Peer Responses: Links

Susan's Post-http://dystopiannovellordoftheflies.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-dystopian-society-of-lord-of-flies.html

Eric's Post-http://lordoftheflies14.blogspot.ca/2013/04/section-3.html

Viji's Post- http://lordsoftheflies.blogspot.ca/2013/04/news-flash.html?showComment=1365564348041#c5617040434653639218

I would have commented on Chris and Krista's blogs as they did the same novel as mine, but unfortunately I could not gain access nor find Krista's blog and I was not able to comment on Chris' blog at all.

My Glossary

1: Doublethink: Noun: Means the ability to hold two completely opposite/contradictory ideas in the mind at the same time, resulting in the breakdown of the individual's mind and thus incapability for the individual to hold independent thought and believe anything the Party says, no matter how contradictory they are.

Examples: - During the Hate Week ceremony, the announcer changes topics immediately as he realizes that     Eurasia has become the enemy, not Eastasia. The crowd simply accepts the change in mid-sentence and is ashamed to see that there are the wrong posters ("Death to Eastasia", the former enemy)
                - Ministry of Love (Concerned with torture), Ministry of Truth (Concerned with propaganda and lies), Ministry of Plenty (Concerned with rationing and shortages), and Ministry of Peace (Concerned with war)

2: Newspeak: Noun: A new language invented by the Party (Still in progress) that has become the official language of Oceania, which eliminates all words related to rebellion or disobedience or technology, thus making it impossible to conceptualize anything related to rebellion.

Examples: -"Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it."

                -Doubleplusungood = Very, very bad

3: Proletarians: Noun: Often simply called Proles; the lowest class in Oceania, or simply the worker class before the "Revolution". Comprises 85% of the population of Oceania, and live in poor living conditions. The Proles are kept sedated with cheap alcohol, pornography and lotteries. A very uneducated class of people.

Example: -"The Proles are the only hope" Winston said.
                

4: Thoughtcrime: Noun: The crime of committing rebellious or disobedient THOUGHTS. Out of all the possible types of crime, Thoughtcrime is considered the worst because there is no way to stop it, and once it roots itself in the mind, it stays there forever. Note: the Thought Police monitor every citizen for suspicious acts for thoughtcrime.

Examples: -"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: Thoughtcrime is death."
               -"Thoughtcrime was not a thing to be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for years, but sooner or later they were bound to catch you."

5: Unperson: Noun: A person who is "vaporized", or in other words, murdered by the state, but also erased from existence of history. Any mention of that individual in books or videos or records would be erased, and it would seem that individual never existed.

Examples: -Syme disappeared suddenly; he did not come to work. Winston figured he became an unperson.
                -Even mentioning the name of the unperson is Thoughtcrime.

Quotes

1: WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

These words are the slogan for the Ministry of Truth. According to the Party, War is Peace because a common enemy keeps the citizens of Oceania united as one. Freedom is Slavery because apparently, the independent man is destined to fail. Also, Slavery is Freedom, because a man that is controlled by another's will is free from danger and desires. Lastly, Ignorance is Strength because the incapability of the Proles to recognize the contradictory messages results in a powerful, stronger Party. However, this slogan is obviously an example of doublethink, where people hold these extremely contradictory ideas in their minds to accept anything the Party decrees. For example, not only these words, but the names of the ministries themselves- Minitrue (Lies and Propaganda), Minipax (War), Miniluv (Torture and brainwashing), and Miniplenty (Rationing and shortages) are everyday examples of the amounts of doublethink the population is exposed.

Although not as severe and authoritarian as the Party of Oceania, there are many countries in the world that used these methods to control and manipulate their people. For example, among the many communist nations in the 20th century, the Soviet Union used disinformation and used language to manipulate their population. I believe that this slogan describes the first section because as the first section introduces and describes the ultimate power of the Party, the slogan describes how the Party uses doublethink to manipulate and control the population.

2: Who controls the Past controls the Future.

Who controls the Present controls the Past.

The Party has complete dominance and power in the present. With that power, the Party assigned the Ministry of Truth to rewrite the past- every single history book has Party ideology written all over, and because citizens are not allowed to keep journals or photographs of their own pasts, the people of Oceania have a very unreliable, fuzzy memory before the Party took control, and instead believe whatever the Party tells them. Also, in the end, O'Brien reveals to Winston that the past is not real; it is only imagined in the minds of humans. Therefore, according to O'Brien, because the people believe the Party's version of history, although it was not actually real, the Party's version of the past is the truth.

This is an interesting slogan. In the many dictatorships and authoritarian regimes that occurred in human history, the dictators or the ruling minority almost always destroyed the books or documents that disagreed with their ideology or their explanation of events; for example, in Hitler's Nazi Germany, thousands of Jewish books as well as books about different ideologies were burnt in huge bonfires. In many cases, some totalitarian kings that usurped the throne either burnt the existing history books or rewrote new history to make themselves seem "right" in the eyes of their subjects. This, along with the first quotation, clearly defines the first and second portion of the novel because it defines the absolute power of the Party. The Party is powerful enough to rewrite history and to have its subjects to accept the constant changing of facts. 

3: "They can't make me stop loving you- that would be the real betrayal."

In the middle portion of the book, Winston and Julia begin a passionate, illegal relationship carefully hidden from the Thought Police and the Party. However, especially Winston, both of them realize that sooner or later, they will get caught by the Police and tortured until each admits to betraying one another. To comfort the depressing, horrifying thought, Julia says, "They can torture me and make me say 'I hate you', but they can't make me stop loving you- that would be the real betrayal." They believe that the Thought Police will no doubt torture them and force them to admit their treason and love the Party once again, as well as force them to renounce their love for one another, but deep down inside, they would not be able to psychologically, mentally force each to stop loving each other. It is sad how completely easily that statement was broken, when Winston (After months of torture) and Julia both honestly betrayed each other. However, it can be seen that the quote was a comfort for the fear of the upcoming nightmare.

This quote signifies human hope. Sure, in the battle of Thermopylae, 300 Spartans faced against hundreds of thousands of Persians, the battle was quite hopeless for the Spartans. However, knowing that their end was coming, they still didn't back up and flee in fear. Just as Julia and Winston stayed their ground and refused to worry, the Spartans stayed their ground until the very end. No matter what the massive odds are, hope will still remain.

4: 2+2=5

2+2=5 is a slogan created by the Party. During Winston's stay in Miniluv, O'Brien tells him, "How do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable- what then?" 2+2=5 is a form of psychological manipulation and control that the Party used to ensure acceptance of the Party's decrees, as well as being used by O'Brien to check Winston if he had finally accepted the Party's teachings during the torture. When Winston finally gave up and said 2+2=5, it signified that Winston had given up on his ideas and opinions and finally accepted the Party's ideas and teachings. 2+2=5 symbolizes the complete mind control the Party has on its subjects: how badly are you manipulated and controlled if you truly believe someone saying a fact that completely contradicts everything you've learned in your life?

This form (Although minor) of manipulation has occurred before, when ancient people worshiped kings and pharaohs as god-kings. After all, a king's word is law, and the king is always right, unless you want your head served on a pike. Because people allowed themselves to believe whatever their king told them, it resulted in a oligarchy where the ruling elite completely dominated power over the peasant majority. 

These quotes/slogans are the messages that Orwell was sending us; the dangers of totalitarianism and authoritarian regimes. 

O'Brien's Journal Entry

Here is an excerpt from O'Brien's journal, March 20, 1977:

“March 20, 1977:

I have finally found an individual that is defiant to the Party… he is named Winston Smith, age 32. He works in the Ministry of Truth, working by rewriting production accounts and new articles, as well as destroying any documents that are dangerous to the Party. Unfortunately, he himself seems disobedient to the Party, but only subtly, so that it is difficult to accuse him outright. I am going to investigate this further, as it is my job within the Party to cure disobedience to the Party.

I got a glimpse of him today, as I was passing by the Ministry of Truth to deliver some documents. Due to the large distance from Minitrue to my house, the journey took a long while. While I waited in the car, I drank some rich coffee and some white chocolate, a lovely honey-sweet taste. As I recall, when I entered Minitrue, every single worker looked up at my black suit that signified the Inner Party. I must admit, it is comfortable and nice being a member of the Inner Party, but the Outer Party must realize how difficult and complicated the jobs that I perform are. Basically, the comforts the Inner Party receive are compensation for the duties we perform.

When I met the individual, he seemed… subtly defiant. Of course, he did not show it directly, but I could sense a feeling of disobedience deep inside the man. I could clearly see pain and tension in the man’s face when I walked by him, and the look on his face, the look when someone wants to murder someone, was the look that got me interested. I left Minitrue exalted, as I had the opportunity to keep a possible Thoughtcriminal under surveillance. When I went back to my house, I drank a deep red wine, along with roast pork, with the telescreen turned off to celebrate my duty to the Party.

As Winston Smith is not openly defiant but very subtly disobedient, I plan on keeping this individual under close but subtle and minimal surveillance for the next few years. Actually, because this is such an interesting case, maybe I’ll monitor him myself, and I’ll work in his office to keep a close eye on him for the next few years. Perhaps I will eventually lie that I am a part of the “Brotherhood”, and that might get him roused. We will eventually meet again, in the place of no darkness.”

O'Brien is one of the most important characters of the novel, while being the most mysterious. In fact, instead of developing his character as the story moves along, his character seems to UNDEVELOP, as he betrays Winston and reveals himself to be a Thought Police agent. By then end of the story, his actions raise more questions than it answers. Nevertheless, without O'Brien, the story wouldn't have gotten anywhere; O'Brien singlehandedly traps Winston and Julia into arrest and later "cures" Winston of his disobedience. Near the end of the story, it is revealed that O'Brien has been monitoring Winston for the past seven years, and gains Winston's trust by pretending to be of the Brotherhood, an anti-Party association. After Winston outright declares his disobedience and hatred to the Party, O'Brien's work is done. He later tortures and brainwashes Winston to obey and love the Party. I chose to write in this certain time period because it would reveal more about O'Brien and his "Plot" to monitor Winston before the events of the story.

O'Brien seems to be 199% devoted to the Party. He talks about the Party as being all-powerful, always right, and apparently can go against the laws of nature, such as being able to float in mid-air (Which he doesn't do because he doesn't want to...). His arrogant manner of talking about his house, food and comforts is similar to that of noblemen, wealthy people and the ruling parties throughout history. He seems oblivious to the fact that more than 50% of  the population of Oceania walk barefoot and receive tasteless Victory rations, while he enjoys personal luxuries such as automobiles, personal servants, and real, delicious food.  He seems to be ignorant and takes for granted the fact that he has telescreens that are able to be turned off. Using the spoiled, arrogant manner that wealthy classes have lived throughout history, I wrote a journal entry in O'Brien's journal.

Parsons' Journal Entry

Here is an entry from Parsons' journal, dating from October 13, 1984:

“October 13, 1984:

How I ended up in the prison cell of the Ministry of Love, I don’t quite understand. But what I can scrape from the bottom of my memory from yesterday, apparently I repeatedly screamed “I HATE BIG BROTHER” in my sleep. The next day, the Thought Police, clad in black, destroyed the door and arrested me, my youngest daughter chiding them on and telling them what I did last night. I suppose I should be glad my little daughter is growing up to be devoted to the Party.

When I was thrown in the prison cell in the Ministry of Love, guess who I happened to meet? Why, it was Winston Smith, that blundering thoughtcriminal! I always knew that unorthodox man would end up in Miniluv, he always seemed so subtly defiant to the structure of Newspeak and maybe even the Party itself. I simply over exhausted myself due to the ordeals in the Ministry of Truth; but I knew Winston would someday end up as a thoughtcriminal.

I’ve always loved the Party, I still love the Party, and I’ll continue to love the Party with all my heart, why are they doing this to me? I know that I need to regain my consciousness and love for Big Brother, but why do they keep me in this dirty prison cell? More than once I’ve had to use the privy but instead I had to use the lavatory pan, which created a dirty mess.

Oh please, Big Brother, release me from this nightmare, I am your loving subject!”

Tom Parsons is a fellow co-worker of Winston in the Ministry of Truth, as well as being his neighbour. Parsons is the everyday man who gives unwavering support to the Party and believes anything they say. However, unconsciously, Parsons is muttering anti-Party messages in his sleep- found by his young daughter, who immediately informed the Thought Police. His own daughter, informed the Party on his mistake. This alone shows how deep the Party has managed to manipulate and take control of its people. 

Tom Parsons appears to be very non-important to the story, but the truth is quite different. Tom Parsons reflects the common everyday citizen in Oceania- undying support for the Party, no matter what the Party does. He loves the Party so much that he loves his daughter for informing the Party on him. He even loves being arrested for Thoughtcrime so that he may be cured! His reckless acts of such love to the Party shows that the Party has manipulated the people to an extent where the people use doublethink to think that no matter what the Party does, it is right/good. Parsons is in fact so ordinary and powerless to the Party that the Party may as well release and reintegrate him into society and allow him to continue as before.

Julia's Journal Entry

Here is a journal entry from Julia's perspective, dating from September 24, 1974:

"September 24, 1974:

I’ve been assigned to work at the Ministry of Truth as a mechanic. It seems that I’ll be fixing machines, but that’ll be comfortable as I love to work with tools and machines. It feels weird to be leaving school and to be working for the Party. However, it’ll be a relief from those boring, pointless lectures that the educators always give about purity and devotion to the Party, as well as the “History” lessons which I know are not correct at all- my grandfather, before going “missing”(I know the Party took him away, I’ll never forget that) told me about the history in his time, and I know that Big Brother wasn’t popular since the 1930’s- he only rose up in fame during the 1950’s!

All the Party’s talk about cleanliness and purity in the Outer Party is stupid and ironic; how has the Party has taken control of our minds? The Party, wanting to transform our unfulfilled desires and frustration into unmoving support for them, has made sex forbidden between Outer Party members. Why should pleasures be taboo in society?

What boring brainwashing lectures I’ll be missing and what pleasures I’ll be taking part in, but I have to be on my guard at all times. Who knows if I’ll end up working with a Thought Police agent? I’ll be careful to dodge the Party’s suspicion, because I’m still actively partaking in the Junior Anti-Sex League (haha, what irony?) and I was amazingly popular during my years in the Junior Spies. I’ll still be actively participating in the Community Centre during most of my free time, leading the groups on hikes and activities. However, in the few hours of free time I manage to save up, I’ll be looking forward to love and desire.

In fact, just yesterday, as I was being introduced to my workplace, I met an old Inner Party official; say around 60 years old or so. He seems to have an interest in me, and I feel a strange desire to him. I don’t know why; his old ugly face does not appeal, but I sense a feeling of not belonging in that old man. Well, I’ll just have to see how it goes between him and me..." 

This is a journal entry by Julia, the second most important character in the novel, who happens to be Winston's lover throughout the story and maintains a brief but passionate relationship with Winston. Although Julia turns out to be a fellow Thoughtcriminal, while Winston worries about the social problems in Oceania, Julia is more concerned with pleasure and freedom. Julia is a very important character to the story- whereas without Julia, Winston simply worried and thought about the problems in Oceania, with Julia, Winston became more aggressive, more out-going and followed through with his actions, even to the point of joining the Brotherhood, an anti-Party association, and reading the illegal (Prohibited) book that the Brotherhood is compelled to read. Julia persuaded and influenced Winston to be more daring and bold during their brief relationship.

However, Julia is introduced only as the "Little brown-haired girl" in the beginning of the novel. Her origins are not explained thoroughly, and the only thing we know about her past is that she had a grandfather who was taken away by the Party. I felt compelled to write about her younger years, when she just arrived in the Ministry of Truth and reveal more of her youth. Also, as she described herself, Julia had her first affair with an old Inner Party official, who later hanged himself in fear. Using that information, I illustrated the beginnings of Julia's criminal life.

Winston's journal entry

Here is a journal entry from Winston Smith, dating from January 16, 1985:

"January 16, 1985:

I love the Party; I love Big Brother… or do I? After what happened to me at the Ministry of Love by O’Brien, I’ve been devoted to the survival of the Party.  I’ve even lost my love for Julia; whenever I meet her at the Ministry of Truth, I feel no affection or desire whatsoever as I see her face, and I know that she feels the same way. To be honest, I hate the sight of her, because her Anti-Sex League sash is just a taunt to our brief relationship. I am aware of her scowling at me during the cafeteria lunches, and all I desire is to strangle that pretty neck of hers.

I visited the Community Centre yesterday. We went on a Community hike, a small trail outside London. The hike took the majority of my free time, mainly because our group went around the long trail back to the Community Centre. Julia was among the leaders, and I could tell she despised the sight of me in the group, and she sent the group around the long trail back simply to fatigue me, which didn’t help the ulcer on my legs. The hike took the majority of my free time, and by the time I was in my apartment, I drank one bottle of Victory Gin and smoked one Victory Cigarette, and went promptly to bed- naked of course, to save my clothing coupons.

Just today, which was the usual workday where I was changing the production facts of the Party (Apparently, 2000 more tons of bread was produced than the estimate, which I changed to 50,000) I met O’Brien at the Ministry of Truth. There were no dialogues exchanged, just a flicker of his eyes that sent my mind panicking. What did he mean by that? Was that a signal that I would be arrested again? Sent back to the “Place with no darkness”? Will I become an Unperson, who is erased from history that no one remembers?

The Ministry of Love has changed me, but when will the Thought Police come for me again? O’Brien has made me aware of the fact that I am directly under their control. They have changed me to be devoted to the Party, but I know that once they catch a thoughtcriminal, they keep them on surveillance for the rest of their lives, if they don’t catch them again: sooner or later, they’ll arrest me again for charges I didn’t commit, and possibly execute me. Somehow, they’ve got me even more devoted to the Party than by simply torturing me- I know that the Party can execute me anytime they decide if necessary, and thus my life is in their hands, not mine own.   

DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER

I have chosen to write this journal entry to describe the end of the story of Winston, the primary character in the novel, without whom there would be no story. Winston, after being released back into society, reintegrates himself into the Party and momentarily stops his "Crimethink". Deep, deep inside, however, Winston knows he still hates the Party and Big Brother, and knows that the Party will come for him sooner or later. In the end of the novel, Winston realizes that although he has been arrested and tortured into loving Big Brother again, the Party (Not wanting to create martyrs by executing them right away) has released him and reintegrated to the society of Oceania. However, some time later, the Party will accuse him on several false charges and finally execute him, thereby preventing any "heroic deaths".

As Winston has written in the last portion of the journal entry, the Party was able to control Winston more effectively than simply torturing him. By allowing Winston to realize that the Party can wipe him from all traces of history simply if necessary, Winston's life is in their hands, not his own. Also, by keeping the date of his rearrest/execution a mystery, he doesn't know when the Thought Police will arrest him; he might be executed at any time, or even never, but they don't need to tell him that. As a result, it keeps Winston constantly devoted to the Party, never knowing when he'll be erased by the Party, but knowing for sure that someday they will. I believe that by writing about the future of the story, it would provide more insight to the psychological manipulation and power that the Party dominates on their citizens. 

A Newspaper Article on North Korea: An example of Social Injustice

North Koreans See Few Gains Below Top Tier

The New York Times: Andrew Jacobs, October 14, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/world/asia/north-koreans-say-life-has-not-improved.html?ref=northkorea&_r=0  

This online news article talks about the injustices between different societies in the very isolated country of North Korea. Due to the country's nature as a communist state and its current nuclear testing crisis, the state has very few international help. That as well as the placement of gigantic amounts of government funding into their military, these factors have resulted in the state's inability to provide relief for their citizens during times of hardship, such as the recent floods and famines that have struck the nation. However, while the common people suffered (During the 1994-1998 famine, up to 3.5 million people starved to death and reportedly, there were several accounts of cannibalism.), the government officials lived comfortable lives.

A view of the rapidly-modernizing city of Pyongyang. Recent years has seen
more and more skyscrapers as well as newer technology that has been released to the public.

In fact, in the heart of Pyongyang (The capital city of North Korea), there has been construction of new apartment buildings, "...an increasing number of Mercedes-Benzes that roam once-empty boulevards..", and new skyscrapers that dominate the Pyongyang skyline. There is even a amusement park that children of the elite may attend, and "howl with laughter when they slide down a water slide..". To many, it seems that the country has finally begun to modernize and allow its people to lead prosperous  lives.

However, it is not as it seems. When four North Koreans were interviewed, a farmer named Mrs. Kim did not seem happy about the country's current situation. "Why should I care about the new clothing of government officials and their children when I can't feed my family?" she said. Around the countryside, farmers and workers alike are plagued with unemployment, hunger and disease. There has been no improvements to their daily lives after Kim Jong-Un  has become the leader of the nation, and things may be turning for the worse; food prices have spiked as a result of drought and the denial of food aid from the United States. "The price of rice has doubled since early Summer, and chronic shortages of fuel, electricity and raw materials continue to idle most factories, leaving millions unemployed." Pyongyang, being the central capital of North Korea, suffers fewer electricity shortages than other parts of the country.

This is an almost identical scene in 1984. The Outer Party members and the Proles live in miserable living conditions, with elevators that do not work and electricity shortages every few days. They suffer from hunger, especially the Outer Party members, as they are not given any other food than tasteless Party rations and Victory Gin and Victory Cigarettes, which are very inferior brands of alcohol and tobacco. In fact, when Winston contemplates leaving the cafeteria before lunch, he decides against it because he only has a dry loaf of bread in his pantry, which is to be saved until the next morning. When Winston drinks the Victory Gin, he is forced to close his eyes and squeeze his nose due to the extremely disgusting taste of the low-quality alcohol. The only salvation from the terrible food is when Julia obtains real chocolate and coffee (There is no coffee; tea is made with dry, tasteless tree leaves) from the Black Market. So the next time you complain about your food during school lunches, think again!

Outer Party members are also deprived of comfortable clothing; for example, only 3000 clothing coupons are given to each member annually, and according to Winston, a set of pajamas are 600 coupons each. As a result, most Outer Party members, trying to save their coupons, wear nothing to bed. Although in the Party's broadcasts where they declare that boots have been over produced, Winston realizes that over half of the population in Oceania walk barefoot. Also, the Party rations some goods and materials every so often for no reason at all- in the beginning of the novel, there is a scarcity of razor blades and Winston is asked by a co-worker for one, which he denies (Because he is saving razor blades himself).

Meanwhile, the neighbourhoods of the Inner Party members (It is forbidden for others to enter such neighbourhoods, because the Party fears they might realize the inequality of the situation) are comfortable and large. When Winston arrives in O'Brien's house, it is revealed that each Inner Party family lives in a large house (Comparable to a mansion), with servants and foodstuffs (Real chocolate, Wine, good-quality tobacco, etc.) which are pleasant compared to the drudge the Outer Party members and Proles are forced to eat. In fact, some of the delicious, tasty food that Julia smuggles through the Black Market is originally from the Inner Party neighbourhoods.

While the peasants/commoners starve, the elite minority of the society always seem to be prospering. The Inner Party, composing less than 2% of the population, live rich, comfortable lives while most Outer Party and Proles live poor, uncomfortable miseries for lives.

Newspaper Article: Human Rights?

Here is a brief but very important newspaper article from the Guardian, by journalist Yun Kim:

sssssssszzzzzzzzzzzzwwzz theGuardian      October 7, 2006        

Russia: A Very Dangerous Place for a 

Human Rights Investigator

Citizens walk to Anna Politkovskaya's memorial
after her murder to pay their respects.

By Yun Kim

Human Rights Journalist

________________________________________

Today at 4:30 P.M. local time, in central Moscow, on the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin, human rights investigator Anna Politkovskaya was found murdered in the elevator of her apartment flat. Four bullets were found on her body (3 on the torso and 1 in the head), as well as a markarov pistol, which is leading experts to believe that this murder was a contract killing, a murderer hired by another party to assassinate the investigator. 

Politkovskaya had previously received many death threats- more than once she had to flee the country, fearing for her life- as well as murder attempts, such as being served poisoned tea during a school hostage crisis negotiation. 

The reason for so many dangers and threats to Ms Politkovskaya was because she constantly criticized and exposed the government's flaws and corruption. However, Politkovskaya strongly opposed the Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing Putin of bringing Russia back to a "Soviet-style Dictatorship" and abusing his powers as president, and using ruthless methods silence political enemies and protesters. For example, during the second Chechen war, there were many cases of human rights violations and violent atrocities committed during the conflict. Ms Politkovskaya severely criticized Putin and his administration during this conflict, even writing several non-fiction books on the corruption and misery in Putin's Russia.

It is a sad day for Russia when a journalist that loves her country has been murdered. Especially because the murder occurred on Vladimir Putin's birthday, the man she criticized, there is a large suspicion that he had something related with this murder, or possibly a contract killing. However, if Putin admits anything, it won't be anytime soon, as he hotly denied having anything to do with this murder after being accused of being "a murderer". 

If you are further interested, there is more information on these websites:

"Chechen War Reporter Found Dead." BBC News. BBC, 10 July 2006. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. "http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5416218.stm" 

"A Suspicious Death in Russia." The Economist. N.p., n.d. Web.

"http://www.economist.com/node/8018567?story_id=8018567"

________________________________________________________________________________

This is why there are few human rights journalists in Russia nowadays; most are silenced with brutal force, or in the case of Ms Politkovskaya, assassinated. Someone who reports about the flaws and problems in their country should be given the freedom of speech and movement, as Ms Politkovskaya was not. However, she was determined to find information that the government did not allow her, when she made several trips alone into the extremely dangerous Chechen territory, for days at a time. In fact, she was caught several times during her trips, was threatened with death and given a mock execution by Russian soldiers. She was even forced to flee to Austria when she received an e-mail with a death threat.

This resembles the censored, controlled world of 1984. Citizens of Oceania are prohibited from travelling outside Oceania or communicating with any foreigners. If anyone is caught doing so, they are given the death sentence (For example, three Inner Party members were caught travelling from Canada to meet with Eurasians in Siberia, and were promptly executed). The Party operates on the same manner as whoever ordered the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya; refusing to allow the journalist to share the government's corruption, flaws and injustice, they promptly silenced her. The Party did the same; not allowing the party members to return and spread tales about life outside Oceania, the Party executed them. 

Why? If people know about the government's problems and injustice and corruption, they no longer support the government. Furthermore, if the information-deprived citizens gain knowledge about other people from other countries and realize that other countries have just as bad qualities of life or perhaps live better lives than what they live in, they no longer support the Party. With the use of censorship and limited freedom of the Press, these two governments seem to be aiming to silence protesters and political enemies.

World of 1984

http://www.zeemaps.com/pub?group=532485&x=35.115064&y=37.151222&z=16

Map Legend: Light Purple= Oceania
                      Light Green= Eurasia
                      Yellow with Black outline= Eastasia
                      Dark rhombus= Disputed Territory 

"Eurasia comprises the whole of the European part of the European and Asiatic landmass, from Portugal to the Bering Strait. Oceania comprises the Americas, the Atlantic islands including the British Isles, Australasia and the Southern portion of Africa. Eastasia, smaller than the others and with a less definite western frontier, comprises China and the countries to the south of it, the Japanese islands and a large but fluctuating portion of Manchuria, Mongolia and Tibet." Pg. 109

This is a map of the world of 1984, although the entire story takes place in London, Airstrip One, and never leaves the city. If the Party can be believed, Oceania comprises of both Americas, Australia (and New Zealand), and Southern Africa. Apparently, after the Second World War, the United States annexed the United Kingdom and Australia, and established a English socialist state (INGSOC). The official language became Newspeak, while the de facto language remained English.

Meanwhile, during 1950-60, the Soviet Union attacked the rest of continental Europe, eventually conquering all of Europe, from the tip of Portugal to the Bering Strait. This newly-created state was called Eurasia, and had a socialist ideology called "Neo-Bolshevism". Although the major country in Eurasia would be Russia, most of the Eurasian war criminals shown in public executions seen by Winston appear to have Mongolian faces.

Thirdly, during the 1960's, the Asian nations of China, Korea, and Japan united into a single superstate after "...years of confused fighting". These nations conquered the rest of East Asia, Manchuria and Mongolia, and has been constantly fighting an indefinite war with Eurasia along their unclear borders. Eastasia is the most mysterious superstate, as we know practically nothing about it other than its unclear borders. However, the ruling ideology is believed to be something along the lines of "Obliteration of the Self" or "Death Worship", as the official ideology is not  directly translatable into English. Although Eastasia is the smallest superstate in territorial size, this disadvantage is replaced by Eastasia's industriousness and large population. 

Lastly, "Between the frontiers of the superstates", is "a rough quadrilateral with the corners at Tangier, Brazzaville, Darwin, and Hong Kong" which are not part of the Superstates. This area is occasionally conquered by one superstate to be eventually conquered by another. An example of this is when in the beginning of the novel, Oceania concurrently controls the majority of Africa. However, near the end of the story, Oceania has lost control of the territory to Eurasia and desperately clings on to South Africa. Also, the majority of the workers and servants in Oceania are captured inhabitants from the Disputed Area.

These three superstates are in "perpetual war" with one another- war without end. Every few months, one superstate creates an alliance with another superstate, but each superstate is so powerful that it cannot be defeated by the other two superstates combined. However, alliances are created and broken carelessly as one superstate betrays its ally and allies with its former enemy, in the case of Oceania betraying Eurasia and allying with Eastasia during the Hate Week. The moment this occurred, the citizens (In an act of doublethink) immediately tore down the "Death to Eastasia" posters and cheered for Eastasia. Also, the Ministry of Truth destroys documents and forges new ones to prove that Oceania has "always been at war with Eurasia" and "always allied with Eastasia".

With this map, readers (Including I) are able to understand the political situation in the world of 1984. Also, because the information in this map is supplied by the Party in Oceania, readers may also realize the potential unreliability of this map. Citizens of Oceania are not allowed to communicate with foreigners, so there is no way of knowing whether the Party's teachings are true. The "Eurasian" prisoners shown during the executions have "Mongolian faces", so it may be possible that the prisoners are actually Eastasian captives, due to the frequent creating and breaking of alliances in international politics that the citizens are not aware of.

Perhaps, "Oceania" can be limited to just Airstrip One, or even London itself. Or, "Oceania" could just be a totalitarian, dictatorship country among many other modern nations that does not allow its citizens to know about the outside world, using hatred and fanatical support to keep control of its citizens. If the Ministry of Truth constantly changes facts and rewrites history, why not deceive the population about the outside world? This map has helped me to understand my story further and deepen my interest in the message George Orwell has sent about the dangers of totalitarianism and disinformation.

Julia

Winston works in the Ministry of Truth with two notable individuals- an Inner Party member known as O'Brien and a mysterious girl with dark hair, who later is known as Julia. Julia is a mechanic that fixes the Ministry's printing presses, and because especially women around her age are fanatical supporters of the Party, Winston at first despises Julia, only to be proven wrong...

However, when the two coincidentally bump into one another during work, Julia confidentially puts a note in Winston's pocket, saying "I love you." Julia then meets Winston secretly in outdoor places to avoid the Party's telescreens and begins a secret, sexual love affair for several months. However, when Julia and Winston rent a bedroom above a proletarian store, they are caught by the Thought Police.

Julia is a very carefree person that loves to be free and hates the Party almost as much as Winston, but remains careful to avoid getting caught by the Party. For example, she joins the Junior Anti-Sex League and participates in Community Centre activities to eliminate any suspicion that she is a Thought criminal. However, it turns out that Julia, rather than the social issues Winston worries about, is more concerned with sexual relationships (Which are utterly forbidden between Party Members), had her first relationship with an old Party Member who hung himself later in guilt, and had already done this "Hundreds of times" according to herself. Other than Winston, Julia is the only thought criminal that we know about.

The Message of 1984

What is George Orwell's message in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four? Well, I think that he's trying to tell readers that governments that are too powerful will abuse and misuse their power. When individuals get power, "...They have no intention to relinquish power". As soon as the Party rose to power of Oceania, the Party took control of all aspects of Oceanian life and society. Absolute power for the Party meant no power for the people. Totalitarian governments, as you could see in 1984, would go to absolute extreme lengths to sustain and increase their power, and would go as far as constantly monitoring individuals for any signs of disobedience and torture the ones who rebelled.

What is astonishing is that 1984- a novel with machines similar to computers, with futuristic dreadnought battleships and missiles- was written in 1949, a time when computers didn't exist and technology such as missiles were barely begun to be researched. Orwell clearly pictured in his mind the extreme dangers of totalitarianism and wrote to tell the dangers to his readers. What is also remarkable, is that the date 1984 is only 35 years ahead from 1949 (when it was written), which suggests that the dystopian and ruined world of 1984 could possibly become a reality in such a short time in the near future.

George Orwell clearly described the social injustice and acts of tyranny in his novel. Many of them were also heavily exaggerated to the point where having a thought of disobedience could be punished by death. Although many points were exaggerated in his novel, I believe that these exaggerations were very effective in delivering the message Orwell intended. I can safely admit, that after reading this novel, it made me think a lot. I easily understood the meaning of Orwell's message, and finally wondered about having a dystopian world in reality.

George Orwell was very effective in delivering the message.

Similarities of Injustices: Our World and 1984

Surprisingly, 1984 shares many social injustices with our world today. Simply because our world is modernized and has incredible technology doesn't mean that it is an utopia. Actually, far from it, our world has a very uneven wealth distribution and quality of life differs significantly from each group of people.

For example, in America, the minority upper class, contributing less than 2% of the population, holds immense amounts of money and enjoy lives of prosperity and luxury. These people are the ones that have large influence on the government, and therefore  direct government policies. Meanwhile, the rest of the population perform the manual labour in the industry and perform most of the bureaucrat work in the government. The rest of the population have significantly lower wealth, live lives of economic hardship (Especially during recessions and depressions) and do not enjoy luxurious qualities of life. They also do not have as much influence in government decisions as the upper class. Does this remind you of the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles in 1984?

Secondly, there are many countries in our world with totalitarian, oppressive governments. One such country is North Korea- the government controls all aspects of the country, including the freedoms of its people. In fact, similarly to Oceania in 1984, no citizen of North Korea is allowed to leave the country without official permission. Most of the citizens live lives of hardship, and it is not uncommon for famines to occur. The government oppresses its citizens and sends rebellious individuals to political prison camps. This is just one example of oppressive governments and the injustices they commit.

Lastly, the idea of freedom being taken away from you is a major point of George Orwell's novel, as well as a major issue in today's world. In many countries and societies, people are denied the freedom to have their own political/religious beliefs, or the freedom to say what they want. In 1984, any sign of disobedience  no matter how insignificant, could result in arrest and torture by the Thought Police. In many countries in the world, having different political/religious beliefs or sexual orientation results in your privileges taken away, and etc. The freedom to write and say what you want, the freedom to believe whatever you want, is nonexistent in many societies today.

By using different elements of the story, George Orwell used his society of Oceania in 1984 to raise awareness to readers of the social injustices in our world today.

Social Injustices in 1984

This is a Telescreen. Placed in every home of Party members and the public, it is similar to a television, where the Party can broadcast their propaganda to the Oceanian citizens. However, it has another role besides broadcasting propaganda- it is a monitoring surveillance instrument. The Party can see and hear anything on the other end of the telescreen, to search for any rebellious activity. Furthermore, no telescreens can be turned off (Except for Inner Party telescreens), which means that everyone is under strict, constant surveillance by the Thought Police.

The elimination of privacy and constant monitoring is just one example of the social injustices that George Orwell creates in his dystopian world of 1984. If I could sum what social injustices Orwell was trying to describe, in one word, totalitarianism. Totalitarianism- the political system of the government holding control over everything in the state- is not an injustice by itself, but many other injustices sprout from totalitarian governments. Although there are too many injustices in the novel to include all, the most notable examples are the Constant Monitoring, Fear, and Disinformation.

For example, dictators and dictatorships fear rebellion. As a solution, many tyrannical governments in history have used monitoring and surveillance to keep their subjects in check, to ensure that there are no hidden plots to overthrow their rule. Although George Orwell used telescreens and microphones and exaggerated the injustice of privacy and surveillance to extreme measures, he gets the message across.

Also, George Orwell portrays the idea of dictators using fear to obtain their needs. In 1984, the Thought Police are a feared secret police organization, monitoring and later arresting any individuals suspected of thinking crime (Called Thoughtcrime, therefore Thought police). These individuals are sent to the ministry of Love, interrogated and then tortured until they confess. If they continue to resist, the individuals are sent to Room 101, where they face the worst nightmare of their lives. These rumors (Later proven to be true) are spread among the society, and people become so frightened of the Party that they fear thinking crime itself.

Lastly, Disinformation is a frequently-used tactic applied by the Party to manipulate the population. Many times during the story, Winston (While working at the Ministry of Truth) changes production records to fit the Party's agenda. For example, he comes across a report regarding the production of boots, and while it says that the production of boots has over fulfilled the estimate by about 62 million pairs, Winston changes the status to 57 million pairs, while knowing that very likely no boots had been produced at all, "as about half the population of Oceania went barefoot." By giving citizens false information about different statistics, the Party satisfies the citizens, although nothing much has actually improved.

Also, no ordinary citizen is allowed to interact with anyone from the other superstates, so that citizens do not realize that their lives are no better than their enemies, or maybe even worse. No citizen actually knows first-hand about the course of the war between the superstates- for all they know, Oceania could actually be losing the war. By not allowing any ordinary citizen to obtain the truth, the Party successfully uses disinformation to manipulate the population.

Oceania-- a Dystopian Society

Oceania is one of three superstates vying for power in the world of 1984. According to the novel, Oceania was founded in the mid-1950's when the United States annexed the United Kingdom. Then, English-Socialism (Called INGSOC) became the political ideology of the state. Later, in the 1960's, Big Brother and the Party took control of Oceania, and after many years of nuclear warfare between the three superstates, Oceania became the twisted world that we see in 1984.


How is 1984 a dystopian world? A dystopia is the opposite of a utopia (A perfect world). Many dystopian worlds feature futuristic technology to oppress its citizens (For example, there were mental and physical handicaps in Harrison Bergeron). The telescreens and the speakwrite machines are excellent examples of the futuristic technology, because the novel was written in 1949, when computers were not invented yet. Orwell features technology as a way to ensure total control over the Party's subjects.

There are three social classes in Oceania- the Proles, the Outer Party, and the Inner Party. The Inner Party, contributing 2% of the entire population, effectively controls the state are given many privileges. The Inner Party can be classified as the oligarchical minority class in Oceania, while the other classes live lives of fear in constant surveillance and oppression. In short, while 2% of the population live lives of luxury and ease, the rest of the population live lives of scarcity, starvation, and hardship. According to Winston, more than 50% of the population in Airstrip One do not wear shoes, while the Inner Party members live in mansions and eat chocolate, real coffee, and many other luxuries that other classes cannot acquire.

 Only a small oligarchical minority of the population live luxurious lives while the others live lives of hardship and starvation, and the environment in the world of 1984 is a ruined world; London itself is a devastated city with ruined buildings, and only the four ministry buildings have been built over the past few decades. Citizens of Oceania are constantly brainwashed with propaganda, and the Party has absolute control over its subjects.

Therefore, Nineteen Eighty-Four can be clearly called a dystopia.

The Party's Slogans

War is Peace- Freedom is Slavery- Ignorance is Strength.
These are the words of the Party, imprinted on the Ministry of Truth. These words are an example of doublethink, a form of psychological manipulation used by the party. By forcing a individual to accept two mutually contradictory ideas at the same time, the individual gradually loses independence and strength of mind. After living through constant fear by contradicting propaganda, the individual is able to be forced to accept anything the Party dictates, even if they are completely illogical and make no sense.

 Even the name of the four ministries are examples of Doublethink- the Ministry of Truth (Based on lies), the Ministry of Love (the Torture department), the Ministry of Plenty (Focuses on strict rationing), and the Ministry of Peace (in charge of war). Doublethink is one way of how the Party rules with an iron grip.

The New York Times- Book Review

Here is a book review by Yun Kim from the New York Times:

"Written in 1949, George Orwell draws up an alternate world where after World War 2, only three superstates exist in the world- Eurasia, East Asia and Oceania. The novel takes place in the "Future" England, called "Airstrip One". More specifically, it focuses on an individual named Winston Smith, an insignificant individual working for the Party, the government of Oceania. In public, he supports the Party just as any other person, but in secret, Winston despises the Party.

In a world where history can be easily rewritten without any political consequences, where people suspected of being "Thought Criminals" can be arrested and removed from history whatsoever, where two-way telescreens can spy on people around the clock, the Party of Oceania rules the state with an iron grip. But there are some people, along with Winston, that hate the Party. While working, Winston meets a girl named Julia that reveals she loves him. Winson begins a secret love affair with Julia, and he can enjoy life and its delights again, but deep down, he knows that the Party will eventually get to him.

George Orwell writes with a ferocious style and describes the dangers of totalitarianism. After partaking in the Spanish Civil War and witnessing the brutal oppression by the communist government, Orwell grew to despise totalitarianism and made various satires of Communism/Socialism, the most notable being Animal Farm. The reason for the title of the novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, was to suggest that the terrible world in the novel could in fact become reality in the near future when it was written (1949)  if totalitarianism was not opposed.

Although this novel used various symbols and motifs to get the message across, it was truly amazing and made readers think, there are many moments in the story where the reader may get uninterested, especially the beginning. Other than the occasional boring moments, I believe George Orwell successfully wrote about the dangers of communism and totalitarianism in his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, to which i give a 4.5/5. I think other readers will appreciate this novel, and I strongly urge readers to try George Orwell's amazing novel."

Winston Smith

Winston is the main character of this novel. The story introduces Winston as he walks up seven flights of stairs to his apartment in the Victory Mansions (A dirty apartment building in London). He lives in London, in the Territory of Airstrip One in the superstate of Oceania. London is shown to be in ruins after a devastating war, except for the four ministry buildings towering in the sky, of which Winston works in the Ministry of Truth.

The Ministry of Truth (Called Minitrue) is ironically a Ministry of Propaganda, where Winston works with others to rewrite history for Propaganda purposes, such as falsifying production rates to make the citizens satisfied. Also, if Big Brother (The mystical Head of the Party) makes a prediction that turns out to be wrong, the Ministry of Truth rewrites his prediction so he is always correct.

Although Winston appears to fanatically support the Party, he secretly despises it. As the story progresses, the anti-Party acts he commits become more intense and severe, ranging from writing anti-Party messages in his diary, to become entangled in an illegal love affair, to finally joining a secret Brother against the Party. However, Winston knows that he will be caught eventually by the Thought Police, and that there is nothing he can do about it. Winston is an interesting character, rebellious but fatalistic individual that hates the Party.

The Party

1984 is a world where everything's different. In place of the different countries before World War 2, there are only 3 SuperStates on Earth, named East Asia, Eurasia, and Oceania. The latter is where the whole novel takes place in, and it is governed by the Party, with a mystical head of state named Big Brother, who may not even exist.

The Party is a authoritarian state that gives its citizens the smallest freedoms. There are effectively three classes in the state of Oceania- the Proletarians (Called the Proles; are the workers and labourers) comprise 85% of the population, the Outer Party (Do most of the actual work in the Party government) comprises 13% of the population, and the Inner Party (Political Leaders of the state; they enjoy a very good quality of life not enjoyed by other classes) make up 2% of the population.

The Party is a very oppressive government that is always on the lookout for disobedience. Two-way Televisions called Telescreens (That cannot be turned off) are placed in public and in homes, so that that Thought Police can observe the suspects around the clock. However, the Proles are kept sedated with cheap alcohol and pornography to keep them in line in support of the Party, so they are free from Party Surveillance that Party members suffer. Meanwhile, the Outer Party members are kept under strict surveillance by the Thought Police to watch for any signs of rebellion or disobedience. On the other end of the spectrum, the Inner party effectively controls the state, and do not suffer the surveillance that the Outer Party members endure. (i.e. their Telescreens can be turned off)