What written by George Orwell, who is
What is the title of the book?The title of the book is “1984”.Who is the author? What other books has this author written?The book is written by George Orwell, who is also known for “Animal Farm,” “Down and Out in Paris and London,” and “Homage to Catalonia.”What is the general plot of the story (without giving away too much information, particularly the ending)The novel starts out by introducing the main character, Winston Smith, who works at the Ministry of Truth. However, his job is to actually manipulate articles and photos from the past to match the current propaganda spread by the government and “Big Brother”. The government relies on propaganda and the Thought Police, who police thoughts, to enforce and cement their growing power. The novel then proceeds to illustrate Winston’s path into dissent, which is seen through him having an intimate relationship with another character, Julia, and engaging in activities hostile towards the government, with the help of O’Brien.
Intimacy is banned in Oceania, the superstate in which Winston lives, and O’Brien is a powerful and influential member of the government. However, as O’Brien and Winston engage in events hostile towards the government, Winston’s life goes from bad to worse, and the novel finishes by describing that transition.Who is the main character of the story? Who is the most interesting character of the story. Explain both.
The main character of “1984” is Winston Smith. Orwell describes Oceania and the government in relation to how it affects Winston. Furthermore, Winston is the one who attempts to seek change in the world by acting against the government and Big Brother.The most interesting character in “1984” is Big Brother, even though he does not make a single appearance. He is omnipresent, but at the same time, never seen or heard.
This character is most likely the creation of the government in order to incite fear in their enemies but hope and inspiration in those who follow them. Choose one short passage from the story to read to the class. Why did you choose these passage? What makes them important to the overall story?Page 221 “All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always––do not forget this, Winston––always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler.
Always at every moment there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face––for ever (sic).”This passage truly embodies Orwell’s views on humanity and a central theme of the novel, power is corrupting and one group will always be oppressed in order for another to succeed.
It also directly relates to today, companies like Apple or Nike are only as successful as they are due to the slave labor they employ in Asian countries.This passage is not important to the overall plot of the novel, but greatly summarizes a central theme of the novel: for one group to succeed another must be oppressed.What lesson can we learn from this story? How can reading this book make us a better person / society?An important lesson that can be learned from “1984” is to not be a passive viewer of politics. One must be actively engaged in politics and elections or else that past can be manipulated and false information can spread easier than true information. This novel could also be used to describe the 2016 presidential election because many people sat back and watched while Trump spewed lies and distorted truths that would not have been able to spread as easily as they did if more people gathered their information from multiple sources and were more engaged in the election. As mentioned above, if more people had read this book, perhaps they would have been less inclined to believe Trump and the false information spread.
Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?I would certainly recommend this book. Not only is a fascinating read but it also has many applications to today and our current society. Furthermore, it can be used to better educate oneself about the perils associated with wholeheartedly believing politicians, and people in other positions of power, without doing their own research and forming their own opinions on a certain person or topic.
