Wow. Mind boggling. Terrifying.
Those are the three main thoughts
running through my head after finishing Book I of 1984.
We had a discussion about similar things once in AP U.S. History in
high school. We discussed how many people just accept what they hear
without questioning what is being said, and how this makes us as a
society rather gullible. This gullibility can be seen in the citizens
of Oceania.
During
that class period we also discussed how easy it could be for people
to alter history and how history is written by the “winners”.
(Such as with WWII and the camps in Europe AND the US) In Oceania
there is the Ministry of Truth, which alters history to match the
Party’s version or vision of past events. A Ministry of Peace,
which wages war because fighting comes before peace – or so we are
told. The Ministry of Plenty, which plans economic shortages but
tells everyone that we are doing great. And finally there is the
Ministry of Love, which I assume is where all the corrupt ideas and
actions of the government are kept hidden. All of these ministries
are frightening and can be seen in society today. Oceania's slogan:
“WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH”
kind matches along what happens in the U.S. We go to war to “make”
peace. We “free” countries by enslaving them. And the people that
are ignorant of corruption, as the proles supposedly are, are
relatively happy. ← Ignorance is bliss, right?
The people of this society are so
controlled, so brainwashed that they cannot even have private
thoughts. I should rephrase that, private thought that are
anti-government. If I feared being caught and imprisoned every time I
had a thought that was against the current political leaders, I would
live in constant fear of being caught. They can't even have their
own, individual private thoughts. They will be told on by their young
spies. The kids are raised to tell on people that are doing “wrong”.
I remember being raised to not be a tattle-tale (which is what these
spies are). It was looked down upon.
I don't know, this is by far the worst
“utopia” we have read. I could have lived and been satisfied in
the World State, but Oceania is too corrupt
for me. I think our own politics are corrupt to the point that I
think we should just do away with political parties or political
associations. And Oceania seem twenty-thousand times worst.
Image 1: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/754538/Why-Britain-is-Great-Pub-Landlord-Al-Murray-Ignore-lecturers.html
Image 2: http://kairisoosaar.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/pr-and-propaganda/
Image 3: http://tigersoftware.com/TigerBlogs/June-13-2008/index.html
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you a lot. It's actually pretty frightening (I was going to say "interesting," but that would be an understatement and quite disingenuous)how accepting the people are regarding EVERYTHING.
This brings up the question that we asked in class, which I'm not sure we can really answer: how much of this "utopia" is true? Does Big Brother actually exist? Do memory holes actually wipe out memory?
If none of the "fears" actually exist (such as the idea of Thoughtcrimes), did the government do its job of oppressing the masses, including those who are part of the Party?
And the really weird part is that the Party is not doing it for money or material possessions - they are doing it for the sake of pure power. I cannot fathom why anyone would want that much power over another person but O'Brien seems to live for it. I am sure he wouldn't have stopped at Winston after seven years - he would simply move on to his next victim to dominate so thoroughly that there is nothing left but a Big Brother loving shell. Incredible.
ReplyDeleteGreat points, Ashley!
ReplyDeleteI also worry about everyone just going along with whatever they hear. Anyone who listens to a highly-partisan news channel (and they're on both sides of the political spectrum) will have their heads filled with some of the most insipid and stupid lies I have ever heard. AND THEY BELIEVE THEM. That's the worst part.
And the scary part is I find myself doing it, too. Not with political parties, *per se*, but since coming to college, I've adopted the "Principle of 'I Don't Even Want to Know'". What is that noise in my neighbor's room? I don't even want to know. Is that someone's puke I just stepped in? I don't even want to know. Sensing a pattern yet?
Ignorance truly is a wonderful, terrifying bliss.
I love that Bush Cheney cartoon
ReplyDelete