Book Club words surrounded by books (Tamala Malerk)
UMGC Europe Book Club invites readers to join a virtual discussion of George Orwell’s “1984” on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 1200 CET via ZOOM. Our final meeting of the calendar year offers participants a chance to revisit one of the most enduring works of the 20th century.
There are two writers whose names resonate as modern warnings against the absurdity of power and bureaucracy: Franz Kafka and George Orwell. Even those who have never read either author invoke their names to describe modern woes. Standing before a perpetually closed office door beneath harsh fluorescent lights might be called “Kafkaesque,” a term now used to refer to a bewildering or bizarre bureaucracy. “Orwellian” has become synonymous with descriptions of state power, manipulation and surveillance.
Orwellian neologisms that spring from “1984” still circulate today to critique political systems: big brother, thoughtcrime, newspeak. As the State abuses language, Orwell’s novel establishes that writing and words are profound antidotes against numbing oppression. Winston Smith, an unassuming worker in the Ministry of Truth, first rebels against the State of Oceania by purchasing a contraband, red leather diary.
The scene establishes that, for Orwell, writing is a way to narrate, process, transform ideas and the self. All dreadfully dangerous pursuits to Big Brother who, instead of thoughtful policies, offers “Two Minutes Hate,” a propaganda ritual that leaves viewers blubbering the “B” sound in blind allegiance. Writing is a miracle of humanism, and Orwell insists that it matters, diverging from the age of AI where we have handed over the sacred process to machines. Orwell would have asked, what exactly are we outsourcing when we no longer write, think or feel?
These themes resonate deeply in the modern world, where technology, media and government intersect in complex and sometimes troubling ways. Winston’s job, editing documents and newspapers to fit Big Brother’s version of the past, feels eerily prescient. Writing violently revises historical truths, rather than be a mode of self-reflection as with his private diary.
Considering his job at the ministry, Winston’s decision to write a dissent becomes an act of intellectual courage and resistance. Orwell’s predictive powers are particularly striking in his depiction of how media intertwines with everyday life. The telescreen that relentlessly surveils the citizens of Oceania, calling out individuals by number when they fail to follow mandated fitness routines, anticipates the constant monitoring embedded in modern devices. Though smartphones and social-media “scrolling” were still decades away, Orwell captures what readers in 2025 readily recognize as biometric tracking and data collection woven into the fabric of daily existence.
Group of students engaging in a lively study session in a library setting. (yanalyso (123RF))
Since its publication on June 8, 1949, the novel has served as one of literature’s earliest and haunting examinations of the machinery of political authority. Written in the aftermath of World War II and rise of totalitarian regimes, Orwell’s masterpiece confronted both German fascism and Soviet communism; it remains a warning to future generations. With 1984, UMGC closes 2025 on a reflective note, encouraging participants to question the role of truth in public life and the moral responsibilities of individuals within systems of power.
Everyone is welcome to join the UMGC Europe Book Club, no need to be a student or faculty member! We have been building a community that values empathy and literary exploration since July 2020. Our mission is simple: to read literature and create a reliable and safe community of readers. Whether you’re an avid reader or just looking to connect with fellow book enthusiasts, our club offers inclusive meaningful discussions.
For more information, visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/umgceuropebookclub or email bookclub-europe@umgc.edu with questions about membership or upcoming events.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by a member of the local military community, not an employee of Stars and Stripes. Neither the organization nor the content is being represented by Stars and Stripes or the Department of Defense.
