2+2=5

1984, by George Orwell (1903-1950) The novel was published in June 1949 just 7 months before Orwell’s death at age 46, making 1984 his last published novel.

Orwell’s 6 rules for writers:

1-      Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

2-      Never use a long word where a short one will do.

3-      If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

4-      Never use the passive where you can use the active.

5-      Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

6-      Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Principles of the English Socialism Party.

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

1984 tells the story of Winston Smith a middle class working man during the rule of Big Brother and the English Socialism Party . The novel is one of the first to portray the idea of a dystopian society where an elite ruling class, or Inner Party, controls not only the present conditions of the world but also all the records of the past. Winston challenges the ideas of the Party and refuses to accept the propaganda and lies he knows them to be perpetuating.  He discovers that he is not the only one who rejects the ideals of the Party and finds a true confidant and love in Julia. The two of them go on for a little while meeting secretly and avoiding the ever present eye of Big Brother, or so they think. (***Spoiler Alert***)All homes in Oceania have telescreens which not only allow the Party to transmit endless messages and propaganda but also allow them to see and hear everything that is going on in citizen’s homes. Big Brother is nothing more than a facade invented to be the indestructible, uncompromised leader of the Party to be idolized and feared by the middle class. Despite several months of secret meetings and even Winston’s belief that he was entering the outer edges of the Brotherhood, a secret group  meant to destroy the Party, In the end he is betrayed. After he begins reading the Brotherhood’s book he is ambushed and it is reavealed that Mr. Charrington and O’Brien, the only other two people in the world who knew of Winston’s treachery, were undercover agents of the Thought Police. Winston is imprisoned and forced to endure merciless torture until he confesses to every potential crime against Big Brother, even those he did not commit. By the end of an intense re-teaching process, during which O’Brien was his instructor, Winston has abandoned all his previous convictions and  submitted to the idea that he was misguided and undisciplined before and that the Party is the only truth. The novel ends with Winston’s confession that he no longer loves Julia and instead feels love and devotion only for Big Brother.(***Spoiler Alert Over***)

The year 1984 came and went without the presence of any harsh totalitarian take over, but it is impossible to look at the world today and specifically our culture in America and not see similarities between with the world of Oceania and English Socialism. The largest thing that stood out to me is that the Party tried to erase God from the lives of the people. By removing God the Party removed all the ideas that people were made equal and had certain rights given to them by God. The Party set up Big Brother to be the figure of perfection and admiration for the people and forced them to accept all of his teachings. Unlike God who actually has the power to force men to accept Him and His will, Big Brother is a created image and a tool for manipulation by the Party. God knows that man is a free moral agent because He gave him that gift and that it is man’s choice to serve and accept God that truly pleases Him. The Party seeks even to control the thoughts of the people and control their lives at any cost to freedom and justice.  It’s not altogether unlike the idea today that citizens need the government to look out for them. We don’t need to be told what foods to eat and not to eat, what exercise programs we should be doing, what kind of light bulbs we should buy, what movies we should watch or what books we should read. It is the people who should determine the path of government. We are blessed in America with a system of government which believe it or not gets all of its power from the people, and not the other way around. The main source of hope in 1984 is the same hope we have today in 2011; that no matter how overbearing a government may be, it can never control our thoughts and memories. As long as people are willing to fight for freedom and not forget the price that was once paid so that we can live free and die free, we will always have hope.

1 down, 99 to go.