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1984 By George Orwell

Things to know: 1984 was a book written about life under a totalitarian regime from an average
citizen’s point of view. This book envisions the theme of an all knowing government with
strong control over its citizens. This book tells the story of Winston Smith, a worker of the
Ministry of Truth, who is in charge of editing the truth to fit the government’s policies and
claims. It shows the future of a government bleeding with brute force and propaganda. This story
begins and ends in the continent of Oceania one of the three supercontinents of the world.
Oceania has three classes the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the lowest of all, the Proles
(proletarian). Oceania’s government is the Party or Ingsoc (English Socialism
Movement), which has four ministries; the Ministry of Truth (minitrue), the Ministry of peace
(minipax), the Ministry of plenty (miniplent) and the Ministry of Love (miniluv). Minipax is in
charge of the affairs of war, Miniplent is in charge of food, Minitrue is in charge of controlling
and regulating media information and Miniluv is in charge of torturing and interrogating
prisoners or violators of thought crime and the violators will be rendered unpersons. Thought
crime is any real or imaginary negative claim (made against the Party) that can be said out loud
or in your mind and the Thought Police is the biggest fear of all. As Smith wrote in his journal
“Thoughtcrime does not entail death. Thoughtcrime IS death.” The Thought Police monitors people’s
thoughts, movements or dreams by two-way monitors called telescreens, hidden microphones
and secret spies. Children are the most feared spies; from birth they swallowed the Party’s
doctrine and were taught to spy and inform any and all thought criminals, especially their
parents.
Synopsis: 1984 starts off the bleak view of Oceania; a desolate place without plant life, full of
shifting dust and images of lonely buildings in an empty street. Winston Smith...