General Discussion

Octafish

(55,745 posts)

54. Guy sure could connect the dots.

Tue May 8, 2012, 12:33 PM

May 2012

MR. RATE
"That's how a conspiracy works. Them boys on the Grassy Knoll? They were dead within three hours, buried in the damn desert, unmarked graves out past Terlingua."

AGENT MEMPHIS
"You know this for a fact?"

MR. RATE
"Still got the shovel."

Levon Helm played Mr. Rate and Michael Peña played Nick Memphis in the film, "Shooter."

What's that got to do with Orwell? It demonstrates, for one thing, how fiction can provide truth in a most unforgettable way.

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Just curious here, what do people here think of George Orwell? [View all] Archae May 2012 OP

IMO he belongs right up there with Shakespeare, Milton, and Dickens. Odin2005 May 2012 #1

He is nadinbrzezinski May 2012 #2

He's always been one of my personal heroes pscot May 2012 #3

Few books have been as influential as 1984. spiderpig May 2012 #4

i was disappointed in 1984. i had heard so much about it, for so many years. seabeyond May 2012 #5

It Read A Lot Better Fifty Years Ago, Ma'am The Magistrate May 2012 #8

that is what i figured. kids reading it would get more out of it. nt seabeyond May 2012 #11

"so much of what was new insight then has passed into common understanding" Bolo Boffin May 2012 #12

It's not really topical, unless you are studying North Korea killbotfactory May 2012 #21

ya. it didnt really stay with me. nt seabeyond May 2012 #22

But more than that. He predicted what life could (would) become like ..... Honeycombe8 May 2012 #31

It's one of my favorite books killbotfactory May 2012 #55

I finally read 1984 a couple of years ago MotorCityMan May 2012 #24

I read it as a kid in the 80s (probably 1984, of course) Codeine May 2012 #57

one of his best, yet least read books: the autobiographical "Down & Out in London & Paris". marasinghe May 2012 #6

His "conflation". sendero May 2012 #35

if you mean Soviet marxism, agreed. however .... marasinghe May 2012 #49

Down and Out is amazing. Codeine May 2012 #58

isn't it? i did the same as you: passed it round to my friends. marasinghe May 2012 #62

I prefer his essays and non-fiction Retrograde May 2012 #7

whoops! thanks for jogging my memory - i transposed Paris & London in the title. marasinghe May 2012 #14

He Was An Honest Man, Sir, And Master Of Plain Speaking The Magistrate May 2012 #9

A lot of people don't realize Orwell was a democratic socialist Bolo Boffin May 2012 #10

He is in the third class of authors. ZombieHorde May 2012 #13

Gygax? Seriously? Rittermeister May 2012 #16

Do you think placing him in the first class belittles him? ZombieHorde May 2012 #48

Roll to disbelieve. Codeine May 2012 #59

You forgot Kilgore Trout. sadbear May 2012 #18

. UnrepentantLiberal May 2012 #32

Ting-a-ling! nt raouldukelives May 2012 #47

I'd tell you hfojvt May 2012 #15

An amazing how-to handbook writer for politicians.. Fumesucker May 2012 #17

I think he was amazingly on target LadyHawkAZ May 2012 #19

He wrote a good book and he's dead. cherokeeprogressive May 2012 #20

I read 1984 for the first time during the Bush Administration. briv1016 May 2012 #23

George Orwell Fills Informer Role Of Big Brother Starry Messenger May 2012 #25

Be careful what you hate... UnrepentantLiberal May 2012 #33

Wondered if someone would mention this. Mc Mike May 2012 #34

An admirable visionary, thinker and writer bhikkhu May 2012 #26

His novels, while good, were not his best work. bemildred May 2012 #27

Brilliant satire in Animal Farm and 1984 Permanut May 2012 #28

Brilliant and Prescient cbrer May 2012 #29

Among authors who are his equal, ... JustABozoOnThisBus May 2012 #30

As a writer or his politics? TBF May 2012 #36

Yep. A lot of people still make that mistake....... socialist_n_TN May 2012 #40

Well now I have to re-read it but I bet you're right. TBF May 2012 #41

Hell, I don't even REMEMBER why I read it the first time.......... socialist_n_TN May 2012 #44

Snowball is definitely meant to be Trotsky. white_wolf May 2012 #52

Double-plus good! jpak May 2012 #37

His political novels are all prescient of the future but show a vaberella May 2012 #38

+1. Top thinker and analyst . Mc Mike May 2012 #39

What do I think of Orwell? Oilwellian May 2012 #42

yup think May 2012 #45

+1 deutsey May 2012 #50

Let's see, you consider Karl Marx to be a coalition_unwilling May 2012 #43

If you have nothing to hide, bvar22 May 2012 #46

He was off by about 30 years WhoIsNumberNone May 2012 #51

A great writer LeftishBrit May 2012 #53

Guy sure could connect the dots. Octafish May 2012 #54

Not a fan. JVS May 2012 #56

I've really enjoyed what I've read from him RZM May 2012 #60

I've enjoyed what I've read RZM May 2012 #60

awesome writer SwampG8r May 2012 #63