Okay, before I read this book I didn’t realize how well we have it. I never realized how things like love, freedom of speech, or even the ability to think at all were things that are in some places considered a gift or a privilege to have. I just assumed that these were the kind of things that everyone could have and no one could take away. I was wrong. After reading this book, I realized that, with just enough power and fear in the wrong hands, all of these privileges could be taken away.
You would think that being stripped of all your abilities that make you an individual would make you want to fight back, but this book proved the total opposite. By taking away every quality that didn’t have a set structure and made people have there own identity; “big brother” was able to control everyone. This made me want to put myself into the position of the people who were being controlled in this book because as I read about everything they had to live by such as: having set exercises to do everyday, or constantly being watch, or having “two minutes hate”, it made me think “why wouldn’t they just fight back?” But when you actually think about it, how could you fight back? Your stripped of you personality and thought to the point where you don’t even know who you are. Anything that made you think like an individual wasn’t real anymore. I think this is why things like this do happen all over the world. All it takes is one person to be able to get into someone’s head, to get one follower and then it becomes the domino effect: everyone will start to follow.
I guess that’s why everyone says “be a leader not a follower”. If there’s one thing I take with me from this book it will be that. As long as we’re all leaders, all people will stay equal in mind (the strongest part of our being), but once you become a follower of someone else, you’re then giving them that gain of power, of mind… and that’s all it takes.
I completely agree with you, that was one of the first things that I thought when I finished the book. I was so angry that the people just stood there and let this happen. How can you just let your every ability be taken away from you so easily. I mean we do not receive a large back story on how the government of INGSOC began but how could it have gone so far that the people will soon not be able to think or even use language as we know it. I thought that your ideas were well written and expressed. GOOD JOB!
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts about this book are very interesting. I completely agree with your quote "be a leader, not a follower", because that really shows in this book. Reading your blog also got me thinking. I say to myself that if I were in their position I would find a way to go against that government, and even try to overthrow it. But,now I am thinking that I probably wouldn't be able to after all. Not having an my own identity and constantly being manipulated would be awful. You did an excellent job with this blog and I really like how you express your ideas. EXCELLENT=]
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