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We are reading "1984" for AP English.

I hope some of you have read this, but I just wanted to know what you guys thought about the ideas the author put into this book.


The book is gory and creepy, but fairly truthful. He pretty much describes a whole ton of what we think of as the former USSR. Sure, the book creates a perfect anti-utopian society, the main character walks that line of rebellion which gives us the Communism Vs. Capitolism.

There are also the telescreens, which we know as a TV. The concept in the book is that they can see and hear you through that same screen. It is dedicated to telling the lies to hide what the government is actually doing, but the people have been so hyped politically that they are completely gullable.

They destroy/rewrite history also. If there is a book that disagrees with their views, it is not gotten rid of, but instead it is rewritten, but the old author date is kept as if it was never rewritten. This is also done with forecasts.
--If chocolate rations were cut from 30grams to 20grams, the government will tell the people that they raised the chocolate rations to 20grams. The people will completely swallow the lie also, because the have not only been brainwashed, but all old histroy is rewritten so that 30grams of chocolate never existed, any people who said other wise disappeared and so people totally depended on the government.
---People who disappeared, COMPLETELY disappeared. Their name was wiped from every record.
---Most war heros and lottery winners were completely made up, so that they could give huge medals and prizes without ever having to award or pay someone.

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Sex was looked on as disgusting. The Junior Anti-Sex league drilled all children that Celibacy for all was the way to go, and that lab fertilization was the best way. Because this wasn't completely a reality, sex was just a way to create children. It was only their "duty to the party". The main character had a wife, and the only reason for sex was to stregthen the party. She cooperated completely, but interacted none.

It is true that something that is drilled into can become a reality if you fully believe it, and instincts and be stopped if you are thinking that it is truely disgusting.


So what do you people think about the book? To me, it is a pretty morbid book, but it looks into government power and the human mind so well, that if you haven't read it, you really need to.