George Orwell's 1984, only our third discussion but likely
our most heated so far. Plenty to discuss from how accurate his predictions
were, to how unrealistic certain themes were received (such as the thought
police).
Many who found the book quite hard going continued to read it due to its classic
status, some were pleased they persevered others still not quite understanding
it fully at the end.
One thing we did agree on, was that if you were reading the
book, pre 1984 with a growing whiff of
insecurity about whats just hiding around the corner, it must have been quite
chilling. The growing political strains, the aftermath of WW2 and the uncertain
rising fear over the Cold War all a real and sensitive subject for many, but
how Orwell was able to engage fear into the reader, about just how bad things
may become before the year 1984. Although reading the book as either Sci-Fi or
political propaganda, much of Orwell's predictions became extremely real for
many in the real World.
The concept of the novel was fantastic, the ideas were
great, although some of us found the writing style very monotone and sterile
(which may just be a reflection of the novel itself). The group were 50/50 on
the characters, either loving them or hating them. Everyone could describe a
profound part or theme in the book which grasped them such as room 101 and the
torture scenes, and the similarities between the themes in the book and the
Nazi reign of terror.
I myself admit that the thought police was a silly idea
(seriously, controlling your thoughts??) but after speaking with the group, one
member with first hand knowledge of what its like growing up in another
country, it became clear that actually the idea wasn't so silly. If people were
brought up to think a certain way, told that they cannot think anything bad
against their leader or else a family member would lose their job or worse, the
fear would sink in, and you would refrain from thinking against the majority.
Although the term thought police is a bit extreme, punishment for thinking out
of place under communist regimes was very real.
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