1984 - August 28th, 2008

Before we started to read 1984, we had the understanding that it is a book that involves the government spying on it's own people. Wow!! I wasn't expecting this though! Written in 1949, i think this book is a speculation of what the future holds for humans. Normal humans now do the same thing: What will the world be like 10 years from now? 20 years?

We meet the Winston in the first pages of the novel, who in fact works for the government (in the Ministry of Truth) that is spying on him, along with the rest of the county. At any given moment, the Party can be watching you. The big posters that say BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU sends a clear message that the government is watching your every move. Being that the book was written in 1949, it is easy to believe that there is a connection with the Nazi party. They eliminated all "inferior" people by executing them. With the people not knowing who the party was watching at any given moment, it keeps what the people do and say in check. It was a bit creepy when the exercise lady could see and converse with Smith, who was not bending down far enough. Yeah, if I was Winston, I'd be nervous too.

My main question is, who are the Thoughtpolice? Are they the people who do the spying on the people? Also, what does INGSOC mean?

I also. found it interesting but also true that "nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside you skull (until the thought police found out what you were thinking.)