Humility is defined as “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.” O’Brien states that Winston has failed in humility, stating that he has not properly assessed his position pertaining to the party. This statement in itself is paramount in maintaining oligarchical collectivism because it shows that Winston has overestimated his importance to the party based on his previous actions in the book and is used to reinforce the thought that compared to the party as a whole Winston is an insignificant pawn. Submission is the price of sanity is an obvious attempt at oligarchical collectivism because it is basically a statement meant to say that by giving in to the dominant authority is the only way to maintain what is classified in this book as one’s sanity. It helps to reinforce the fact that the party and Big Brother control everything, even what is classified as sanity and even more-so what is classified as insanity. Therefore, the thought of having to submit oneself to a higher authority in order to stay sane is the only option or else the person would be classified insane.
O’Brien trys to maintain the system by telling Winston that the party is the only way to see life. The party is the existence of everything, and nothing is different then what they say. Throughout the book Winston wants to be more than he is, he wants to act out, but is constantly afraid because of what the party will do to him. For instance, Winston being in the area of town where he is the only one in blue trousers makes him stand out, then purchasing the book in the second-hand shop makes him suspicious once again. When Winston takes a further step in the way of renting the small old apartment above the old man’s shop for his love affair he makes a big mistake there. He believes that place is his home away from home where the party does not see him, yet little does he know that big brother is everywhere.
The party maintains all of it’s people by controlling them in their everyday lives. O’brien tells Winston that he will be killed by the party, and that it is inevitable to be defeated by the party. Winston’s ultimate fate in the end of the novel is defeat. Winston is broken down by big brother and the party being repeatedly beaten and having his spirit broken. Winston is put to the point of starving and bought back to life at the last minute, only to be subjected to beatings once again and put close to death again later on. The book ends with Winston admitting defeat, that he loves big brother and loves the party as well. In the end the most dominant statement made by O’Brien is “whatever the party holds to be the truth is truth”. This statement is pretty much the greatest portrayal of oligarchical collectivism because it flat out says that the party is absolute and thus establishes the complete and utter dominance of the party over Winston.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Orwell First Post (Free Writing Assignment)
The book "1984" reminded me very much of the movie "V for Vendetta". Both stories revolved around a totalitarianism government, and how this government affected the people of the age. In a world where even your thoughts are monitored and the government has total control, it seemed that there is always some people who don't agree with the mainstream. In "1984" there was Winston and Julia, while in "V for Vendetta" there was the protagonist and his follower, Evie. These two pieces of media, and observations of our world today, show me that no matter where you are, there is always someone with a different thought process than you, and there will always be someone who disagrees with you.
In our country today, in the year 2009, we have a plethora of freedom. Once we reach a certain age, we can decide who we want to lead us, we can decide what we want to eat, what kind of car we want to drive. We also have the liberties to speak out if we believe something is wrong. We have freedom of religion, and we are allowed to read and believe what we want. And people do speak out. There are always riots or strikes, and some people even resort to violence to get their message across. In the novel, and also in the movie, people weren't allowed to speak out. All of their freedom and liberties were taken away, but there were rebels. My point is, in fact or fiction, literature, visual media, and everyday life, people are so....different. Even when united under a common banner, such as the United States, there are different beliefs and creeds. In America, these differences are often celebrated. In the novel, however, being different was considered a crime. But this just caused more rebellion. Even though it was a secret society, the Brotherhood was a working rebellion fighting for what it believed in. This shows me and all readers that people will always fight for what they believe in. Since the beginning of time, the human race has fought to be free. Through colonization and slavery, we are fighting to get our message across.
Even though it was a small act, Winston clearly wrote "Down with Big Brother" in his secret diary. It made him feel empowered, and he felt he needed to get his feelings out, or he would not have written his message. Orwell, when he wrote this novel, knew the fact that we are different. He wanted to show us, through a drastic exaggeration, that people will do anything to get their message out, even break the law.
In our country today, in the year 2009, we have a plethora of freedom. Once we reach a certain age, we can decide who we want to lead us, we can decide what we want to eat, what kind of car we want to drive. We also have the liberties to speak out if we believe something is wrong. We have freedom of religion, and we are allowed to read and believe what we want. And people do speak out. There are always riots or strikes, and some people even resort to violence to get their message across. In the novel, and also in the movie, people weren't allowed to speak out. All of their freedom and liberties were taken away, but there were rebels. My point is, in fact or fiction, literature, visual media, and everyday life, people are so....different. Even when united under a common banner, such as the United States, there are different beliefs and creeds. In America, these differences are often celebrated. In the novel, however, being different was considered a crime. But this just caused more rebellion. Even though it was a secret society, the Brotherhood was a working rebellion fighting for what it believed in. This shows me and all readers that people will always fight for what they believe in. Since the beginning of time, the human race has fought to be free. Through colonization and slavery, we are fighting to get our message across.
Even though it was a small act, Winston clearly wrote "Down with Big Brother" in his secret diary. It made him feel empowered, and he felt he needed to get his feelings out, or he would not have written his message. Orwell, when he wrote this novel, knew the fact that we are different. He wanted to show us, through a drastic exaggeration, that people will do anything to get their message out, even break the law.
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