Macy Mitchell Mr. Schneider Honors British Literature 17 August 2016 Purposeful Paradoxes “The way of paradoxes is the way of truth.” Oscar Wilde, Irish novelist and poet, was a man of many paradoxes, a statement that may initially imply contradiction, yet can bear immense meaning and purposes when pondered. He, along with many others, believes that through their use much truth can be told. For example, George Orwell, the author of 1984, creates an intricate, well developed society living in alignment with an all-important slogan consisting purely of paradox. The novel, set in a 1980s dystopian society, focuses on Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party who consistently disobeys the totalitarian government known as INGSOC ruled by Big Brother. …show more content…
The exceedingly strict party is overwhelmed with desire to stay in power over the people. In order for INGSOC to operate successfully many characters in the novel, such as Inner Party member O’Brien, are brainwashed into believing in the government’s three part slogan: War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength. To begin, Orwell uses the atypical remark “War is Peace” to serve a legitimate purpose in 1984, as the only way to maintain peace is through war. Moreover, “Freedom is Slavery” is interpreted unusually in the way that an individual will become enslaved by their own emotions if given freedom. Furthermore, keeping the people in Oceania oblivious to what occurs in reality is necessary to ensure that Big Brother is supreme, thus, “Ignorance is Strength”. Therefore, throughout the novel, Orwell manages to make meaning and purpose out of the paradoxical slogans that rule the totalitarian society. Initially, the phrase “War is Peace” expresses much significance when analyzed in terms of the community. Since the revolution, Winston cannot recall a period when Oceania has ceased to be in conflict with either Eurasia or Eastasia, the two surrounding countries. While Winston attends the Hate Week festivities the speaker indirectly announces Oceania’s current enemy: Eastasia, no longer Eurasia whom to Winston’s knowledge had been their rival for a notable period of time until the present. Everybody else begins tearing down Eurasian posters claiming it to be false propaganda as Winston reinforces the fact that “Oceania was at war with Eastasia: Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia” (182). He must believe that Eastasia had always been their adversary due to Big Brother’s wishes. In the world led by INGSOC it is necessary that there is always an enemy in order to keep the citizens preoccupied on their violent hatred rather than revolting against the Party; the people know no different than to have war, therefore, without the war they would risk panic. In addition, during his time participating in Hate Week, Winston obtains a forbidden book written by Big Brothers rival, Emmanuel Goldstein. He quickly proceeds to a private area where he could study it safely. Winston becomes wrapped up in the book as he reads, “A peace that was truly permanent would be the same as a permanent war. This… is the inner meaning of the Party slogan: WAR IS PEACE” (199). Obviously, the authority believes that the only way to maintain peace is through war; conflict and an object of hatred is imperative for the stable functioning of the government. Conclusively, due to the aforementioned ideology Orwell provides logic to the paradoxical statement “War is Peace”. Furthermore, when interpreted from a unique perspective, the suggestion that “Freedom is Slavery” can be substantiated.
Winston commits “thoughtcrime” leading to his arrest and questioning at the Ministry of Love, the communities jail center working with matters pertaining to war. His comrade O’Brien begins torturing him in an underground room and calls it the “learning stage”. He teaches Winston the truth about the Party and their slogan; eventually he explains that “Freedom is Slavery” is easily reversed as “Slavery is freedom. Alone- free- the human being is always defeated… if he can make complete, utter submission… [and] merge himself in the Party… then he is all-powerful and immortal” (264). The Party uses this statement to illustrate that when one acknowledges the collective will, they become free from danger and desire. Those who are surrendered to INGSOC, including O’Brien, assume that when an individual has freedom they become subjugated to their senses and emotions. Moreover, Winston continues to be starved and tortured until he appears to be nothing but skin and bones when his opinions transition to align with the governments. He now accepts everything that O’Brien has expressed to him including that he is crazy and two plus two equals five. While he thinks about what he has been taught he thinks about “How easy it all was! Only surrender, and everything else followed… he hardly knew why he had ever rebelled” (278). In a sense, Winston is now free, only in a …show more content…
different way than before his trauma. Winston is liberated from the prison cell and the eyeful watch from the Party; he has already been “cured” so they were no longer interested in him. In addition, he no longer believes in what he once knew as true, therefore, he was disengaged from his own emotions. Thus, although “Freedom is Slavery” originally sounds absurd, Orwell manages to supply a substantial advocating argument. Lastly, although ignorance is typically viewed as a personal weakness, the inner Party members in Orwell’s dystopia view it as a valuable quality.
Throughout the rising action, Winston recalls his memories and fails to remember a period after the revolution when Oceania has not been at war. He relives a season about four years from modern times when Oceania had been at war with Eastasia rather than Eurasia; that has been wiped from the memories of the people due to their current circumstances. Winston deviates with what the government claims has happened in the past, yet “… the Party [can] thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened, that, surely, [is] more terrifying than mere torture and death” (34). In order for the people to believe that the past as they remember it is inaccurate they must have a sense of ignorance about them. The Party favors naive members of society because it makes it much easier to change the past; therefore, increasing their strength. Furthermore, Winston has become accustomed to living in the type of environment where he pretends to trust everything the party expresses. Many characters in the novel are ignorant enough to forever be oblivious to reality; meanwhile, those possessing intelligence will inevitably catch on sooner or later. Winston has lunch with his comrade Syme when he realizes that “…Syme will be vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like
such people” (53). The Party always discovers the perceptive citizens who have not succumbed to their beliefs, and do away with them through vaporizing. The inability of society to observe the frequent contradictions of the Party greatly strengthens their power. As a result, “Ignorance is Strength” portrays notable meaning when placed in a time and place such as 1984 Oceania. Thus, Orwell unveils unique, deliberate purposes behind the contradictory slogans “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength”. Although odd, in this situation government finds war to be the only way to sustain peace within their world. Moreover, the controlling Party believes that if a person is free they will become a slave to their feelings. Lastly, INGSOC is a weak association; therefore, they find their strength in the ignorance of society. Throughout the world, people fail to restrain from judging others opinions although they know nothing about each others lives; often, one must study the circumstances and view situations from various perspectives in order to understand their outlook.
Returning to his diary, Winston then expresses his emotions against the Party, the Thought Police and Big Brother himself; he questions the unnecessary acts by the Party and continuously asserts rebellion. Winston soon realized he had committed the crime of having an individual thought, “thoughtcrime.” The chapter ends with a knock on Winston’s door. Significant Quotes “From where Winston stood it was just possible to read, picked out on its white face in elegant lettering, the three slogans of the Party: WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” (Orwell 7). “But there was a fraction of a second when their eyes met, and for as long as it took to happen Winston knew— yes, he knew!
Paradoxes are an important part of George Orwell’s 1984 because the story revolves a lot around The Party and The Party uses three slogans which are paradoxes. Although the Party’s paradoxes are a main part of the story one can believe that Katherine’s paradox is more important than The Party and it shouldn’t be overlooked. Katherine’s paradox is with her husband because they’re basically forced to be married because of The Party. One can believe this is a more important paradox than The Party’s slogans because it shows an actual relationship that isn’t following The Party’s specific rules and The Party’s slogans are for the common people so it’s not as specific as Katherine and Winston’s relationship.
George Orwell once wrote, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” In Orwell’s 1984, he establishes a government centered on universal deceit to expose the impact of such controls on the citizens, specifically, the revolutionary, Winston. Winston Smith is introduced as a worker of the Ministry of Truth, where he, as well as many others, work to alter or destroy any pictures, pieces of written work, art work etc. that may cause citizens to question the power or truthfulness of their government. Although Smith performs proficiently at his job and complies with the rules of this society, he, unlike most others, sees the lies and manipulation imposed on the citizens of Oceania by Big Brother and attempts to deceive
Winston works for 1 of the 4 government agency’s, The Ministry of Truth. In his job he re-writes old news articles so they show that The Party has always been and will be in control. By re-writing everything in print, The Party effectively changes history. The only proof of actual history is in the minds of the people who were there. Winston realizes that there is something wrong with this, yet he doesn’t know what. The re-writing of history is all he has ever known. It is most likely Winston’s job that leads him to rebel against The Party.
The party controls every source of information, and doesn't allow people to keep records of their past, such as photographs and documents. As a result, memories become fuzzy and citizens become perfectly will to swallow anything the Party tells them. The ministry of truth where Winston works destroys old documents so BB can never be wrong. The past is constantly falsified and brought up to date. By controlling the present, the Party is able to manipulate the past. And in controlling the past, the Party can justify all its actions in the present. The party has the power to make it as if Winston never existed, so he was never going to make a difference, because no one would hear of his struggle. The ministry of truth would destroy any evidence of his existence, just as Winston himself did to comrade withers.
In 1984 by George Orwell, the world is described as a desolate, bleak result of humanity where the land is governed by a totalitarian regime who rules the hindering the societal progress. The face of Oceania is Big Brother, an omniscient figure who is widely worshiped by its people. The Inner Party enforces a new language known as Newspeak that prevents anyone from committing political rebellion. The control that this Party has over the entire population unveils the theme of the novel, that intimidation by a higher up can lead to psychological manipulation. There are several paradoxes within the text that reveal this theme to be true due to the party’s way with words. A paradox is something that contradicts reason or expectation and Orwell
I strongly agree with Fromm’s viewpoints and interpretations of Orwell’s 1984 text. He warns that the future federal powers will dehumanize society and leave everyone alienated. Thus, I agree with Fromm to the extent that he acknowledges the fact that humanity can indeed cease to exist as a result of our own self-destruction as well as the effect of our actions. Many of his opinions and warnings expressed by Orwell to an extent appear in contemporary society.
War Is Peace. Freedom Is Slavery. Ignorance Is Strength. The party slogan of Ingsoc illustrates the sense of contradiction which characterizes the novel 1984. That the book was taken by many as a condemnation of socialism would have troubled Orwell greatly, had he lived to see the aftermath of his work. 1984 was a warning against totalitarianism and state sponsored brutality driven by excess technology. Socialist idealism in 1984 had turned to a total loss of individual freedom in exchange for false security and obedience to a totalitarian government, a dysutopia. 1984 was more than a simple warning to the socialists of Orwell's time. There are many complex philosophical issues buried deep within Orwell's satire and fiction. It was an essay on personal freedom, identity, language and thought, technology, religion, and the social class system. 1984 is more than a work of fiction. It is a prediction and a warning, clothed in the guise of science fiction, not so much about what could happen as it is about the implications of what has already happened. Rather than simply discoursing his views on the social and political issues of his day, Orwell chose to narrate them into a work of fiction which is timeless in interpretation. This is the reason that 1984 remains a relevant work of social and philosophical commentary more than fifty years after its completion.
... essential quote to the novel is “She did not understand that there was no such thing as happiness, that the only victory lay in the far future, long after you were dead, that from the moment of declaring war on the Party it was better to think of yourself as a corpse.” Winston comes to the realisation that this war over the Party would never be won in their lifetime, the final words, foreshadow the future. Again, the party is constantly taking away any sense of amazement or free thinking, so in a way it can be seen as a forced innocence to the citizens.
As such, Winston leaves the Ministry of love as a drastically changed man, forged into the image of perfection in the eyes of Big Brother. The foundation of his new personality is his ability to effortlessly commit crimes at a subconscious level. Thoughts that interfere with Party views are promptly erased from Winston’s mind. “False memories” such as when “his mother was sitting opposite of him and also laughing” (309, 308) were recollections of happiness, and thus, dangerous to Party ideologies. The ability to selectively believe which memories are true and which ones are false, using Party ideals as reference, is one of the main traits of a perfect Party member.
Knowledge and Truth is a major factor in the plot behind 1984 by George Orwell. In this dystopian society that Orwell created no one knows what life was like before the Party rose to power. The Party takes total control over this aspect of the people. When Winston says “And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became truth.”(1.3.34-35). This means that the Party decides what is right and what is wrong. They choose what part of history to fabricate or erase and what lie that the Party wants the people to believe. Since there is no other evidence of life before the Revolution the people only believe what the Party informs the people on what happened before
Especially in 1984, corruption within the political regime runs rampant to a point where only Winston, along with a select handful of others, have the skill to identify governmental manipulation of history and facts. Although objectively correct in his observations against the government’s teachings, Winston’s skill makes him a target for powerful Party men like O’Brian, Winston’s torturer, who have thoroughly conformed to the preachings of Big Brother. When met with the question of why O’Brian is torturing Winston, he replies, “Not merely to extract your confession, not to punish you… To cure you! To make you sane! Will you understand, Winston, that no one whom we bring to this place ever leaves our hands uncured? We are not interested in those stupid crimes that you have committed. The Party is not interested in the overt act: the thought is all we care about. We do not merely destroy our enemies, we change them. Do you understand what I mean by that?” (261). Throughout his numerous torture sessions with Winston, O’Brian makes clear that the Inner Party is almost as corrupted and manipulated by the creation of Big Brother as the remainder of the citizens of Oceania; conformity to the wishes of the highly ranked is the only plausible way for the Party’s
Dreams, as vivid and realistic they might be, are not real. No matter how many times a person has the same dream, it does not become real. However, dreams do have meaning. If a person has nightmares consistently, it might mean the person is suffering from anxiety or depression. If a person dreams about a foreign vacation spot, it might mean they want to travel there. While dreams themselves are not real, they do have a role in determining what is real. The same thing could be said for paradoxes. A paradox might not seem real, but by closely comparing the way something is intended to be and the way it truly is, reality can be defined.
Most novels read, require rereading certain passages and sentences because of perplexing ideas that do not match up. This would be considered a paradox. In the novel 1984 many paradoxes significantly transforms the entirety of the literature as it contradicts many ideas at hand. Although some would believe the most central paradox in Orwell’s 1984 is the Ministry of Love, it is clearly the Ministry of Truth, as evidenced by the amount of control it gives the party.
Winston expresses the pessimistic aspects of their society when he retorts, "The terrible thing that the Party had done was to persuade you that mere impulses, mere feelings, were of no account, while at the same time robbing you of all power over the material world. When once you were in the grip of the Party, what you felt or did not feel, what you did or refrained from doing, made literally no difference” (136). Winston analyzes that even though asylum may come from ignorance, ignorant citizens give away the rights of freedom of speech and even freedom of thinking unconsciously. Some may inquire themselves is the destruction of freedom genuinely worth prosperity or safety and that revolting will devise a solution quicker than