I have seen 1984 by George Orwell be described as an example of English literature and classic many times but the title does not sound interesting at all, so I kept putting it off. One fine day, I told myself “you bought the book, you might as well read it”. I started reading it and I couldn’t put it down until I have finished the book.
1984 is a dystopia (a community or society that is frightening or undesirable, an antonym to utopia) novel set in 1984 when most of the world population falls into one of the three superstates – Eurasia, Oceania and Eastasia – totalitarian states with the mottos:
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
The ideology of the totalitarian states as described by the book “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Emmanuel Goldstein” is every bit the opposite of what I have been taught at school and in society, but many of the traits described reminds me of what I have read about communist countries, especially in Russia (which was known as Soviet Union back then), but this book takes it many steps further. Perhaps this was what communism was really about, except that no country has yet been able to manifest it fully before it was defeated, or perhaps George Orwell wrote this novel on the basis of communism.
If you are looking for a novel that contradicts every belief you have ever believed in and make you grateful for the freedom to think, to speak, to act according to your own wishes, this is the book for you.
