The book that I am reading for my ISU is 1984 by George Orwell. The protagonist is Winston Smith, who is the common man, easy for the reader to identify with, easy to sympathize with. He is thirty-nine-years-old, he is frail and thin, and is employed as a records editor or propaganda officer in the Records Department at the Ministry of Truth. Some of the most important themes in the novel are power, violence, technology and modernization, manipulation, repression, loyalty, and rebellion. This book can connect to The Book of Negroes because it has to do with power, repression, and rebellion. These are three themes that are very important in both books, and show that each character goes through similar hardships.
A very significant quote in the novel is:
"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious." (Orwell 1.7.4)
This shows that people are so afraid of rebelling due to the power and fear Big Brother has created among the people. It shows that once you rebel, you die. That is why the quote says after you rebel, you can no longer become conscious. The novel follows one of the worst forms of dictatorship that you can have, and this quote does a good job of showing that.
