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1984

George Orwell

Why we're reading this: #6 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
#7 on Loc…more
[close] #6 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
#7 on Locus Magazines Best SciFi novels of the 20th century http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCentu...

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Jun 25, 2021 Vincent Darlage rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: political-science

Wow. So much in this book feels appropriate to today. "The tales about Goldstein and his underground army, she said, were simply a lot of rubbish which the Party had invented for its own purposes and which you had to pretend to believe in. Times beyond number, at Party rallies and spontaneous demonstrations, she had shouted at the top of her voice for the execution of people whose names she had never heard and in whose supposed crimes she had not the faintest belief. When public trials were happ Wow. So much in this book feels appropriate to today. "The tales about Goldstein and his underground army, she said, were simply a lot of rubbish which the Party had invented for its own purposes and which you had to pretend to believe in. Times beyond number, at Party rallies and spontaneous demonstrations, she had shouted at the top of her voice for the execution of people whose names she had never heard and in whose supposed crimes she had not the faintest belief. When public trials were happening she had taken her place in the detachments from the Youth League who surrounded the courts from morning to night, chanting at intervals 'Death to the traitors!' During the Two Minutes Hate she always excelled all others in shouting insults at Goldstein. Yet she had only the dimmest idea of who Goldstein was and what doctrines he was supposed to represent. " ~ George Orwell, 1984

George Orwell’s 1984 is a harrowing vision of a future where individual freedom, truth, and human emotion have been utterly destroyed by a totalitarian regime. Published in 1949, the novel is set in a grim, war-torn world dominated by the Party, led by the ever-watchful Big Brother. In Oceania, the state exerts total control over every aspect of life through relentless surveillance, propaganda, and the manipulation of language and history. Orwell’s protagonist, Winston Smith, works at the ironically named Ministry of Truth, where he alters historical records to fit the Party’s ever-changing narrative. Despite this, Winston secretly yearns for freedom and truth, beginning a dangerous love affair with a fellow dissenter, Julia. Their brief rebellion is crushed with terrifying precision, and through psychological and physical torture, Winston is ultimately forced to surrender his mind—and his love—to the state.

1984 explores the mechanisms and consequences of absolute power with chilling insight. Orwell’s themes—state surveillance, control of information, and the destruction of language—remain startlingly relevant, especially in a world increasingly shaped by technology and media. The novel introduced enduring concepts such as “Big Brother,” “thoughtcrime,” and “doublethink,” embedding them in the cultural and political vocabulary. Far from just a cautionary tale, 1984 is a deeply philosophical meditation on the fragility of truth and the human spirit under oppression. Orwell’s stark prose and unflinching pessimism make for a powerful and disturbing read that continues to resonate decades after its publication.

This book calls to mind all the hate I see today, all the rallies where the mindless people chant "Lock him/her up!" for crimes not prosecuted, and so many people believe Trump's BIG LIE. I know people so caught up in politics that they no longer see people with differing political views not as an opposed view, but as a hated enemy. Why the hate? Because it helps The Party (whichever one) stay in power. Because reporters and the news have been labelled enemies, so news and fact-checks are considered dubious at best. The Party must have enemies. The Party must have hate. And in our politics, BOTH parties have hate - both are hateful.

The inability of Trump to even speak truthfully has echoes in 1984 - there is only the present, and the present is what the leader says it is. Facts don't matter anymore.

Orwell warned of a society where truth is manipulated, language is weaponized, and surveillance is pervasive—themes that resonate, albeit in altered forms, with some contemporary developments in American life.

In 1984, the Party uses constant surveillance, not only to watch citizens but to shape how they think and act. While the U.S. is not a totalitarian state, surveillance capitalism—where companies track, collect, and monetize user behavior—raises similar ethical questions about privacy, autonomy, and consent. Government surveillance, particularly following the Patriot Act, also invites Orwellian comparisons, especially when transparency and oversight are limited.

Orwell’s concept of “doublethink”—the ability to hold two contradictory beliefs at once—is eerily mirrored in the U.S.’s fractured media landscape. Competing news outlets and social media echo chambers often present starkly different versions of reality, with facts increasingly subject to interpretation, dismissal, or distortion. Political rhetoric can bend language in Orwellian ways, turning terms like “freedom,” “patriotism,” or even “truth” into tools of manipulation rather than clarity.

Moreover, Orwell’s “Ministry of Truth” finds a symbolic echo in the ongoing battle over history and education. Debates about what should be taught in schools—whether regarding race, gender, or America’s past—highlight how narratives are contested and rewritten in real time. While the U.S. remains a democracy with legal protections for speech and dissent, the cultural pressure to conform to certain ideologies on both sides of the political spectrum can resemble the social conditioning Orwell so feared.

Ultimately, 1984 is not a blueprint but a warning. It’s a reminder that freedom requires vigilance—not only against government overreach, but also against complacency, manipulation, and the slow erosion of our ability to distinguish fact from fiction. The question isn't whether we live in 1984, but whether we recognize when we're edging closer to its shadow.

George Orwell’s 1984 remains startlingly relevant today, with several of its dystopian themes reflected in current U.S. society. Mass surveillance is echoed in widespread data collection by government programs like PRISM and by tech companies tracking user behavior. Orwell’s “doublethink” finds a parallel in the rise of “alternative facts” and misinformation, often spread through social media. The manipulation of language for political purposes recalls the novel’s “Newspeak,” while modern debates over book bans, educational content, and media censorship echo the Ministry of Truth’s control of information. Finally, the use of perpetual conflict and fear—such as the ongoing “War on Terror”—has justified surveillance and security policies that raise concerns about civil liberties. These developments serve as a sobering reminder that even in a democracy, the erosion of truth, privacy, and freedom is a constant risk.

In 1984, George Orwell wrote, "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." On July 24, 2018 at the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Trump said, "Just remember: What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening." ...more

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