Tag: Book Reviews

1984 Review – The Loss of Freedom and the Obliteration of Reality

~ grantandreakis ~ Leave a comment

What would a world without freedom look like? A world where we have no agency over our lives, a world where you must always operate under the assumption that you are being watched, a world where reality itself seems to bend to the will of tyrants playing God on earth. For some, this harrowing scenario is all too real, an existence typified more by surviving than living, where each day is a struggle to be endured, not an exciting new opportunity to chase. For those of us who have only known freedom and prosperity, it can be hard to even comprehend what such an existence would entail, but for those who wish to understand this plight, there is scarcely a more harrowing road to turn to than George Orwell’s 1984.

From the opening lines of the book, “It was a bright and cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”, you instantly get a sense that the world we are being presented with is wrong on some fundamental level. For as long as humanity has had a concept of time, we have treated it as something unchangeable, something outside of our control, something that we can only hope to work around, yet this first sentence makes very clear that whoever, or whomever, is in charge sees time simply as another element to be controlled and manipulated, and if this be the case, there is no telling what other seemingly immutable elements of the world have also been brought under the control of a person or persons who see themselves as gods. This idea of absolute power, not just in the traditional political context, but also power over the minds and souls of people, whose worldview can be melded like clay and fashioned into whatever those in power wish it to be, lies at the central core of the book.

The main character, Winston Smith, is not a heroic man, he is simply another cog in the machine that serves at the behest of “Big Brother,” the figurehead everyone recognizes as being the undisputed ruler of his territory. The powerlessness and impotence of Winston Smith is laid bare throughout the novel, for though he harbors a deep hatred of Big Brother, there is absolutely nothing he can do to express his resentments, much less put them into action. Everyone he interacts with throughout the book is either an unthinking stooge for Big Brother, or completely unaware of the workings of Big Brother. Even when he finally finds someone who shares in his dislike for Big Brother, that persons dislike is formed from only the most basic, superficial assumptions, which fall far short of Winston’s deep ideological dislike of Big Brother.

An overwhelming sense of hopelessness pervades almost the entirety of the novel. No matter where Winston turns to, tries to accomplish, or even attempt to understand the world he lives in, he just runs into wall after wall after wall. He knows that the government, which is referred to in book as “The Party”, is manipulating and distorting reality and the past in order to maintain its grip over the populace. One of the stand out quotes of the book, one that informs so much about how The Party operates, is, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” You see this line of thinking in everything The Party does through its deliberate falsification of the past in order to justify its control in the present. Past military defeats are turned into victories, alliances with certain countries are broken and never acknowledged. The country that Winston lives in, Oceania, is in a permanent state of war with one of two countries, Eurasia and Eastasia, and whichever of these two countries Oceania is at war with, The Party will say that Oceania has always been at war with that country since the beginning of time, even if, in reality, Oceania was in an alliance with that very country no more than two months ago against the other country.

Overt distortion of the past is central to the legitimacy of The Party and its right to rule, up to and including vaporizing suspected enemies from existence, not just killing them, but removing every and any trace that that person ever existed, condemning them to the fate of Damnatio Memoriae. In this world, the past, as we know it, does not exist, it exists only to serve the needs of The Party, and when the past becomes malleable, how can one trust one’s own memories? How can we be sure that what we perceive in the present won’t become altered or changed once the present becomes the past? These questions and more are extrapolated upon with such force of intellect and assurance that it can be hard to comprehend that Orwell was born and raised in the U.K., one of the freest societies’ in the world at the time, yet he writes with the perspective of one deeply scarred by the bootheel of totalitarianism.

In the end, what 1984 serves to do is pose as a warning for what can happen if we give ourselves in to the inherent impulse to submit to a higher authority that promises to keep us “safe.” For freedom, in the modern context of which we understand it, is not the natural condition that mankind finds himself in; it has only come about now because man had to struggle and die for it, and if we don’t constantly nurture that flame of freedom, it will be snuffed out by the darkness of totalitarianism. Let this book serve as both a warning for what could happen, and as a point of thankfulness that this is not the condition that we find ourselves in now, at least those of us lucky enough to come from a free society, and let us not forget our fellow man who, even now, finds himself trapped in the darkness, longing for the light that we possess. Let us grant him a torch so that he may see, and no longer be blinded by the totalitarian institutions that seek to forever keep him in the dark.

The Divine Comedy- Rebirth of the Soul through a Journey to Hell

~ grantandreakis ~ Leave a comment

What does it take for a work of literature to be considered “timeless?” That no matter what age or period in history one lives in, they can pick it up and still feel its power just as strongly as when it was first written? There are many pieces of literature that have, for centuries and even millennia, stood the test of time to become something truly larger than even the author could have predicted, and there are few better examples of writing that have transcended its era to become truly timeless than Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy.

This poem is split into three sections, each covering a different part of Dante’s journey, with the first section detailing Dante’s descent through Hell and the misery he sees, the second section detailing his ascent up the mountain of Purgatory and its role in cleansing sin, with the third and final section detailing his journey through the spheres of Paradise, and his ultimate spiritual enlightenment. There were several things that struck me as I read line after line of this poem, one being the relatively easy to read nature of it. For a piece of literature that was written 800 years ago, I found it surprisingly easy to read and understand, and while a fair bit of that does come down to the translation, do not be scared off from reading this by virtue of its age, its slightly archaic grammar should not be a turn off to most people in the modern day.

But why is this work of literature worth reading today? What justifies its legendary reputation, and is there anything that we can learn from a poem written so long ago that it seems obsolete to even write about now, much less read it? What makes this poem so special to so many people, even now, is that its story is timeless, its themes resonant, and its subject forever relevant. The Divine Comedy is a story about one mans spiritual journey to cleanse himself of the sin and guilt he has built up over his life so he may become pure enough to be re-united with the person that means more to him than anyone else, the saintly and divine Beatrice. Along his journey, he learns the valuable lessons of sticking true to ones faith through adversity, and appreciating what he has while he has it, as the whole reason for his guilt was that he did not value Beatrice while she was alive, and now that he has a chance to be re-united with her, he is willing to trek through the lowest circles of Hell and the highest mountains of Purgatory to do what he should have done long ago. The poem delves into some deep theological discussions, which I do not feel qualified trying to write down here, since I would not do any of them justice, but rest assured that those who are parched for theology in fiction will have their thirst quenched.

For a practicing Christian such as myself, this poem does more than just tell a well written story; it shows us that we, fallible human beings, can be redeemed for our past transgressions, and if we are willing to go the extra mile for our faith and repentance, God will reward us through his everlasting forgiveness. Dante did not have to go on the long, hard, arduous journey that was laid out for him; he could have easily refused to pick up his cross and submit to the human desire to avoid hardship and live the rest of his life with the thought of “What could have been?” overwhelming him. Instead, through his fear and trembling, he accepts the daunting task, and because he was willing to work and suffer for his goal, he is rewarded with bliss and happiness he cannot comprehend. It is a lesson that all should take, even those who are not as spiritual, that it is often the best things in life that we have to work the hardest for, and we should not abdicate our responsibilities to do good and work for our goals because we might have to suffer for them. It is the toughest of times that often produces the most virtuous people, and we should take it upon ourselves to follow the path of Dante, lest we submit to middling mediocrity and meaningless pleasure.

V for Vendetta- An uncomfortable Look at a Sick World

~ grantandreakis ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever picked up a book or watched a movie where, right from the first page or minute, you can get a good sense of the tone and atmosphere and prepare yourself accordingly? that is what happened to me when I picked up V for Vendetta, written by Alan Moore. From the first few illustrations, I knew that I was in for a dark, foreboding story that would be challenging to read yet rewarding to understand.

The novel follows Evie, a 16 year old girl who becomes involved with the mysterious V, a Guy Fawkes wearing caped crusader who sets out to overthrow the fascist dictatorship that has taken hold in the U.K. One thing that immediately struck me when I opened the novel was the art direction. Unlike the previous Moore novel that I have reviewed, Watchmen, where the illustrations were clean, concise, and detailed, V for Vendetta is, for lack of a better way to describe it, an ugly looking novel. There is a sickly feel to every illustration, often the pictures are jagged and jarring, and a general feeling of discomfort is elicited out of every page. This is not a novel where I particularly like looking at the illustrations, but I feel as if this was an intentional decision made by Moore and the artist, that this is a sick, unhealthy world being portrayed, and the illustrations should show that world as such. Thus, while I can’t say that I particularly enjoy looking at the novel and getting lost in each picture the same way I did in Watchmen, it was very effective in setting the tone and portraying the world the way that Moore intended.

What I can applaud the novel for is its depiction of both V and members of the fascist regime. It would have been so easy for Moore to portray V as a flawless and absolutely heroic freedom fighter, and to dehumanize and demonize those on the side of the fascist regime as reprehensibly evil, but instead, V is shown to be a more morally grey figure who engages in genuine acts of terrorism and psychologically torments Evie, the main character. His end goal is not to establish a democratic state, but an anarchic society, which has its own share of problems. On the other hand, the supporters of the fascist regime that the novel focuses on are not reprehensibly evil, but are three dimensional characters with virtues and flaws, believers in the system but not unthinking drones. They are, after all, just people, the same as you and I, and while their beliefs may run starkly counter to our own, it is important to remember that there is a soul in each person, no matter how wicked they may appear to us.

In that sense, the novel transcends its original boundaries of fascism vs anarchism and can easily be used as a lesson to be taught in our modern day culture of political polarization and demonization of the other. No matter how much we may think that other people are reprehensibly evil because their belief system runs counter to ours, we must remember that, were the shoe on the other foot, we would hope that we would be understood and, if not liked, at least respected, because it is precisely this extreme polarization and demonization of the other that allows for societies like the one in V for Vendetta to take hold, and we must never loose our sense of humanity for each other, lest we succumb to suffocating totalitarianism.  

1984 Review – The Loss of Freedom and the Obliteration of Reality

~ grantandreakis ~ Leave a comment

What would a world without freedom look like? A world where we have no agency over our lives, a world where you must always operate under the assumption that you are being watched, a world where reality itself seems to bend to the will of tyrants playing God on earth. For some, this harrowing scenario is all too real, an existence typified more by surviving than living, where each day is a struggle to be endured, not an exciting new opportunity to chase. For those of us who have only known freedom and prosperity, it can be hard to even comprehend what such an existence would entail, but for those who wish to understand this plight, there is scarcely a more harrowing road to turn to than George Orwell’s 1984.

From the opening lines of the book, “It was a bright and cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”, you instantly get a sense that the world we are being presented with is wrong on some fundamental level. For as long as humanity has had a concept of time, we have treated it as something unchangeable, something outside of our control, something that we can only hope to work around, yet this first sentence makes very clear that whoever, or whomever, is in charge sees time simply as another element to be controlled and manipulated, and if this be the case, there is no telling what other seemingly immutable elements of the world have also been brought under the control of a person or persons who see themselves as gods. This idea of absolute power, not just in the traditional political context, but also power over the minds and souls of people, whose worldview can be melded like clay and fashioned into whatever those in power wish it to be, lies at the central core of the book.

The main character, Winston Smith, is not a heroic man, he is simply another cog in the machine that serves at the behest of “Big Brother,” the figurehead everyone recognizes as being the undisputed ruler of his territory. The powerlessness and impotence of Winston Smith is laid bare throughout the novel, for though he harbors a deep hatred of Big Brother, there is absolutely nothing he can do to express his resentments, much less put them into action. Everyone he interacts with throughout the book is either an unthinking stooge for Big Brother, or completely unaware of the workings of Big Brother. Even when he finally finds someone who shares in his dislike for Big Brother, that persons dislike is formed from only the most basic, superficial assumptions, which fall far short of Winston’s deep ideological dislike of Big Brother.

An overwhelming sense of hopelessness pervades almost the entirety of the novel. No matter where Winston turns to, tries to accomplish, or even attempt to understand the world he lives in, he just runs into wall after wall after wall. He knows that the government, which is referred to in book as “The Party”, is manipulating and distorting reality and the past in order to maintain its grip over the populace. One of the stand out quotes of the book, one that informs so much about how The Party operates, is, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” You see this line of thinking in everything The Party does through its deliberate falsification of the past in order to justify its control in the present. Past military defeats are turned into victories, alliances with certain countries are broken and never acknowledged. The country that Winston lives in, Oceania, is in a permanent state of war with one of two countries, Eurasia and Eastasia, and whichever of these two countries Oceania is at war with, The Party will say that Oceania has always been at war with that country since the beginning of time, even if, in reality, Oceania was in an alliance with that very country no more than two months ago against the other country.

Overt distortion of the past is central to the legitimacy of The Party and its right to rule, up to and including vaporizing suspected enemies from existence, not just killing them, but removing every and any trace that that person ever existed, condemning them to the fate of Damnatio Memoriae. In this world, the past, as we know it, does not exist, it exists only to serve the needs of The Party, and when the past becomes malleable, how can one trust one’s own memories? How can we be sure that what we perceive in the present won’t become altered or changed once the present becomes the past? These questions and more are extrapolated upon with such force of intellect and assurance that it can be hard to comprehend that Orwell was born and raised in the U.K., one of the freest societies’ in the world at the time, yet he writes with the perspective of one deeply scarred by the bootheel of totalitarianism.

In the end, what 1984 serves to do is pose as a warning for what can happen if we give ourselves in to the inherent impulse to submit to a higher authority that promises to keep us “safe.” For freedom, in the modern context of which we understand it, is not the natural condition that mankind finds himself in; it has only come about now because man had to struggle and die for it, and if we don’t constantly nurture that flame of freedom, it will be snuffed out by the darkness of totalitarianism. Let this book serve as both a warning for what could happen, and as a point of thankfulness that this is not the condition that we find ourselves in now, at least those of us lucky enough to come from a free society, and let us not forget our fellow man who, even now, finds himself trapped in the darkness, longing for the light that we possess. Let us grant him a torch so that he may see, and no longer be blinded by the totalitarian institutions that seek to forever keep him in the dark.