Tag: 1984

This is the end my friends and Winston loves big brother. How did this happen? The truth is I don’t really know. In the previous chapters, Winston was threatened with his greatest fear which caused him to renounce his love to Julia. Somehow, he was forever changed both mentally and emotionally to being ambivalent towards her and the switch was flipped to his current thoughts and beliefs.

Because Winton now has a love for big brother, he got a new job and it seems a degree of new freedom. He even had the freedom to meet with Julia again. From the description in the book, it may be that she got some sort of lobotomy to change her behavior as he said that she had a big scar. For all we know, Winston did as well.

Belief is Reality – This is not a new concept in my ongoing review but it is one that Orwell keeps driving. It is the only way I can explain Winston’s behavior. Once he decides that he loves Big Brother all of his other beliefs fall into line. I suppose that it is the scientist in me that wants a root cause analysis of how did this happen and why it is true. I am probably lacking the psychological background to understand the effect of fear or maybe it is post traumatic stress?

I am going to cut Orwell some slack as this was written in the late 1940s. PTSD was recognized as psychiatric disorder in 1980. It seems like he got so much right in Parts One and Two. Maybe it was pure chance and possibly he had some clairvoyant capability, I am not sure. We know from the Nazis and the other Eugenics experiments of the early century that medical establishments were doing research on the brain and behavior. This is not a subject that I have put much effort into learning. I have to believe that information of the day colored Orwell’s presentation of Part Three.

I am the most important thing in my life – I think that this is probably the biggest and most often missed concept in this book. There are many connections to the Freudian School of psychology throughout the book. When Winston and Julia meet, the discussion was primarily around the betrayal of each to the other. Both are quoted as “You want it to happen to the other person. You don’t give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.”

I am going to talk extensively about the Freudian connection in my final analysis next week. So, I am going to hit the surface today. The more that I have researched the Freudian school and Orwell’s biography, the more I am convinced that 1984 is not the book that I was expecting or was written as the tome of liberty that most believe that it is. I suppose we will see if I can make a convincing argument next week.

End Your Programming Routine: This has been an interesting experiment. I first read 1984 about four or five years ago. When I read it, I read it as a novel. This time reading it, I paused for a week at least on each chapter. Despite the fact that I knew what was coming next, I really thought about what was happening each week. I even looked back on my previous weekly analysis to see if I had conflicting opinions as the weeks progressed. This process had definitely given me a new outlook on the book, the process and hopefully it was enjoyed.

Technically, there is one chapter remaining . In my book at least, there is an appendix the talks about ‘Newspeak’ as well as an afterward which is someone else’s opinion. I think I will probably skip talking about those things unless a bombshell comes up. For now, I am not reading ahead so that my thoughts are not influenced unduly by someone else.

These two chapters are more rehabilitation. Winston still knows everything is wrong on a subconscious level but has accepted that there is nothing that he can do about it. He is able to repeat the ‘facts’ as truth but still balks at believing those facts.

We finally got to the answer of what happens in Room 101. It seems that this is the final stage in rehabilitation. When Obrien says you know what Room 101 is he means that you know your greatest fear. Apparently, so does Obrien.

I think that I will skip the concepts today. Partly because I could try to make a thinly veiled comparison between your greatest fear and compliance. But also partly because I really don’t buy it. I believe what I said previously that torture could elicit any kind of answer be it true or false. I am not sure why this particular method or encounter would be any different.

The second reason is that I really didn’t see anything new. Maybe I should have combined the last three chapters together… moving on. I did see one thing that I thought stuck out. Winston is re-enforcing what he knows as facts on a tablet. The last thing that he wrote was “God is Power”.

That was puzzling to me. I thought that this world like most totalitarian regimes was agnostic. In fact in the last chapter, Winston proclaimed that he believed in the spirit of man and not in God. I suppose that this statement was written to prove that he has accepted the facts. But why choose that particular statement when there are so many others throughout the book?

I do not want to speculate why Orwell chose this phrase at this point, but my opinion is that it was deliberate. I think that we will possibly come back to this in the overall analysis of the book.

End Your Programming Routine: As we are nearly to the end of the book, I find myself less dogmatic on the world of 1984. I am struggling with where the ending is going in context of Parts One and Two. It very well be that the message is the game is rigged and individualism cannot coexist with power. But if that were really the case, then why even have a Part 3? This seems to suggest that once we accept the reality then things will better. I guess I will continue to try and reconcile in the next couple of weeks.

So we are to another Friday; at least this one is a little less dramatic than the last. And we are through another chapter in 1984, I think that there are four more to go. I might even combine a couple short ones, we will see.

In this chapter we see more of the torture process with Winston and are revealed some of the slogans and their meanings, at least to Obrien. I am going to surmise that the purpose of this chapter is for Orwell to explain his intent to using these these slogans throughout the book.

Early on in the chapter one of the first lines are the three stages to the process Winston is undergoing. They are learning, understanding and accepting. The last chapter was about learning and this one will be accepting.

The use of power: I think by far and away that this is the ‘how’ of all of this world that Orwell has conceived. There are so many intersecting ideas with slogans and quotes to re-enforce the idea that power is the most important mechanisms to perpetuate the party. Here are a couple to support what I am saying.

• The party seeks power for its own sake
• Power is inflicting pain and humiliation
• Power is not a means but an end

What more can you say about this? It seems obvious that any regime is going to exert power to propagate its values. I don’t have any doubts that China uses power when it deems necessary. The State of Oregon is going to exert power over businesses to enforce the new mask mandates, as they stated so.

I have heard it another way and that is power is force. Winston states that he believes in humanity and that they will somehow eventually overthrow the Party. The only card that really hasn’t been addressed in this entire 1984 scenario is that absolute exertion of power can never be exercised otherwise it will likely fail. The counterpart to power is compliance. Either appropriate force must be exerted for compliance or there will be no one left to have power over or the system itself will become corrupt and fail within.

I think the idea that all the high party members are complete and exact ideologues is extremely unlikely. But, this is a story after all. Once we extrapolate the concepts and overlay them into our own world today, we can still get a lot of good insight into human nature.

Ideas are eternal: Orwell makes a point to that highlight humanity’s ultimate finiteness. We finally hear the definition of ‘Slavery is Freedom’ and that is to say that by keeping everyone working for the party (slavery) the idea will live on forever (freedom).

I think the enlightened reader might have a problem with how this concept is play out. We can all agree that the human body has a limited lifespan. We also can agree that ideas and concepts can be useful way beyond our lifespan. I am proclaiming to have the same beliefs as people over 2000 years ago with names Peter, Paul, Luke, Matthew and John.

Where we balk is the value of those beliefs. First of all, mine are personal not enforced on an entire civilization. But, second what if I am wrong? What would it hurt to try and live a better life, be better to fellow humans and strive for a cleaner existence? What am I really missing, the opportunity to prove survival of the fittest?

So while I 100% agree with Orwell’s portrayal of the concepts, I am not solidly in the camp that this is just a foreboding tale of the future, more to come on this as I wrap of the book.

End Your Programming Routine: What I got out of this chapter is more supporting information for my conclusion (so sorry you will have to wait). I think that is going to be exiting to come all the way back around to the beginning and look at where I am at now versus where I was when I started. I think that it is going to reveal a lot about me and how I think and I hope that I can do this series justice. I guess that we will see.

I am going to try my best not to make this a grief or Covid blog. I still have a lot more to say on the two subjects. However, some things we have to keep in perspective. And that is it is Friday. We have 1984 to get to.

This chapter is about Winston’s experience in captivity. You could say that it is torture. We don’t exactly know what the end goal is yet. According to Obrien, it is rehabilitation. Future chapters will reveal more.

I am having a bit of an supernatural experience lately. I guess that because of all that is going on. Maybe it is some sort of hypersensitivity or mind tricks or maybe it is real. Let me try to describe more. On August 11, for some reason I woke up at 3:30AM. I was worried that I was late for something but of course I wasn’t so I went back to sleep. Then at 4AM, I got the call from my wife. I don’t know for sure but I kind of think that was the moment that Frank passed. Then I get these moments that I am just not myself but those are stories for later.

I get the feeling that Winston is going through a similar process. Winston is questioning his reality. In his case, Obrien is trying to convince him of the complete dominance of Big Brother. He makes a statement ‘Who controls the past controls the future, Who controls the present controls the past.’ Obrien is trying to gain absolute obedience from Winston by using torture. Winston is fighting the reality of the situation. It is not clearly explained, but somehow Obrien knows all of Winston’s thoughts and actions that were seemingly private.

Reality is What We Make of It– I have said to myself this statement many times but I don’t always listen. In this context and using the example from the book 2 + 2 = 3 or 2 + 2 = 5 or it could be 2 + 2 = 4. What I am saying here is that absolute truth does not really matter. If we are going to be happy in this world, we have to accept that sometimes reality is whatever it is regardless to rather it makes sense or not. This is a very difficult thing for me to accept because I believe in right and wrong. And when wrong is right I don’t know how to apply my other assessment or coping strategies.

Using a simple example, take fashion. I think that it is silly and misguided but here is a 2 + 2 = 5 scenario. Two years ago, some garments from the early 1990’s would have been shunned. Now, I see rather frequently two colored pant legs or other such articles of clothing that came straight out of that era. Fine enough, maybe the person wasn’t around during the trend and they think that it is new. It is the ‘industry’ and media that declared yesterday 2 + 2 = 3 and now 2 + 2 = 5. It was the same with turtlenecks in the 80s or bell bottoms in the early 2000s.

I personally have an aversion to that kind of thought. It makes me want to go the other way deliberately or even cause conflict to try and justify right and wrong. You might say that this is part of what this forum is. I know that too much stewing is counterproductive and I have to fight the urge frequently.

End Your Programming Routine: I am mentally exhausted at this point. I had to have meetings starting at 4AM this morning and after the week I had I am not really motivated to do much more. My reality is that I need to take a break. Hopefully, it will be a nice weekend.

This chapter was kind of interesting. It is about Winston’s preliminary stint in Jail. I say that because there has been no sort of adjudication or sentencing. There is a parade of minor characters throughout the book that suddenly appear as well but we have no indication of Julia’s disposition.

I would also say that there is a bit of foreshadowing into Winston’s future. With the extreme, no holds barred violence I suspect that his future is going to be pretty nasty.

We continue to see the same themes built upon in the recent chapters. Winston had made his choices and has accepted his fate to some degree. I think that we have all had those moments where we have done something that has a consequence that we really didn’t want to suffer. When caught, we have already accepted that there will be a degree of pain or discomfort but we knew it was coming.

Seeing is Believing- Remember back in 2:8 when I said that it was hard to believe that Obrien lived as a high party member but was also a high level traitor? There is an old saying that “If it looks to good to be true, then it probably is” is pretty applicable. It appears that Obrien was playing Winston so that he would eventually reach a point of no return, which he did.

No Regrets- I think that Winston is understandably worried about his future. I suspect it is the fear of the unknown like how long is this going to take and how much pain am I going to have to endure. Once the truth is internalized and accepted, I am talking about human freedom here, then I don’t think that it really matters about going back to the old life even as good as it was at the end. So said another way, Winston has no desire to not accept the punishment understanding that there is no hope or freedom in his prior way.

I know that today’s concepts are a little cliché. But, I think put into context of the story, they make sense at this point in the analysis. Also, there isn’t a lot more to take out of the revolving door of character in, gets roughed up, character leaves. It just re-enforces that this is really happening and it seems to happen to most people.

End Your Programming Routine: We are about to see what happens when someone fights the system using the rules of the system. Just like I talked about on Tuesday with the five monkeys, this is a no win situation. I am not sure if I would have done anything different than Winston did. Here I am writing about these kinds of things routinely and in a public way. Who knows, maybe some day they will come for me?

This is the last chapter in section 2. That also means that we are moving into section 3 which will be a tone change and the consequences to all of Winston’s actions. In fact, this chapter has Julia and Winston caught by the Thought Police.

Did you think that Winston was going to get away with his treason? I guess the question that I have is why did they wait so long before they arrested the pair? I suppose that it was to build suspense in the book as well as a chance to explain a lot of the whys for the 1984 society. It is ironic that the moment Winston figures everything out that it is immediately over.

This chapter was pretty light on concepts. If I was going to be pushed into giving away the book, what I would say is the following.

Freedom is found when you are not attached to ideology. Winston’s revelation is that the future is the Proles. That is because they are not spending all of their thoughts and energy defending the system that they have created. When we look at the application of that idea in our own lives, we can probably find aspects that would overlay this type of concept particularly politics but also other beliefs like religion.

End Your Programming Routine: I am keeping it short today. In fact I am going to be gone a couple of days next week as it is birthday week. I broke my political dichotomy a number of years ago. So, Winston’s statement rings pretty true to me. If you are reading this, you probably think more like me than not but it is a good reminder to not get wrapped up in this stuff.

This was a big and a dense one. Finally Winston gets the book that is supposed to explain everything that is going on in his society. There are two excerpts that he reads verbatim (and is printed) in the book that covers the concepts War is Peace and Ignorance is Strength.

Before I get started, Winston says near the end of the chapter that there is nothing new here. Generally speaking and for the reader, this is true. We do get a much better explanation of the justifications for why things are the way that they are. Editorially I got a lot of clarity in the world of 1984.

Oligarchical Collectivism: This is the what of Big Brother. It makes perfect sense to me because I understand both words. But, in case you don’t I will define them here. Oligarchy is the form of government that where a set few run the government. Typically those few have ties to some sort of private enterprise and by proxy run the government for their personal benefits. Collectivism is a sociological term whereby a group of people live by and for the the same goals. Typically some sort of equality is tagged as the goal.

Put those two words together to describe 1984. An elite class of people rule a society who live and work for the existence of the Oligarchy. This is why the state of perpetual warfare and the exclusive production exists so that Big Brother continues to profit by the activities of the party. This is the basic premise of the the chapter titled ‘War is Peace’.

Double Think: This is the how of Big Brother. The concept of Double Think is an individual holds two conflicting ideas as true i.e. War is Peace or more aptly for this term Ignorance is Strength. Naturally, the two cannot be true when paired together.

The book tries to explain how it works, but not necessarily why. My interpretation of the psychology of Double Think is that the paradox of two opposites create an inequality. By saying everything is equal and yet nothing is actually equal it makes nearly all statements meaningless. And when that is the case, people either tune out to all things becoming agnostic drones or they believe everything becoming useful drones in the collective.

Since 1984 is held as a cautionary tale, I thought it would be interesting to overlay today’s Unted States to some of the concepts of Big Brother.

1. Oligarchical Collectivism – Did you know that federal departments such as the FDA or Department of Agriculture are a revolving door of industry leaders from companies like Monsanto (now Bayer). Policy and power are consolidated in the hands of a few. Regulations are written to benefit the players in the game and exclude any competition. Also, despite polling, the collective continues to elect the same individuals supporting the Oligarchy.
2. War is Peace – Afghanistan, Syria, Korea and who knows where. We have been in a state of War technically since 1953. Practically speaking we have been in deployed conflict since 2001. There is a generation of people (now adults) who have only known middle east conflict. This now low grade conflict not only benefits the military industrial complex which in turn benefits the Oligarchy without completely upsetting the apple cart for the rest of society.
3. Double Think – Cloth masks do not stop the transmission of Covid-19 but Masks Save Lives. Take your pick of the many other examples. How about there is no inflation, we have an epidemic of gun violence, the food pyramid, etc. Anyone is free to have an opinion and even an ignorant one, but look at the claim and then look at the data and you will see that we are manipulated by Double Think. The problem is that no one actually looks at the data and accepts everything at face value
4. Ignorance is Strength – Knowing what I have said about the first three items I am going to set the trigger with Black Lives Matter. I am not debating the validity of the statement or movement but using Double Think, the Oligarchy creates an environment where the population is divided and uses the situation to create chaos and therefore solidifying power. (Our) Ignorance is (Their) Strength, let that set in for a minute. As stated, it is Double Think but as application it should be written as I have above.

End Your Programming Routine: We are on the downhill side of this analysis. There are technically six chapters left to go so this should be finished in less than eight weeks. I didn’t think that it was going to stretch out that long originally. I think that you can see from my argument that Orwell was pretty right how things are going.

Before we get started, I am writing in anticipation of the hottest day ever recorded coming this weekend. It is supposed to be over 110 degF on Sunday. Current forecasts are between 111 and 113. So, while I am a little cold this morning setting at my computer at 67 degrees with shorts and sandals on, I know that the inferno is coming.

My feelings right now are probably a good metaphor for Winston’s situation in this chapter. This is the calm before the storm. We see Winston meet with Obrien and making his final commitments to his true beliefs. There isn’t a lot of transition between getting the invitation (last chapter) and the meeting where this chapter begins.

I find this chapter interesting but devoid of a lot of the heavy intellectual concepts that much of the book is full of. Part of what makes it interesting is that there are paradoxes that are not really well developed. For instance, Obrien lives and acts as a high party member but is supposedly a high level traitor who will disappear at any moment. I suppose that if you were to pin me down I could go with a couple.

Propaganda makes Enemy’s Friends and Friend’s Enemies- There has been a portrayal of the Eurasion race as sour, nasty and bleak. Now, it appears as Obrien’s servant Martin is an insider and confidant in the movement. Despite his lifelong training, Winston doesn’t react (much) to Martin being involved in the conversation. This is the perfect manifestation of political dichotomy today. Enemies are a far stronger tool to solidify an agenda and unite a faction. Once a faction is united, they are far easier to manipulate in the future.

Some Beliefs are Worth Sacrificing Your Life- As Obrien describes the process, it is portrayed as death is likely. It is also thankless and you will not see the results or know the strategy. This is a hard one to actually swallow as I have not been in this position. But, as I have written previously Winston realizes that there is no hope of the future. I can imagine that it is the final acceptance like the stages of death – acceptance.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the future of the book here but it seems like this could be a setup just as easily as it is Winston joining the rebellion. I am particularly wary of Obrien as it is hard for me to believe that he can be in the inner party and high level resistance at the same time. Corruption and politics are highly integrated, so I guess we will have to stay tuned to find out.

Another thing that I find interesting is that Julia has become a minor character in the book. I think that she was the vehicle to propel Winston into his thought position. It is clear that she has a role in his decisions and desired outcomes but really has had little interaction in the recent past including this chapter.

End Your Programming Routine: Maybe my mind is already baked and I am missing the significance of this chapter. It answers some of the longstanding questions about the existence of Goldstein, the Brotherhood, etc. The next chapter is the longest one in the book so maybe this is a transition primarily.

I guess the advice here is that the decisions have been made there is nothing left to do but accept it. There have been times in my life that I have made a major decision and not completely sure that it was the right thing to do. But without recourse, all you can do is move forward.

So this week I read two chapters…what? That is right, two; primarily because the first one was only three pages long and the second one was six pages. Since we are gone today I am writing this in a hurry without a lot of time to really analyze what I wanted to say. I have kept this one pretty close to the facts without wandering around too much.

It may not have been one of the more impactful analysis I have performed, but there are some pretty powerful quotes particularly in chapter 7. These two chapters work nicely together. Chapter 6 has Winston finally meeting O’brien and arranging a meetup. Chapter 7 is his thoughts about and the consequences of that meetup.

Be aware of the deliberate action- When O’brien met with Winston, it was the first time that they had ever spoken in earnest. O’brien’s deliberate actions of speaking and writing his address was described in a theatrical manner. The conversation was innocent enough and in line with all expectations but the circumstances were not. As a result, Winston is aware that this is the beginning of the end.

Winston suspects that taking this step of meeting O’brien is going to result in his demise. He also knows that he is going to do it. It seems that the only thing that is not entirely clear is what side O’brien is really on. The implications of such is the duration before Winston disappears.

“The terrible thing the party had done was to persuade you that mere impulses, mere feelings, were of no account while at the same time robbing you of all power over the material world. When once you were in the grip of the Party, what you felt or did not feel, what you did or refrained from doing, made literally no difference.”

Talk about a powerful quote from chapter 7. This is the quintessential description of the left/right dichotomy. It doesn’t matter which side you choose, playing the game is a losing proposition because either choice lands you in the system of control. This transitions into the second concept of the post.

To simply live is to be dead- In multiple places in the chapter, Winston references freedom over life. He says that the ‘Proles are alive, we are dead’ and ‘the object is not to live but to be human’. There is a strong connection being drawn between personal choice and freedom. This is why Winston is getting the feeling that the end is near because he is making those connection and realizes that he will never have the choices.

There are many anecdotal supporting stories from refugee camps or soldiers in battle or drug addiction where the people are alive but the circumstantial trauma has them devoid of emotion. I suppose that is my way of trying to relate something other that the post apocalyptical world of 1984.

End Your Programming Routine: 1984 is turning out to be a complicated work that is more than a bastion of liberty. That being said, these two chapters play right back into the cautionary tale of totalitarianisms. As much as I am not an emotional person, emotion is essential to humanity and by proxy life, buying Orwell’s Kool-aid.

Interesting how reflecting impacts your views and potentially changes you. I quickly read this chapter while I was waiting for my son’s Boy Scout meeting to end. It’s short, only ten pages long so it took me 15 minutes to read through it.

This chapter begins with the unexplained disappearance of Syme who first emerged as a character in 1:5. It remains pretty high level in the style of most of the first section of the book where it covers the activities and attitudes of ‘Hate Week’. A smaller part of the chapter is Winston and Julia’s interaction at the antique store apartment.

Real Understanding Requires Context or Experience – There is a conversation that happens between Winston and Julia where he is trying to convince her that history is being changed. It is hard to tell whether she just doesn’t understand or is being coy with her true intentions. But if we take it at face value, Julia just doesn’t seem to understand the concept that the facts as presented change constantly. And by proxy she doesn’t recognize this is the root of the mistrust in any source.

Winston chalks it up to Julia being born before the revolution and not knowing anything other than facts not being facts. I can buy that to a point however Julia seems to be pretty switched on to many of the other moving components of the movement. So, this lack of understanding is a little bit puzzling. The concept is still true; I think that we have all had conversations with the ‘book smart’ people that can recite the facts but not have a clue about the the emotional or mental impact of an event.

Not ever going through a hurricane, I remember people telling me stories of what it was like when Hurricane Hugo landed (1989). When I lived in South Carolina (2001-2004) there was still damage that lingered from the event. At that time, I think that it was still the second most costly Hurricane to hit after Andrew (1992). With over 100 related deaths and the monetary damage, I am sure that lives were changed forever, but I could not really understand what it was like to go through the event.

Living begins when there is no future – This is the one that intrigues me. Winston says that he feels like he is already dead meaning he knows that he has crossed the line and it is only a matter of time before it catches up with him. Because it seems that it is a foregone conclusion that he is going to get caught and there is nothing he can do about it, Winston is going to live in the moment.

My wife has accused me of living in the future. I know that there is at least a degree of truth to that. For instance, if I spend my entire life preparing for potential disaster, I ignore or miss the events of the present. It is the same concept of the bucket list or even the terms “smoke ’em if you got ’em” and “live like you are dying”.

We see the benefits of Winston’s change of philosophy. His physical health has improved as his mental outlook has changed. I am of course not there yet, but we hear stories about peoples acceptance of mortality and it changes their experience of the present.

It is a hard habit to change. I have always had the saver, delayed gratification mentality. It is the reason I worked from the day school ended to the day that school started (seven days) during the summer. It is the reason I dream of tolerating my circumstances so that one day I will be free to pursue what I want to do. It is the reason I am interested in preparedness. It is the reason why I think before I speak. Heck, it is the reason that I have faith.

You can call it ‘in your head’ if you like. I think that it is mostly harmless and defines my character, but there are times that my not being in the moment effects other people, particularly in relationships. That we are not really going to get into today, I just wanted to point out that there can be consequences to that mindset.

End Your Programming Routine: 1984 continues to reveal more than just a cautionary tale. I don’t think that I have done this kind of analysis since college. Not just that, this was a book that I wanted to read and analyze on my own accord and not assigned or graded. It is kind of like rediscovering something revolutionary. The final thing that I want to say today is analyze your behavior to make sure that you are putting the proper emphasis on today versus tomorrow and definitely yesterday.