Should this book be taught in class?

To help students understand the themes of dehumanization, isolation, repression, loneliness, social class disparity, and abuse of power, 1984 should be taught as part of a thematic unit. If the themes of 1984 are studied in less complex literature, especially works dealing with actual historical events or fictional situations familiar to students, they will be able to relate the happenings of 1984 to their own lives and their own futures.Orwell describes a complete totalitarian society in which the government, referred to as the Party, has almost total control over the people. The supreme ruler of the Party is Big Brother. Posters announce that "Big Brother is Watching You". Telescreens drone endlessly with brainwashing propaganda about wondrous government programs. Coins, stamps, books, films, and banners proclaim the three slogans of the Party: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. Presenting this sort of environment in class can show kids what happens when the government is given to much power and show them similar occurences in history. However, it has been challenged on such grounds as profanity, immorality, and obscenity. It has been charged with being Communistic, containing sex references, and being depressing. Most of this could be true depending on how you interpret the book but for the most part there are many different lessons that can come out of the book. Anyone could really go either way with this one.

Movie vs. Book. Which was better?

1984 is an extremely important literary work. It explains to the reader what the ultimate facist state would be like. I myself have not seen the movie so I can't really comment on whether or not it follows the same timeline and detail as the book. However, I have read some reviews about the version of the movie that came out in 1984 and from what I hear the movie was dead-on with the book. If this is true then in my opinion i would say that the movie is probably better for two reasons. One, because instead of putting your own images in your head of what is really happening in the book, the movie puts the whole thing into perspective for you. Two, the plot line for the book seems to make the perfect script for a thriller sci-fi movie, especially in this day and age of technology. I plan to search the neighborhood stores to see if I can find the movie because based on the reviews that I've seen, the movie has really caught my interest.

Winston Smith. Hero, Everyday Man, or Criminal?

Winston Smith is an unconventional hero in that he is utterly defeated by the novel's end. I suppose in those regards he could be considered an average man trying to become a hero but ultimatley fails. He is a hero in the sense that we, the readers, are routing for him to find a way to commit thought crime and acts against the party. We want him to be successful in starting a revolution, so throughout the story his attempt at being the hero is valid even if the attempt fails in the end. His heroism is heartfelt, not out of false notions of rebellion for the sake of power and glory. He tried to overcome something bigger than himself and it became too much for one person to take on alone. It is an unconventional story in the sense that the hero loses, but I think that was the point Orwell was making. In those regards I think that he becomes a hero in some sense, but in the end he ends up being an everyday person that the government was able to discard because they were so powerful. Winston Smith, is definitely an unconventional hero, for he is a man of a high class, with a tragic flaw, that sparks his downfall in the end.

Room 101, Meet your worst fear. What is it's cultural Impact?

Room 101 is the most feared room in the Ministry of Love. It is essentially a torture chamber, created to extract the thoughts of those that are known to be disloyal to Big Brother. Such is the state of society of 1984 that even a citizen's nightmares are known to the Party. The nightmare and therefore the threatened punishment of Winston Smith is to be attacked by rats. Smith saves himself by begging the authorities to let his lover, Julia, have her face gnawed out by the ferocious rodents instead. The torture and what Winston does to escape it breaks his last promise to himself and to Julia: never to betray her emotionally. The book suggests that Julia is likewise subjected to her own worst fear, and when she and Winston later meet in a park, he notices a scar on her forehead. The original intent of threatening Winston with the rats was not necessarily to go through with the act, but to force him into betraying the only person he loved and therefore break his spirit. The core theme of Room 101 in the novel is more than just a place of dramatic plot climax, where Winston's spirit of freedom is broken. Orwell is implying that it is possible for an all-powerful state to use terror to create any reality it wishes. The impact that this single room has on people is a very powerful statement because it takes your worst possible nightmare and turns it into reality until it breaks you emotionally to a point where you can no longer sustain mental thought and adhere to what you think is right. In todays cultures, there are many different things we consider torture but no culture sees anything like this. George Orwells use of this single room has led to being referred to in many fictional works as a place where unpleasant things are kept. We see it in horror films as well when a character is about to enter the room where we know something is waiting for them and it just so happens to be room 101. Our culture has taken this room number and turned it into somes worst fear alone.

What role does Big Brother play within the novel?

Big Brother plays this larger than life character throughout the book and we learn later on that he is a character that the government brought to life. Using doublethink, O'Brien tells Winston that Big Brother does and does not exist. Meaning that Big Brother does exist as the embodiment of the Party, but he can never die. This is where I myself determined that he did not really exist until he was created perhaps as a scapegoat for the government. Everyone who has a big brother knows that at some point or another they feel safe with their big brother, they want to be like their big brother and they look up to their big brother. Big Brother is aptly named then for his position in Oceania, he is given a name of trust, protection, and affection. His name brings fear into the hearts of Oceania's citizens but also comfort. People are made to believe that Big Brother does no wrong and that all is well while they are in his hands. The government uses this Big Brother character as a law enforcer (considering the signs all around Oceania) and as a provider. But is this what Big Brother truly is? Big Brother is not really a character; he is a metaphor for the power that the party has and for all dictators and despots the world has ever known. The government in 1984 uses Big Brother to intimidate, to rule, and to inspire loyalty. Posters of Big Brother are everywhere in Oceania. His face is more familiar than any other. The people are told that Big Brother loves them and takes care of them, so that the people love "him" and most are fiercely loyal to him, and thus to the party. Decisions are made by the Party in the name of Big Brother and because the people love him, the Party is free to establish any laws they want and they have total rule over the land. The many posters tell people that Big Brother is watching them, which in many ways he is. Big Brother actually plays a more vital role in the book then most other characters in my opinion. It is because of him that Winston and Julia must rent out an apartment above a pawn shop in the prole district, ultimately it is because of Big Brother that Winston and Julia are caught. He represents totalitarian structures in the book. Without this Big Brother character, the government probably has much less power over their people and this book goes in another direction.