After fighting his way to the highest rung of German power, Adolf Hitler beganinspiring massive support for his warped idealism. Using patriotism, swastikas,genocide, the incineration of historical documents and a mobilization of forcesthroughout Europe, his dictatorship became the woe of the twentieth century. Astain of darkness stretched across the world, and his legacy undoubtedly inspiredGeorge Orwell's classic novel, 1984.

Written in 1949, Orwell envisions agrim future. By 1984, he imagined political leaders manipulating the multitudesinto placing infinite faith in their power. To grasp the book's themes, one mustfirst understand the "Party," its relation to "Big Brother,"and how the fictional world operates.

Big Brother is always watching, andsymbolizes the Party. There may not be a physical face to Big Brother, but hegraphically represents the Party, something more tangible than an abstractpolitical organization. His existence simplifies the Party's rule. The Partycontrols "Oceania," an enormous superpower that covers vast parts ofthe world. The Party looms omnipresently, observing citizens through"telescreens." The Party manipulates Oceania's populous into a mindlessfollowing, but eventually discovers rebellion among its citizens. Rebels aretortured and forced to support the Party rather than despise it. Everyone istaught from birth to love the party, and its slogans: War is peace, freedom isslavery, ignorance is strength.

Winston Smith is older than mostinhabitants of the super state, and vaguely remembers life before the Party. Herecalls his parents and the revolution leading up to the Party's rule, as well asother things the Party would prefer people not know. Though his memories arehazy, Winston feels life must have been more enjoyable before the Party'sleadership. He suspects other individuals, including a member of the Inner Partynamed O'Brien, have the same rebellious thoughts.

Orwell paints awonderfully executed portrait of a world run by mind-molding dictatorships; allshould know its eerie message. In fact, this novel is not known so much for itsstory as for the concepts it promotes. Although 1984 has come and gone, thenovel's timeless message is noteworthy.

Many scenes shine with Orwell'sextraordinary writing. Superb organization, descriptive scenes and an effectivepromotion of an eerie central theme are some of many reasons to read it. But nobook is flawless.

Jokingly, someone once asked me: "Why must the mostinteresting books always be so boring?" It took me quite a while to complete1984. While the concepts flow brilliantly, the writing style becomes a turn off,with many lengthy paragraphs and little dialogue. The sentence structure andvocabulary sometimes went over my head, and as a result, I found it challengingto read it for long periods of time. Regardless, this book opened my mind to aninteresting political subject. At least attempt to read 1984. It's certainlyworth the effort.