Monday, June 07, 2010

I Take Tests For Fun

A few years ago, I answered 6 questions and was told that the book that best describes my life was Catch-22. It was interesting and yet odd at the same time, because yes, the situation of my life back then was one where I could never win any way I tried to look at it. At the same time, while Joseph Heller makes me laugh all the time, the book's repetitiveness was a little painful to bear at times.

I just took another quiz because it's a bit too late for a full fledged post at this time of the day, and well, this week is going to be a pretty busy one, so posting 'proper and well thought out posts may be a bit out of the question...My comments on the result are in Italics.


Your result for The Which book are you? Test...
1984
You are 53% Great Book
One of the best known and well crafted works of modern literature, you are a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian government. You are 1984.

(Twenty questions and this is what I'm told. I did think that 1984 was a good book, one that made you think, one that made you wonder if your own country was moving towards totalitarianism. Unfortunately, I was reading it at a time when my emotions escalated from crazy high to deep down low, so I don't particularly love it. In fact, it made me a wee bit depressed!)

You are well thought out, and intelligent, as well as balanced in your intentions. You can, however, be rather crude and even blunt. You have a general distaste for those who ignore the truth, especially when they willfully blind themselves to the dangers of their own behaviour. You do your best to try and snap people out of it, and as a rule you are leaned toward helping others. You do, however, often find yourself becoming critical and even harsh in your analysis, usually because you feel people are not accepting the truth and need to be shown the foolishness of their position.

(Yes, that's probably true. I can be brutally honest, with the emphasis on brutal as I told someone the other day. But it all depends on how I'm feeling at that moment as well. This portion is quite true, except that I never force my opinions on people... If they're willing to accept it, all is good, but if they don't then I'll let them be)

1984 is, at times, a truly chilling book. Orwell was something of a master when it came to bringing people's fears into the world, animating the worst possible scenarios with a genuine flesh of realism. This book creates a world in which people are controlled by a totalitarian government, and have lost their god given free will. If you like a scary but not overly far-fetched read, try 1984.

(Free will, or the ability to make decisions based on information that is available and then using your brains and thinking, I must admit is one of the most important things a person can ever have. And yes, I've read the book. Will probably read it again sometime in the future)

In 1984, Orwell portrays the perfect totalitarian society, the most extreme realization imaginable of a modern-day government with absolute power. There are telescreens to monitor behavior—everywhere they go, citizens are continuously reminded, especially by means of the omnipresent signs reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU,” that the authorities are scrutinizing them. The title of the novel was meant to indicate to its readers in 1949 that the story represented a real possibility for the near future: if totalitarianism were not opposed, the title suggested, some variation of the world described in the novel could become a reality in only thirty-five years.

(Sometimes I do feel that certain aspects of my life are veering towards 1984. For instance the spots assigned to us to stand during assembly earlier this year, when just about a year ago, you could stand where you wished, as long as it was in the general assembly area. Or the fact that you have to be careful with what you write on your blogs so that your computers are not confiscated by the government multimedia police if they think you're writing something way out of line even if it's satirical in nature. It's kinda scary)

Take The Which book are you? Test at OkCupid

11 comments:

  1. The test was fun.My result ...it seems I'm 72% Watership Down. Will make it a point to read My Book tis year ;).

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  2. I actually read this book when 1984 was still in the future.

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  3. whoa! all history? *fainted*

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  4. I'm also 1984 which I've never read.

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  5. Jai: I think I have that book somewhere at home... tried reading it, but quit after a few pages.... don't know why.

    SAW: Did it make you wonder if things would go that way?

    Faisal: LOL... It's supposedly futuristic based on the time it was written

    King of Scurf: Does the description accurately represent you?

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  6. Haha.... I'm 61% Moby Dick!

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  7. 1984 has been staring at me from my bookshelf for more than a year now but i still haven't gotten round to reading it....must do so soon since i keep hearing such rave reviews about the book!

    I am 64% Moby Dick!

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  8. Terra: It's right in some places, wrong in others. It's right that I get frustrated by people who ignore the truth / blindingly obvious. I try not to be blunt but I think sometimes it's necessary.

    One of my favoutite films is Brazil which has a similarly dystopian vision of the future. I find it hard to believe 1984 could be more imaginative.

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  9. What, no Anne of Green Gables? I had you pegged for that.

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  10. I got 1984ass well. I should have known!

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  11. nurse: cool... i enjoyed that book as well.

    saby: Well, just make sure you do so when you're happy. It can get a tad bit depressing!

    King of Scurf: I think I'd have to watch that film... sounds interesting.

    Ricardo: Anne of Green Gables wasn't in their list, but it was one of my most favourite books.

    So, you're 1984 as well... pretty cool, I'd say.

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