Hello readers,
Welcome to my final post about George Orwell's 1984. I know that the news that this will be my last post saddens you immensely, and for that I am sorry. In this blog post, I will be discussing the overall meaning of 1984, and how it carries over into our lives today.
As I discussed in my last post, 1984, similarly to Brave New World and The Handmaids Tale, serves mainly as a warning against all-controlling government systems. This is seen in nearly every single aspect of the society of Oceania, and is a defining feature of the novel. The constant usage of Big Brother as a role model and a leader keeps people in line, and causes them to follow his values very closely, primarily because they don't know any better. He appears to be a very dictator-like figure, and is able to use lies and fear tactics to impose his will on others.
In Oceania, there is also no sense of privacy. The Thought Police have the ability to arrest people because of their thoughts, which to me just seems wrong due to their personal nature. This is luckily a tool that has never been used (to my knowledge) in our world today, but it is definitely shown as an effective and terrible way to regulate society in 1984. Telescreens are another tool used by the government to spy on people in Oceania, and this has more of a translation to today's world in the form of artificial intelligence. There have been many controversial cases lately about things such as Siri and Alexa "always listening" to people's private conversations, and this is essentially how telescreens operate. This demonstrates the power that the internet could (and already does, to a degree) have, but beyond the extent that we have seen so far, such as through the usage of "cookies" to pick which advertisement to show someone on their device. Technology is definitely a large part of Oceania and how they manage to control people even when they think they are in the privacy of their own home.
One major theme that stuck out to me in 1984 was how powerful language really is. In Oceania, nobody reads because they simply do not have any reason to. This results in very few accounts of past news, which allows the government to literally rewrite history until "the chosen lie [passes] into the permanent records and [becomes] truth" (41). Because of the lack of written accounts, the government has total power as to what the general public knows and doesn't know.
Another example of this is through the usage of Newspeak. The aim of Newspeak is to "narrow the range of thought" until "thoughtcrime [is] literally impossible, because there [are] no words in which to express it" (46). The vocabulary is eventually narrowed down until fewer words are used, and therefore cannot be used against Big Brother. I found this very similar to the way that the society of Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale took away the true names of Handmaids and essentially made it so that there were no words to be read by lower members of society. By regulating how much information people were capable of having, both societies gave more power to the government.
I think that the teachings of 1984 are still relevant today, because it warns against the government having too much control. Already we see younger generations with shorter attention spans and a decrease in the demand for written documents as things become more digital, and governments who are able to find out people's personal information by hacking into their devices. The disastrous results seen in novels like 1984 show people what can happen when the government has too much control, and is definitely applicable to current events.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
Monday, March 2, 2020
Final Reading!
Hi readers,
Well, I did it! I finished George Orwell's 1984, and although wordy and sometimes exhausting to comprehend, I can say that overall it was a positive experience.
If you remember, our last reading left us at a bit of a cliffhanger; Winston and Julia had just been taken away by the Thought Police and brought to, as we learn in this section, a jail-type building. The system used to take care of criminals seems to be a sort of lawless zone, as Winston notes that there is "bribery, favoritism, and racketeering of every kind ... homosexuality and prostitution ... [and] alcohol distilled from potatoes" (187). This can be attributed to the fact that most of the prisoners kept there have committed some kind of crime related to breaking the standards of society, so they are already clearly not buying into Big Brother's values.
In this section we also learn that O'Brien has been working against Winston, and tortures him so that he eventually "re-learns" the ways of society (e.g. believing everything that the government says). He makes Winston believe that all of his anti-Big Brother thoughts and actions in the past were delusional and, in the face of unbearable pain, Winston finally begins to believe it himself. A key example of this is when O'Brien holds up four fingers to Winston and asks how many there are. Winston of course responds with four, because that is what he knows to be true. O'Brien then asks, "'And if the Party says that it is not four but five--then how many?"' (206). Winston is met with torture for every time he answers four and not five, and O'Brien tells him that "'It is not easy to become sane"' (207).
This scene gives real insight to the way that the Party functions and maintains control. It forces people to make connections not with things that they know and see but with whatever the Party says is true. It is seen in the way that news is altered to fit Big Brother's daily agenda, and how those who say otherwise are either vaporized or, like Winston, told they are insane. Gradually, through this process of "re-teaching" and reinforcement through pain, Winston becomes yet another brain-washed member of the society. The final sentences of the book are "[Winston] had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (245). This goes to show how the very nature of an individual can be changed through pain, which is the preferred method used by the government to reinforce their teachings.
As for Julia, we never really hear from her again. We do learn about how little Winston valued their relationship however, as he "[feels] no love for her, and he hardly even [wonders] what [is] happening to her" (189). He also tells O'Brien that he would rather Julia endure the torture of being mauled by rats than him. All in all not the best boyfriend in my opinion, but we definitely saw this sort of self-serving behavior by Winston earlier in the book.
As far as this book being worthy of being taught in an AP class, I definitely think that it deserves a spot. Particularly when brought into comparison with The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World, it carries a similar warning against all-controlling government systems that allows for a deep discussion of the different ways that the societies function and what the result of each system is. In particular, it emphasizes the power of knowledge that was already introduced in Gilead's lack of written language and Mustapha Mond's complete control over the World State using soma. This is beneficial to students because it causes them to examine the government that rules over them. In my case, it certainly makes me thankful for the freedom of speech given to everyone in the United States and how accessible reliable news sources are.
However, 1984 can also cause the reader to examine the similarities between the government in their country (and in other countries!) and the Party. The role of a central, all-powerful figure can be seen in many societies across the world, and the presence of "fake news" is always a threat. I definitely notice some parallels between the people of Oceania and Americans in terms of not knowing much about current events. It feels like both societies are often in a "bubble" of sorts, where they are not exactly sure of every situation outside of their homeland.
Both "emotional complexity" and "concern with the truth" are included in definitions.net's definition of literary merit, and I think that 1984 certainly fits the bill. It not only contains multiple complex characters that bring out different aspects of the society but, as mentioned previously, also causes the reader to connect the novel to the real world. Although it is certainly not necessary to teach 1984 in an AP curriculum, particularly if The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World are taught, it would certainly be a good addition to any class because of the real-life application of its teachings.
Well, I did it! I finished George Orwell's 1984, and although wordy and sometimes exhausting to comprehend, I can say that overall it was a positive experience.
If you remember, our last reading left us at a bit of a cliffhanger; Winston and Julia had just been taken away by the Thought Police and brought to, as we learn in this section, a jail-type building. The system used to take care of criminals seems to be a sort of lawless zone, as Winston notes that there is "bribery, favoritism, and racketeering of every kind ... homosexuality and prostitution ... [and] alcohol distilled from potatoes" (187). This can be attributed to the fact that most of the prisoners kept there have committed some kind of crime related to breaking the standards of society, so they are already clearly not buying into Big Brother's values.
In this section we also learn that O'Brien has been working against Winston, and tortures him so that he eventually "re-learns" the ways of society (e.g. believing everything that the government says). He makes Winston believe that all of his anti-Big Brother thoughts and actions in the past were delusional and, in the face of unbearable pain, Winston finally begins to believe it himself. A key example of this is when O'Brien holds up four fingers to Winston and asks how many there are. Winston of course responds with four, because that is what he knows to be true. O'Brien then asks, "'And if the Party says that it is not four but five--then how many?"' (206). Winston is met with torture for every time he answers four and not five, and O'Brien tells him that "'It is not easy to become sane"' (207).
This scene gives real insight to the way that the Party functions and maintains control. It forces people to make connections not with things that they know and see but with whatever the Party says is true. It is seen in the way that news is altered to fit Big Brother's daily agenda, and how those who say otherwise are either vaporized or, like Winston, told they are insane. Gradually, through this process of "re-teaching" and reinforcement through pain, Winston becomes yet another brain-washed member of the society. The final sentences of the book are "[Winston] had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (245). This goes to show how the very nature of an individual can be changed through pain, which is the preferred method used by the government to reinforce their teachings.
As for Julia, we never really hear from her again. We do learn about how little Winston valued their relationship however, as he "[feels] no love for her, and he hardly even [wonders] what [is] happening to her" (189). He also tells O'Brien that he would rather Julia endure the torture of being mauled by rats than him. All in all not the best boyfriend in my opinion, but we definitely saw this sort of self-serving behavior by Winston earlier in the book.
As far as this book being worthy of being taught in an AP class, I definitely think that it deserves a spot. Particularly when brought into comparison with The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World, it carries a similar warning against all-controlling government systems that allows for a deep discussion of the different ways that the societies function and what the result of each system is. In particular, it emphasizes the power of knowledge that was already introduced in Gilead's lack of written language and Mustapha Mond's complete control over the World State using soma. This is beneficial to students because it causes them to examine the government that rules over them. In my case, it certainly makes me thankful for the freedom of speech given to everyone in the United States and how accessible reliable news sources are.
However, 1984 can also cause the reader to examine the similarities between the government in their country (and in other countries!) and the Party. The role of a central, all-powerful figure can be seen in many societies across the world, and the presence of "fake news" is always a threat. I definitely notice some parallels between the people of Oceania and Americans in terms of not knowing much about current events. It feels like both societies are often in a "bubble" of sorts, where they are not exactly sure of every situation outside of their homeland.
Both "emotional complexity" and "concern with the truth" are included in definitions.net's definition of literary merit, and I think that 1984 certainly fits the bill. It not only contains multiple complex characters that bring out different aspects of the society but, as mentioned previously, also causes the reader to connect the novel to the real world. Although it is certainly not necessary to teach 1984 in an AP curriculum, particularly if The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World are taught, it would certainly be a good addition to any class because of the real-life application of its teachings.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Similarities with The Handmaid's Tale and Brave New World
Welcome back readers!
As my group pointed out, I accidentally read three chapters ahead in my last reading, so although this section was supposed to be Part 2: Chapter 6 to the beginning of Part 3, it ended up being Part 2: Chapter 9 to the beginning of Part 3. Whoops!
In this section, Winston reads an anti-Party book given to him by O'Brien titled The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Goldstein, sworn enemy of the Party. It criticizes the Party's method of controlling people by altering what people know about history, and analyzes the true meanings behind the Party's slogan. The end of the section leaves at a cliffhanger, as Winston and Julia are caught by the Thought Police via a hidden telescreen. The shopkeeper Mr. Charrington is revealed as a member of the Thought Police, and it can be assumed that he was working against Winston and Julia the entire time.
Throughout my reading of 1984, I have noticed striking similarities to both Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, which is what I will focus on in this post.
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel written in 1985 that paints the picture of the futuristic society of Gilead, where personal freedom is strictly limited by by the government and women are seen primarily for their ability to reproduce. The Commanders and their wives are the wealthiest and most powerful members of society, similarly to the Inner Party members in 1984, and they have Handmaids whose only purpose is to carry the Commanders child.
In both Atwood's society of Gilead and Orwell's society of Oceania, people have become desensitized to violence, as is shown by references to public hangings in both books. In The Handmaid's Tale, people are hung for various sins, such as adultery or performing abortions, during events known as Salvagings. A reference to a similar event is made in 1984, when a mom is trying to wrangle her young children who are chanting "'Want to see the hanging! Want to see the hanging!'" (23). This shows how people in both societies are numb to violence because it has become a normal occurrence designed to subliminally make threats about what happens to those who don't follow the rules.
Both books also feature governments that try to keep citizens from reading in hopes that they will never be able to know the deceit that goes on behind the scenes. In Gilead, there are simply no words available to be read by lower members of society: shop signs have only pictures, and books are reserved only to those in positions of power, such as the Commanders. In Oceania, the desire to read and write have simply been eliminated from the minds of the society members. People are addicted to watching telescreens, which is what they rely on for their entertainment, and do not feel the need to read or write. It has been phased out of society so much that when Winston is reading The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, he pauses to "appreciate the fact that he was reading, in comfort and safety" (152). He has become so used to not reading, as is common in Oceania, that he is amazed when he actually does.
A final major similarity between The Handmaid's Tale and 1984 is the ability of the government to spy on people. In Gilead, people are watched by the Eyes, and in Oceania, the Thought Police regulates society. In both worlds people are forced to live in constant fear of being watched and taken away, which causes them to constantly self-monitor their words, thoughts, and actions. This is a major power move by the governments of both societies because they rule through fear to keep people in line.
Brave New World, on the other hand, is a prediction for the year 2540, and features the hyper-controlled society of the World State, where people are artificially created to fit within different castes, and are completely reliant on a drug called soma to feel pleasurable emotions. The society is controlled mainly by Mustapha Mond (the Controller) who, similarly to how Big Brother, is someone who the citizens look up to. Bernard, the main character, is very similar to Winston because both are relatively high functioning members of society who decide that they disagree with the core beliefs of their societies, and become determined to act against them.
The largest similarity between the two books is their usage of mottos to make the population believe that everything is functioning well within the society. In 1984, the slogan is:
As my group pointed out, I accidentally read three chapters ahead in my last reading, so although this section was supposed to be Part 2: Chapter 6 to the beginning of Part 3, it ended up being Part 2: Chapter 9 to the beginning of Part 3. Whoops!
In this section, Winston reads an anti-Party book given to him by O'Brien titled The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism by Goldstein, sworn enemy of the Party. It criticizes the Party's method of controlling people by altering what people know about history, and analyzes the true meanings behind the Party's slogan. The end of the section leaves at a cliffhanger, as Winston and Julia are caught by the Thought Police via a hidden telescreen. The shopkeeper Mr. Charrington is revealed as a member of the Thought Police, and it can be assumed that he was working against Winston and Julia the entire time.
Throughout my reading of 1984, I have noticed striking similarities to both Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, which is what I will focus on in this post.
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel written in 1985 that paints the picture of the futuristic society of Gilead, where personal freedom is strictly limited by by the government and women are seen primarily for their ability to reproduce. The Commanders and their wives are the wealthiest and most powerful members of society, similarly to the Inner Party members in 1984, and they have Handmaids whose only purpose is to carry the Commanders child.
In both Atwood's society of Gilead and Orwell's society of Oceania, people have become desensitized to violence, as is shown by references to public hangings in both books. In The Handmaid's Tale, people are hung for various sins, such as adultery or performing abortions, during events known as Salvagings. A reference to a similar event is made in 1984, when a mom is trying to wrangle her young children who are chanting "'Want to see the hanging! Want to see the hanging!'" (23). This shows how people in both societies are numb to violence because it has become a normal occurrence designed to subliminally make threats about what happens to those who don't follow the rules.
Both books also feature governments that try to keep citizens from reading in hopes that they will never be able to know the deceit that goes on behind the scenes. In Gilead, there are simply no words available to be read by lower members of society: shop signs have only pictures, and books are reserved only to those in positions of power, such as the Commanders. In Oceania, the desire to read and write have simply been eliminated from the minds of the society members. People are addicted to watching telescreens, which is what they rely on for their entertainment, and do not feel the need to read or write. It has been phased out of society so much that when Winston is reading The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, he pauses to "appreciate the fact that he was reading, in comfort and safety" (152). He has become so used to not reading, as is common in Oceania, that he is amazed when he actually does.
A final major similarity between The Handmaid's Tale and 1984 is the ability of the government to spy on people. In Gilead, people are watched by the Eyes, and in Oceania, the Thought Police regulates society. In both worlds people are forced to live in constant fear of being watched and taken away, which causes them to constantly self-monitor their words, thoughts, and actions. This is a major power move by the governments of both societies because they rule through fear to keep people in line.
Brave New World, on the other hand, is a prediction for the year 2540, and features the hyper-controlled society of the World State, where people are artificially created to fit within different castes, and are completely reliant on a drug called soma to feel pleasurable emotions. The society is controlled mainly by Mustapha Mond (the Controller) who, similarly to how Big Brother, is someone who the citizens look up to. Bernard, the main character, is very similar to Winston because both are relatively high functioning members of society who decide that they disagree with the core beliefs of their societies, and become determined to act against them.
The largest similarity between the two books is their usage of mottos to make the population believe that everything is functioning well within the society. In 1984, the slogan is:
"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" (7).
The World State, on the other hand, bases itself on three words:
Community, Identity, Stability.
These slogans are designed to convince the members of the society that what they are saying is true, when it often times is not. As discussed in one of my previous posts, the slogan in Oceania is ridden with irony and mistruths. The World State's motto, however, carries the same deceit. In the World State, there is no sense of community; people are separated strictly into different castes, and trained to think highly of only their own caste. Their sense of identity is also flawed, seeing as they were artificially created to fit into the standards of their own caste. Finally, the concept of stability in their slogan serves mostly as something that they have sacrificed all their freedom for. They work tirelessly to fulfill the duties of their caste and take soma so that they live uniform, stable lives, where things stay mostly unchanged. These slogans are created by the government to give citizens the impression that the control exerted on them is a positive thing and is good for their well-being, when this is in fact untrue.
1984 is ridden with similarities between both Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale, and yet each novel puts their own unique spin on the picture of the futuristic societies that they all paint. They also all bear striking similarities to todays society through the general concepts and ideas within them, which make them so haunting to read!
Until next week,
Katie
Thursday, February 13, 2020
My Second Reading
Welcome back readers!
In this section of George Orwell's 1984, I read from Part 1: Chapter 8 to Part 2: Chapter 9. This section contained a lot more plot than my previous reading, which was a relief! It focused mainly on developing the illegal relationship between Winston and Julia, so I think it is only appropriate to fully introduce their characters in this post.
The romance between Winston and Julia begins when Winston notices Julia following him. He initially thinks that she is a spy, and is wary of her presence. However, he soon realizes that this is not the case when she slips a note into his hand that says "I love you". They gradually increase their communication in secret, as Winston has a wife and therefore can not legally have a relationship with Julia. They agree to meet in a secret place away from the city, where they have sex for the first time and bond with one another. From that point on, they meet in secret to spend time together, typically meeting in the rented-out room above Mr. Charrington's antique shop. At the end of the section, they consult with Inner Party member O'Brien about becoming members of the Brotherhood, an underground organization that is determined to overthrow the government.
Winston, the main character, is one who I find not to be particularly likable. He tends to have very violent initial thoughts and reactions, such as when a man prevents him from sitting with Julia and he "[has] a hallucination of himself smashing a pickax right into the middle of [the man's face]" (93). He also admits to Julia that, upon first noticing her following him, he "wanted to rape [her] and then murder [her] afterwards" (101). These all portray Winston as being tended towards violence, something that I do not find very appealing in a main character. He also began to obsess over Julia, and feels that "She [has] become a physical necessity, something that he not only [wants] but [feels] that he [has] a right to" (115). This portrays him as objectifying Julia, which makes his love of her seem less sweet than it did initially. I think that Orwell chose to make Winston unpleasant so that he has room to grow as a character, but I do think that his temper and obsessive behavior towards Julia could cause issues later in the book.
Julia, on the other hand, is quite different from Winston. She is very intelligent and aware of her surroundings, as she knows exactly how to avoid being spied on by the government. She is also portrayed as being very rebellious and against the government, referring to the Inner Party members as "swine" on many occasions. She tells Winston that "during the Two Minutes Hate her great difficulty [is] to avoid bursting out laughing" (127), and revels in the "excellence of her disguise" (101) when Winston tells her that he had thought that she was a member of the Thought Police. Julia's rebellious spirit seems to be the push that Winston needs to further his treasonous thoughts towards the government into actions, which I think is Julia's main role in the novel. While Winston is just beginning to formulate his opinions towards the government's deceit, Julia actively defies them without fear, and brings out a similar side in Winston.
Although it is expected of Winston, Julia is also shown to have a darker side to her personality as well. This is exemplified when O'Brien is discussing the Brotherhood with Winston and Julia, and asking various questions about how far they would be willing to go to overthrow the government. These actions may include "[committing] acts of sabotage [that] may cause the death of hundreds of innocent people" (142) and "[throwing] sulphuric acid in a child's face" (142). Both Winston and Julia say that they would be willing to perform these actions if needed. While some may see this as standing up for their beliefs, I personally see this as showing how desensitized to violence they are, and how they both have aggressive tendencies.
I am very interested to see what happens to Winston and Julia's relationship, and whether or not they will actively become members of the Brotherhood! Their blatant risk taking is beginning to make me nervous...
Until next time,
Katie
In this section of George Orwell's 1984, I read from Part 1: Chapter 8 to Part 2: Chapter 9. This section contained a lot more plot than my previous reading, which was a relief! It focused mainly on developing the illegal relationship between Winston and Julia, so I think it is only appropriate to fully introduce their characters in this post.
The romance between Winston and Julia begins when Winston notices Julia following him. He initially thinks that she is a spy, and is wary of her presence. However, he soon realizes that this is not the case when she slips a note into his hand that says "I love you". They gradually increase their communication in secret, as Winston has a wife and therefore can not legally have a relationship with Julia. They agree to meet in a secret place away from the city, where they have sex for the first time and bond with one another. From that point on, they meet in secret to spend time together, typically meeting in the rented-out room above Mr. Charrington's antique shop. At the end of the section, they consult with Inner Party member O'Brien about becoming members of the Brotherhood, an underground organization that is determined to overthrow the government.
Winston, the main character, is one who I find not to be particularly likable. He tends to have very violent initial thoughts and reactions, such as when a man prevents him from sitting with Julia and he "[has] a hallucination of himself smashing a pickax right into the middle of [the man's face]" (93). He also admits to Julia that, upon first noticing her following him, he "wanted to rape [her] and then murder [her] afterwards" (101). These all portray Winston as being tended towards violence, something that I do not find very appealing in a main character. He also began to obsess over Julia, and feels that "She [has] become a physical necessity, something that he not only [wants] but [feels] that he [has] a right to" (115). This portrays him as objectifying Julia, which makes his love of her seem less sweet than it did initially. I think that Orwell chose to make Winston unpleasant so that he has room to grow as a character, but I do think that his temper and obsessive behavior towards Julia could cause issues later in the book.
Julia, on the other hand, is quite different from Winston. She is very intelligent and aware of her surroundings, as she knows exactly how to avoid being spied on by the government. She is also portrayed as being very rebellious and against the government, referring to the Inner Party members as "swine" on many occasions. She tells Winston that "during the Two Minutes Hate her great difficulty [is] to avoid bursting out laughing" (127), and revels in the "excellence of her disguise" (101) when Winston tells her that he had thought that she was a member of the Thought Police. Julia's rebellious spirit seems to be the push that Winston needs to further his treasonous thoughts towards the government into actions, which I think is Julia's main role in the novel. While Winston is just beginning to formulate his opinions towards the government's deceit, Julia actively defies them without fear, and brings out a similar side in Winston.
Although it is expected of Winston, Julia is also shown to have a darker side to her personality as well. This is exemplified when O'Brien is discussing the Brotherhood with Winston and Julia, and asking various questions about how far they would be willing to go to overthrow the government. These actions may include "[committing] acts of sabotage [that] may cause the death of hundreds of innocent people" (142) and "[throwing] sulphuric acid in a child's face" (142). Both Winston and Julia say that they would be willing to perform these actions if needed. While some may see this as standing up for their beliefs, I personally see this as showing how desensitized to violence they are, and how they both have aggressive tendencies.
I am very interested to see what happens to Winston and Julia's relationship, and whether or not they will actively become members of the Brotherhood! Their blatant risk taking is beginning to make me nervous...
Until next time,
Katie
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
An Introduction to Orwell's Horrifying Prophecy
Hello readers!
Welcome to my journey through George Orwell's novel 1984. Although published in 1949, Orwell paints an astonishing vision of what he believes society in London in 1984 could look like, which is introduced in my first reading of the novel.
Within the first six chapters, something that stood out to me was the usage of irony throughout the section, particularly in both the functions and organizations in the society. The major player in this society, referred to as "the Party", is centered around this slogan:
Welcome to my journey through George Orwell's novel 1984. Although published in 1949, Orwell paints an astonishing vision of what he believes society in London in 1984 could look like, which is introduced in my first reading of the novel.
Within the first six chapters, something that stood out to me was the usage of irony throughout the section, particularly in both the functions and organizations in the society. The major player in this society, referred to as "the Party", is centered around this slogan:
"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" (7).
These phrases are constantly reiterated to the people within this society, and essentially sum of the morals and viewpoints of the Party and it's leader, Big Brother. This is ironic because the words that are equated in the slogan are antonyms of each other: war and peace, freedom and slavery. This goes to show how the Party has come to be in power by changing the associations in people's minds so that they are more submissive to being controlled. It also highlights a key aspect of the Party and Big Brother's tactics for controlling the society, which is by retaining knowledge and intentionally fabricating the little information that is given to the public to make them believe that London truly is thriving.
Irony is also present in the names of the government Ministries. There is "the Ministry of Truth, which [concerns] itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts, the Ministry of Peace, which [concerns] itself with war, the Ministry of Love, which [concerns] itself with law and order, and the Ministry of Plenty, which [is] responsible for economic affairs" (8). As we learn throughout the section, these names are all facades to cover for the actual state of London. The Ministry of Truth is responsible for printing and distributing lies that are manufactured by people with jobs like Winston, the main character, who is responsible for changing past news for present gain. The Ministry of Peace is quite blatantly ironic because it deals with war, which is, as mentioned previously, the opposite of peace. The Ministry of Love also does not fit its usage, because people are "vaporized", or made to seem as though they never existed, for very trivial things. People are vaporized for being caught having treasonous thoughts by the Thought Police, or by simply noticing that the news that is being presented is false. There is quite clearly no love in that process! Finally, the Ministry of Plenty gives the illusion that the economy is booming, when London is in fact war-torn and forced to ration food. These Ministries are designed to give the impression that they all stand for positive things, when they are really just disguises for the chaos and complete control in the government.
Overall, I think that the usage of irony is less to convey what Orwell truly believes society will be like, but more to highlight the different issues that society could face in the future. His prediction of things such as the Ministries and the Party's slogan primarily serve to warn the reader of things such as corruption in the government and the retention of information by those in power. In this way, 1984 provides a more symbolic outlook when describing the basic functions of the futuristic society. These first six chapters were important to set the scene of the complicated ins-and-outs of London in 1984, and I can only assume that they will make this novel much easier to understand later.
Until next time!
Katie
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