Core Themes Explored

A central conflict explored in George Orwell's 1984 and Why Nations Fail. We examine how institutions and power structures can either foster or extinguish personal and economic freedoms, and the profound consequences for society. This theme questions what it means to be free and how easily that freedom can be lost.

"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows." - George Orwell's 1984

"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." - George Orwell's 1984

Illustrated beautifully in The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, this theme is about the quiet strength of compassion. It explores how simple acts of kindness and understanding can build resilience, foster connection, and create a sense of home even in the most challenging environments.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" "Kind," said the boy. - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

"Nothing beats kindness," said the horse. "It sits quietly beyond all things." - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

"We often wait for kindness...but being kind to yourself can start now." - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

"Always remember you matter, you're important and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can." - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Both Why Nations Fail and George Orwell's 1984 offer stark warnings about the nature of power. This theme delves into how absolute power can corrupt and how "extractive" institutions are designed to perpetuate the wealth of a narrow elite at the expense of the many. It's a critical look at the mechanics of governance and inequality.

"The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are interested solely in power, pure power." - George Orwell's 1984

"Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing." - George Orwell's 1984

"Those controlling political power will eventually find it more beneficial to use their power to limit competition, to increase their share of the pie, or even to steal and loot from others rather than support economic progress." - Why Nations Fail

"We call such institutions, which have opposite properties to those we call inclusive, extractive economic institutions—extractive because such institutions are designed to extract incomes and wealth from one subset of society to benefit a different subset." - Why Nations Fail

In an age of "alternative facts," the struggle for objective truth in George Orwell's 1984 is more relevant than ever. This theme explores the fragility of history, memory, and reality when they are actively manipulated by those in power. It forces us to consider how we know what we know, and the importance of defending truth.

"Reality exists in the human mind, and nowhere else." - George Orwell's 1984

"Being in a minority, even in a minority of one, did not make you mad. There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad." - George Orwell's 1984

"Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right." - George Orwell's 1984