At what age and grade level is the book "1984" generally read ?

[Progressivism]

I read it independently cover to cover last year at the age of fourteen,but I was not able to comprehend it well enough to commit it to memory,or examine the author's purpose without outside help.I hadn't read very many books in a while until that time,so I had the habit of my mind wandering off as I read the book.One memory I had of reading the story, was when I wondered how the main character could easily read Emmanuel Goldstein's book without(seemingly) having any educational background.I guess knowing the subject matter of the book beforehand can help you comprehend the prose.

[Lavender Brown]

1. 9th grade in my high school

[MountainLaurel]

2. We read it in class in the 8th grade

And discussed the themes, watched an animated version, etc.

[Progressivism]

6. We read "The Giver," in my 8th Grade English Class last year.

It's dystopian fiction as well as in 1984,but it's a lot easier to read and comprehend without teacher guidance.

[AlienGirl]

8. Recommendation for you: "Brightness Falls From the Air" by James Tiptree, Jr.

If you haven't read it already--it is absolutely beautiful, and while not dystopian, certainly apocalyptic.

Tucker

[Progressivism]

10. Thank you for the recommendation.eom.

[Sanity Claws]

3. Generally read in high school

I'm not surprised that you had problems grasping it entirely.
I've reread several books as an adult that I first read in high school. It is an entirely different experience.

[AlienGirl]

4. I read it in 1984, when I was 11, fifth grade. Then moved on to other Orwell books.

I've been fascinated with dystopian fiction since reading it, so it certainly had an impact on me.

You'll probably notice if you re-read it every couple of years that parts of it you didn't understand or that made no sense become clear, and you'll notice things you didn't see before. For instance, it took me a couple of readings to understand that Room 101 was not just for people who were afraid of rats (in my initial reading, I thought it was a silly plot device because rats aren't scary) but that it would hold *whatever* the victim was most afraid of. The implications of the romance didn't make sense to me until after I'd entered puberty and could appreciate love stories. Stuff like that.

Tucker

[Progressivism]

5. When I read it,I enjoyed wondering about the world it was set in.

But I did not understand enough of it to provide the kind of sophisticated critique as many I have seen.

[AlienGirl]

7. Unfortunately, some of that sophistication really does take experience to develop for many

I know that having more years and more personal experience has deepened my understanding. I was just as smart, but with less of a pool of knowledge to draw from and create associations between. (YMMV though, enough reading and virtual experience might work to build it up for other people.)

Tucker

[Progressivism]

9. I remember rereading something I read as a child and relating it to my life experiences...

so far as a fifteen year old.I forgot exactly what I had read, but nevertheless the notion of life experiences influencing the way you read is locked in my mind.

[AlienGirl]

11. I get this interesting "A-ha!" feeling when that happens!

[CraftyGal]

12. I read it in Grade 10 (age 14/15)

then I read animals. I really enjoyed the book and we had agreat teacher who engaged us in the topic.

CraftyGal

[TrogL]

13. It was on the grade 11 vocational curriculum in Canada in in the late 60's

I probably read it summer of 1970 when I was 15.

[old mark]

14. In my schools, never. We never even discussed or mentioned Orwell at all,

if I remember correctly.


mark

[Iggo]

15. High School was awhile ago...

...but I'm gonna guess 10th grade. (Or was that The Outsiders)?

[TheCentepedeShoes]

16. I read it in the summer

of 63
I was visiting relatives in San Jose and got it from my cousin
We had both just finished ninth grade
He also gave me Gentlemens Agreement and Black Like Me which they had read the previous year
Heavens to Betsy, who knows what went on in 10th grade
:o
Back in TX we were still in our "readers"

[LostInAnomie]

17. Pretended to be read in 9th. Picked up again and blown away by it in your early 20's.

[struggle4progress]

18. I read Animal Farm right before I went to Junior High, and 1984 right after I started Junior High.

I must have had dark tastes. I read Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit 451 about the same time. I read Brave New World at the beginning of High School. I didn't see Darkness At Noon til High School but recognized it then as a derivative of a Benet story I'd already read. The precursor of 1984 and Brave New World (Zemyatin's We) I encountered right after my junior year of High School

I'd say anything between 6th and 12th grade for any of these books, depending on student interest

[surrealAmerican]

19. I read it in either ninth or tenth grade ...

... which was probably fairly typical in the late '70s. It was much better than most of our assigned reading at the time, and it was a relief to read something NOT about "troubled teens", which seemed to be the focus for most of the books they assigned.

[WCGreen]

20. Why read it....

It's not gonna happen, It's 26 years out of date....