1984 is a dystopian novel written in 1948, where Orwell portrays what would happen if communism replaced capitalism. Winston Smith, the main character, struggles to fight against the oppression from the state of Oceania. Political propaganda has taken over citizens’ lives, with a figure named Big Brother constantly scrutinizing everyone. Freedom of speech no longer exists, and anyone who speaks against the Party is eliminated. I enjoyed the numerous symbolic meanings behind many of the objects in the novel such as telescreens that can connect to our technologically advanced world today. This book is an easy recommendation to any reader.

In this novel we are transported to a new dystopian society where the world has been divided into three global superpowers; Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. The novel follows Winston’s journey in this new society; in his case the society of Oceania, under Big brother. Winston remembers a time before Big Brother (Oceania's dictator figure), a time where the world was ‘normal’ and he wasn’t under a dictatorship’s rule. Because of his remembering of the past, Winston is one of the last people who want change, he wants the fall of Big Brother.
This book does deal with some mature content.

The book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell touches upon the issues with totalitarian governments. Modeled after Stalin’s Soviet Union of the late 1940s (when the book was written), the government of Oceania is shown to control every aspect of life, both public and private. The world, consumed by continual warfare, has become subject to the rule of just three separate regimes, all of which are totalitarian. The shifting and conflicted viewpoint of Winston Smith, the narrator and protagonist, aids with conveying a sense of confusion and absurdity that Orwell tried to portray as a result of totalitarianism. Additionally, the use of absurd and sometimes more mature examples furthers the image Orwell tried to depict of bureaucratic, totalitarian governments.
Orwell’s Ninety Eighty-Four, discussing the dangers of totalitarian government systems, has been a controversial book since it was first published - both for its political and cultural contents. Orwell implements some of the popular fears and interpretations of totalitarian governments in his writing, such as limited control over the masses and a pin-pointed scapegoat to affirm the power of the government (this theme is also seen in Kurt Vonnegut’s The Cat’s Cradle, published in 1963).

Haven't read 1984 since English literature class in the 60's. Current events, biased media reporting, cancel culture, and now book banning (Dr. Seuss of all people) keep reminding me of it.
Brainwashing, Newspeak, doublethink, etal all come to mind so I'm on the waiting list to re-read this classic masterpiece.

The novel 1984 by William Orwell portrays how the protagonist, Winston Smith, goes against and tries to rebel against the Party and its authoritarian rule. The Party is led by big Brother and uses propaganda and doublethink to control the minds of the people. The party instills fear and uses forms of torture to get rebels, and party members with “extremist beliefs” to make them understand and follow Big Brother’s agenda. Winston is closely monitored by Big Brother, and forced to hide his actions from everyone else in society, and ultimately joins a secret organization that wants to overthrow the party, called the Brotherhood. However, when he is caught and convicted of thoughtcrime, Winston will have to face his worst fears. I would recommend this book to anyone, as it has a lot of ideas and themes that can be analyzed and be applied to various situations. It portrays the significance of free thought and speech in our society, and ultimately shows a dark future where both of those are limited.

Age: 15+

1984 is a renowned novel written by the celebrated author George Orwell, and is about an extremist world and how Winston, an ordinary member of society, navigates his way through truths and lies, and realities and misconceptions. Winston lives in a society controlled by a group called the Party, led by Big Brother, who watches over citizens and manipulates everything they do down to their thoughts, suppressing all forms of emotion by implementing a simple language devoid of connotation. The novel traces Winston’s journey of radical thinking, and is an enjoyable read for those mature enough for it. Anyone in high school or above can read and appreciate this novel and how it portrays extreme dictatorships, and some can even relate this to the real-world events going on with censorship in North Korea, or the Uighur Muslim camps in China.

I think Orwell does an excellent job in depicting the horrors that citizens of modern day authoritarian regimes go through. For example, in China and North Korea, free speech, the internet, and anything that denounces the government is completely censored, so there is no one to hold dictators accountable. Orwell’s critique of this sort of regime is expressed in a way that is humorous but horrifying at the same time, which makes this book a truly unique read for anyone who wants to semi-experience a life with no freedom of expression.

I always wondered why people who had a totalitarian government didn't rebel and this book showed me why. 1984 will make you see things from a different perspective, worth the read!

Don't let the title of the book fool you. There are a lot of relevant topics relating to today's world presented in this work of fiction.

1984 by George Orwell introduces a dystopian society - one in which the government, or the tyrant “Big Brother” has complete authority. There are monitors in every room that record one’s actions and speakers to record what they are saying so the government can identify any rebel or revolutionary in society. The main character, Winston Smith, transforms from a person that is in accord with the government to one of these rebels, and we experience his journey throughout his transformation. Orwell wants to convey the dangers of an all-powerful government in this novel, and successfully does so by describing how Big Brother, the ruler of society, maintains his power by keeping others in ignorance. I believe that this work is very relevant to today’s world, where we have the autonomy and authority to vote for our leaders. 1984 is a warning to embrace our free will and never let anyone take our autonomy from us. I recommend this novel as not only a fiction book, but a possible reality that we must prevent.