Editor’s Note/Thesis

            George Orwell’s book 1984 is a book discussing the future and things every person must be watching for in their government. While we see 1984 as a critique of Communism, controlling government, and of censorship, it is much more fully a critique of totalitarian regimes, and a warning for future generations of what will come if they are not informed and involved in the process of checking government.

Carhartt

From the Past

 To the Present

Carhartt has and will ALWAYS be number

one in Overall Production

Victory Gin

Winston, throughout 1984, particularly right before he writes in his journal, drinks Victory Gin as a way to suppress his paranoia and rebellious thoughts.

Ask Goldstein

Q: Do you exist?

A: I exist in your mind, therefore I exist.  I have power over your actions, therefore I exist.

.  .  .

Q: How would you, or plan to, bring down the party?

A: Lots of people assume the Proles are the answer to this question, but I do not agree.  I see them as a different society entirely, who come into direct contact with the party infrequently, and when they do come into contact with the party, they often don’t recognize it.  They are content with the life they are dealt, and have more freedom than party members.  Why would they risk giving that up for a different kind of freedom they can’t comprehend.  No, the real way to destroy the party is to create doubt within the party members.  The way to create doubt is to do away with double think and present things how they truly are.

.  .  .

Q: What made you first start to hate the party?

A: I remember before the party took control. Believe it or not, they haven’t ALWAYS been the force they claim.  Even though I still had human instinct to love, and to touch, and to care about others, my self preservations instincts pushed me to go along with the teachings of the party.  I even rose within it.  So did my brother, who was my best friend, in a time when sincere friends have become extinct.  One day my brother didn’t come to work, or the next day, or the next day.  He was gone, and there were conveniently no records of him, but I still l know that he had been there.  I know the party doesn’t control the real past, no matter how hard they try.  That was when I first started to hate the party.

.  .  .

Q: How does the brotherhood work?

A: There is no set system.  It works through people who hate the party and are willing to doubt it.

.  .  .

Q: Would you help your members if they got captured by the party?

A: Yes.  We, unlike the party, know that are members are individuals, and not disposable.  If we were to let them just parish in some cell, that makes us no better than the party.

Remember to Love: An Announcement from The Party.

Love is not forbidden, it is encouraged.  While men and women may walk out of our lives one man will continue to watch out for our “best interests.”  We are to love Big Brother.  We are to devote our lives to Big Brother and his ways.  The Party will take care of us more than “friends” or “family” ever will.  If you should slip, there are people who can help you remember your love of Big Brother.  This is Miniluv’s duty, to help you remember to love. 

Symbols Found by the Resistance

Big Brother:  With a name like “Big Brother” it leads you to believe that the leader of The Party is there to protect the citizens of Oceania.  Through the use of propaganda, that is exactly what is believed.  He is the elusive figure, who may or may not actually exist, watching for the criminals and protecting the party supporters.

The Paperweight:  At an antique store in the Prole district Winston purchases a paperweight, not knowing exactly what its usage is. While one may wonder why an antique store would be allowed, (seeing as Big Brother’s goal is to remove anything that may remind the citizens of Oceania of the past) but this play an important role understanding Winston’s desire for the past. To him, the paperweight serves as a reminder of what once was and fuels his hatred of Big Brother.  Once he is captured with Julia, the paperweight falls to the ground and is shattered, just like his dreams of freedom.

Memory Holes:  There were the chutes attached to the furnace that Winston was to throw scraps of paper into after he had “corrected” past news articles.  Seeing how the party’s main objective is to erase the past the term “Memory Hole” is fitting.  The memories of the past are being burned so only the future, or “the past”, created by the party can be discovered.

Victory Cigarettes/Victory Gin

Victory Cigarettes and Victory Gin appear throughout 1984 as Winston’s way to escape his dangerous thoughts.  These particular names demonstrates how The Party controls production in Oceania and constantly reminds its citizens that victory is inedible for the never-ending war.

By: Morgan Taylor

How The Party Maintains Control

Miniluv is the ministry dedicated to enhancing loyalty to Big Brother and removing loyalty to anyone or anything else.  In chapter one Winston describes the building of the Ministry of Love to be large, with no windows, surrounded by barbed wire and guards.  This is where thoughtcriminals are taken to be “cured” through any means possible.  Winston and Julia are cured of their “dangerous thoughts” by various methods of torture, and an eventual trip to Room 101, which contains the “worst thing in the world.”  This ministry and their methods of curing criminals are essential to The Party’s complete control.  The ability to distort thoughts through torture discontinues unique viewpoints, allowing The Party to have complete and constant loyalty of the citizens.

"WAR IS PEACE," "FREEDOM IS SLAVERY," "IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" is engraved on the outside of the Minitrue building.  This building, containing over three thousand room is where main character, Winston Smith works.  The ministry’s objective is to oversee any publication and ensure that any prediction made my Big Brother is correct.  Often times this means going back and editing the documents that may have been “incorrectly” printed.  The Party’s ability to change this information projects the illusion that Big Brother is omnipotent, and removes any idea that He could make a mistake, leading to a greater trust by the citizens of Oceania.  

Miniplenty is not discussed as much in the book as the other three ministries, however it is the key to The Party continuing absolute control over Oceania.  The Ministry of Plenty oversees the controlled economy.  Their duties include production of food and other supplies, as well as rationing these items to the citizens.  In actuality, they are the force behind the constant state of poverty found.  Working hand-in-hand with Minitrue, they are able to project themselves as the saving grace to the citizens.  This false sense of prosperity guides the people, not only to trust Big Brother, but to worship him for His generosity.

War is constant in Oceania.  While the other three ministries are necessary to uphold the totalitarian government, Minipax is the key ensuring the control.  Winston understands the reasoning behind this after reading Goldstein’s book.  In the book it is explained how war allows citizens to direct their rage to a “worthy” body.  By blaming Eurasia or Eastasia for any short-comings they can turn to their beloved Party to look after them.  This fear and anger fuels the dependency on The Party, allowing total control. 

By: Morgan Taylor

Revealing the Truth about the War

“The primary aim of modern warfare…is to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living.” The quote taken from Emmanuel Goldstein’s Manifesto begins to unravel the mysteries behind the purpose of the war, its reasons for being fought, and why no one has yet won.

Goldstein explains in his book The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism that after World War II, three super states arose, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. Each of these states grew into a totalitarian government exerting total control over its people.

This is a diagram of the super states that rose after WWII. The gray area that separates the states is the disputed area they are supposedly fighting over. Instead it is a big wasteland that is constantly being bombarded in order to get rid of excess goods.

The problem that arises in a totalitarian government is keeping the subjects willing to consent to the government. It is human nature to question the government and the power by which the government rules. Obviously if the people question their government in this state they will overthrow the government and begin a new one that better fits their needs. John Locke, a philosopher from before the emergence of the super states, talks about the spirit of revolution that allows the people to regain the power they hand to the government and establish a government that will once again protect the rights of it citizens.

In order to keep the people from questioning their government the government must find a way to keep the people in poverty, for as Goldstein writes in his book, “if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would learn to think for themselves.” Thus the totalitarian rulers of each of Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia established a perpetual war to keep the people in this impoverished state by accomplishing a few goals.

Among the most important and most all-encompassing goals of the war is to keep society in balance. By keeping the goal of winning the war constant in society, the government in Oceania can give the people an understanding of where their efforts are heading. Thus subjects have no reason to question what is happening in the government, or what is happening overseas. Subjects have no opportunity to move up in society, but they don’t need to because the ultimate goal of the society is not to better your own standing, but to win the war. 

Another major goal of the society is to create an enemy. By creating an enemy, the populous has something to hate, a place in which to direct their anger. This also brings the populous into the submission of the government. During times of war citizens tend to be a lot more trusting of government action. During World War II, citizens willingly submitted to a draft, women gave more to the workforce, and there was much less questioning of government. We are seeing the same lack of questioning during the current War on Terror in America. Whether or not it looks like people are submitting to government action, when it comes down to it, the citizenry hates terrorism and is willing to trust government action.

“The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labor.” Once again Goldstein uncovers the purpose of the war. It is human nature to look for ways to improve our current position. Imagine you are lying on the floor and your back starts to hurt, the first thing you do is to move to a more comfortable position. The same is true of people, if you find yourself in poverty the first thing you do is to look for a way out. This action is contrary to the upholding of the totalitarian regime. So in order for the regime to survive it must destroy the opportunity for progression. The war helps to fill this role.

This is a picture of Nazi Germany during World War II. Here they are burning books to get rid of knowledge contrary to their beliefs. The same happens in Oceania. History is often changed to ensure that uprisings are quelled before they have a chance to begin.

The war fills the role of destroying the opportunity for progression by destroying the excess goods produced by the people. In the society, everyone is afforded a job and that which is necessary for life, but not for leisure. No one will starve to death, but no one is extremely prosperous. The goods that are in excess are shipped off to the war, thus leaving the citizenry without an understanding, and without an opportunity to capitalize on these goods. Without any excess goods it becomes hard to move up or down in society, which is exactly what the regime wants.

Last is to establish a goal for the people, to try and establish within the people something to hope for. The people as a whole look forward to the day when the war will be over, and Oceania will become the ultimate power. This goal allows the people to continue with their lives without fear of what is to come, only working towards a better future for the country. Thus the regime is in total control.

At the end of the day, the war is simply a way for the government to exert more control over the people. The only way for the government to fall at this point is for the people to decide it is time to start over. If the government can stop the root of those ideas before they begin, then they win. By using the war to establish a point of hate, keeping subjects in their place, and destroying the want for a citizen to both question their state, and to question their government, the regime becomes the ultimate dictator, effectively establishing the goal of total control.  

Surveillance Today, Are We Trending?

Twelve-year-old John McLean was confronted and interrogated by the FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Force after the middle school student’s Internet activity triggered electronic surveillance red flags. The government’s monitoring of this child’s research for a simple school project brings to light the current trend of the United States government and its National Surveillance State towards that seen in 1984.

Now to be clear from the very beginning, I am in no way advocating that the United States is becoming Oceania, and that we will soon be under a totalitarian regime. Instead I am advocating that as a citizenry we understand the trend of our country towards increased surveillance, and the effects of it as compared to Oceania from 1984.

At the root of both Oceania’s surveillance, as well as the surveillance in the United States, is a want for government prevention and control. In the book 1984, the totalitarian regimes of Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia are trying to prevent any sort of an uprising, and are thus using thoughtcrime to incriminate its subjects. In America, the government is using increased surveillance to try and prevent crime and terrorism. Both sides have great intentions, but the totalitarian regime is a definitely going over the top.

“Every day, collection systems at the National Security Agency intercept and store over 1.7 Billion emails, phone calls, and other types of communications.” In the Washington Post article Top Secret America, Priest and Arkin reported on the insanity if how much the government is watching our every move. The major difference between the United States and Oceania is this, the Fourth Amendment Probable Cause clause.

In the United States Constitution’s  Fourth Amendment it states that, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause…” This clause, upheld in the Supreme Court cases Katz v United States, United States v Jones, and Kyllo v United States has protected citizens and their right to privacy.

This is a picture of the telescreens from Oceania. Winston is doing his best to hide from the view of the telescreen by hiding in a corner to write in his journal. These telescreens are an extremely effective form of government surveillance in Oceania.

In Oceania no such protections exist. It is impossible to keep anything private, even a twitch of your face can get you arrested for thoughtcrime. Surveillance in this community is not taken through monitoring phone calls or emails, but rather through direct observation. In every building there are multiple receptors similar to what we would call a “bug” or a “wire”. Called “telescreens” they are essentially a two way television that you can’t turn off. It is always broadcasting something into your room, and you are always being watched. Oftentimes there are multiple in a house, as we see when Winston and Julia are captured in their room by virtue of a hidden telescreen.

The other extremely effective type of surveillance is the use of children in the community to constantly be on the watch for thoughtcrime. Children are completely loyal to Big Brother, and are thus willing to go to any length to protect his interests. This often results in their capturing of many people in the resistance, as well as even accusing their parents of thoughtcrime. Winston experiences this in the book when he goes to fix Mrs. Parsons plumbing and is accused multiple times by her children of being a traitor, thoughtcrimal, and Eurasian spy.

While we don’t need to be worried about our children spying on us in modern day America, there are certain things we as a citizenry need to be aware of. Under Patriot Act and the more recent National Defense Authorization Act the government has a lot freedom with which they can collect, collate, and analyze data. Warrants have become much easier to acquire, and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, such as the right to habeas corpus guaranteed in article I section nine clause two, are being bypassed and violated.

This political cartoon is comparing warrantless wiretaps, another provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act, to the treatment of the Jewish people in World War II much like they are being compared to Oceania in this article. 

As a people, it is important that we are informed on the issues that are surrounding us, and that we take action to insure our freedoms. A loss of freedom does not come all at once, but is instead a gradual process. Much like the story about a frog being cooked in water that slowly warms, rather than dropping it in hot water, we will be cooked if we are not careful.

Taking action does not need to be nearly as drastic as the military coups instigated as a result of the Arab Spring in many Middle Eastern countries. Instead action must be taken much like the response to the proposed SOPA and PIPA legislation from early 2012. Thirty-five thousand emails were sent from citizens to their congressman, and 4.5 million people signed Google’s petition. The response was taken quite seriously and the legislation was voted down.

Surveillance in the United States is not near as bad as it is in Oceania, but it is something to keep an eye on. While the surveillance is of a completely different type, and is much harder to see in action for most Americans, the source can be found. We need to be more informed of the legislation that is passed, otherwise we will end up like the people of Oceania, and no one wants a picture of Big Brother on their wall all day long. 

Propaganda in 1984
I.                    WAR IS PEACE

Perhaps the most prevalent and paradoxical motto of Big Brother, “War is Peace” is Oceania’s entire justification for the war they are currently fighting. In using this slogan, the Ministry of Peace, Minipax, creates a double illusion when it comes to battle; the war is not only for peace, it is peace in and of itself.  In equating war with peace, the Government propagates the idea that without war, true peace would never exist. The citizens of Oceania recognize that they are in a midst of war, but as Goldstein illustrates in his book, it is a perpetual war that has no beginning and will likely have no end.

                In keeping the country in a state of constant warfare, the government is better able to control the actions of its citizens through giving them a common enemy sacred in its ability to command hatred. Citizens thus have an external cause of their economic and social dissatisfactions. Fighting an outside enemy also enables the government to gain sympathy from its citizens, as its frequent use of unsubstantiated reports of  success further convinces the people of Oceania that  the war is real and being won by Insoc. The government’s struggle with the war is not across Oceania’s borders, however; rather, it is within the country itself. Hence the vitality of propaganda in the  perpetual war;— it is a tool to convince citizens that they resources they work to create are being disposed to make the people themselves safe. This keeps the Proles in poverty and at the mercy of the Miniplenty.  Like the use of Nazi propaganda during World War II, Insoc propaganda serves the primary function of creating an external enemy for citizens to blame and hate and a gives the government a purpose for its actions.

II.                  FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

By using classic examples of doublethink in their slogans, Big Brother succeeds in convincing the people of Insoc that what they have is exactly the same as what they want.  In equating freedom with slavery, the citizens are convinced that any move towards liberation would only enslave them, a concept recognized as dreadful but not recognized as their current state. This line of propaganda uses the implicit parallel of “oppression is liberty” to spread the idea that they have reached the pinnacle of perfection in society, and the status quo should not be questioned.

III.                IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

The greatest threat to the government of Insoc is truth. The Ministry of Truth, Minitru, which employs protagonist Winston to change the country’s history and spread lies, is charged with ensuring that the citizens of Insoc are kept in a state of ignorance and deception. The government is built on a foundation of unquestionable superiority, and it does not have the strength or legitimacy to withstand suspicion.  Building off the fundamental Lockean theory of “Consent of the Governed”, originally proposed in John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, the government recognizes that they will cease to have power should the will of the citizens turn against them—in their most fundamental form, the citizens of Insoc build the government that oppresses them, working for it, providing it with the necessities of its function. Based on the perception of infallibility, a perception spread to the citizens with the promises of safety carried in the “Big Brother is Watching You” posters, the government works hard to maintain that any weakness, especially knowledge, is to be punished in their society. As he later encapsulated, “In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” 

Famous Uses of Propaganda:
> DIMITRI MOOR: RUSSIA, 1917–1921
> Nazi antisematic propaganda: Germandy,  1930’s
> PHILLIP ZEC: ENGLAND, 1930. Anti-nazi, pro-women’s war efforts
> United States and “Uncle Sam” recruitment posters

1984-v-1984

Fashion

Orwell's 1984: The only choice of clothing for adults was overalls, similar to those worn by blue collar workers.  There was no uniqueness, and everyone was made to feel at just a part of society, nothing more.

 

1984: There was a lot more color involved in the day to the day outfit. People also started to dress to feel more powerful, and one of a kind.

Lifestyle

Orwell's 1984: Citizens lived in constant fear of being turned into the thought police and being vaporized.  There was nothing too work towards, except staying on the good side of the party.  The family unit in the traditional sense was destroyed, with parents fearing what there children could do to them.  Food was bland, and clothes were scarce, but you always had to appear as if you were content.

1984: 1984 was known as the "year of the yuppie." Yuppie being defined as the young urban profession consumptive in their pursuit of the American dream.  This was a time when the baby boomers were starting to enter the work force or climbing the professional ladder.  They were obsessed with status, and put off having children so that they could pursue there career goals.  By the end of the Decade yuppie carried a negative connotation.

Leaders

Orwell's 1984: Big Brother was the face of the party and he was always "watching you."  He struck fear into the hearts of the citizens.  He existed inside there minds, and would never die, or be replaced.  But the real power was held by the party as a whole. 

 

1984: Ronald Reagan was the much loved president of the Unites States in 1984.  He had a 58% approval rate, which was higher then the three previous presidents.  He is credited with restoring trust in the presidency. He was reelected for a second term with 59% of the vote.

 

The Courts

Orwell's 1984: If you were caught by the thought police, no matter what crime you committed, or if you committed one at all, you confessed.  After they had control of your mind and after your confession, they would eventually kill you.  It was tradition they always shot you in the back of the head, and when it wasn't expected.

1984:  The supreme court ruled in the 1984 case Ohio vs. Johnson to prohibit the excessive use of guilty pleas for protection.  This reduced the number of guilty pleas in the U.S.  The most common way to carry out the death sentence was electrocution, with 21 people being put to death that year.

Technology

Orwell's 1984: The only outlet for those interested in technology was war materials.  They were always looking for the next best thing to use on there opponents, either eurasia or eastasia.  Basically all other forms of technology digressed.

1984: This year had many technological advancements. The first Apple Macintosh was produced, CD players were made commercial, and the space shuttle discover had it's maiden voyage. Under our market system people are encouraged to discover new and diverse things