Watching should be secondary to reading for intellectual gain, but in today’s America, entertainment trumps acumen.
Photo courtesy IMDB
The newly released documentary about George Orwell, Orwell: 2+2=5, is generating significant press and scrutiny in America.
Gosh, he and his astute warnings have been around for years, so what is causing this sudden interest in Eric Blair?
The release of the documentary, according to its director, was accidental because he admits to having believed that Harris would have been elected president; therefore, the producer and he did not plan the release to coincide with the current turmoil in American politics.
Even so, why is there a newfound interest in George Orwell and his warnings, which were written over seventy years ago? His novels, such as 1984, are still read and even taught in schools.
Are we perhaps at the beginning of an American Awakening urged by the documentary? Or is this just another quick run around the track of interesting information in which America will, like its current President, quickly lose interest? Sadly, I think the latter.
Stephanie Zacharek, the film critic for Time Magazine, writes, “Raoul Peck is one of our most valuable documentary filmmakers.” She then continues to review the documentary and explain the value in our watching Orwell: 2+2=5.
Where have we been for these seventy-plus years, folks? That, to me, is the big question, and it’s not a big reason for watching the documentary. How so?
Was 1984 or Animal Farm banned or removed from your high school library or required reading list?
Have you read his essays Politics and the English Language or Why I Write?
Did someone tell you that his non-fiction book, Down and Out in Paris and London, was trashy, communist propaganda?
Are Shooting an Elephant or A Hanging too graphic for your sensibilities?
Once a member of a Sunday School adult class that I was teaching asked me to quit our study of the book of Judges in the Old Testament. When I asked him why, he said, “There’s so much violence and killing.” He’s correct. For instance, Judges tells the story of Jephthah, a mighty warrior who sacrifices his only daughter.
That story and book are challenging to read and often tricky to understand. But if you identify as a Christian, then when you are older and more mature, the story must be read and studied seriously. It is even valuable reading for folks who don’t identify as Christian.
And I suggest that literature like 1984 must be read by any culture that wants to grow and improve itself. To ban anything (when it is offered at an appropriate age) is dangerous because every citizen needs to be challenged. For Americans to be challenged by an art exhibit, novel, or poem is good for America.
No 5th grader should be exposed to 1984, Animal Farm, or the story of Samson in Judges because the subject in all three is too complex. However, as a 10th grader, they are (or should be) mature and wise enough to read and discuss the topics presented in these stories.
If you want, watch Orwell:2+2=5. That said….
–Fr an even better read of Orwell’s books and essays, form a book club to read 1984 and then watch the documentary.
—Obtain a list of banned or restricted books in a local school, then read them entirely to form an independent opinion as to why they should or should not be placed on such a list.
—Read several newspapers, magazines, and periodicals to gain a balanced perspective on current events.
Read to be informed and knowledgeable. Watching documentaries, films, or viewing art exhibits is valuable, too, but should be secondary to reading for intellectual gain.
Yes, to do that means work and sacrifice. But not to do it yields ignorance and strife.
Ah! The answer to my initial question is revealed….
