Nineteen eighty-four is often referred to as one of the definitive texts of modern dystopian literature. Written in 1948,the book serves as a powerful warning against totalitarian regimes and extreme political ideologies. The pitfalls of a totalitarian regime are symbolized by "big brother" an over arching figure that dictates the lives of the citizens of oceania. Orwell penned this novel at a critical time in history, when a rise in totalitarian states had culminated in world war ii.this was the time of hitler, stalin and mussolini. It was also the dawn of the post-atomic age, a time when countries had only just come to realize the terrible and annihilating potential of the human mind. It was this socio-political clime the became the breeding ground for nineteen eighty-four. More than sixty years since it was published; nineteen eighty four still remains one of the most hauntingly terrifying portrayals of the future of mankind. Future where everything belongs to the state and on one is free.

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