1984 pages 37 - 81 (9/2/08) Week 2

This section begins with Winston at work in the Ministry. It quickly becomes apparent that Winston plays a key role in rewriting history. He receives old articles of the "Times" then rewords them with newspeak to fit the story the Party wants to tell. Work is described as Winston's greatest pleasure which I find kind of crazy. He absolutely despises the party, but takes slight joy in rewriting history. He's even pleased that his story will probably be printed instead of one of the guys' working next to him. I almost wonder if he was a writer before all of this happend. Did the Party just put him at this job because he was good at it? (kind of like what China does)

As the section moves forward, we quickly realize that the Party not only erases people, they create them as well. The story turns to Comrad Ogilvy a man who was deeply dedicated to Oceania. He was a stand out at the age of three because he was already refusing all toys other than ones related to war! As he got older, he came to be one of the best spies for the Party and was considered a role model because he was cellibate and did not smoke. However, this man, is not real. The party created him out of thin air to give the people of Oceania somebody to look up to and respect. What I wonder is this: do the true devotees of the party look up to this man? Do they know they are being wronged? My guess is that they have not the slightest clue that Ogilvy is only a manifestation of the Party.

The next section continues on in the fairly drab lunch room. Right away it is made known that thee cafeteria is serving Victory Gin to its inhabitants. Right there is a big red flag against the Party. They know the conditions are so horrible that they are keeping their citizens / workers intoxicated almost all through the day! I guess something has to keep them going, right?

As he's standing in the lunch room, Winston meets up with his "friend," Syme. I don't know that Winston really considers Syme to be a friend, but it's as close as he's got. Syme is a man who wreaks of intelligence. He's playing a key part in compiling the 11th edition of the Newspeak Dictionary and follows it whole heartedly. He's doing his part to erase every extra needed word that they already have. For instance, why have words such as splendid and excellent when one could use a word like plusgood? That's clearly better! Syme believes that taking the excessive details out of language is a plusgood thing which will only make the people of Oceania sound more intelligent. Really, though, the only thing it's succeeding in doing is making the people sound the exact antithesis. By using simple words for everything, the people will be reduced to just slightly above the level of a caveman. In a way it reverses the evolutionary process of man; if the first step is language, what's the next, actions? Eventually, Oceania could become a basic, underdeveloped civilization. Never-the-less, Syme still referres to the destruction of words as a "beautiful thing."

The whole time that Syme is talking to Winston about the Newspeak Dictionary, Winston can't help but let his mind wander. All he can think about is Syme being vaporized. Winston has a divine and knowledgeable instinct about who will be vaporized and he knows that Syme will be within a couple of years. Simply, he's just too intelligent.

While Winston is still eating lunch, his fellow tennant Mr. Parsons comes to join. Neither Winston nor Syme are excited about this, for Parsons is a fairly foolish man. Upon sitting down, Parsons apologizes to Winston for what his son did to him. However, he then goes on to commend his son and daughter for being keen and able to spot thought criminals. I think this could easily be foreshaddowing that his son or daughter will turn him into the thought police, but I could be wrong.

Not long after Parsons sits down, they are interrupted by a voice on the telescreen. This voice is quite excited and is telling of how the living standards in Oceania have increased. One remark she makes in particular is that chocolate rations have risen to 20 grams per week. Winston right away recognizes this as untrue, but the rest of the people around them don't even realize that just a week ago it was dropped from 30. Winston is quite flustered by this and it makes him question what else has the government changed. However, he should know, he's taking a part in making these changes. I still don't understand how he can love his job yet get angry at how brainwashed people, and partially himself, are. It's a gargantuous contradiction. Still, after the woman disappears, he pretends that he's happy about the great lifestyle and goes along with Parsons and Syme. Winston does make an excellent point, though. He feels that if someone is feeling like their living conditions are wrong, shouldn't that mean that at one point they were better? I agree with this and I wish that he could conjur up some memories to prove that it's true.

Section 6 begins with Winston writing in his diary again. He's writing of a time when he visited a prostitute. It's almost too painful for him to put down on paper. Normally visiting a prostitute isn't something that I would condone, but in Winston's case, I can understand why he did it. He wanted more than just sex, he wanted a release from his current mindframe. As he's trying to write down his incident with the prostitute, we learn that Winston once had a wife named Katherine. In a sense, their marriage was ruined by the Party. Once celibacy was being promoted, Katherine no longer wanted to even be touched by Winston. This made for many awkward times in the union and eventually they seperated. However, Winston doesn't appear to be too upset about the ordeal at all. He appears to be sadder about visiting a prostitute than leaving his wife. When he finally gets his experience down on paper, he's almost more disappointed in himself than before he started because his therapy didn't work.

In the final section of reading, winston begins talking of the proles. The proles consist of 85% of Oceania's population and therefore, they could actually cause a forceful rebellion against the Party. The proles are described to be living in worse conditions than the other 15% but I think it sounds like a much better way of life. Only a few thought police move among them and their lives are much less strict than everyone elses. What I don't understand is why Winston doesn't just go to live with them. How does one become a prole and what's stopping him?

As the section continues, the focus again moves to the changing of history. The Party has created text books which describe capitalists as horrible people and London as dark and miserable. Something that I've been questioning is how the party came to be in control. How did they change the lives of everyone and brainwash them? They obviously know that the past was a much better place for the majority of the citizens yet they chose to change it completely. I'm just curious who is doing it and how they managed to accomplish it.

Eventually the topic is turned to three men who were said to have committed many crimes under Goldstein's party. These men were charged with extreme crimes and they even confessed to them. One day at work, though, Winston found an old article of the Times placing the men at a different place than they said they were at the time of the crimes. However, instead of keeping the article, Winston chooses to burn it. I think that this incident almost haunts Winston. He knows he could have kept it. If not for a rebellion, for his own personal sanity.

At the very end of the section, Winston writes this fragment: "Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two make four. If that is granted all else follows." This is a very powerful statement for him and I hope that he does something to regain the ability have freedom and know the truth.