The Only Things That Matter: 1984

1
The Only Things That Matter 1984s First Third

• Feraco
• Search for Human Potential
• 31 March 2009

2
Life in Hell or London

• From the instant the clocks strike thirteen, we
  know this book is going to be trouble
• Either the laws of time have been screwed up
  somehow, or the society were about to study has
  been permanently militarized
• We suspect its the latter when Winston enters
  Victory mansions
• We also get an immediate contrast between the
  Partys loudly-proclaimed and shining ideals and
  the harsh realities of Winstons life
• Contrast the perfect poster of Big Brother with
  the cabbage smell and broken lift

3
No Place to Be

• Winston lives in a dystopia
• Utopia combination of two Greek words
• Alternately means good place or no place
• The impossibility of the realized dream is built
  into the words roots
• Definition A place, state, or condition that is
  ideally perfect with respect to politics, laws,
  customs, and conditions.
• Most dystopia material from NCTE

4
An Exaggeration Thats Believed

• Dystopia, on the other hand, means bad place
• Definition A futuristic, imagined universe in
  which oppressive societal control and the
  illusion of a perfect society are maintained
  through corporate, bureaucratic, technological,
  moral, or totalitarian control.
• Authors invent dystopias in order to criticize a
  a current trend, societal norm, or political
  system
• Remember Orwell knows this is a worst-case
  scenario

5
Overwhelmed and Overburdened

• That said, he does a really, really good job of
  making sure we believe it
• The sheer amount of detail he uses is staggering,
  and erase any doubts we have about the worlds
  authenticity
• Its an incredible triumph of the imagination,
  but the resulting darkness can be overwhelming at
  first
• When Winston starts writing, hes not just
  scared, but lost he doesnt know who will read
  it (although he figures itll be the Thought
  Police), he cant be sure he knows the date, and
  he cant be sure that the mere act of writing in
  the diary wont be enough to justify his
  vaporization

6
The Perversion of Our Humanity

• When the words do start pouring out, however,
  its a guttural expression of damaged humanity
• You cant tell if Winstons horrified by the
  sights he describes, and neither can he
• The Party remains in power, in large part, by
  damaging every aspect of humanity our ability
  to long for something or someone, our desire to
  create and behave independently, and so on
  until they can repurpose that energy for negative
  purposes.
• We understand how they do it but why?

7
Dystopia!

• Some characteristics of dystopias
• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of
  society
• Information, independent thought, and freedom are
  restricted
• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the
  citizens of the society
• Citizens are perceived to be under constant
  surveillance
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world
• Citizens live in a dehumanized state
• The natural world is banished and distrusted
• Citizens conform to uniform expectations
• Individuality and dissent are bad
• The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian
  world
• How many of these apply to 1984, and how?

8
Take Back Control

• We see a combination of three types of dystopian
  controls in 1984
• Bureaucratic control Society is controlled by a
  mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red
  tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent
  government officials
• Technological control Society is controlled by
  technologythrough computers, robots, and/or
  scientific means
• Philosophical/religious control Society is
  controlled by philosophical or religious ideology
  often enforced through a dictatorship or
  theocratic government
• For that matter, Winston meets the qualifications
  of a dystopian protagonist
• He questions the existing social and political
  systems
• He believes or feels that something is terribly
  wrong with the society in which he lives
• He helps the audience recognizes the negative
  aspects of the dystopian world through his
  perspective

9
And Now for the Deconstructions

• The first chapter
• Establishes Winston as a viable protagonist
• The world overwhelms us, so give us someone
  similarly powerless
• Shows us the contrast between ideology and
  reality
• Teaches us to appreciate beauty in small bursts
  while moving us into a hunkered-down mindset
• Lays out a raw-nerved emotional landscape
• Gives us glimpses of daily life both the
  routines (Two Minutes Hate) and social
  conventions
• We see who thrives and the dangers that
  threaten survival
• Outlines Winstons first real risk
• Foreshadows a ridiculous amount of the books
  final chapters

10
The Philosophical Battles We Lose

• The second chapter is comparatively mundane
  but, as usual, the plots merely supporting
  everything else
• So much of this book takes place in Winstons
  head that I, as a reader, get startled when the
  action takes place externally
• Its not like the book is ever boring, or that
  the story isnt fascinating
• But the reason I love this book is because of its
  observations regarding humanity and philosophy
• Orwell presents Winston with several tough
  choices, and Im not sure I could always make the
  right ones were I in his shoes

11
What We Create

• The second chapter
• Establishes some more social structure youth
  organizations, family systems, and so on as
  well as explaining more about thoughtcrime,
  slogans, etc.
• Includes devastating social commentary our
  desire to re-savage our young in order to mold
  them into ideal citizen/soldiers comes back to
  destroy us, because children cant be trusted
• The hatred displayed by the Parsons children
  crystallizes Orwells feelings regarding the
  demonization of foes
• Winston is already dead when better to start
  living than now?

12
What Dreams May Come

• The third chapter
• Gives us hints of Winstons past
• The dream will eventually reveal a great deal
  about what Winston wont acknowledge
• Its our first real hint of pre-Revolution lifes
  actual nature
• Further examines the Ingsoc dystopia,
  deconstructing the methods used to keep the
  populace in check
• Helps reinforce the dehumanization motif thats
  present in everything the party does

13
Down the Memory Hole

• The fourth chapter
• Gives us a more well-rounded picture of Winstons
  purpose, and fills in the sketch weve formed
  of him through the first three chapters
• Helps us understand what the Ministries do (or at
  least hints at their true purposes)
• Shows exactly how history can be written rather
  than recorded
• Reveals a great deal about the Partys
  psychological profile its pathological need
  to be flawless, its all-consuming and unceasing
  hungers, its blatant contradictions and
  inefficiencies, and its need to dominate

14
Thoughtcrime Will Be Impossible

• The fifth chapter
• We meet Syme and Parsons, which gives us a
  spectrum-wide view of the people the Party
  controls
• We begin to really understand Newspeaks
  nefarious nature
• Winston continues ruminating on the bizarre
  reality of Oceanian existence the false faces
  they wear and the false stats they swallow
• We start seeing hints about how life was before
  the Revolution
• The girl is back

15
How Seldom He Thought of Her

• The sixth chapter
• Provides with more insight into Winstons
  psychological profile
• Weve wondered why he seems so obsessed with sex
  and love now we understand why hes deeply
  lonely
• Paints an explicit picture of the way the Party
  has twisted human instinct, particularly when it
  comes to love and sexuality
• Still more confusion about why the Party actually
  bothers to do all of this
• Katharines not dead, but shes not here

16
They Could Never Shout Like That About Anything
That Mattered

• The seventh chapter
• Gives us more information about the proles, who
  have received cursory mentions previously
• Also goes back into life before the Revolution
• The chapter along with the next one is one of
  the most important in terms of foreshadowing
• Everything from the song playing in the Chestnut
  Tree Café to Winstons quotes I understand
  HOW is incredibly critical, and should not be
  forgotten or passed over

17
Its a Beautiful Thing

• The eighth chapter
• Takes us into the Prole village, and all of its
  weird quirks its exposure to war, its lottery
  and trivial concerns, its connection to a past
  that obsesses Winston but seems unimportant to
  them
• Essentially allows Winston to try his hand at
  time-traveling
• Some attempts are less successful (Old Prole Man)
  than others (Charringtons shop)
• Winston also finds the paperweight, an important
  symbol of a lost heritage one last piece of
  beauty in an ugly world

18
Thats All for Today!

• More details available courtesy of your Army of
  Experts!
• Prepare yourselves for war