reality and control Flashcards
party control
of the population through a combination of surveillance, terror and propaganda
no laws
but the party can use torture to punish crime or imprisonment, or vaporisation
constant surveillance
telescreens remind the citizens that they are constantly being observed, and all live in fear that their neighbours, coworkers or even family members will report them
historical evidence
is destroyed as it contradicts the party’s wishes for what they want people to believe
records department
task to rewrite any article or literature that contradicts the version of reality that the Party produces
Books of the past
are destroyed if they don’t conform or they are translated into newspeak
Purpose of Newspeak- “to make all other modes of thought impossible”
doublethink
“to understand the word “doublethink” involved the use of doublethink”
2+2
“the party would announce that two and two made five”
was a communist slogan
external reality
“the very existence of external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy”
reality control
“the past and the external world exist only in the mind”
Minis
“The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies”
though police
inspired by the Kempeitai, the Japanese wartime secret police who arrested people for “unpatriotic thoughts”
the bombing of Airstrip One
is based on Buzz bombs, which struck England at random in 1944-45
surveillance
he exploited the contemporary fears of surveillance
link to BNW
1984 a totalitarian state, BNW a hedonistic paradise, which controls through pleasure rather than pain
1984
has heightened our collective consciousness of the dangers of a surveillance state - US Patriot Act
power of fear
Offred - “I don’t want pain”
Winston - “I’ll say anything they like”
although set in Orwell’s future
he does not put much emphasis on technological advance, except perhaps telescreens
conditioning
“Two Minutes Hate”, which encourages anger at the other states
BNW conditioning is done openly - lower caste babies are conditioned with terror and pain to hate books and nature - shows that it can be just as brutal as 1984
religion
“Two Minutes Hate”, which encourages frenzied, animalistic behaviour
the ceremony Bernard goes to is similar, in the sense that it requires people to react on an instinctual level
these ‘religions’ do not attempt to elevate human nature or improve behaviour, but simply reinforce the requirements of the society
