The Field Marshal

1984 - A book that is ahead of its time I have long heard about the book, 1984. Well, George Orwell and I go way back. Yup, way back to 1989 when I studied Animal Farm for my 'O' Levels. Animal Farm left a pretty good impression on me. It is an extremely simple story that taught me the meaning of satire. I can still remember the characters vividly - Snowball, Napolean, Boxer, the chickens, and the sheep. I feel for Boxer the most as he symbolised the masses that worked so hard for an ideal which never was. As for 1984, the only thing that I knew about it was that the term 'Big Brother' was coined by Orwell in it. I am sure all of us are familiar with the term. Anyway, I picked up a copy of the book (see picture) last week while I was out shopping with Mydaemon. The reason why I picked up the book was that I wanted to read something more 'serious' than the stuff which I usually read. More importantly, I think I lack the depth in character that comes with reading good literary works. So, what's better than to start with an author whom I am already familiar with. Currently, I have only completed the first chapter of the book. I have to admit that I am totally glued to the book. The only reason why I am still at the first chapter is my slow reading speed and the fact that I need to sleep a lot. So, can't stay up to read as much as I'd have liked. Anyway, there are a few lines which struck me when I read the first chapter. These were, "Big Brother is Watching You", and the lines of the party - "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength". They struck a deep chord within me because I can perfectly emphatise with them. This is something which troubles me. I guess the part which I am most uncomfortable with is the fact that I can emphastise with the story. This can only say something about the society which I am brought up in. Anyway, that's something which I don't think I should be sharing here. If you have yet to read 1984, I strongly recommend the book to you. From what I have read so far, the writing has been so absolutely clear and easy to read. George Orwell is indeed a master. As a matter of fact, the story is so meaningful, that Mydaemon and I managed to glean some meaning from the motto "Freedom is Slavery". Guess I will save this for another post.