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Book Club - Book 1: 1984 by George Orwell.; Read - Discuss - Share. This topic contains spoilers.
Topic Started: Jun 15 2009, 08:12 PM (372 Views)
Will Jun 15 2009, 08:12 PM Post #1
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 Reading exercises your mind and allows you to understand all kinds of things about the world you live in! With the grand re-opening of our Java Hut we will be reading, discussing and sharing some of our most favourite books with you all. Collectively as a group we will confabulate and argue about themes, motifs and symbols (among other things) from the text as we dissect our way into the piece of literature. Our first book:

George Orwell's 1984
Posted Image"Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in London,
in the nation of Oceania. Everywhere Winston goes,
even his own home, the Party watches him through telescreens;
everywhere he looks he sees the face of the Party's seemingly
omniscient leader, a figure known only as Big Brother. The Party
controls everything in Oceania, even the people's history and
language. Currently, the Party is forcing the implementation of
an invented language called Newspeak, which attempts to
prevent political rebellion by eliminating all words related to
it. Even thinking rebellious thoughts is illegal. Such
thoughtcrime is, in fact, the worst of all crimes."
- Source


Everybody reads at a different pace. I'm a fairly slow reader, and I often re-read sections of a book I wish to understand more. You can discuss anything you want about the novel, but please contain anything that might spoil the book for someone in spoiler tags. If you do not know how to use spoiler tags please read through our BBCode Usage list.

Tim and I will be managing this topic. Every month we will post a new book and start an entirely new discussion. You may certainly send us your nominations for books you would like to have the group read. We both look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on the exciting line up of material we hope to read with you this summer.
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Garath531 Jun 17 2009, 11:36 PM Post #2
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I am happy now that my name is changed.
[ * * * * ]
 I read this book last year, and while I can't say that it is one of my favorites, it is a great book for discussion.

One of my favorite parts of the beginning of the book is the way Orwell uses syntax to create a depressed tone. I'll quote a small example from chapter one to show my point.
Quote:
 
Winston made for the stairs. It was not use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours.
--George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

To me at least, the paragraphs composed of mostly simple sentences really set up a tone for the rest of the book. I feel, when I read that chapter, that Winston lives in a world where all hope has been crushed. In the next sentence (after the quote) Orwell mentions "Hate Week" as if it were a big celebration. The negative connotation and short, choppy sentences create an almost palpable feeling of doom and hopelessness. Thoughts?
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Tim Jun 20 2009, 04:24 PM Post #3
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Captain Cupcake

 I am a huge fan of 1984. I would say its one of my favourites, mainly because of the way that the UK seems to be following its course, and its interesting to see to what extent the 'predictions' in the book will come true.
One of the quotes that stays with me is:
Quote:
 
War Is Peace
Freedom Is Slavery
Ignorance Is Strength

This quote sums up the whole of the Big Brother for me. War, Freedom and Ignorance are 3 large themes of the book, and while the people are indeed slaves, it would be hard to consider them strong. They are powerless. Can you be strong and powerless at the same time?
When reading the book, did you believe the country was at war, or did you see the war as an illusion by the government, just another means of control?
It was never made clear if there was actually a war going on, or if 3 separate countries even existed. Maybe only one was real country, controlling the whole world, and the enemy was just itself.

There is a lot to discuss about the book, it would be good to see an active discussion made out of it.
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ElementalAlchemist Jun 21 2009, 12:01 AM Post #4
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ERROR: This title does not exist.
[ * * * * * ]
 Big Brother was kinda weird. And really evil.

So... yeah. 1984. I think it's a good book. Considering the time in which it was written, I think it was a warning or something. It's a very good thing we didn't end up in THAT society.
Tim
Jun 20 2009, 04:24 PM
[W]hile the people are indeed slaves, it would be hard to consider them strong. They are powerless. Can you be strong and powerless at the same time?
When reading the book, did you believe the country was at war, or did you see the war as an illusion by the government, just another means of control?
It was never made clear if there was actually a war going on, or if 3 separate countries even existed. Maybe only one was real country, controlling the whole world, and the enemy was just itself.
I think you can be both strong and powerless if there is a greater power keeping you down.
No, they weren't at war, they just needed an excuse to oppress the people. They did use it as more, though--not only was it an excuse to oppress the people, but it also let them fudge the statistics.

Did all three of those countries exist? Probably not. The war was a lie, just like the cake.

Perhaps this topic should come with a spoiler warning.
Edited by ElementalAlchemist, Jun 21 2009, 12:04 AM.
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Reid. Jun 23 2009, 04:53 PM Post #5
C'est un piège!
[ * * * ]
ElementalAlchemist
Jun 21 2009, 12:01 AM
No, they weren't at war, they just needed an excuse to oppress the people. They did use it as more, though--not only was it an excuse to oppress the people, but it also let them fudge the statistics.

Did all three of those countries exist? Probably not. The war was a lie, just like the cake.

Perhaps this topic should come with a spoiler warning.
It wasn't used only to oppress, but to waste resources so no one else could rise up. I think Orwell was a genius in that he predicted and devised a method to stop the trend that is steadily on the rise - everyone becoming educated. I think, in a way, Orwell was trying to state that both Utopian and Dystopian societies are the same thing.

One of the structures that really stood out to me was when he was in the Inner Party member's house - whose name I cannot recall, but it was the one that betrayed him - and he said he could not believe the walls did not have the normal "grime" that the other houses of the outer party and the proles had - the grime spent from "wallowing" (as I saw it) on the walls. Maybe that was just my imagination at work, but that notwithstanding, it was probably the strongest image for me.

By the way, the next book should be Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It would be a great opportunity to discuss the differences between 1984 and Brave New World.
Edited by Reid., Jun 23 2009, 04:55 PM.
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ElementalAlchemist Jun 23 2009, 07:50 PM Post #6
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ERROR: This title does not exist.
[ * * * * * ]
Aeroice
Jun 23 2009, 04:53 PM
It wasn't used only to oppress, but to waste resources so no one else could rise up. I think Orwell was a genius in that he predicted and devised a method to stop the trend that is steadily on the rise - everyone becoming educated. I think, in a way, Orwell was trying to state that both Utopian and Dystopian societies are the same thing.

One of the structures that really stood out to me was when he was in the Inner Party member's house - whose name I cannot recall, but it was the one that betrayed him - and he said he could not believe the walls did not have the normal "grime" that the other houses of the outer party and the proles had - the grime spent from "wallowing" (as I saw it) on the walls. Maybe that was just my imagination at work, but that notwithstanding, it was probably the strongest image for me.

By the way, the next book should be Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It would be a great opportunity to discuss the differences between 1984 and Brave New World.
Technically, it kinda was oppression. They were keeping the people down with few, low-quality products while using these "wars" in order to claim that they are getting more and more resources and make it seem like everything is getting better.

The name you're looking for is O'Brien. He was the member of the Party who acted kinda like Winston's friend until he was arrested and they met in the "Ministry of Love."

I know! The next book definitely should be BNW. I've nominated it already; we'll see what happens with that.
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Tim Jun 28 2009, 11:22 AM Post #7
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Captain Cupcake
Aeroice
Jun 23 2009, 04:53 PM
By the way, the next book should be Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It would be a great opportunity to discuss the differences between 1984 and Brave New World.
We have considered Brace New World, it is one of my favourite books, and may look at it later on, but we wan't to look at a different genre of book next, as both Brave New World and 1984 have a similar Dystopian Dictatorship theme, even if the method of acheiving it does differer hugely.
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