Envision a society with no freedom – everything you do, even your thoughts, are monitored by the government in an attempt to catch anyone who thinks of/condones a rebellious act.

In the novel 1984, this is the reality that everyone in this dreaded society has to face, and it comes with unthinkable punishments. 1984 is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell.

The novel  focuses on the life of Winston Smith, who is one of the only men in his society brave enough to have opposing beliefs to “Big Brother.”

Winston is a lower member of the party, making his duties and responsibilities not as heavily relied on compared to other groups in the party.

“Big Brother” is a group of party members who are of the highest rank, they control everything you say – from your own thoughts to something you may whisper to a friend.

Big Brother is in charge of finding anyone who even dares to think of a rebellious act, called “thoughtcrimes,” and to send them to the dreaded “Room 101” as their unimaginable punishment.

As no one really knows what goes on in Room 101 before they enter it, people have heard that it is believed to show your worst fear as a form of torture.

With this controlling society, the citizens are always in a state of panic/worry as they dread going to Room 101.

Similar to other dystopian novels like “The Hunger Games,” 1984 presents a freedomless dystopian society. The Hunger Games presents a society that is prone to rebellion, and everything they do (for example, the games itself) to keep the citizens in line.

Similarly to this, 1984 portrays this bigger, higher up-like ruler who invades every inch of the citizens privacy in hopes to avoid any rebellion. George Orwell creates a novel that encapsulates you in his work, leaving the reader curious every time a chapter ends.

The storytelling is so crucial to the development of the book, and it makes the reader ponder on the idea that this could happen to our society in a dystopian lifetime.

While for some of us it’s been a while since we’ve read this book, it is still very relevant to students of all ages.

It may have seemed boring and more of like an assignment to read since it was a school issued novel, however, the novel doesn’t turn out to be as boring as one might think it is – it was definitely one of my favorite novels I read throughout my years here at Slope.

1984 has been available to purchase since 1949, and is available to everyone here at Slope – whether it be in the library or in your English 1-2 teacher’s classroom.

You can also find it on the Sora app, an online library available to all students here at Slope.