George Orwell: Animal Farm Vs. 1984

1984.

Moreso every day

 

Otto posted a graphic about how it's more Brave New World than 1984, and I'm inclined to agree.

Animal Farm is a classic. I think 1984 is more fleshed out.

 

Huxley FTW!

Spoiler

 

Both are great. I voted "too close to call," although I'd probably pick 1984 if I wasn't allowed that choice.

 

All Animals are Equal.
- but some are more equal than others.

 

That Brave New World vs. 1984 graphic shows how absolutely spot-on Huxley was - though the combination of computerized record-keeping and constant surveillance points to Orwell's prescience as well.

 

1984... more and more with each passing day.

 

Karl Marx on Capitalism has its relevance today too.

 

Brave New World...and it's not even close.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/city_of_cleveland_to_use_high-.html

 

Dan Brown

 

Animal Farm is an allegory and satire of the Russian government including the last Czars, Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky. It's relevant for its historical value.

 

Animal Farm was easier to follow. 1984 got weird in the final chapters. Overall I prefer 1984 still.

 

twilight

 

brave new world for the win

 

Voted for 1984, but I don't think Orwell envisioned Big Brother as a hit "reality" TV.

 

They're both books for middle schoolers but 1984 with the perpetual war stuff with Eurasia/Eastasia being particularly apt. We're in a war in Afghanistan. Then we declare victory leave Afghanistan and we're in Iraq. Then we declare war back on and we're back in Afghanistan. Iraq is the main threat, now Iran is the main threat. None of this is questioned. There's no tangible conditions for victory, and historical perspective on the conflicts is actively discouraged. It's not kosher to think how we ourselves armed Saddam in the past or how Iraq was actually the main containment for Iran in the region etc. We cant question why it's okay for Israel and Pakistan to have nukes but not Iran. Basically the public just accepts whoever we need to invade that particular year.

Also the stuff about thoughtcrimes, that saying something un PC or even racist is a social crime even if you haven't broken any laws. The dumbing down of the huge middle section of society and sedation via p*rn, alcohol and popular diversions.

The cult of personality around Goldstein and the current nemesis cult around Ahmadinejad and Kim in the media and by our government as living embodiments of everything that threatens our way of life to channel public hate and outrage into. Etc there's a lot of stuff.

Well it's not valuable for historical purposes since Communism is dead and no one gives a **** about Stalinism (it's not like he's Hitler). But it's valuable because it warns how popular movements can be co-opted and moved into a different direction. In the US I think if you're interested in the Tea Party it might be a mindful parable on where you want your organization to go and where your leaders might take it.

Really because both books are so broad and so simple there's always going to be plenty of parallels you're going to be able to make in most societies.