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Essay about A 1949 Review of Orwell's 1984

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A 1949 Review of Orwell's 1984

Behold a world of horror. You are walking down a bleak London street, surrounded by huge, hostile buildings. The street is dirty and the buildings are falling apart. Missiles are incoming alongside you, people are screaming, children are crying. From every corner, every wall, two eyes are staring at you; dark eyes, with no expression; the mustached face of a man. That man is Big Brother. He is always watching you. In this world, there are two types of people: Party members and proles. If you are a Party member, you are a follower of the Party leaders. You will be wearing blue overalls, and will be living in a big apartment, with huge telescreens recording you …show more content…

He will then report you to the Thought Police. Once they have you, you are cursed to face your greatest fears in a small, dark room, Room 101.

O'Brien, a member of the Inner Party, is the man who betrays Winston and Julia. He is a double-crosser, first pretending to be on Winston's side, but then working against him. It is ironic that Winston views O'Brien as a symbol of support and understanding; he even has a dream that he would meet O'Brien in "the place where there is no darkness" (Orwell 27). Deceived by O'Brien's appearance, too naïve and gullible, Winston falls into conspiracy's trap. The novel is far from a happy-ending piece. Every page is pessimistic; every incident leads to a mistake. When you read the book, you really feel like there is no way out of Big Brother's world. The senses of helplessness, solitude and hostility are always in the air. The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four is worse than a nightmare. It might be hard to find anything positive in the novel. From the very beginning you get the impression that life in Airstrip 1 (London) is terrible. The city is dark and gloomy, the streets are dirty, the buildings are old and collapsing, and everywhere there are posters of Big Brother. The predominant color is gray. Just like the city, the people are somber, too. They have no will

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