1984 #9

"Winston stopped reading, chiefly in order to appreciate the fact that he was reading, in comfort and safety. He was alone: no telescreen, no ear at the keyhole, no nervous impulse to glance over his shoulder or cover the page with his hand...It was bliss, it was eternity (Orwell 185)." This quote seemed significant to me because despite what is said in the book he is reading, "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism", what is really going through his mind when he begins reading it is how he feels to be able to simply hold a book without having to worry about being caught and vaporized. This is an example of how much people living through this time period had to be thankful for the smallest things, considering those same things could get them killed. Reading is something that many people today, especially children and teenagers,dread. This would change if reading were to become one of the only senses of freedom we could experience.