enjoy = my victory gin=20 today
Not finding it a misnamed drink. =
I feel=20 happy and I feel safe
With powerful eyes = draping=20 over me
As I recall less happy days as a = waif
I=20 accept my brother now, expectedly.
If I = read the=20 words now I would agree
As inversely years = ago I=20 wouldn=92t
Dulce et decorum est pro patria = mori=20 (1)
But since I don=92t read, both = couldn=92t.=20
Don=92t think, the year is now 2084
I = find myself=20 staring up upon the Lewdies=92 feet
And = even these=20 find no happiness anymore
So seeking = serenity I=20 found my better retreat.

(1):It is = sweet and=20 glorious to die for one's = country(Horace)

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=20

Sleeve98 ...Puh-leeze!... February 28th, = 2003 Rating: = 6.6782

"Oh, this is a=20 GREAT novel," "how prophetic," "THEY didn't = want you=20 to read it," etc., ad nauseum...

1984 = IS a=20 great book. It IS prophetic.

But it's a = car=20 alarm.

Considering the current social = climate,=20 one can't help but make that = comparison.

Sure=20 the car alarm is a nifty thing, but who's = paying=20 attention to it?

Exactly no=20 one.

Homeland Security, with its Total=20 Information Awareness database, the Digital = Millennium=20 Copyright Act, which forbids treating with = your own=20 property as you wish, government-approved = spying on=20 consumers by corporations - foreign AND abroad = - the=20 GPS-capable black boxes installed in all new=20 automobiles . . .

These things are = happening=20 because YOU are letting them. Those who would = presume=20 to select our leaders for us would spew its = propaganda=20 that gets more and more outrageous every day - = and the=20 public nods obediently, "habilitates" its = thought=20 processes and shakes its fists at those who = "hate=20 freedom."

Don't crow on about the = impact this=20 book has had - judging by the complete = capitulation of=20 the lemming-like mob mentality, it has failed = its=20 mission to motivate. The eternal price of = freedom is=20 vigilance, and those who unquestioningly = swallow the=20 Party's line, despite their perceived = cleverness in=20 finding a relation to Big Brother within our=20 government, have fallen asleep on the = job.

Shut=20 up and go DO something - A N Y T H I N G but = nothing.=20

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=20

Dave the scariest = truth August 21st, = 2002 Rating: = 6.6066

We = need to=20 read, and educate ourselves, and our future, = with the=20 broadest range of literary works, such as = this, which=20 encourage both the thought into possibility, = and the=20 exploration into the current reality of which = we did,=20 do, and likely will live in. How easy would it = be, if=20 it were so black and white as Orwell makes his = 1984=20 appear to be. How easy would it be to accept = if we=20 were told that we were being watched by this = devices=20 line of sight, and listening devices were = placed=20 everywhere. How obvious would it be if we were = to be=20 blatantly subjected to forced indoctrination = in the=20 harshest of manors. How easy would it be to = sell=20 freedom and responsibility for comfort when we = were=20 told we were doing that.
But Big Brother = doesn't=20 make himself so obvious to our society. Big = Brother is=20 smarter, sneakier, and more invasive than = that. We are=20 not told today where we are watched, yet still = can be=20 watched in 3D with camera's smaller than the = head of a=20 pin. And we can be heard by invisable lasers = pointed=20 at a solid from a mile or more away. We can be = tracked=20 from space with satellites with a reported = resolution=20 of less than one foot (we can see tire tracks = in the=20 mud with hi-res black and white sat photos). = Under the=20 affects of local anesthesia and GPS = transponder with=20 biometric and biological recording = capabilities can be=20 implanted without our knowledge, say, in the = base of=20 your skull, where it would not be noticed, in = under a=20 minute.

And these are only the = beginning of the=20 things which Big Brother tells us. We neither = chose=20 our presidential candidates, nor who selects = them, nor=20 even chose them directly. We're merely given = one more=20 choice than Iraq, or any monarchy or single = ruler=20 government, solely to indicate to another what = choice=20 we would prefer made, without the choice to = reject the=20 options and find another.

How far has = Big=20 Brother gone, where is Big Brother headed, and = what=20 does Big Brother really know? Who can verify = what our=20 'free press' reports? Who checks and rechecks = where=20 the information the media reports to us? What=20 plausible lies are we constantly fed until = they become=20 fact, and get changed slowly a bit more? = Supposedly=20 their's a law that states subliminal = advertising may=20 not be used, but how is this checked, and to = whom does=20 it apply?

1984 is a work of fiction, = created in=20 one man's mind, describing a fear of what = could=20 become. By no means does a mere novel have to = become=20 fact. But the science fiction of today is what = drives=20 us to create that science fact of tomorrow. = For=20 anybody who doesn't believe that some men are=20 intelligent enough to see the patterns of the = future,=20 I invite you to read some of Joules Vernes = novels',=20 and see what technologies he foresaw. . . .=20

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=20

Liz reality February 4th, = 2003 Rating: = 6.5263

As = time has=20 passed 1984 is becoming more of reality. You = should=20 learn from reading books and that is exactly = what=20 Orwell wants you to do from his. He is a smart = man who=20 has predicted things that were not heard of in = 1949=20 (when the book was written). Live, learn and = act as a=20 team upon the things that diminish our = freedom. So you=20 better start thinking now.=20

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=20

Doug language and = 1984 July 26th, = 2003 Rating: = 6.5000

Reflect on the=20 degradation of language in 1984; here is = Orwells=20 greatest warning to the free world.
Unless = words=20 have specific, precise identifiable and common = meanings how is it possible to conceive of = ideas such=20 as freedom, oppression, resistance and the = like. If it=20 is no longer possible to formulate abstract = ideas and=20 communicate them then action and creativity = are no=20 longer posible and control is absolute and=20 complete.
"Syme bit off another fragment of = the=20 dark-coloured bread, chewed it briefly, and = went on:=20 'Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak = is to=20 narrow the range of thought? In the end we = shall make=20 thoughtcrime , literally impossible, because = there=20 will be no words in which to express it. Every = concept=20 that can ever be needed, will be expressed by = exactly=20 one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and = all its=20 subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten. = Already,=20 in the Eleventh Edition, we're not far from = that=20 point. But the process will still be = continuing long=20 after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and = fewer=20 words, and the range of consciousness always a = little=20 smaller. Even now, of course, there's no = reason or=20 excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It's = merely a=20 question of self-discipline,reality-control. = But in=20 the end there won't be any need even for that. = The=20 Revolution will be complete when the language = is=20 perfect. Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is = Newspeak, ,=20 he added with a sort of mystical satisfaction. = ' Has=20 it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the = year=20 2050, at the very latest, not a single human = being=20 will be alive who could understand such a = conversation=20 as we are having now?"
Look at the = vocabulary of=20 the average adolescent, the script of the = avarage=20 movie or the corruption of language by = commentators=20 and newsreader on the idiot box; we are half = way there=20 already and don't even see it.
Buy a = dictionary and=20 good books and read, read, read, and you will = be able=20 to say with C.S.Lewis," The scholar has lived = in many=20 times and is therefore in some degree immune = from the=20 great cataract of nonsense that pours from the = press=20 and microphones of his own age"

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=20

Siddhartha=20 Shrivastava No Subject February 4th, = 2003 Rating: = 6.4954

I = finished=20 reading 1984 last night & am thinking of = it since=20 then. I went thru all the comments above but = none of=20 them was able to come near what I felt after = reading=20 it.
There has been a lot of words written = above to=20 find out present day telescreens, oceania = & Big=20 Brother. But when I finished the novel last = nite it=20 was none of these things which occupied my = mind. Only=20 thing that occupied my mind was those haunting = last=20 lines.The irony contained in them.
"But it = was all=20 right, everything was all right, the struggle = was=20 finished. He had won the victory over himself. = He=20 loved Big Brother. "

The struggle was = finished=20 , yes the struggle was finished,the struggle = of a man=20 to stand up for his beliefs 'cozhe believed in = their=20 righteousness.
He had won the victory over = himself.=20 It is this use of word 'won' & 'victory' = to=20 represent loss & surrender, irony = contained in=20 them,the utter hopelessness coined in those = cheerful=20 words which haunted me all through the = day.

The=20 most dreadful aspect of oceania was not scores = of=20 rocket bomb falling or the continuous war or = the=20 poverty or the mutability of past, What scared = me most=20 was impossibility of calling, what Orwell = called, 2+ 2=20 =3D 4.
The final surrender of Winston in = believing 2=20 +2 =3D5 is what made me dread the Oceania = & then=20 dawned upon me the realization that in various = walks=20 of life almost all of us chose to believe in 2 = +2 =3D 5=20 rather than confronting our private "Room=20 101".

So for me 1984 represents the = inner fears=20 & private guilt of betraying our beloveds, = our=20 ideals , our principles & our beliefs in = the face=20 of adversity.

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=20

Dan 1984 vs. = 2003 February 4th, = 2003 Rating: = 6.4333

Many below have=20 commented on this classic's relevance today, = comparing=20 the society Orwell invented in the 1940s with=20 contemporary society. Clearly mass control is = an issue=20 today, with globalisation fast gathering = momentum. I=20 would note now how we are by no means living = in=20 Orwell's nightmarish society, but nevertheless = fall=20 victim to mass politics on a daily basis = mainly=20 through media manipulation, which we have seen = a great=20 deal of since 9/11. Note for example how we = are being=20 led into yet another unnecessary war in the = Middle=20 East (remembering the artificially puppeteered = wars in=20 '1984'), breaking numerous international laws = and=20 treaties (thus making the coming war illegal - = remember the absence of any real laws aimed at = protecting the public in '1984'), and against = the=20 polled dissent of 70% of the American public = (thus=20 making the coming war undemocratic to boot). = In other=20 words, our personal power against these mass=20 institutions and operations is increasingly = squashed=20 by imperialistic assertion of US/globalised = power in=20 the world, in some ways like Winston Smith's = little=20 rebellion is squashed.

But dissent is = squashed=20 in a sophisticated manner, exactly as in 1984 = when=20 O'Brien turns out to be a covert operative = posing as a=20 rebel. To begin with, we think we have freedom = of=20 speech and objectivity in the press and in the = street.=20 In the street we certainly do have the former, = but it=20 is clear that the media is far from objective = and much=20 is filtered and manipulated (observe how we = have given=20 up so many hard-won rights since 9/11, in=20 ex-legislation which was meant to protect us; = as well=20 as many billions of dollars towards useless = and=20 harmful military operations for years to come, = on=20 account of national outrage as channelled and = focused=20 in the media onto the 'war against = terrorism'). Thus=20 our rights and freedoms are being eroded - but = not=20 through any overt Big Brother mass control - = rather,=20 through the wielding of big words in the media = by the=20 president and others, to inspire in us the = feelings=20 which will lead us to voluntarily agree to the = plans=20 they had for us and our money all along. In = this way=20 it looks like democracy and nobody complains, = but how=20 similar is it to Big Brother's propaganda = really? It=20 is just a little subtler.

Another = similarity is=20 the Hate Room, where the general populace is = given an=20 object for all its pent-up aggression and = frustration.=20 Are Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, and whoever = else we are=20 served up on a plate to hate, just our = national Hate=20 Room? How much control do we actually have = over our=20 own emotions and where they are directed? To = put it=20 another way, how much dignity have we lost? A=20 dignified populace at home with its own = feelings and=20 in control of its own thoughts makes a society = like=20 '1984', or 2003, impossible from the = outset.

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=20

viper850512 In response to = Todd December 15th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.8974

Todd wrote on=20 september 16th 2002:"The ending also, many = have said=20 that it shouldn't have been like that, that it = should=20 have a happy ending but we must all remember = the=20 purpose of this book was to warn us all, = Orwell is a=20 Genious in his own right."

I just want = to point=20 out that the end of the book IS actually a = happy=20 ending. No, seriously, if u read the ending = carefully,=20 you will realise that Winston actually won. He = "won=20 the war with himself. He loved Big=20 Brother."

The key word here is "loved." = Many=20 people don't realise it, but in Newspeak, love = and=20 hate are the same thing (ie: The ministry of = LOVE,=20 where they torture people). In essence, = Winston won=20 the battle with himself because, despite his=20 horrendous torture, he still had anti-Big = Brother=20 thoughts. The idea that "They can't get inside = you"=20 had been proven true. Countless effort had = been put=20 into trying to change the way Winston thought, = and in=20 the end he still had control over his own=20 mind.

The "long-awaited bullet" was = symbolic of=20 this. The relation between the actual bullet, = which=20 Winston had originally longed for, and this = new=20 symbolic bullet (the realisation that he could = still=20 think what he wanted) was that they both could = provide=20 relief to the tension building up within=20 himself.

In the end, the happy ending = was=20 surely existent, even if it wasn't entirely = obvious.=20 Winston had won. They had tortured him = endlessly, but=20 he still hated big brother. The meaning of the = smiles=20 on big brothers posters became clear. Big = Brothers=20 smile was a false one, an entirely forced one. = This=20 related because of the fact that that was what = everyone had to do. No matter what your = thoughts, you=20 just had to pretend that they didn't exist, = and put on=20 a smile.=20

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=20

Megan No Subject July 27th, = 2003 Rating: = 5.6667

Orwell's=20 dipiction of post World War II Oceania is = profound.=20 Though painful, 1984 is something that = everyone should=20 read. It is something that will affect the way = you=20 look at society and the way you live. Though I = was=20 depressed for months after reading it, I think = that it=20 is something that everyone should read, both = as a=20 warning of a future without hope of compassion = or=20 humanity and to experience Orwell's frank and = chilling=20 diction.
He is truly a prophet.=20

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=20

Freeman China is like = Oceania=20 without telescreens July 1st, = 2002 Rating: = 5.6154

A = chilling=20 fiction with a tragic ending, but in 1948 = Orwell had=20 already foreseen that what a totalitarian = could bring=20 to our society with the most damaging effect = on=20 people's mind, and how personal freedom could = be=20 striped away if we do not protect it for=20 ourselves.

The communist mainland China = is=20 almost exactly like Oceania just no = telescreens.=20 Nowadays the majority of people living in = Chine have=20 become totally disinterested in politics, but = merely=20 surviving.

As a Chinese who was born in = China,=20 I wish more Chinese people could read books = like 1984.=20 'If there is hope, it lies in the proles.'=20

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=20

Christine No Subject May 31st, = 2002 Rating: = 5.5385

Those=20 reading this book might also like to check out = = Brave=20 New World by Aldous Huxley, Anthem by Ayn = Rand,=20 and Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Each of = these books=20 present societies that no sane person would = willingly=20 choose to live in, but could happen without = our being=20 aware of it. The protection of our individual = freedom=20 should never be taken for granted.=20

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=20

Ray 1984 / We March 4th, = 2003 Rating: = 5.4872

WARNING THIS=20 MIGHT SHOCK YOU!

Not trying to be a = smart=20 you-know-what, but "1984" is for the most part = a copy=20 of a story first published in 1921. Seriously. =
Not=20 only that, the original is hailed as "the best = single=20 work of SF yet written" I would like to = encourage=20 everybody to read this story, as it will only = add to=20 the experience of reading "1984"

It is = called=20 "We" (the english translation, in russian the = title is=20 "My") and was written by Yevgeny Zamyatin. =
The=20 author wrote the book in the time of, and in = protest=20 against, the communist revolution led by Josef = Stalin=20 and it's goal of a perfect, unified state. The = impact=20 of telling the story on the radio was enough = to have=20 Zamyatin exiled and the story suppressed. It = was only=20 first published in Russia, and in russian, in = 1988,=20 more than sixty years after it was written! =
I know=20 of at least 3 different translations you can = buy at=20 Amazon and have delivered within a week, so = this is=20 not some dead story you can only import at a = huge rate=20 or find in an obscure bookhouse. It cost me $=20 13...

The story is set in 2500 or there = about=20 and tells the story of D-503, a spaceship = designer,=20 one of the ten million Numbers living in = OneState, and=20 his love affair with a woman, I-330, who wants = to=20 start a revolution in OneState.
Their "Big = Brother"=20 is called "The Benefactor" and he uses people = to spy,=20 not telescreens. They have a huge glass wall = around=20 their clean cities and they live by The Table = wich=20 tells them when they have to do what and they = are=20 almost happy. Almost...

The biggest = differences=20 between "We" and "1984" are that Orwell was = able to=20 turn the idea's and the main characters of the = original into something that was a distinct = possible=20 future, and the fact that he turned "1984" = into a=20 future that lacked the beauty, elegance and = comfort=20 portraid in "We".
In short, Zamyatin = created an=20 idea and Orwell put it in it's best = setting.
In=20 addition to this I must say that no matter how = much I=20 was disturbed by "1984" and it's dark, cruel = world, it=20 is not as well written as "We"
The original = is=20 better composed, the characters are more alive = and the=20 language is at times pure poetry. It is not = limited to=20 the themes in "1984"
but also handles = themes=20 proposed in "Brave New World" by Aldeous = Huxley. It=20 speaks of writing, love, art, economy and = clear blue=20 skies as easily as it does of revolution, = mathematics=20 and sharp white theeth.

I love both = these=20 stories and have read both books often and = they can=20 live without doing injustice to each other, so = please,=20 read and feel the original horror of distopia = in "We"=20 by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

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=20

Matt Big Brother is = out=20 there. July 16th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.4444

Big = Brother is=20 alive and well. He feeds off the fear of the = foolish.=20 He offeres the fearfull protection, under his = all=20 seeing eye. If we are ignorant enough to fall = for the=20 seductive "Government Protection" we are no = better=20 than the characters in Orwell's book. To quote = Benjamin Franklin

"They that can give = up=20 essential liberty to obtain a little temporary = safety=20 deserve neither liberty or = safty."
Intresting=20 enough Benjamin Franklin said this in 1759. =

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=20

Anonymous 1984 June 19th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.3934

Excellent book.=20 Was Orwell a prophet? No, Orwell knew "their" = plan=20 what "they" were going to do to the masses, = truth in a=20 novel. He warned, yet his books were "banned" = for=20 decades. Now, too late, the books are school = reading=20 material. The plan was subtle at first, then = wickedly,=20 "in-your-face" bold, such as "Oceania, = Eurasia,=20 Eastasia" now a reality as news and weather=20 commentators already use 2 of them, as well as = "Big=20 Brother". It is no wonder it was schoolbook = reading=20 material which was a bold mocking ("we got = them now!")=20 venture, for students were/are already being=20 indoctrinated into socialism (Animal Farm) = schools and=20 will not mind being led into communism which = is subtle=20 in itself, and one finds themselves eventually = not=20 able to express opinions or facts (because = facts "are=20 relative" or "irrelevant", nor work for which = they=20 went to school, nor do what they do according = to their=20 individual talents, nor writing, reporting, = but only=20 what "government" allows, nor think by one's = own=20 conscience as taught traditionally, nor be = creative;=20 but act according to "Big Brother" only and be = as a=20 robot.
Now, we also have the endless = ("Enduring")=20 "war" which also was in "1984". What is really = remarkable is that being Orwell spoke grammar = the=20 correct way, yet wrote of "their" "newspeak", = young=20 people today understand and use the=20 "newspeak".
O'Brian asked Winston to the = effect,=20 "How do you control someone?" Winston = answered, "You=20 make them suffer".
While mindful people in = America=20 are oppressed and suffering the tyranny of = "Big=20 Brother", they who already read Orwell's 1984 = many=20 years ago while it was "banned" in public = bookstores.=20 Why? Because it is truth in novel form. The = mindless=20 are not troubled at all, for already "Big = Brother" is=20 their friend and the endless "war" they cheer = for that=20 was begun after 911 is their future as they've = already=20 accept the lies, the propaganda. This is = happening=20 over the world. If a nation does not comply = with "Big=20 Brother", then they are targeted to be bombed = into=20 submission.
Orwell's literary style holds = the=20 attention and is a must-read. However, the = only reason=20 students are able to read it now is because = the plan=20 in "1984" is already set in the schools. = Students are=20 now reading it as it has already been done. = That is=20 how communism is; it is subtle.

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=20

john No Subject August 17th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.3469

one = of my=20 favourite books of all time. i wonder if = people=20 realise how close we actually are(mobile = phones=20 knowing where we are all the time, security = cameras=20 following our every move,even computers = telling us=20 where we logged on to and when). and then the=20 propaganda telling us of what will happen if = we dont=20 toe the party line. it scares me to think of = what will=20 happen when our children and grandchildren are = around.=20 what is scarier is that politicial correctness = is=20 partially responsible due to the fact that = people are=20 now afraid to say or due certain things for = fear that=20 they will upset people. im all for being kind = but im=20 also for being yourself,something we are = slowly but=20 surely losing. things have to change or we = will be=20 looking at 1984 as a history reference.=20

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=20

fake name forest for the = trees August 17th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.3400

the = old saying=20 the greatest trick the devil ever pulled off = was=20 making us believe he doesnt exist is how one = can read=20 this work and not realize it has become a = reality. as=20 much as i would agree that china is a present = day=20 oceania, this must be a present day euroasia. = the=20 question i asked myself after reading orwell = was what=20 is feedom? can one say the usa is a free = nation as=20 orwell may well as defined the term, i think = not. for=20 example, watch the nightly news broadcast from = each of=20 the 'big three' and tell me where each is = different=20 and willing to take on the most pressing = issues of the=20 day? each has stories straight from the same=20 'cookie-cutter' mold and speaking of the same = issues,=20 and it is due to the 'corporitazation' of = america in=20 all its glory. state run televeision in the = former=20 soviet union never had it so good, the people = knew it=20 was a load of propaganda disguised as = objecitve, the=20 state knew it was propaganda disguised as = objective,=20 and any credibilty it may have had was = corrupted by=20 that influence. the same is true today in this = country=20 yet corruption is disguised as objectivity in = all the=20 mass media outlets since they are all owned = and=20 operated by conglomerates according to the = bottom=20 line. why should NBC shed light on disney's=20 wrongdoings when ABC will shed light on GE's = wrong=20 doings? this is long and most likely made no = sense=20 since so few 'know' the facts operating in the = world=20 today. my answer to the presiouly stated = question is=20 we arent free when walmart and mcdonalds rule = the=20 world, free to do as they wish with nothing = more than=20 a smile from the politicians 'in charge'. we=20 collectively are winston at the end, ignorant, = happily=20 accpeting the bullet and finally coming to = love Big=20 Brother-what other choice to the sheep have?=20

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=20

sara telescreens October 23rd, = 2002 Rating: = 5.3056

I = notice a=20 great similarity of the telescreens = controlling the=20 population of Oceana in the novel, and the way = that=20 television controls the population of America, = whether=20 we realize it or not. Every aspect of the = media- the=20 news, the TV shows, and the advertisements = have all=20 been carefully planned out to play on = Americans in=20 just the righ manner so that those who = produced the=20 media can intill in Americans the same values = that=20 they have through a semi- hypnotic devise like = the=20 television. It is amazing that even in = Orwell's own=20 time, in 1948, when television was not found = in every=20 household, that Orwell could make such an = accurate=20 prediction of what has become part of his = distopian=20 future.=20

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=20

Alasdair Spare me. May 28th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.2604

Nineteen=20 Eighty-Four is one of my favourite books, and = I'm=20 sorry, but I just find it laughable how = magnificently=20 inept the above synopsis paragraph is - both = in terms=20 of its content and grammar. Content first: A) = It's=20 'O'Brien', not 'O'Brian'. B) Winston's = encounter with=20 O'Brien takes place inside the Ministry of = Truth, not=20 'while walking home'. C) You've massively=20 overemphasised the importance of the = Brotherhood,=20 which barely features until Part II, section = VIII -=20 and is essentially tangential in Part III. D) = The=20 Ministry of Love is Oceania's law enforcement = and=20 secret police organisation, not a = 'rehabilitation=20 centre'. And to describe Part III as = 'rehabilitation'=20 in any case completely misses the point since = E)=20 Winston is not tortured so that his beliefs = coincide=20 with that of the Party, he's tortured into = accepting=20 that the Party creates and defines reality as = it sees=20 fit (pardon the oversimplification). The = distinction=20 is important. Somehow you've managed to = summarise the=20 book without the slightest hint that this is = one of=20 the most important and scathing political = satires of=20 the 20th century. And as to grammar... Well, = did it=20 occur to anyone that your third sentence = states that=20 Big Brother rules over Eastasia and Eurasia as = well as=20 Oceania? I think placing this book on line is = a=20 wonderful idea - pity the presentation isn't=20 better.
PS: On a personal level, I disagree = over=20 Quiller's comments on two (and it's only two) = of=20 Winston's acquaintances also being gaoled in = the=20 Ministry of Love. I don't find this comical, = but=20 rather fits in both with what we know and = what, under=20 O'Brien's didactic tutelage, we're about to = discover=20 of the nature of Oceanic society.
Our=20 Response:If you wish to write a better = summary=20 we'd gladly publish it, until then we can only = publish=20 what we're given.=20

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=20

Egginator We too? November 13th, = 2002 Rating: = 5.1463

Some say that=20 Orwell was writing about the governements of = Hitler=20 and the Soviet Union. But in what ways was he = writing=20 about his government? Does it apply to most=20 governments that exist today? It is arguable = how much=20 we resemble Oceania, but clearly we have all = of the=20 elements at play: propaganda (look at the=20 slogan-strewn backgrounds of any George W. = Bush=20 Presidential address), thought police (e.g., = FBI=20 investigations of "unpatriotic" art exhibits), = surveillance (cellphone monitoring, security = cameras),=20 civilian spies (the whitehouse's plan to have = citizens=20 spy on each other), etc.=20

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=20
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