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1984 (Signet Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: George Orwell
Creator: Erich Fromm
Publisher: New American Library
Category: Book
List Price: $9.99
Buy Used: $1.67
You Save: $8.32 (83%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1383 reviews
Sales Rank: 1110
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 268
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 4.3 x 1.6
ISBN: 0451524934
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.912
EAN: 9780451524935
ASIN: 0451524934
Publication Date: January 1, 1961
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Condition: Standard used condition.
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Amazon.com Review
"Outside, even through the shut window pane, the world looked cold. Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere." The year is 1984; the scene is London, largest population center of Airstrip One. Airstrip One is part of the vast political entity Oceania, which is eternally at war with one of two other vast entities, Eurasia and Eastasia. At any moment, depending upon current alignments, all existing records show either that Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia and allied with Eastasia, or that it has always been at war with Eastasia and allied with Eurasia. Winston Smith knows this, because his work at the Ministry of Truth involves the constant "correction" of such records. "'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'" In a grim city and a terrifying country, where Big Brother is always Watching You and the Thought Police can practically read your mind, Winston is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. He knows the Party's official image of the world is a fluid fiction. He knows the Party controls the people by feeding them lies and narrowing their imaginations through a process of bewilderment and brutalization that alienates each individual from his fellows and deprives him of every liberating human pursuit from reasoned inquiry to sexual passion. Drawn into a forbidden love affair, Winston finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called The Brotherhood, dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be. Newspeak, doublethink, thoughtcrime--in 1984, George Orwell created a whole vocabulary of words concerning totalitarian control that have since passed into our common vocabulary. More importantly, he has portrayed a chillingly credible dystopia. In our deeply anxious world, the seeds of unthinking conformity are everywhere in evidence; and Big Brother is always looking for his chance. --Daniel Hintzsche
Product Description
George Orwell's prophetic, nightmarish vision of "Negative Utopia" is timelier than ever-and its warnings more powerful.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1378 more reviews...
 Timeless classic on the dangers of communism/big government October 5, 2008
George Orwell, in his book "1984", writes of a future dystopian society where the governments of a few nations maintain control of the world by keeping their inhabitants in submission and fear.
Like in his earlier work "Animal Farm", Orwell is making a pointed attack against the Soviet Union and communism. However, Orwell's work is more importantly a powerful depiction of the power and danger of an unchecked government. He grimly depicts the psychological, economic, technological, and other weapons a government has at its disposal against its people.
I recommend this book highly to everyone; I would even say that it is a must read. The writing is not difficult to understand, however, the political concepts are better appreciated with first hand experience and interaction with government and its potential for power abuse. I first read "1984" as a sophomore in high school and did not fully comprehend the books meaning. The book is even more valuable as a comparison to modern day political events.
1984 review September 29, 2008
I highly recomend this book because its interesting and it relates to real life. I find that interesting that the government is always watching, I always felt like someone somewhere always knows what you are up to 24 hours a day. Hopefully the terminator doesn't see everything like when we go to the bathroom or that would just be mest up.
This book changed me a little bit, now i think twice before doing stupid stuff because I know someone out there might be watching and I might get in trouble. It doesn't have to be the government, the popo can be watching you from far away and you think he is probably not watching and 5 minutes later after you did the dumb thing, your screwed and you will get in trouble with the law.
I highly recommend this book because it will change your view on the goverment, and on the world we live in now.
 1984 September 28, 2008
I don't know how many people read this for enjoyment, but this is pretty much an amazing novel that manages to capture so many intriguing and frightening ideas. And yet at the same time it is remarkably entertaining--it's a great story of romance, intrigue, and betrayal.
The Greatest Love Story of Our Time. September 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
1984 is a social commentary on history and the appalling state of public policy and society generally told through a love story that resonates with a deep familiarity for all modern readers.
Past or Future? September 21, 2008
"In the old days, he thought, a man looked at a girl's body and found it desirable, and that was the end of the story. But you could not have pure love or pure lust nowadays. No emotion was pure because everything was mixed up with fear and hatred. Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act." The year is 1984, or so Winston Smith thinks. Nothing is ever certain anymore except he lives in Oceania and they are constantly at war with either Eurasia or Eastasia. They had always been at war with Eurasia, until a quick announcement and falsification of thousands of records made them always at war with Eastasia. The Party is always right, or so it would seem. By looking at records you know existed, you would find only lies. Winston Smith knows this because he works for the Ministry of Truth, which deals with the falsification of records. The Party is the single reigning body of totalitarianisim for 1/3 of the world. But, is this simply a mere story, or something more? Was George Orwell trying to warn us of the direction our own government is heading? This version is a little extreme, but it proves its point. Winston Smith is an average man working for the Party. Scared of it, but also hating it, Winston believes that he is good as dead. He does not believe in the Party or its values, and in this world, that will earn you an arrest from the thought police for thoughtcrime. The Party can virtually read your mind through the telescreen; a two- way video broadcast system. You can never be alone with your thoughts.
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