George Orwell- 1984-Book Review

 

Allan Krinsky                           George Orwell- 1984-Book Review

Quote of the Book:

“Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present, controls past.”

I understand this quote to mean that the victor (in any controversy) controls not only the outcome of things, but the story told behind it. One that controls what has happened is consequently in control of what will be told about it. Just as one that is in control of the here and now, is in control of what is told of the past. Basically, this quote describes power and what comes with it in terms of history, and how it is told not through the truth, but through the mouth of the winner.

This quote was said in the context that Winston, the main character, held a particular knowledge that proved that Eurasia and Oceania, two hypothetical nations illustrated in the book, were once allies.  Here, the book was discussing how Winston’s mind and this hidden fact that he knew could be erased in an instant, by killing him. His conscious was the only mind aware of this fact. By killing Winston, the government could take control of the present and therefore the past.

            This idea of the government hiding the truth and deceiving the civilians is shown throughout the entire book. In fact, that is practically the purpose of the book to show a potential future with a negative utopia run by a totalitarian government.

Connections:

·         The book in general exemplifies a totalitarian society which correlates directly with the Communist regime of the late 1900s Soviet Russia. Seeing that Orwell had firsthand experience of the horrific rule, he wrote this book to alarm people of western nations of communism and what evil potential it had.

·         1984 shows the idea of absolute domination by a government, and the dangers that come with it. By deliberately weakening people’s memories and flooding their minds with propaganda, the Party is able to replace individuals’ memories with its own version of the truth. This explains the idea of,” he who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present, controls past.”

·          The telescreens used throughout the book are an obvious symbol of technology. However, the book not only shows the advancement of technology, but the possible dangers and advantage taking that can come from it.  In their dual capability to blare constant propaganda and observe citizens, the telescreens also symbolize how the government abuses technology for its own means, in place of exploiting its knowledge to expand civilization.

Visual Representation:

This image relates directly with the book in that there is a seemingly omnipotent power, here being the face. The face, like Big Brother in the book, imposes a sense of fear. The intensity of the eyes of Big Brother in this image instills a sense of power and confidence, like that shown in the book.

Questions:

1.)    Is the society shown in 1984 possible?

2.)    Does the totalitarian government shown in 1984 relate to our American government in any way?

3.)    How can we protect ourselves from a government of this sort?

4.)    When you read “Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present, controls past,” what is the first thought that comes to mind?

5.)    What importance does this book have?

Reflection:

I felt that this book was not only interesting, but possibly real, giving it that scary edge. I did; however, feel that the writing style is relatively complicated. It was tough to adapt to. The change in tense and location, along with the change in dialogue from people to monitors seemed to confuse me indefinitely. Aside from the complexities, I recommend the book, fully, to any reader looking for a good read. The book is captivating and constantly brings in fear, and therefore more intrigue into the picture. The fact that the story in the book is possible makes the book all the more interesting and easy to relate to.