Overview – This is the first book which comes to mind when discussing diaspora novels. This is a classic and an all-time best seller. This book is so famous the authors name can be used as an adjective “Orwellian” referencing the novels diaspora totalitarian state. This is a story about a man who lives in a totalitarian state where the news and everything around him is ran by his nation. His nation tells him there are wars going on but there may be no wars, rations on food and monitors every movement of their lives. This novel is supremely striking in its layout and description of the disorient people live in while living in this state controlled nation. Remembering this title puts me at an unease at the various ways the totalitarian run state was able to eliminate channels of truth getting into the minds of the people in the nation. This is very easily done when you consider someone who has completely different beliefs in a situation than you do; such as racism. A person only needs to see the issue one way with no influence to counter the idea most likely the idea becomes permanent. Most people in the nation lived in such a way where they had little to no thought of what was real and what was not.
Theme – Totalitarianism as a warning to accepting perceived ideas and not challenging status quo out of fear of conflict which ultimately leads to a government in totalitarianism.
Biggest takeaway - The main character developed a relationship with a young girl at his job this relationship spawned into a connection where the man finds a manuscript where his radical ideas and presuppositions are verified. Upon trying to escape the country with his girl on an island where the writer of the manuscript said many more like him and his girl lived the TV instructed them put their hands on their head and the government came in and arrested them. They were taken to a building to be processed all over again where the man was informed the person doing the processing in the building was the man who wrote the manuscript.
Overall Satisfaction – 9.0/10 – Great read really loved the way the story is told every element of the story really leads to the immersion of the environment.
Comments on the Author – George Orwell wrote this book in 1949 it still rings true today. Under the presidency of Donald Trump, the idea of a totalitarian state is very real and focus and conversation on this book increases. This book represents a glimpse into life run by an authoritarian where freedom of speech is eliminated, research on history is controlled and the media is run by the state, informing its citizens on matters which the state controls, concocts, and creates. Today North Korea is seen as just this type of government where even the internet is seriously restricted and the information coming into the State is restricted. Traveling to North Korea is almost unnecessary all life is restricted there from what a citizen can eat and curfews throughout the nation. Orwell paints a bleak picture for life if authoritarians and dictators have leadership. The proposal being to fight like hell for the right to speak freely, and be on guard for any leader or politician who hates freedom in any form.
Comments