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George Orwell 1984 Banned Analysis

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Appearing at Number 8 on the Radcliffe Publishing Course list of “Banned and/or Challenged Books Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century”, 1984, written by George Orwell in 1949, continues to be a controversial novel. The novel's most recent successful banning occurred in Jackson County, Florida in 1981, for its pro-communist views and explicit sexual matter (“Banned”). Despite its critical praise and awards, this novel has been challenged as an inappropriate book for school libraries and classroom reading. When those who mount these challenges take words and passages out of context to illustrate their outrage, they misinterpret the content and intention of their work. Orwell has written a well-crafted and thought provoking novel-- a work …show more content…

These references to violence and sex are an integral part to the story because they show the harshness of the society in which Winston lives in. The novel is frank and honest in its depiction of what would happen if the government was totalitarianistic and why the world should not let it become that way. The novel is also said to be pro-communist but the story is only written to be Anti-Totalitarian and mentions nothing about communism or another preferred government (“Banned”). Winston learns that there is no hope for anyone in the totalitarianistic world he lives in, teaching him and the readers the valuable lessons that some things are unfixable and to not blindly agree with what everyone else says and believes. Many other organizations and individuals have recognized the literary merit of 1984 and the talents of its author, George Orwell, who is a famous British novelist, essayist, and critic (“Orwell”). In 1974 his novel 1984 placed 41st on the Locus Poll Award. In 1987 the novel placed again on the Locus Poll Award, coming in 34th. The most prominent award the novel, 1984, has been given is the Prometheus Award, which ironically was received in the year 1984. George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, has also received the Prometheus Award. Most recently, 1984 placed 21st on the Locus Poll Award in 1998

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