1984 (Michael Martinez)

1984  (Michael Martinez)

Title of Book:  1984

Author:  George Orwell
# of Pages: 245 

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

Why this Book has Value:

Imagine for an instant a world where you have no personal belongings, no personal relationships, a world devoid of choice .There are no more books to read except those approved and written by Big Brother. A person is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; thoughts are controlled, speech is controlled, and facial expressions are not allowed. Welcome to Winston’s world set in Oceania, 1984. Winston is the main character in this chilling novel of a totalitarian society that is set some years into the future from Orwell’s time. The dwellings that the people live in are gritty, run down, and in shambles, much like post war London. Coincidentally, Oceania was formerly London, but that history has been erased. Literally, the past has been erased and rewritten in a new language called Newspeak in order to suppress thoughts outside the parameters of permissible.

1984 is brilliantly written to prod people in examining their own government and societal structure. The story is a warning to heed Big Brother and disallow our individual freedoms to be diluted. As is poignantly demonstrated in 1984, once a freedom is stripped, it will never be returned. As a point of comparison to our present day society, because we are not free from surveillance, are we at risk of our personal liberties being taken away by our very own Big Brother? Winston worried constantly about being surveilled, “It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, habit of muttering to yourself-anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide. In any case, to where an improper expression on your face was itself a punishable offense. There was even a word for it in Newspeak: facecrime it was called.” Without privacy, there is no human dignity. Without human dignity, a person is broken and easily manipulated. In a totalitarian society, there is no individualism, only collectivism. However, the ones in control can change the rules any time. In 1984,an exception to facecrime is allowed on “Days of Hate”.

Hate of the warring country with Oceania is fueled by inescapable propaganda broadcast in ear-splitting decibels by Big Brother. In 1984, people were expected to rise up in a terrible rage against Eurasia as they viewed the enemy on the telescreen; “In its second minute the Hate rose to frenzy. People were leaping up and down in their places and shouting at the tops of their voices in an effort to drown out the maddening bleating voice coming from the telescreen.”

            Orwell reminds us repeatedly throughout the book that the will of the majority is powerless in the face of the leaders exerting their will upon the people. Winston is a rarity in that he does have hope and  willing to take dangerous risks. Winston commits an act of rebellion more than once, but the most striking is his diary. He is forbidden to write unless it is at his job, yet he writes almost daily in a diary he bought secretly. The diary has a consistent theme and that is “Down with Big Brother.” Winston is aware that the discovery of his diary will invite a bullet into his spine, but chooses to take the risk. He stands by his principles and is an excellent role model for everyone today who is tempted to believe everything they see and hear on the television, radio, or internet. The warning is clear- question those in authority, speak truth to power, and stand your ground, no matter what the consequences.

            I recommend you read 1984 to experience what could be if Big Brother is not held to a higher bar of integrity. The importance of retaining our individual liberties is even more relevant today than it was in George Orwell’s time. He did not live in a society with constant surveillance as we do today.