“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”
George Orwell, 1984
I read 1984 sometime in the beginning of this year. I needed some distance and time to recover before I could write a review . 1984 is a dystopian novel by George Orwell. A brilliant story depicting the impact of a totalitarian government. On one hand this book forces you to think what’s the best governing system. Is it the time of kings and queens or imperialism, variations of communism, democracy or something else?. Let’s get into a bit more detailed review:
About the Author
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
George Orwell, 1984
George Orwell is the pen name for Eric Arthur Blair. He was a British Novelist and a Journalist. Orwell was born in British India in the region of Bengal. He was however raised in England. Even though he wanted to become a writer since childhood, due to poor background and not doing too well in studies he had to serve in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. He served in Spanish civil war, saw Second World War and travelled England, Europe and researched especially on poor neighbourhoods of the country that had a huge impact on his writing. Towards the end of the war he published one of his most popular books Animal Farm. He published 1984 very close to his death in 1949.
Star rating
5 stars
Plot
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
George Orwell, 1984
1984 is set in an imagined state of Oceania where a totalitarian government has constant surveillance on its citizens. The state of Oceania is in a perpetual war with neighbouring states Eastasia or Eurasia. The government in the name of its leader “Big Brother” and Ministry of Truth runs continuous propaganda to curb independent thinking.
The protagonist Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth and his job is to re-write the truth and destroy the earlier versions whenever government decides to change historical details. As the story goes on, he tries to recall the actual truth from when he was a boy and manages to keep a secret diary for capturing his thoughts. In other words he is committing thought crime. Eventually, he engages in rebellion along with another colleague Julia.
What I liked about the book
“For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?”
George Orwell, 1984
Even though the book left me terrified and depressed It’s an excellent example of a dystopian world. No wonder the phrases like “Big Brother”, “Thought police” became common usage. With polarizing political situation and rapid advancement in technology, this 74 year old book still is a very relevant today. I loved how the book takes you to a journey of a terrifying possibility of a totalitarian government is wiping history and reshaping language to take complete control over everyone.
Final thoughts
A must read for every generation. Whether or not you are interested in politics, I recommend reading this work of fiction which can very easily become a reality.
Until next week. Ciao!
