Doublethink in 1984

Doublethink in 1984

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Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Vol XCIII, No. 311

What is doublethink

"doublethink is to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them" (Orwell, pg 37)

Doublethink in Airstrip 1

Overview

• The ability to doublethink plays a role in the control of the citizens of Airstrip one, which masks the party's true intentions.
• Points of discussion;
• Control
• Deletion of the past
• Goldenstein's book and the contradiction of the ministries names
• The language of newspeak

Winston`s Definition of Doublethink - Reality Control

2+2=5??????

• Doublethink or reality control (as defined by Winston) is all that is needed for an "unending series of victories over your own memory" (Orwell, page 37)
• the Party's lies become truth once all records are changed
• Ex: In chapter 3 (book 1), Winston's knowledge that Eurasia has only been at war with Oceania for 4 years; but records state otherwise which citizens believe

• individuals of the Outter Party express the more favourable opinion for the party until convinced the opinion is 100% true
• any shift in facial expression or curiosity once a change happens results in vaporization
• Definition of Brainwashing: make (someone) adopt radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible pressure

-With Winston's basic knowledge, 2+2=4

-"In the end, the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you'd have to believe it" (Orwell, page 83)

-By book 3, against his protests, Winston is tortured by O'brien into saying 2+2 = 5

Chocolate Rations

• In chapter 2, it is announced that the chocolate rations are being reduced from 30g to 20g.
• Earlier in the year, the Party promised no chocolate rations for the rest of the year.
• 24 hours later, Winston is stunned when he sees people praising big brother for raising the chocolate ration to 20g.
• Begins to question doublethink

Doublethink in Real Life Situations

Doublethink in Politics

Popular instances of modern day

Donald Trump constantly doublethinks and contradicts his own statements in favor of the results in voting polls.

• "You must fit in/You must stand out"
• Follow your dreams/find a secure job"
• Slut-shaming in The Breakfast Club
• "It's kind of a double-edged sword, isn't it?.... Well, if you said you haven't, you're a prude. If you say you have, you're a slut. It's a trap." (the Breakfast Club, 1985)

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Newspeak

Doublethink in history

Goldenstein's book and the contradiction of the ministries names

Double think affects memories

Rewriting records

Newspeak

Ministires & their Contradicting Names

Goldstein's book

Ministry of Plenty

Ministry of Truth

Winston`s job in the ministry of truth is to alter the original copies of the Times with false new facts, that are re-published and become the new original copy, the citizens of Oceania are able to succumb to these changes because of double think

The party controls the country’s history by continually altering the past with made up facts to support the party`s continuous contradicting statements. The process of doublethink enables the citizens to forget a certain part of history by being able to control your memories as well as forgetting the process

• Newspeak is a controlled language created by the totalitarian state Oceania as a tool to limit freedom of thought, and concepts that pose a threat to the regime such as freedom, self-expression, individuality, and peace.
• Any form of thought alternative to the party’s construct is classified as "thoughtcrime".
• Grammar was simplified so individuals wouldn’t be allowed to express emotion.
• Any synonyms or antonyms, along with undesirable concepts are eradicated.
• The goal is for everyone except the Proles to be speaking this language by the year 2050.
• Newspeak was ironic because while most languages increase over time, as people advance, Newspeak purposely decreased in order to control people, and to keep them from advancing.

• The ministry of plenty is truly in charge of keeping the poor in poverty
• The poor are easy to rule over by the rich but the poor think that they are being treated very well due to doublethink

• the name contradicts itself since in reality this ministry lies
• they are responsible for changing historical events and propaganda in order to cause doublethink to happen
• for example, people will have to understand that statements like 2 + 2 = 5 is the truth

Goldstein's book exposes the truth about the Party. It describes how when children are born they go through mental training getting three Newspeak words stuck in their mind: crimestop, blackwhite, and doublethink. When they grow up, they become Party members and must show no emotions and respites due to the continuous change of the past. Because of this, the Party has been able to control history through doublethink. The practitioners of doublethink know them self that it is a system of mental cheating. Anyone will believe anything the Party says due to this mind-control technique doublethink.

Lost sense of reality

Alteration of the past

Types of vocabulary

Ministry of Love

Ministry of Peace

• This ministry is in charge of torturing and punishing
• If someone did not follow Big Brother then he/she will be tortured with their own phobia until he/she loves Big Brother
• The torturing/punishing happens in a place called room 101

• The constant change in history leaves the citizens with an inaccurate perception of time
• “History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the party is always right” (Orwell,pg 162)
• "One could not learn history from architechture any more than one could learn it from books" (Orwell, pg 162)

• This ministry is actually controls the state of war
• There are 3 super continents, which are Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia, and they are always at war with each other
• Since Oceania is always at war it keeps the citizens in constant hardship and this prevents them from learning the true nature of their society

• The alteration of the country`s past is the party`s method to portray themselves as fit to govern. For example: the constant change of whom Oceania is at war with and the submission into becoming a party member
• "who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." (Orwell, pg 260)

• A vocabulary: consists of the words needed for the business of everyday life for such things as eating, drinking, working, putting on one`s clothes, going up and down stairs, riding in vehicles, gardening, and cooking.

• B vocabulary: consists of compound words which had been deliberately constructed for political purposes: words, that is to say, which not only had in every case a political implication, but were intended to impose a desirable mental attitude upon the person using them.

• C vocabulary: was a supplementary to the others and consisted entirely of scientific and technical terms.