Nineteen Eighty-Four Final Writing Assignment

The doctrine O’Brien proclaims to Winston that this system of oligarchical collectivism of which INGSOC is based, is not the same as other leaders in the past such as the German Nazis and Russian Communists. “We are not content with negative obedience, nor even with the most abject submission. When finally you surrender to us, it must be of your own free will.” This party wants all of their enemies to give in to them not only their bodies but also their hearts, minds, and souls by their own choice and not by force. “We are different from all the oligarchies of the past in that we know what we are doing. All the others, even those who resembled ourselves, were cowards and hypocrites. The German Nazis and the Russian Communists came very close to us in their methods, but they never had the courage to recognize their own motives”(pg.217). O’Brien describes other oligarchies before them as people who don’t have the gut to take another step to completely take hold of their powers.
O’Brien tries to explain to Winston about the party main goal. Winston went against it and says that no matter what the party does, they will never be able to change the thinking and the beliefs of another person. No matter what they do, they will never be able to erase the memories of the past that each person has contained within them. O’Brien told Winston that majority beats minority. He’s trying to explain to Winston that as long as there are more people who says and agree on a thing, that thing will automatically become true. For example, two plus two equal four but if there’s enough people who say that two plus two equal five, then two plus two will no longer equal to four. The fact will disappear forever and the false information would soon become a fact.
Winston did not believe it and so he continued to go against it. “O’Brien help up his left hand, its back toward Winston, with the thumb hidden and the four fingers extended. How many fingers am I holding up, Winston? Four. And if the Party says that it is not four but five-then how many? Four.”(pg.206) At first, no matter how many needle there was, it didn’t make Winston give up but then he finally give up because he couldn’t stand the pain. Then he couldn’t stand how he looks from after all the torture. He pretty much gave in but there was one thing that he wouldn’t give in. It was his feelings for Julia. He still loves her and believes that he has never betrayed her. Not until he was taken to room 101 where he has to face one of his biggest fear, rats. Inside that room, he was tied down in a chair where he couldn’t even move his head. O’Brien has prepared a cage filled with hungry rats and a mask for Winston to put on. At that rate, he was so scared that he told O’Brien to use this punishment with someone else. He was scared that he told O’Brien to do it to Julia instead of him.
After all the torture he had face in the Ministry of Love, Winston have to admit that O’Brien was right. He begin to believe that no matter what the Party says, it will always become true whether the incident truly did happen or not. He wrote, “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE. GOD IS POWER.” Later when he saw, Julia, he no longer love her like he had once use to. At that point he understand exactly why the men before desire for death. By the end of the whole situation, Winston was now positive that the Party has the power over all.

Writing in response to Orwell

February 22, 2009

Dear Mr. Smith,

There are things that I can deeply relate to you. I understand that there are lots of things that we can’t judge by their appearances. For example, a jelly fish may look pretty and nice by its appearance, but once you try to touch it, it will sting you to death. The same as human, no one in this world including you and me can ever judge a person by his or her appearance. I understand that Mr. O’Brien urbane manner and his prize-fighter’s physique really persuade you. Then there was your own point of view about his secretly held belief and his political orthodoxy which really draws you to the conclusion that he was definitely not a spy. You’re not the only one out there, even a General like Othello can make a mistake by judging Iago through his looks, his actions and his words. Don’t let this bring you down; instead, think of this as a lesson. Learn from your mistake and prevent it from ever happening again.

Sincerely,

Lisa.