1984
Large Print - 2017 | Large print edition
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From Library Staff
From Library Staff
Available in audio and digital formats.
Though published in 1949 and set in 1984, this story remains topical today.
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Quotes
Add a QuoteAnd even technological progress only happens when its products can in some way be used for diminution of human liberty. In all the useful arts the world’s either standing still or going backwards.
He felt as though he were wandering the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the monster. He was alone. The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human now living was on his side? (page 23)
"He remembered how once he had been walking down a crowded street when a tremendous shout of hundreds of voices women's voices--had burst from a side-street a little way ahead. It was a great formidable cry of anger and despair, a deep, loud 'Oh-o-o-o-oh!' that went humming on like the reverberation of a bell. His heart had leapt. It's started! he had thought. A riot! The proles are breaking loose at last! When he had reached the spot it was to see a mob of two or three hundred women crowding round the stalls of a street market, with faces as tragic as though they had been the doomed passengers on a sinking ship. But at this moment the general despair broke down into a multitude of individual quarrels. It appeared that one of the stalls had been selling tin saucepans."
Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”
“Until they became conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.”
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
Age
Add Age SuitabilityWireless_chandelier thinks this title is suitable for 13 years and over
itsapurplegiraffe thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over
Summary
Add a SummaryIn future written in a time long past, but ahead of its time, George Orwell speculates on a time where the government owns media, information, and you. This novel is a chilling exploration of themes and politics we face today. Imagine the government changing history to benefit their narrative. We don't need to, it's happening. Imagine if the government observed your web browsing, texts, phone conversations, etc. They technically do right now. Imagine if the government controlled media and hyped themselves over other nations, while excluding "the grass is greener on the other side" stories. Any time a politician denounces the media for reporting the truth, while trying to pass their narrative as the only truth speaks to this idea. Propaganda is rampant in our media.
Sure we don't have posters advertising that "Big Brother" is watching us, but this novel is on point regarding the complacency a society can have to the stripping of their freedoms as long as they our brain washed.
Orwell had a daunting task: creating a future nearly half a century away from the time period in which he was writing. This future had to be its own complex, independent society, but it also had to be the natural end result of the totalitarianism Orwell witnessed in the communist and socialist regimes of World War II. That's part of the horror of 1984: this future is a recognizable one, even in the 21st century. It's easy to see how those in control can, through manipulation and propaganda, maintain that control simply for the sake of sating their own power hunger. It's easy to say "no one could ever tell me what to think or what to do," but the Party's use of Big Brother, the Thought Police, the Two-Minute Hate, and Doublethink make it easy to see how a person's ability to think independently and discern fiction from reality can be eroded when there is no touchstone to fact. Revising and rewriting the past to make certain that Big Brother and the Party are always correct has effectively eliminated historical accuracy. How can one think and reason in a society where everything is a fabrication?
Winston, a member of the straight forward, controlled society we now live in 1984, begins to question Big Brother, along with a collegue of his. The two of them get information and try to take down Big Brother themselves, however with the help of a betrayel Big Brother catches on to their plans. Using the dark methods of Double think and the haunting room 101, both Winston and his collegue are 'barinwashed' as the rest of society is, and taken over by Big Brother
Nineteen Eighty-four is about a Utopian society set in that year. In this society the government controls everything, including the past, the present, the future, privacy and language. Citizens are controlled by fear and brainwashing, and are always under direct supervision by telescreens, allowing little to no privacy. The novel revolves around a member of the society by the name of Winston. Winston is a relatively average member who, throughout the course of the novel, begins to secretly rebel against his government.
Notices
Add NoticesSexual Content: Contains sex throughout. However, it is not particularly graphic. But it is throughout. There are some sex scenes, references, prostitutes (Man has a dream about going to a 60 year old prostitute: Disturbing) Sex talk throughout.
Comment
Add a Comment1984 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.
When you read books from authors that are making predictions about the future, government corruption and complete control it makes one stop and think... what would they say about our current society, since they were very aware of the corruption they foresaw?
I no longer want a hold on this book, 1984.
1984 by George Orwell is a futuristic novel about the main character
Winston, who lives under a totalitarian regime. The citizens are always being
watched and monitored through telescreens in their homes, and Winston does not
like this and thus tries to secretly rebel by writing in a diary. The totalitarian regime
in 1984 is actually based on the communist regime under Stalin in the Soviet Union.
This novel is very captivating and interesting to read, because of Orwell’s unique use
of language. I really liked the plot and the different twists in this book, and would
definitely recommend it for others to read.
"1984" is a book about a man named Winston and his struggles with falling in love under a government that allows its members no privacy. The government of Oceania, where Winston lives, is controlled by the Ingsoc party and they brainwash their people into supporting them. Big Brother, or the government, uses tools such as Newspeak and Doublethink, but Winston secretly doesn't believe in the party. He believes that everyone except him is brainwashed by the government until he meets a woman named Julia who said she had fallen in love with him. They both want to meet up but must do so secretly as if the government would imprison and torture them if they found out. "1984" is a personal favorite because I love how it confines us to the mind of Winston. We don't know what anyone else is thinking and whether or not they truly support the government or have the same inner thoughts as Winston. It really shows us what Winston experiences by letting us experience the same thing.
1984 by George Orwell depicts a horrifying dystopian future. It is one of the most influential books written by George Orwell besides Animal Farm. The story followed Winston Smith, a man who seeks the truth in a world fallen victim to totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and propaganda. In his attempt, he looks for everything that might give him a hint of truth. As he further looking for the truth, he realizes he might lose everything he loves and his very life.
I love this book very much. I love the question of why is the truth matter in society. I love the author’s vivid description. I love the plot twist that shook everything I believe. The author use this book communicates the importance of free thoughts and truth.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks to find guidance in this post-truth society. -Xiaochao, Grade 11
A masterpiece of dystopian writing. Orwell's straightforward writing style really works to enhance the bleak world he has built up. Big Brother's looming eyes really add a second layer of tension to every scene and basically create a choke hold on the reading the entire time. Winston is also a good character and his observant eyes really help bring out hope as well as dread in the story. Though the beat to beat could be more engaging, especially in part 1 where the most amount of exposition happens (at some points it quite literally feels like an essay, which isn't really a bad thing), but part 2 and especially part 3 really bring the later half to a higher level. The ending is heart wrenching but I wouldn't want it any other way. It is wholly consistent with the rest of the story and really ties the book in a dark knot.
Would recommend to any fans of dystopian literature or great worldbuilding. Orwell's essayist background also helps fill the book with many ideas, lessons and themes that can be unraveled and studied for days. 10/10.
1984 is set in a dystopian future where Winston Smith is a low-rank member of the Party. He is watched by the Party everywhere he goes through telescreens and the Party’s leader, Big Brother, has his face shown everywhere. The Party prohibits free thought and Winston is frustrated by this. He meets a girl named Julia who he loves, but meeting each other is tricky. Winston starts partaking in more illegal activities and his hatred for the Party grows. I like this book because of the dystopian setting which is always interesting to me as well as the message Orwell provides.
I have conflicted feelings about this book. I had a positive bias going into it since a couple friends recommended it to me. It stood out to me that Orwell’s writing style is quite similar to Douglas Adams’. The concept is neat as a whole, but I have to say, it continuously felt like nothing was happening. There are three parts to the book, and the plot only seemed to start in Part II. However, I quickly realized that the feeling of nothing happening kind of just… went on for a while. It’s slow paced, and the plot which does occur seems so… lackluster? Reading it quickly became a chore rather than something I was looking forward to, and I soon realized I would have stopped had I not been planning to write its review. I’m not sure if it’s just my current state of mind, but reading that book was also exhausting. There’s so much description; I usually enjoy wordy books but this one was a bit much. I would say, however, that the ending was pleasing. It's a rare kind of end - which I enjoy. The characters, though - almost every one - were largely dislikeable. The ending, however, may have almost made it worth it. 2.8/5 - @aCardboardBox of the Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board
George Orwell’s most famous novel doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. 1984 is about a totalitarian government who has kept its power through not fear but hatred towards people that aren’t them. Using a combination of information control, surveillance, and an extensive brainwashing program, the government has convinced the populace to love “Big Brother.” Orwell created a cautionary tale that could come to fruition sooner than we think(but a little after he did.) 1984 seems depressing, but it is fitting that there are no real winners in the society we see, except those who were lucky enough to be born into it.