Why read Orwell today? Discussion on George Orwell's "1984"

“Big Brother is looking at you!” – This sentence from Orwell's dystopian novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” inspired the creators of the television reality show "Big Brother". With the fall of Communism in Europe, has the novel lost its raison d'être, becoming merely the inspiration for an entertainment program? While the novel was widely perceived as being strictly anti-Communist, the author instead said it was anti-totalitarian, and anti the “perversions” possible under any political system. The increasing totalitarianism shown by many governments today, along with the intrusion into our lives by modern technology suggests that Orwell is more relevant today than ever.

In what respects is 1984 a current or a future reality? Orwell created a fictitious world of the future as envisioned in 1948, but it helps us to understand the situation of today. Furthermore, today’s technologies and governmental systems clarify the ways in which an Orwellian dystopia is still ahead of us. Perhaps these trends are inscribed in the DNA of our civilization.

Please, join us for a discussion on “1984” by George Orwell, its power and its prophetic message.