Technical data:

1. Nineteen Eighty-four, 1949, Wolters Noordhof 1998
2. Orwell, George
3. 1949
4. Wolters Noordhof, 1998
5. Not important
6. The book is all about life in 1984. The author tells about a man who lives in 1984 with all the problems of that time.

The contents:

7. The action takes place in London in nineteen eighty-four. Europe is then called Oceania and is in war with Eurasia and Eastasia.
8. The background is a poor London, a city of Oceania. Oceania is ruled by Big Brother, and beneath him are the Inner Party, the Outer Party and the proles. There is INGSOC (English Socialism). Only the Inner Party is very rich. A big part of the inhabitants lives in outskirts of London. They're called the proles, the only people who aren't watched by telescreens. They're 85% of the whole population of London. Big Brother is very powerful and he watches everybody by telescreens all the time. It's a real hell for the people who live in London. They may not think, because Big Brother is always right. If he tells you 2 and 2 make 5, then 2 and 2 make 5. He can change it whenever he likes to, and whatever he says, he is right. The past is manipulated and the people are brainwashed to love BB and hate Emmanuel Goldstein. Emmanuel is shown at the two minutes hate. There's even "thought crime". You're not allowed to think, if you do you will get arrested by the thought police. Then you'll be vaporised. You can't speak to anybody, because you can't trust anyone. A lot of people spy for Big Brother and the Inner Party. Big Brother tries to make communication impossible with a new language: newspeak. It's a language that has as few words as possible so that peolpe can't really communicate. To have sex is also fobidden by Big Brother.
9. The main characters are: Winston Smith, Julia, mr. O'Brien, Emmanuel Goldstein and of course Big Brother.
   Winston Smith is a 40 year old man. He works for the Outer Party at the ministry of truth. Winston re-writes history, sothe past is manipulated. He's scared for the future and the past. He hates women. He commits a crime, he's writing a diary.
   Julia is a very pretty woman who also works for the outer party at the ministry of truth. She is really not interrested in the past. She's a member of the 'Anti-Sex League' but she has sex with a lot of men.
   O'Brien member of the Inner Party. He seems to be against Big Brother, but at the party he behaves well. He had promised to Winston that they'll meet in a place there's no darkness.
   Big Brother is the Big Boss, the leader of oceania. He manipulates everything and every inhabitant of oceania. He brainwashes them to love him and hate Emmanuel, but the truth is: no one knows if he really exists.
   Emmanuel Goldstein is the opposit of Big Brother. He's the 'bad guy' and is shown during the two minutes hate.
10. Other important characters are the Parsons, the Proles, Syme and mr. Charrington.
    The Parsons are Winstons neighbours. Their family exists out of a man, a woman and two children. The children arevery good spies for BB. It seems the father is against BB, m but he teaches his children to love BB.
    The Proles are really important, because Winston visits them a lot to find out about the past. They're his only hope. They're free and not manipulated, but they have nothing and they always have to fear for bombs and murder.
    Syme is a friend of Winston. He's very smart and he makes Newspeak. He's too clever, so he gets vaporised.
    Mr. Charrington has a store in the Outskirts of London. He seems to be a good person, but then he turns Winston and Julia in and you discover he's actually a spy for the Inner Party.
11. In the beginning Winston hates women, especially pretty women like Julia. But when Julia gives him a piece of paperwith 'I love you' written on it, he changes. They fall in love and spend a lot of time together in secret. O'Brien is alway nice to Winston and he tells him one day, that 'they will meet in a place there's no darkness'. Later when Winston is in jail, O'Brien beats him up, gives him a new identity and brainwashes him to love Big Brother. Big Brother is the enemy of Emmanuel Goldstein, he's always using him for the two minutes hate.
12. The story starts with an introduction of the situation and the main character. England 1984: Winston doesn't believe in Big Brother and he hates him, but in the meanwhile he works at the Outer Party at one of the three ministries (minitrue, minipax and miniluv in New Speak) of Big Brother. He often sees a dark-haired woman at the ministry, who he hates. He thinks she is with the Tought Police, because she one day had been following him when he went to the proles. But after a while she needs his help, because she's hurt. Winston helps her and then they fall in love and have several secret meetings, when they also have sex for a couple of times. Winston often visits the proles, his only hope for the future. He buys a diary at Mr. Charringtons shop. That man tells him he has a room for rent, with no telescreens. Winston rents it to meet Julia over there. There was no danger of Big Brother or the Thought Police. O'Brien tells Winston and Julia about an underground organisation who is against the ideas of Big Brother: the Brotherhood. But when the Inner Party finds out you're a member, you will be vaporised. Then Mr. Charrington betrays Winston and Julia and they get arrested and thrown in jail. There they're being tortured by O'Brien. His job is to brainwash people to love their leader and hate Emmanuel Goldstein. After Winston gets beaten up, he still hates Big Brother and he's pushed into 'room 101'where the worst torture takes place whit rats. Winston lives it and gets brainwashed. He gets free and meets Julia again. They feel sorry about betraying eachother. She's fully changed just like Winston and they are not in love anymore. Winston now loves Big Brother.
13. The atmosphere in the book is very sad. The people live in a bad situation. They're kept poor and they're always scared. It's also exciting, because you never know what idea Big Brother gets. In the outskirts bombs just fall out of the sky and everywhere people get vaporised.
14. The story is political science fiction. The things happen in the futur, because 1984 is 35 years after the book is written. It's also political. The whole story is just about the power of one man: Big Brother.
15. The book is seen through the eyes of Winston, but the author tells it. It's written in the 'he-person'.
16. The writer doesnt really show any favouritesin his characters, but maybe Winston, because he's the main character and you know the most about him.
17. George Orwell is born in India in 1903 as Eric Arthur Blair. When he was 4 years old, he moved to England. There he became a novelist and wrote books like 1984, Burmese days, Shooting an elephant and Animal farm.
18. I think the main message in this book is trying to convince that you got to have an own opinion and not follow just one person 'because everybody does'. You must find out who you can trust and not trust every person who you meet.
19. I think the political background in the time this book is written, was very insecure. The writer shows how people can be manipulated by a powerful person. Maybe when he wrote this story, he was afraid this would be the future for the world: one ruler who decided everything.
20. I didn't like the book, because it was very hard to understand. With every sentece you have to think about what the writer means. I don't like that kind of books you have to think a lot. I rather just read it and let it lead me through the book. This was really difficult. What I hated the most were the political problems. I am just not interested in politics. I liked the part where Winston and Julia fall in love. That kind of stuff can happen in real life.
21. I've never read or seen this kind of stories, because I dislike it. When I find out it's about that stuff, I switch the channel or I get another book.
22. I mostly recognize myself in Julia. She does things what she may not do. She is with the Anti-Sex League, but she has sex. I sometimes also do things, which I say to be against. Julia is not interested in the past, she actually isn't interested in anything. I sometimes don't care about anything, so I don't pay attention to it. Julia also does that.

• Animal Farm
• Burmese Days
• The Animal Farm
• Houd De Sanseferia Hoog
• Nineteen Eighty-four (1984)