George Orwell's 1984

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First time poster on the Book Club, so I'm not really sure how the format goes.

Just want to generate some discussion and what you felt about the book.

Thanks.. :thumbsu:
 

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Animal Farm is Orwell's best book IMO.
 
I disagree that 1984 turned out to be an almost accuracte prophecy, I believe as a society we are still far away from INGSOC or a big brother society.

I think we should be looking at 1984 and at some of the reforms passing through now (terror, IR) and act skeptically. Orwell wrote of a future where people had no choice over actions and could not do anything to stop the party however we live in a society (for the moment) where we still can take action and halt the party. Utimately 1984 must live as a lesson to what society must be avoided at all costs!
 
All-time classic. Definitely a book everyone should read, not the least so they can understand where the term "Big Brother" actually came from and what it was intended to mean!
 
evo said:
Fantastic book,quite possibly one of the best in the 20th century.

'Brave New World' Aldous Huxley is bettter though in my view.
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I much preferred "Brave New World". The question of what is better, "Freedom or Happiness?" is a very interesting one and well explored.

Personally I wasn't very interested in 1984.
 

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This book is my scond favourite (just behind To Kill a Mockingbird).

Currently studying the Russian Revolution so Animal Farm is very interesting to me as well.
 
I must be one of very few who just can't stand it. I appreciate what it's trying to achieve but there's something about the writing style that bores me to tears
 
Excellent book, I haven't read any other Orwell though.

It should be said that I was far more socialist before I read it (sadly, not until this year), than afterwards...:eek:
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I studied 1984 last year. Orwell was a supporter of the British Labour Party. The book was written in 1949 and was meant to be a warning about the excesses of Totalitarianism whether it be the recent right wing Hitler style or left wing Stalin style. He deliberately made INGSOC the continuation of English socialism to point out that even his own side of politics was vulnerable to those extreme ideas. 1984 should bring people towards the centre.

While it is a good read from a political viewpoint, I agree that the writing style does get pretty bad at times. The fact that Winston slowly discovers the truth about his world probably overcomes this problem because you want to keep reading to find out despite the bad writing.
 
beaver fever said:
I much preferred "Brave New World". The question of what is better, "Freedom or Happiness?" is a very interesting one and well explored.

Personally I wasn't very interested in 1984.
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Brave New World is a great book to read. The conditioning of children to know which social class level is really freaky and with the drug "Soma" to control the mind and not question authority it's also a spooky reminder of what drugs can do.
 
I have been meaning to read Brave New World for Years and never get around to it. I saw a mini series when I was a teenager and really enjoyed. Whether I would enjoy it now with more mature tstes I don't know.

1984 is one of the great books in my opinion. The ceding of power to "The Authorities" is something that we all need to be mindfull of and I reckon Orwell describes the dangers brilliantly. It is my 17 yo daughter's favourite book so it is standing the test of time.

I did love Animal Farm and also The Road to Wigan Pier which is about the lives of working men and women , particularly coalminers in Yorkshire and Lancashire and the hardships they faced. I was born in a coalmining town in Yorkshire and my Dad worked down ' pit so it was fascinating to read about it as I never suffered or lived in poverty myself.

He was a great writer, maybe not stylistically, but certainly from the point of view of using literature as a vehicle for change.
 
jo172 said:
I disagree that 1984 turned out to be an almost accuracte prophecy, I believe as a society we are still far away from INGSOC or a big brother society.

I think we should be looking at 1984 and at some of the reforms passing through now (terror, IR) and act skeptically. Orwell wrote of a future where people had no choice over actions and could not do anything to stop the party however we live in a society (for the moment) where we still can take action and halt the party. Utimately 1984 must live as a lesson to what society must be avoided at all costs!
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Maybe should have called it 2084, we're on the path complete with Smart Phones/TVs that can record everything you do/say and everywhere you go and the ability of the media to shoot things down the memory hole. Places like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay are almost room 101 like, who knows whether they will have similar domestically in the near future.
 
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