Far away Quote by George Orwell
““The industrial towns were far away, a smudge of smoke and misery hidden by the curve of the earth's surface. Down here it was still the England I had known in my childhood: the railway-cuttings smothered in wild flowers, the deep meadows where the great shining horses browse and meditate, the slow-moving streams bordered by willows, the green bosoms of the elms, the larkspurs in the cottage gardens; and then the huge peaceful wilderness of outer London, the barges on the miry river, the familiar streets, the posters telling of cricket matches and Royal weddings, the men in bowler hats, the pigeons in Trafalgar Square, the red buses, the blue policemen—all sleeping the deep, deep sleep of England, from which I sometimes fear that we shall never wake till we are jerked out of it by the roar of bombs.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: 1984 by George Orwell, 1949
The passage contrasts nostalgic rural England with industrial decay, warning that war will shatter this peaceful illusion.
In simple terms: England’s calm is threatened by war.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and cherish peace before it’s lost.
Themes
nostalgia
industrialization
war
peace
urbanization
Mood
melancholic
reflective
warning
Type
literary
descriptive
When to use this quote
- reflecting on countryside
- urban planning
- war preparedness
- cultural preservation
Key Concepts
modernism
romanticism
social critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does nostalgia shape our view of progress?
- What can we do to protect peace?
A Different Perspective
The idyllic view may romanticize the past, ignoring its hardships.
![“Nineteen thousand children [are] dying every day. Does it really matter that we're not walking past them in the street? Does it really matter that they're far away? I don't think it does make a morally relevant difference.” quote by Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cc1/peter-singer-1001_children_nineteen-thousand-children-are-dying-eve_33961.jpg)
