1984 Reading #9 Notes

Pg186- The war that is happening currently in Oceania is the same war they that they have been fighting for years. The difference is that every few years Oceania’s alliances change.

“The primary aim of modern warfare is to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living” (188) - Oceania remains in a war to use up resources to ensure that they are still in control of people’s needs.

Pg189 – In the past society believed that the future society was going to be richer and more knowledgeable. In actuality the present society in Oceania is more impoverished and has not increased their knowledge. The lack of change is due to the fact that society cannot learn more if thinking is not encouraged.

Pg190- The idea that wealth cannot become evenly distributed, because the illiterate people in the society would then have the ability to learn. The impoverished people would then see that the minority group that has all the wealth has no real function.

Pg190- Hierarchical society needs poverty to stay in control. The Party has to make sure that goods are being produced but not distributed.

Pg196- People from Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania never talk to each, because they would then realize that everything that they had been told to each has been a lie.

Pg197- The philosophies of the three Superstates are actually identical and have similar social systems.

Pg199- There is a continuous war and as a result war does mean peace in Oceania.

Pg102- People are physically better off than they were in the past, but there has been no increase in wealth.

Pg205- The invention of print made it easier for the party to manipulate the Public’s opinion.

Pg207- As long as the people are not aware that they are oppressed they will never revolt.

Pg208- Big Brother is the focus of all of the party’s beliefs.

Pg212- In Oceania they have ability to change fact instantly, and the Inner Party’s willingness to not only believe the facts, and know the facts.

Pg214- To commit Doublethink one must be aware of what they are doing, but not have a complete understanding of Doublethink, because thinking about Doublethink is in fact committing Doublethink.

Pg216- The names of the ministries illustrate how the Party changes facts. 

1984 Reading #3

‘“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it”” (Orwell 52).

             

Winston is speaking to Syme, who is working on writing the new Newspeak dictionary, and Syme is talking about the future of Newspeak. The goal of Big Brother is now made clear because he wants to make communicating and having free thoughts nearly impossible. By cutting words out of the language comrades will then be unable to communicate their own ideas, making thought-crimes impossible because people will not even have the words to express what is happening. When Big Brother eliminates the possibility of independent thoughts, people will no longer be able to commit rebellious acts. Syme also seems to be excited about this idea, and he does not see the problem with Big Brother’s goal. Syme will still disappear because he is smart enough to figure out what is going to happen in the future, and this makes him a threat to Oceania’s society.

1984 #1

“This was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labor camp” (Orwell 6).

Winston is about to open the diary, and before he does these thoughts begin to race in his head. This quotation illustrates the type of society that Winston is living in because there are not any laws, yet he is still scared of breaking the rules that the government has put into place. Winston is scared to break these rules because he knows he will eventually be punished for opening the diary. These thoughts illustrate the presence that the government has in Winston’s every day, and the fact that government officials do not constantly have to say they are watching everyone, but people know because the slogans are posted everywhere, and people fear the thought police are going to be behind them. These are all examples of how a totalitarian government stays control and why they do not need laws, because people know what actions the government might see as wrong.

Heart of Darkness: Kurtz's Intended

“ “ ‘The last words he pronounced was—your name.’”” (Conrad 164).

This quotation is from the end of the book when Marlow goes to talk to Kurtz’s intended. When she asks him what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlow lies and tells her Kurtz said her name before he died. Marlow’s lie illustrates his choice to separate himself from the company. Throughout the entire book Marlow expresses his disdain for the company because the managers were obsessed with making money and they did not think about the people that were working for them. Marlow shows that he does not want to be part of the company and that he chooses Kurtz over the company. In this line Marlow also reflects his view of women and that he feels they should be sheltered from the world. This is exemplified because he lies to Kurtz’s intended and tells her what she wants to hear. As a result, Kurtz is not shattering her world, and makes sure that she still thinks of Kurtz as the man that he was, when he lived in Europe.

Heart of Darkness Reading #4

“ ‘To speak plainly, he raided the country,’ I said. He nodded. ‘Not alone, surely!’ He muttered something about the villages round the lake. ‘Kurtz got the tribe to follow him, did he?’ I suggested. He fidgeted a little. ‘They adored him,’ he said” (Conrad 135).

            Throughout the entire book Marlow claims not to be excited about meeting Mr. Kurtz. Marlow is actually intrigued by Kurtz because Marlow does want to know how he is able to get more ivory than all the other managers combined. Marlow in some ways assumes that Kurtz is cruel to the natives, even more so than the other places Marlow has visited. This quotation puts this idea to rest because Kurtz actually treats the natives with respect and the natives even want to help Kurtz. By putting more of a value on the natives, Kurtz is able to produce more ivory than everyone else. Kurtz was still the leader of the tribe, but he did not boss them around and made them want to help him by being kind. As a result a more effective station was created because no one was being abused and treated with disrespect. This comments on Europe’s imperialism as a whole because the other agents could have possibly been as effective as Kurtz, if they had not assumed they were so superior to the natives.