I was shocked to learn that Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm aren't ubiquitous staples for the high school English curriculum. I read both of them twice throughout my K-12 career, and was enthralled by the dystopian genre. Of course, the futile exploits of a doomed subversive can get a bit tiresome, particularly the second time around. Nevertheless, 1984 is one of my all-time favorites, and Meagan touches on (in my opinion) one of its more interesting lessons.
The Party represses authentic thought but does so with subtle, machinating intent so as not to be discovered. It's not so much a salient delusion of the masses as a more sophisticated way of teaching the masses how to delude themselves. This tactic engenders ignorance, the degradation of language (Newspeak), the evanescence of memory (doublethink), and the consequential adherence to the present as dictated by Big Brother.
The American BB has learned from past sedition. Gone are the days when a government imposes unfair legislation and waits for its constituency to respond. Such a response is snuffed before it can begin; it falls victim to propaganda and subliminal dictation as leaders gussy up the yoke with words like "security" and "patriotism." We see bumper stickers that say "freedom isn't free." If this isn't doublethink, I don't know what is.
If anyone hasn't read 1984, you must check it out. If the genre strikes your fancy (and it just might, considering our post-9/11 age), you may also want to look into Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, "Harrison Bergeron," and When the Sleeper Wakes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I really do wish I could have read this book before now. Like I said before, I feel deprived. If you have any other recommendations I would love to hear them. I always enjoy reading new (well new to me) literature.
Maybe you want to add to your list the movie "V for Vendetta". It is an awesome movie with many innuendos about "1984" and how propaganda can shape and destroy the collective will.
Post a Comment