Nineteen-eighty-four

Text-only Version: Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.



lil bitchiness
Im sure many of you have read this book, and who hasnt, you really must!

This is one fo the reasons i didnt like that show 'big brother' was called 'big brother'...because of where the idea came from...embarrasment i know im a geek!

Id really like to discuss this book...did you think it was frightening? I absolutely did...maybe because it COULD happen..the totally control idea really scared me...

Love didnt prevail in the end either...confused basicly the message was ''you cant beat the system''

What did you guys think about it?! confused

kohl
it was good. i like how all feelings, mostly helplessness are depicted. it has really good character work.

lil bitchiness
Yeah...agreed.
The whole feel to the book was creepy messed ending just added to it...

mors823
I haven't read this one, but I read George Orwell's other book "Animal Farm" and that was good. It should be similar, dealing with communism and control. I ve talked about this book, Fahrieneit 451 and the movies Equilibrium and The Matrix back ont eh Matrix forum. They're all somewhat similar, dealing with beating the system.

h0ck3yh0rr0r
its good. very good actually but i stick with the classics smile

Phoenix
I loved this book, but the ending was so bleak. I cried when Winston saw his reflection when he was in the ministry of love and he was unrecognisable

SilverFighter
I like 1984 specialy chapter 5!! The infamous room 101 is my favorite part of the book. I remenber discussing the book with other school mates. Their conclusions were different than mine about the book. To them the book is an example of what the world might have become if communism would be taken over the world. But to me the book illustrated a world if Nazism would have won the war.

I really like the book but for some reasons I drew different conclusions on the book theme. However you interpretid the book is still a classic not one of my favorites but it is worth readin it.

metal face
excellent book,

i might it again soon

i forget the line

you're only tuly free if....

i cant remmebr the rest..

but its the basis of the book for real....

reckonize

Phoenix
We are reading it for the 6th Form bookclub. We are meeting tomorrow. I'll try to come online on thurs and tell ya all their ideas

lil bitchiness
Excellent...i might re-read it actually...confused Its not the same though...the ending is a shock in a way...

metal face
i thought the ending was dope

indeed kinda a shock

i thought the book could have been a little better with a little more detail or added story about the oppression....to much jumble with him and the chick...

the philosophical views of the book are on point though

like at the end!!!

hahahaha

lil bitchiness
The ending was the best thing about it...I dont think anything else needed to be said....

Winston and his 'chick' were important part...in the end it showed that love didnt prevail and he betrayed her..well sort of, as he didnt want to get tourchered so they were an important factor..yes

metal face
it was an important factor

but played on a lot nah mean?

and its didnt really contibute to the end

ina way, but....

i just felt it didnt really apply to the books views

it aint a love story for real

Fire
great book one of the great classics, not as great as the triffids (sp) tho

anywayz in 1948, when the book was written 1984 could well have been like Orwel described it. If you look at the technological part of the book it is CERTAINLY possible today. However I don't see it happening any time soon.

Phoenix
What we decided was so scary about it is that you look around the world and you can see elements of it everywhere

Corlindel
Good fiction book. A profecie that became true. sad

Someone is watching me at this moment at the net., there are cameras on street corners, my privacy is violated every momet, everywhere sad

mors823
In your monitor, there are tiny, little hidden cameras that see evrything you are doing and transmit it to a secret location and if you do anything wrong, they'll get ya.

BTW, it you didn't know 1984 got it's name by inverting the last 2 digits of 1948, the year it was written. Also, George Orwell, isn't the real name of the author. I forgot got, but he though his real name sounded too upper class (He was born in India and was British) and changed it to George Orwell.

cermiestar
i love this book! so much of what he's saying rings true, like mary shelley's frankenstein he predicts social advances...but are they good??????? LOVE this book!

Ushgarak
People can overstate the similarities between 1984 and the world we live in. Saying something is very 'Big Brother' has become a dreadful cliche and used by many people with no conception of what they are talking about.

I mean, does anyone really think that 1984 was a genuine attempt to make a What If? scenario?

Phoenix
I think it was a warning rather than a prediction

Ushgarak
I would not be amazed if it were satire. He was an odd guy though.

russ_mathers
the greatest book ever written, really insightful into how the world could be so f***ed up(!)

lil bitchiness
Yes, i believe so! It was written in 1948 because many people believed that its going to be like that in years to come...

It could happen...sure it could, anything is possible, its the probabilty that tends not to be great...

Corlindel
Yeap. It has became a dreadful cliche, and maybe used by people with no conception of what they are talking about. But I think the dreadfull cliche is the right way to make a synopsis of the book.

1984 could be understanded in two ways. The present sociological situation in East european countries after the war and the what if scenario that people should avoid to have in their own countries.

The essence of book had is nature in the political evolution of Orwell. Since his revolutionary socialism waythat took him to fight in Spain by the Republican army against the Nationalist army - Franquist. And his after political changes to a more liberal way, with several critics to the east block after WWII.

1984 critics the present in 1948 and give us an advice to the future.

In a simple and general point of view, but correct too, the similarities between 1984 and the world he lived and the world we live in, are not overstated.

It was not an attempt to create an "What if" scenario but to show a present scenario in other countries and to avoid that scenario developemnt in his country.

Sometimes dreadful cliches are right, even if people don't know what they are talking about.

stick out tongue

ruby
i havnt read it but no the plot.

i think that slowly but surely it is happening.

animal farms also a great book!

Phoenix
animal farm was exellent! especially after reading 1984! 1984 is more detailed and sophisticated, but animal farm is simple and more powerful

ruby
its so bloody short aswell!

bigp
His real name is Eric Arthur Blair (I believe). When he wanted to write "The Road To Wigan Pier" he went to Wigan and stayed at a very downscale lodging house. Fearing his name might be recognised if he called himself Orwell when he went, he used his real name there.

(Incidentally, if any of you have read Wigan Pier, I can tell you that Wigan is my home town, and it's a LOT different now to how Orwell depicts it, although there is a pier.)

shaber
1984 was too grotesque to be a precise 'what-if' scenario, it was caricaturing other totalitarian regimes. If that can be done.

big gay kirk
I remember at school we had to write a summary of 1984... I did mine in Newspeak... here it is....

Smith W thoughtcrimer sexcrimer doubleplusungood. bb cure Smith W.

That was it.....

Predator 89
I read 1984 a couple of months ago and i must say that its one of the greatest political novels ever written. I do agree with most of you that the novel was a warning instead of a prediction, But the book was not only meant to show what the world would become if comunism and facism were to take over. The book shows that any government can become oppresive. Especially the dangers of nationlism and patriotism aswell. I do comment that the ending was very weak and devoid of hope. Basically George Orwell is saying that there are times when the human spirit( living, feeling and dreaming) Will not defeat oppresion.

Ushgarak
Logically not possible- if a cliche is right it's not dreadful.

Sorry, but people do just use the term 'Big Brother' as a lazy criticism of any form of authority.

And I agree it was criticising his present- like I said, it was satire. I think anyone who thinks he was actually predicting the future has read it entirely wrong.

But I cannot see in any way in which people who attempt to draw such similarities are not overstating them.

Flamboyant4Life
I have to read this book for High School summer reading. I'm about halfway through and I love this book so far. Any other opinions?

Koenig
I read this book many years ago, I found it to be a very good read. I must reread it again, the film 1984 is very good as well, Richard Burton puts in a great performance as O'Brien. eek! smile

Wolfie
Great book. It's what got me into these futuristic "utopia" novels.

As for the movie, John Hurt is exactly how I pictured Winston. The woman who played Julia annoyed me though. erm

Lyna303
Originally posted by Flamboyant4Life
I have to read this book for High School summer reading. I'm about halfway through and I love this book so far. Any other opinions?
wow! i just finished reading it...and i have mixed feelings about it...it was really really horibly boring at the beginning, but it got better...but its a little depressing no expression

Brit531
I really didnt get into it. Though I had to read it for school. Actually that is the only reason I read it

Lyna303
Originally posted by Brit531
I really didnt get into it. Though I had to read it for school. Actually that is the only reason I read it
im reading it for school too

Fire
Pretty boring at the start, certainly at a young age, But never the less a classic, tho more because of the concept and story than the literary talent of Orwell IMO (but reading a translation generally doesn't help that)

masterkit
Search Function-Its Like Magic

Use It

http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21909&highlight=1984+forumid%3A67

~Flamboyant~
Just finished it. Didn't really like the end though.Originally posted by masterkit
Search Function-Its Like Magic

Use It

http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21909&highlight=1984+forumid%3A67 Go away.

masterkit
lol

no

Lyna303
Originally posted by ~Flamboyant~
Just finished it. Didn't really like the end though. Go away.
yea exactly, it was too depressing for my taste...
flamboyant....did you have to compare it with a differnt book?...like anthem...?

~Flamboyant~
Originally posted by Lyna303
yea exactly, it was too depressing for my taste...
flamboyant....did you have to compare it with a differnt book?...like anthem...? Nope, I have to pick certain quotes from the book and write my own personalized responses to them. I lost the direction sheet though, so I don't know exactly what to do.

Lyna303
Originally posted by ~Flamboyant~
Nope, I have to pick certain quotes from the book and write my own personalized responses to them. I lost the direction sheet though, so I don't know exactly what to do.
you lucky bastard stick out tongue...i had to read 1984 and Anthem over my summer break just to prepare for a class i haven't even started yet...then when class started (on the first day) we were assigned an essay that is due on monday...god...im procrastinating again...i shouldn't be posting...dammit....o well...

RedAlertv2
I started reading it once years ago but never finished sad. Im sure someday Ill read it though.

masterkit
Originally posted by masterkit
Search Function-Its Like Magic

Use It

http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21909&highlight=1984+forumid%3A67



>.>

Castle
It does have one of the most beautiful endings to a book that i have ever read..i won't tell you but its so final that it just makes the perfect ending

Eis
Originally posted by Castle
It does have one of the most beautiful endings to a book that i have ever read..i won't tell you but its so final that it just makes the perfect ending
I fail to see how the ending is 'beautiful' in any way. Maybe it's just me.

Lyna303
Originally posted by Castle
It does have one of the most beautiful endings to a book that i have ever read..i won't tell you but its so final that it just makes the perfect ending its beautiful that he got brainwashed?...

Lycanthrope
Does anyone slese who read this book find it very Prophetic? I mean the guy wrote it in the 1930's and its exactly what is going on right now. He must have been a psychic or from the future becuase its spooky how life is Happening almost verbatum to what the Book reads.

big gay kirk
when orwell wrote 1984, it wasn't a vision of the future, but of the present.... and it wasn't about obviously totalitarian states like the fascist ones of its day,.... it was about the British and American systems of the day, where the Middle have ousted the High with the aid of the Low, and have had the intelligence to not place themselves in the position of the High... most revolutions involve the replacemant of the High with a group from the Middle.... however, America, Britain, and other democracies have cunningly made themselves a system where there is no obvious High, and the task of Government falls to the Middle.... as rebellion comes from the middle, this leaves them nothing to rebel against, thus neutering them.. the Low have rarely rebelled (if ever) without being egged on by the Middle.. which therefore leads to a society where the Low stay Low and just as happy with their lot as before, and the leadership stays the same without fear of rebellion.. this is why everyone was scared of the Russian revolution.. not because it might inspire the Low to rebel, but that it might inspire disaffected member s of teh Middle to replace the governing middle, and upset the whole system.....

Bardock42
Originally posted by Lycanthrope
Does anyone slese who read this book find it very Prophetic? I mean the guy wrote it in the 1930's and its exactly what is going on right now. He must have been a psychic or from the future becuase its spooky how life is Happening almost verbatum to what the Book reads. He, it's like word for word what is happening.



No, wait.


Also, the ending is amazingly good...but "beautiful"? ****ing hell.

Text-only Version: Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.