Basic HTML Version
Isa
NewDarkAge
Coming?
by
Michael A. Snyder
As we turn the calendar to 1984, are we closing m on the Orwellian nightmare?
C
URRENT
events
are taking a
serious turn for
the worse.
Have
you considered
why
almost no world
leaclers unders tand the
causes of today' s prob–
lems- and their solu–
tions?
Throughout the dark
days of World War 11 a
man today known as
George Orwell commit–
ted to paper what he
believed would be the
final "achievement" of
humanity.
A Book That Shook
the World
His book bore the title of
the new calendar year:
1984.
Orwell (his real
name was Eric Blair)
caught the fancy of many
readers with his best-sell–
ing
/984,
which has since
become the standard defi–
nition for extreme mental and
physical oppression.
Orwell was born in the Third
World. He was reared in poverty.
Despite his humble beginnings, he
worked hard and was beginning to
be widely recognized for bis liter–
ary greatness when he prematurely
died.
Was Orwell's
1984
warning of a
new terrible dark age genuine
January
1984
human insight into the final stages
of this world's civilization? Let us
see, as we review bis work.
George Orwell's novel is cen–
tered in EngJand, where in that
isle by 1984 is headquartered an
ext reme socialistic philosophy that
dominates the United States,
Latin America and what was once
the British Empire. Orwell vividly
paints the scene of a world-ruling
empire that enslaves hu–
manity rather than frees
it.
As it turned out, it was
not in England that this
philosophy literally took
root. But Jet us follow the
story thread of tbe novel
anyway. In this setting
Orwell placed his charac–
ter Winston Smith.
Smith is a balding, mid–
dle-aged INGSOC party
member (INGSOC is
short for Englisb Social–
ism) . Throughout the
pages of the novel Win–
ston Smith weakly plots a
pathetic, ineffectual re–
bell ion against "Big
Brother"- the symbolic
leader of the oppressive
society.
Winston Smith fails
abysmally in his rebel–
lion.
The novel closes with
Winston 's complete ca–
pitulation to INGSOC
philosophy. " Anything
could be true," be finally
thinks in his broken mind. "The
so-called laws of nature were non–
sense," Winston mutters. "What–
ever happens in aJI minds, truly
happens. "
A Solemn Warning?
1984
is not pleasant reading. It has
shaken the faith of many in buman–
ity's ability to survive and preserve
good over evil. Numerous literary
39