Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell)

[monster]

Have you read it? How old were you when you first read it? If you had to give the book an age-appropriate rating, what would that be?

Also, did you like it? Do you understand it more as time passes? Or haven't you given it a thought since you read it?

What would be your plot for Twenty Fourty-Four? And your opening sentence?

[Cicero]

I just got done quoting it for a paper. Because I'm crazy.

I read it again, in its entirety about a year ago.

I love the book, and it is definitely more eerie if you read it now.

My first line of "2044"?

"She's not a geniiiuuus she's got psychic abilities on her!", and she sits back listening, letting the thought police read her intentional, trivial thoughts.

"We should do a science fair proj-ect on her!!" "She's got two different personalities on her!" "She needs to go to the mental hos-pit-al!" The hysterical screaming of the men seem close, but she knows they are at a distance. "Crazy ho-wer!!"

That's more than a line- and it's not really in the beginning. The beginning goes like this:

"She needs a reality check on her!" Man four is screaming hysterically. They've hacked in to all of her accounts and now- her mind. She isn't supposed to hear them and she isn't supposed to know. She sits back, mulling over the unexpected new technologies; wondering how many people will be effected by this new invention so far kept in secret, but used liberally against the unsuspecting masses. And she knows she's torn. The only way to protect those she loves, is to separate herself from them: thereby giving the men extracting thought data, attempting to seed the unconscious mind, the advantage. So far her brain has been able to reject the information from the seeding project, but she knows it won't be long before she will be reprogrammed. She knows there is only so much the conscious and unconscious mind will reject. Her dialogue with the men has already sealed her fate as a thought criminal. She begins to reflect on the possible strategy for the future victims: pretend you don't hear and pretend you don't know.




I can be terrible at writing sometimes, but you get the idea... I'll work on it.

[spudcon]

First read it when I was 14, thought it was about communism. After seeing the movie, I realized it was about any dictatorial government. Now that I'm living it, I realize it was about brainwashing an entire culture.

[monster]

Should I have my mature 12 yo read it? She's just been reading The Hunger Games and loved it -read it twice because she was sure she missed some subleties the first time- or will she appreciate it more after a little more study of modern culture/politics and life experience in general?

[Cicero]

Every time I have read it over the years I have gotten something different and valuable from it. She may have the same experience. As far as it being appropriate for a 12yo (shrug), you know more about that than me. I have no kids so I don't get to have an opinion.

[Juniper]

I read it my junior year of high school. I don't remember a lot from it - to be honest it gets blended up with Brave New World in my memory. We read them, I believe, back to back.

[classicman]

Read it first in middle school and then again as a Junior in HS. Last time was when my kid had to read it about 5 years ago. Loved it then - still do.

I'd say go for it - let her read it a few times.

[Bruce 9012]

Its true, Its true, It is happening right now, just open you're eyes and look around

[monster]

Hmm if some of you read it in middle school and junior high and don't remember it as horrifying, then I think I will suggest she reads it. I think i read it first at about her age ....but that was in 1982, so everybody was reading it then and I was horribly advanced reading-material-wise. But I don't remember finding it too "adult", I just wanted input from an American audience. Thanks muchly.

Please do continue with 2044, though, I'd love to read those.....

[piercehawkeye45]

I first read 1984 right after I graduated high school but I see no problem in allowing a mature 12 year old to read it. Although just a thought, it may be helpful to discuss the book with her regularly to see how she is interpreting it. You could not only help her digest the book but expand her views on the analogies as well. It is extremely easy for people, especially younger people, to take these analogies to the extreme and believe that this is the actually where we are heading as a society.


My plot for 2044:
It would be similar to 1984 but the plot would focus more on the people becoming passive and wanting a guiding controlling force as opposed to a controlling force forcing the people to be passive.

[Juniper]

Well, consider that I went to a private Catholic HS and this was assigned reading in 11th grade for AP English. That's my context.

We also read Catcher in the Rye, and I read A Clockwork Orange because it was in the school library and looked interesting. To this day I am *shocked* that Clockwork Orange was in the MNDHS library.

[DanaC]

I was 12 when I read it first time out. My English teacher gave us a language exercise that drew on an extract of the book. He recommended we read the whole thing if we could find the time as it was such a great book. I completely fell in love with the book. The film came out that year (1984, obviously) and the music was by my then favourite band (The Eurythmics) so i basically spent about 6 months or so in a Orwelly, 1984ish haze :P

Was great!

I think 12 is a fine age to read it. Probably get more out of it later, on a second reading, but I don't think it's too dark/nasty and I do think a 12 year old can get the main themes of it. 12 is an age where concepts of personal freedom and identity -v- authority and conformity are pretty current and vibrant.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by spudcon

Now that I'm living it, ...

Well I guess fair is fair, many of Americans lived it in the preceding administration. We have two teams who know what's good for America. Democracy sucks but it isn't communism or facism even if passionate team players would give us one or the other.

A lot depends on the individual kid. A sharp 12 y.o. will take a lot from the book. I think I read it at 14 for the first time.

My kids are reading classic / banned books in Catholic schools as well. My brother is teaching in a public school where the censorship is by low expectations rather than politics so he is efforting a change.

[Shawnee123]

If the kid can read it, let her read it. For the most part, I don't think there is such a thing as an inappropriate reading level/age, especially when it comes to classics. She's a smart girl...if there were things she was confused about I bet she would talk about it.

I remember in elementary I was reading a book I got from the library (couldn't have been too advanced in a Catholic 1-6 library) but I told my best friend there was a word I didn't understand. I remember this clearly...the word was 'sophisticated' and I was pronouncing it with an extra 'a' making it 'sophiasticated.' My friend said "if you don't know the words maybe you're too young to be reading it" (my friend was wordly in most ways) and I thought "but that's how you learn!"

Just my two cents. I don't have kids either, but I do know my mom let me read whatever I wanted and later even let me see whatever movies I wanted, and could get into. I guess she trusted my judgment.

Then again, look how I turned out.

[monster]

yeah my mom let me read anything ....got me into a whole heap of trouble at primary school