Orwell

Book Review – 1984 1984 was a book written by George Orwell in which he envisages a world taken over by a right-wing party. He presents a bleak view of this world in which the party controls everything. Nobody can have privacy because telescreens watch everyone for 24 hours of the day. Big Brother is the leader of the Party, whom watches over everything and everyone. One must listen and believe in the Party or risked being found out by the ‘thought police’ and imprisoned. He describes the life of a member of the party, named Winston Smith. He is a revolutionist, but he keeps all his thoughts to himself, until he begins to write a diary. He knows he will be found out, but he doesn’t care. His rebelliousness increases throughout the novel. He meets many people, and from instinct he can tell who will and will not be exterminated. He is joined by Julia, a beautiful young woman much in contrast with Winston physically, but equally sickened by the power and control of her rulers. Their relationship blossoms in the most unlikely of circumstances, and it is very difficult to carry out. The fact that the Party controls the past, by changing its records, means it can control the present and future. I enjoyed 1984 very much. I loved one character in particular, whom was called O’Brien. His explanation of how things had become the way they are at the end of the novel was inspirational. The book makes a lot of sense, but it is so compelling because it also describes a dire and desperate situation in which we may have find ourselves in the near future. 1984 is a warning about what could happen. The Twentieth century was a scary time with the rapid increase of war technology and techniques and the suppression of free speech and ideas as well as the killing of people for race, creed or religion. It still happens today. Orwell was cautioning us all not to be so easily deceived and to fight for our rights and not be passive, even if we have to die trying. He is telling us to fight for our freedom; we will not realize how important it is until we lose it. It is so gripping because it questions authority; it questions the policies of our government and daily life. However, the book was a tough read and at times, difficult to fully understand. There are some underlying meanings in parts that a difficult to capture and imagine.
Vural Ergisi