In High School one of the mandatory reads was “1984” by George Orwell. At 16 years old, while I vaguely liked the book, I couldn’t really appreciate it. I recently re-read it and from an adult point of view was able to better grasp Orwell’s intentions.
This novel, while often coined as satiric, doesn’t have the funny edges of a satire that I usually enjoy. It is scary and made scarier by the fact that one can see how it could become real. Orwell draws a totalitarian state and while it is obviously a book about the dangers of Communism, it is also about not letting any government have too much power. And not only the government, but the media, as well. In “1984” it is impossible to be an individual. In modern society this is also an issue. While it isn’t always politically based, people are expected to fit into a box. And is “Big Brother” today’s mass media? I see so many people utterly brainwashed by what they read or by what another person tells them. So few people ask “why” anymore.
I wonder, if I read this book again in 20 years, what the state of our society will be.
