anybody read Plato's "Republic?" Methinks Orwell took many of the themes for 1984 from that work.
I would disagree with the general flow of the book on one point. It's much easier to control a population or an individual if one gives them the illusion of a choice, i.e. providing them choices between what one wants them to choose and another choice which is presented in a distasteful fashion or by some other means socialize the people to consider it fundamentally less-good than the other more preferred choice.
I was only 13 when I read the thing. I was confused by the whole NewSpeak system.
