Cooshinator wrote:Just recently read "1984", super fantastic; it's both exciting and thought provoking on a massive scale. I'm in the middle of "Brave New World", "The Diversity of Life", "The Stand" and some others. All are very good so far. Also just read "To Kill a Mockingbird". Very good, but it's way too simple and not in depth enough to be the masterpiece some people make it out to be
1984 churns my stomach. There is only one fact in which I take comfort:
The Inner Party draws its members from the ranks of the Outer Party, those who have been purposefully brainwashed. O'brien speaks of the ultimate victory of Big Brother and the Party, but neglects to mention that the logic behind the processes that were/are used to control the populace will be lost upon those who are already under their sway. A brainwashed member of the Outer Party will not really be able to grasp just how total their victory is when their frame of reference doesn't extend any farther than the purview of the Party's history (which is, to them, eternal and immortal). O'brien knows of the time before the Party, and so he can grasp the nature of the power he wields, but the next generation will be so intellectually and emotionally stunted that their capacity to enjoy or understand that power will be limited in the extreme.
ANYWAYS, Brave New World is similarly great. Despite its simplicity, I still really like "To Kill A Mockingbird" as well.