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aidan-orwellian03 · 5 months

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Basic understanding of 1984

*SPOILERS AHEAD FOR 1984 BOOK* *This post is also just based on my view on the book based on what I understand and what I read(in the book)/watched on the internet* *and because I am posting this so just I can explain to my friend about 1984, I won't be putting any other sources nor putting them in order as followed in the book, and apologies for any mistakes*

Intro to the book: 1984 is a dystopian novel written by George Orwell (real name: Eric Blair) in 1948/49 which was directed at the Soviet Union and a bit of N*zi Germany (and other similar communist countries in general that has a dictatorship) and Stalin's dictatorship.

Scene Takes place in the year 1984 in dystopian Great Britain (In the book is called Airstrip One) Airstrip One is one of the three supercontinents in the book whic is Oceania (The three supercontinuents are Oceania, Eastasia and Eurasia) Oceania spans from the British isles, the entire North and South American territory, parts of South Africa until Australia and New Zealand. Eurasia spans the entirety of Europe and Russia. Eastasia spans from Japan, through Korea and China, all the way down to Malaysia as shown in the pic below

Oceania is ruled under a party known as INGSOC (INGSOC = ING SOC = Inglish Socialism = English Socialism) and its leader, Big Brother. The English language (which in the book is called Oldspeak = standard english) is slowly being wiped out and replaced with Newspeak where terms are shortened, distorted or completely removed to fit INGSOC's agenda). The hierarchy is divided into three parts, the Inner Party (Higher-ups and officials most loyal to INGSOC and Big Brother), Outer Party (Other less prominent party members) and finally, the Proles (proletariat, according to the book are uneducated people, peasants)

Oceania, or more accurately INGSOC holds the following three principles: War Is Peace Freedom Is Slavery Ignorance Is Strength Part 1 We get introduced to our protagonist and the world of 1984, his name is Winston Smith, a worker in the outer partyThe poor living conditions in his home, Victory Mansion are soon mentioned. Orwell then introduced another "character" known as Big Brother, a person on posters who has a strict looking face and a moustache (A reference possibly to Stalin), it is not known if Big Brother is real. It becomes obvious how brutal the dictatorship is, all Inner and Outer party members have a TV (called Telescreen in the book) which shows propaganda videos and it comes with a camera that watches the members every move in their house. Any small hints of revolt means death for the person. In simple terms, what one speaks or even think(!!) can be illegal, which is known as Thoughtcrime (Even talking in your dreams about going against Big Brother is a crime, this will be mentioned later). One will be arrested by the Thoughtpolice if involved in such crime

We then learn about Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth (The propaganda wing of INGSOC where ironically lies are being produced) Winston is responsible with twisting the truth to meet INGSOC's agenda. (For example: A former high ranking officer was [possibly] accused of going against Big Brother and is now an unperson*, Winston now has to create a fake dead person who never existed to replace this actually dead person) "Comrade Ogilvy, who had never existed in the present, now existed in the past, and when once the act of forgery was forgotten, he would exist just as authentically, and upon the same evidence, as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar."

Winston remembers years ago, he saw a picture (before burning it) of three prominent INGSOC inner party members attended a delegation in New York, they were all arrested executed and became unperson/unpeople and history of them never existed. But the picture was proof that they did exist before. *Unperson means someone who is removed from history by a dictatorship / removed as in completely never born ever. *Before I continue, I should introduce the ministries of 1984. Ministries are as follows: -Ministry of Truth (Newspeak: Minitrue) -Ministry of Love (Newspeak: Miniluv) (the ministry where people are "reeducated" via [ironically] torture -Ministry of Peace (Newspeak: Minipax) (the war Ministry of Oceania which ironically is responsible for creating a forever war between Oceania and the other supercontinents) -Ministry of Plenty (Newspeak: Miniplenty) (Ministry that controls the food that is given to the people)

Another example of the Ministry of Truth manipulating the news was when one day they announced a bad news that chocolate rations were reduced to 20 grams from 30 grams. But the next day, the news announced that it has increased to 20 grams instead of decrease.

“It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grammes a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be REDUCED to twenty grammes a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours?"

And the most interesting part is that everyone seemed to believe it without once questioning it.

Next in this part, we are also met with Winston's neighbours, the Parsons. They have two children showing absolute loyalty to Big Brother and were throwing a big tamper tantrum for being unable to get to watch the hanging of war prisoners from Eastasia. Their loyalty was scary, children were taught to betray their parents of their parents ever showed one sign of betrayal towards INGSOC.

"It was almost normal for people over thirty to be frightened of their own children."

The party also holds a thing called Two-minutes Hate where Inner and Outer Party members are gathered in a large hall and a video of Emmanuel Goldstein is played (Goldstein was loyal to Big Brother before he worked with resistance groups and was assumed to be executed)(It is unknown whether Goldstein is actually real or made up by the party) In this two minutes hate, party members boo and jeer at Goldstein, showing their hate and anger until finally an image of Big Brother is played and the members shows relieve and start chanting B.B. (short for Big Brother). This shows how brainwashed people are by their government that they show absolute loyalty.

It is here we are introduced to a new character from the inner party known as O'Brien (who, to Winston's observations is an ally against Big Brother). In this part, we are also met with two other charcters, Julia and Mr. Charrington. Mr Charrington is a pawn shop owner, selling things from before the Revolution and where Winston got his diary from. Winston meanwhile, hates Julia, to him, she always looked suspicious, thinking that she works for the Thoughtpolice as a spy.

Finally another character we get introduced to is Syme, WInston's "friend" who is responsible in the production of the 11th edition of the Newspeak dictionary.

“It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words. Of course the great wastage is in the verbs and adjectives, but there are hundreds of nouns that can be got rid of as well. It isn't only the synonyms; there are also the antonyms. After all, what justification is there for a word which is simply the opposite of some other words? A word contains its opposite in itself. Take 'good,' for instance. If you have a word like 'good,' what need is there for a word like 'bad'? 'Ungood' will do just as well--better, because it's an exact opposite, which the other is not. Or again, if you want a stronger version of 'good,' what sense is there in having a whole string of vague useless words like 'excellent' and 'splendid' and all the rest of them? 'Plusgood' covers the meaning, or 'doubleplusgood' if you want something stronger still...In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words--in reality, only one word. Don't you see the beauty of that, Winston?”

That excerpt from the book gives a quick summary of how Newspeak works

*Okay I am writing a little too long, maybe I shall shorten for the next few parts* Now I will give a summary of a summary rather than story telling * 💀💀

Part Two

We reached the part where the subplot is introduced, Winston got to know Julia after she had confessed. They started dating though in secrecy (Dating between party members is a taboo). They met at a forest where they made love after they made sure the coast was clear.

Making love in Airstrip One is strict, almost forbidden, there is even the league, Junior Anti-Sex League which aims to end sexual pleasure once and for all. Sex is only seen as a chore like sweeping or cleaning the house, doing it out of obligation instead of an act of pleasure, the party eliminates the pleasure of making love.

And since Winston and Julia made love with pleasure, they are already criminals.

“The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thoughtcrime.”

Later in the story, they decided to do making love at the room above Mr Charrington's shop where there was no telescreens to catch them.

After that, O'Brien suddenly called on Winston and Julia and invited them to join the resistance group known as the Brotherhood which was believed to be ran by Goldstein. They showed their pledge until when they were asked if they were willing to break up/betray each other if they were told to, they immediately said no, showing their love and loyalty to each other.

"Confessing isn't betrayal. I mean feelings. If they can make me change my feelings. If they can stop me from loving you, that would be real betrayal."

They were given a book which told them about the three principles of INGSOC (which I mentioned above)

“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. Hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. This new version is the past and no different past can ever have existed. In principle the war effort is always planned to keep society on the brink of starvation. The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects and its object is not the victory over either Eurasia or East Asia, but to keep the very structure of society intact.”

Finally, one day when they were resting in the room after making love, there was a voice shouting at them, ordering them to stand still and not move. A picture fell down, revealing the telescreen hidden behind it and Big Brother was watching them all the while.

It is the Mr Charrington all the while was a spy for the Thoughtpolice andwas also responsible in the capture of Winston and Julia by the Thoughtpolice.

Part 3

Winston wakes up in what he believes is the Ministry of Truth, in a room where there are no windows and just a telescreen. He is starved and not allowed to eat and can only sit in one spot. If he even moves out of the sight of the telescreen, he will scolded. People came and went in the room with him. Until he saw Mr Pason, his neighbour. He was arrested after his 7 year old daughter turned him in to the Thoughtpolice for rebellious thoughts while sleeping (he was sleep talking as mentioned earlier)

"‘Who denounced you?’ said Winston. ‘It was my little daughter,’ said Parsons with a sort of doleful pride. ‘She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day."

These prisoners were taken to the infamous Room 101. Soon Winston was taken to torture (not yet in room 101). It was revealed that O'Brien too was part of the Thoughtpolice as well. This shows that in such a universe, you can hardly trust anyone. Who you may see as your ally may actually turn out to be an enemy. Same as assuming one is an enemy (Remember, Winston always assumed Julia was part of the Thoughtpolice and he thought O'Brien was an ally)

He was electrocuted as O'Brien confronted and "reeducated" him. Here we come to learn about the concept of 2+2=5. Doublethink as they call it, the act of accepting two contrary beliefs as one (Best example is the three principles of INGSOC) O'Brien makes Winston believe that 2+2=5 even though Winston knows that 2+2=4. In the end, Winston gave in because of the torture.

" ‘I don’t know. I don’t know. You will kill me if you do that again. Four, five, six—in all honesty I don’t know.’ "

O'Brien then confronted Winston about the picture (as I had mentioned above) Winston said he was certain he saw the picture, but O'Brien denied it, saying it never existed and gaslit Winston.

" ‘It exists!’ he cried. ‘No,’ said O’Brien. He stepped across the room. There was a memory hole in the opposite wall. O’Brien lifted the grating. Unseen, the frail slip of paper was whirling away on the current of warm air; it was vanishing in a flash of flame. O’Brien turned away from the wall. ‘Ashes,’ he said. ‘Not even identifiable ashes. Dust. It does not exist. It never existed.’ ‘But it did exist! It does exist! It exists in memory. I remember it. You remember it.’ ‘I do not remember it,’ said O’Brien. "

And finally Winston came to accepting it never existed even though he know it exists (this is another example of doublethink) It shows how dictatorship countries control info that their citizen possess.

But still, he loved Julia more than anything else, and of course O'Brien wants to change that, they sent him to be further reeducated in Room 101. A room where it is said they have your biggest fears. Winston's biggest fear is rats so he had a cage put around his head and a rat in that cage which is near to his face and almost biting him. He screamed in fear and finally broke down and betrayed Julia.

" 'Do it to Julia! Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!’ "

In the end, he loved only one person and that person is Big Brother.

Anyways, that's all comrades! (2400 words est.)

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