1984 Game Page and Essay Topics

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

1984 Game Page and Essay Topics  
 

Here are some questions for you to try and answer; while there is no single right or wrong answer, these questions will help you to see how well you are able to use the ideas of the novel and apply them to the real world.    

1. Take the current president of the United States and prove, first, that he is Big Brother. Now use ''doublethink" and prove that he isn't.    

2. Think of instances in which our thinking is controlled. Are there groups and organizations that actively use mind control? How are they similar or different from "the Party"? If you were to assume that the Party is a singularly evil entity, would you say that this group is equally evil?  

3. Prove that anything is true.    

4. Are we already living, in part, in the world of 1984? If you think that we are not, why can the government exert the influence that it does? If you think that we are, why is the government allowing 1984 to still be published and read?    

5. If you were George Orwell, would you be pleased or displeased with the world political scene?    

6. How would you protect yourself against the Thought Police? Is there any defense? What can you do, personally, to prevent Ingsoc from becoming reality?    

7. Is there any way to overthrow the Party? What would you do to stop their control? Would it work, or would it be futile?  

8. You are a budding O'Brien type of person; what important career decisions would you make? What would you do with a friend like Winston?    

9. Write your own essay in Newspeak. Note the differences in what you want to say and how it actually comes out. Does Newspeak  destroy thought? Does it enable the government to control people? What types of Newspeak do we use today? Does it perform the same function? Does it affect the way we do things in society?


1984 : Notes
Cliffs Notes On--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Borman, Gilbert.

Lincoln, Neb. Cliffs Notes, 1999.

ISBN: 0822008998
eBook ISBN: 0585137854
Subject: Orwell, George,--1903-1950.--Nineteen eighty-four--Study guides.

freedomisahapislave  

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

1. Take the current president of the United States and prove, first, that he is Big Brother. Now use ''doublethink" and prove that he isn't.      

the current president of the u.s. is big brother. amorica has always been a dictatorship of w.a.s.p males. bushs' face is only the latest of a long line of 'white' male images sent in defense of amorica. like the other s before him, he is only the figurehead of something hidden from the public view.  he is a represenative of the "iron heel" lurking and ever present in a neo-fascist western world...................

the current president of the u.s. is not big brother.  he is one of the most intelligent and honest men that the world has ever known. he ranks atop past men of distinction such as imhotep, confucius, jesus christ, buddah, luther, garvey, gandi and king.  more importantly, he has never directed police actions against amorican citizens like clinton/reno.

freedomisahapislave

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

"2. Think of instances in which our thinking is controlled. Are there groups and organizations that actively use mind control? How are they similar or different from "the Party"? If you were to assume that the Party is a singularly evil entity, would you say that this group is equally evil? "

i could go on and on with controlled thinking or censorship(t) .....

groups and organizations that actively use mind control / mind war?......hummmm.......

sorry, but i must ask ........

what is obscene language?
why is a language obscene?
who defines obscenity?

someone once asked ,
'is a rose by any other name
just as sweet? '

i would say no,
because the rose may never be  
what it originally was.

when groups and organizations actively use mind control,
they actively engage in the unilateral suggestion to self- destruction.  

if i assume that the Party is a singularly evil entity, i could not suggest that groups and organizations that actively use mind control are equally evil because the party is a singularly evil entity. the party has no respect for groups and organizations other than its own.  

freedomisahapislave

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

3.  prove that anything is true.

okay, the world is flat.......
earth is the center of the universe........
2+2=5.......
africans are inferior......
kobey and oj are innocent......
the 'white'man owes us nothing .......
oil is not a fossil fuel.......



Humanity and Society in 1984

To demonstrate the effectiveness of Newspeak, this is a short essay on 1984. Then it is translated into Newspeak. This demonstrates the powerful ability of Ingsoc to eliminate thought; the entire gist of the original essay is destroyed. The student of 1984 should find this to be both amusing and frightening.

George Orwell's 1984 is a bitter attack against the evil modern plague of totalitarian oppression. Orwell expresses the idea that a government may enslave its people through controlling the media and enforcing its control through an extensive police network. His protagonist is an English middle-class thinker named Winston Smith. Winston is fascinated by the intellectual process of slavery. He works in the ministry which produces most of the lies for popular consumption; this ministry is ironically called Minitrue (a short form of Ministry of Truth). Winston rebels against his masters because he is aware of the evil of the system, and he is aware of the mass deception being perpetrated by the state. Winston starts off as a lonely man writing away in his illegal journal. He tries to tell us what his world is like. Orwell describes the tremendous ugliness of his world. Winston lives in a slum and can barely afford to live. His health is poor, and one gets the feeling that he wishes that he were dead. Orwell takes Winston on a rollercoaster ride of hope and disaster. Orwell raises our hopes by having Winston fall in love, and then he systematically crushes his rebellion and leaves him as less than a human being. This essay will deal with humanity and society and what happens when humanity and society are taken away from us.

Humanity is the quality of being a human being. This implies the normal range of emotions and thoughts as well as the process of living as a human being is presumed to live. Society is the aggregate whole of a larger group of people. Society is the means by which people organize themselves so that they may function and live efficiently. The world of 1984 is divided into three ''super states"; these states are permanently at war with each other. Winston lives in Oceania, which comprises most of what is now the United States and Great Britain. Winston lives a life of squalor; he is very lonely and his love life extends only to an occasional prostitute. The society of Oceania is split into three castes: a small group of brutal rulers, a larger group of middle-level functionaries, and a vast majority of mindless slaves; these are called respectively, the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles. The three groups are segregated, and status is based upon power. The Inner Party maintains its position through a police force which is bound by no laws. In Oceania, everything can be a crime. All opposition is punishable by death. Most societies have a set of rules that determine how we should behave; Oceania has only implied rules that may or may not be enforced on any given occasion. This situation affects Winston's humanity. Winston, who tries to maintain values similar to our own, is deprived of his humanity. He is dying of disease and malnutrition. To attempt to regain his lost humanity, he rebels; he begins writing his diary and tries to contact the mystical Brotherhood so that he might join a different society. The Brotherhood is led by the nonexistent Emmanuel Goldstein, just as the Party of Oceania is led by Big Brother. The entire society, however, is structured around lies. Winston has the very important job of altering the past and covering up the lies of the Party. Oceania will not even tell the truth about when or whom they have been at war with in the past. Thus the Party claims: we are at war with Eastasia. In truth, they have been at war with Eurasia, and Eastasia is their ally.

Winston's rebellion is discovered at its inception, and he is watched by the police until they decide to destroy him. The man whom Winston believed was his ally and friend was actually his greatest enemy. In the society of lies, he had fallen for a lie, and his punishment was his total destruction. O'Brien, Winston's betrayer,      takes personal charge of Winston's destruction. One of the most important aspects of our humanity is the need for companionship and love. Winston tries to maintain his loyalty to his lover and coconspirator; in essence, he fights for his humanity. He loses, and he is turned into something less than human.

Orwell takes the thesis that society can destroy our humanity, and in a sick, warped society, this becomes the raison d'être of the state. By the end of 1984, Winston is pointed in front of a mirror and shown the ravages of his destruction. He is told that he is dead as a man. This last message demonstrates that his status is as a nonhuman being, one who is only physically alive. The objective of Oceania is a homogeneous society of dead creatures who will obediently serve without question or thought.

1984 is a depressing story, but its impact is tremendous. It is a warning to us to preserve our humanity and to make sure that we live in a sane society. We must not let happen to us what happens to Winston Smith.

This is the same essay translated into Newspeak. In order to be truly proper Newspeak, the entire aspect of the essay has to be altered to be ''goodthink."      
           
freedomisahapislave

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

"4. Are we already living, in part, in the world of 1984? If you think that we are not, why can the government exert the influence that it does? If you think that we are, why is the government allowing 1984 to still be published and read?  "

yes we are living ,in part, in the world of 1984. the government is allowing 1984 to still be published and read because not only does a negligble number of the populace vote but even fewer read anything relative with comprehension.

freedomisahapislave  

[Rootsie]

I also think 'they' have realized that a flood of information is just as effective as no information. Few show the discernment or do the hard work of separating fact from fiction. So 'the truth is out there' but few look for it.

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

real roots..

freedomisahapislve

[Kebo]

Peace on the 1984. The book is relevant. Especially with the Patriot Act in effect.

Another relative question that keeps boggling my mind in regards to information, is how do conscious people keep getting information about the corruption of the government, in other words the Truth, the real story.

Is the government not tight enough to keep their corruption secret. I want to know because I'm constantly questioning information that comes through and wondering how we got it.

Kebo

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

kebo,  conscious people will continue to sift wheat from chaff and keep the balance of the scales. the truth.

when the government is 'tight' enough to keep their corruption secret, democrazy will have been replaced by fascism.

never stop questioning.

rootsie  realized that a flood of information is just as effective as no information. Few show the discernment or do the hard work of separating fact from fiction. So 'the truth is out there' but few look for it.

think about doublethink and newspeak.

freedomisahapislave

[Rootsie]

I think it's pretty safe to assume that anything that comes from corporate media outlets, which is more than 90% of everything, is bogus.

So the 'opposition' from the democrats in this U.S. 'election' is just smoke and mirrors. They are corporate shills as much as the Republicans, and their little squabbles are meant to distract people from real issues, rather than shed any light on reality. I wish Americans didn't have such a short memory, but that is what the corporate media promotes.

In retrospect for example we can see that France's 'opposition' to the war on Iraq in the end made it possible for the U.S. to attack without going for a U.N. vote.

They 'manufacture consent', and they play to people's most selfish impulses and to their fears.

There are so many examples of the media deflecting people from the questions they really ought to be asking. We're in the midst of a massive global corporate takeover.

There are many sites on the internet at this point that are exposing the truth about many things, but they exist side by side with ones that do just the opposite. As I said, it takes discernment, and some knowledge of history, to separate the fact from the fiction. And real history is the LAST thing being taught in most U.S. schools, take it from me.  We have a huge MISEDUCATION effort going on here, which has so far been highly successful.

I think that looking at the history of the CIA and the rise of the global fascist network after World War II is crucial info. We see the same names popping up again and again. Trinicenter has articles by a guy named Blum. He is good. As are Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn.

Look at the relationship between the Bush and bin Laden families, and you get a taste of the deception being perpetrated by the media.

Rootsie

[iyah360]

Peace.

Wonderful reasoning here.  

I think this does well as the CLINCHER to find the ROOT of our enslavement, posted by Ras_Tyehimba:

http://www.africaspeaks.com/reasoning/?board=rb;action=display;num=1062049100

"Evil?What a lot of people call evil is really a person's inclination to follow their lower self/animal self(chakras 1-3). Feelings, emotions and passions are good servants but poor masters. This point is emphasized in the battle between Seth and Heru in the Kemetic mythological story.  

What separates man from 'animal' is his ability to reason and discern truth from falsehood. 'Mankind' is conscious in that he.she can think about what they are thinking, animals can't do this. So my whole perception of evil is different; InI don't believe in any person with any forked tail and horns(often depicted as being black). We have the potential to be gods (directly) and reflect the Supreme power using our higher faculties or we can be like animals and be satisfied with mere carnal gratification. that is, eat and have sex .  

Even if one seeks to reach that infinite plane of all possibilities the lower self still has to be fulfilled for the balance to be maintained. So it's just complementary forces at work, not 'good', and 'evil', in a strict sense of the word.  

When man/wombman maintain this balance inkeeping with natural law, all things are possible. The ancients understood this perfectly. The philosophy of Maat (truth, justice, BALANCE and righteousness) is the philosophy of the ancient rastaman.  

The aim of this existence is to tap directly and permanantly into the source of all consciousness,(Negust negast/Neter Neteru) and becomeintegrated into the Godhead (become one with Jah)  

The rastaman is this time is often removed from from his natural surrounding that he had in ancient times due to various circumstance. Irregardless of this, the rasta in this time must learn to fly again, as they did thousands of years in alkebu lan. Our ancestors in Alkebulan(Kemet/Ithiopia/West Africa etc) were able to do great mind boggling things because they were flying, they were tapping into the source of all consciousness. We must once more traverse this universe and spread the message of life which is love, universal love. Universal meaning 'of one truth'. And love can only exist on the foundation of truth. Only truth can truly empower one. There are varying degrees of truth, so the rastafarian must climb this ladder of truth and wisdom and reach the ultimate truth.  
the price of failure to one higher up on the ladder than others will be higher; to whom much is given much is expected.  

Truth can only emanate from self discovery, and in discovering ourselves we will realize that we are the universe (all the elements that make up the universe are inside us). Thus in loving ourselves we will love the universe in all its diverse glory. Love Love Love  

One can't access truth and love through the medium popular culture. Popular culture is one of death and destruction. "Destruction walks with smiling faces" said the revolutionary Peter Tosh. And he knew what he was saying; the capitalist sitstem plays tricks with our mind, they bombard us with things that look good, smell good, taste good, feel good, sound good but in reality the essence of it is filthy, utterly corrupt. Our senses perpetuate the illusion. So its the senses that can trap one and fill one's mind with garbage and illusion, encouraging a life void of truth and purpose. Get rich, get money, get clothes, get bling bling, get fancy cars, get lots women preferably white women.........and so they go, caught up in the glittery conglomeration of distraction.. They tout these carnal pursuits as the main purpose of education."  

[Tian]

 Peace and greetings all!

Good reasoning going. I would like to add some comments.

Thanks, seshatasefekht, for bringing up the topic of 1984.

I read the book 10 years ago, and have since realized how close we have come to the society it describes. Newspeak is everywhere: in the language of liberal economics (think of all the euphemisms for "firing workers", like "downsizing"), politics ("humanitarian intervention") etc. Another thing Orwell described is the switching of enemies, and the subsequent denial that they were ever at war with that country (think of US and bin Laden, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq.....)

Thanks, Rootsie, for insights on corporate media. I have read Chomsky and respect him very much.

It is certainly difficult at times to sift wheat from chaff, but the truth is out there somewhere in the information jungle. It has a tendency to reach through to conscious people, much the same way as in popular music, where we can discern the Lauryn Hill's from the Beyonce's. It's all there for those willing to listen.......

A good idea to decide on whether to trust a source of information, is to look into whose interests it represents. If it's big capital or government, good reason to be suspicious.
Independent activists on the side of ordinary people usually have credibility.

In the current global predicament, the truth is usually worse than fiction, if that's a rule of thumb.....

Respect,

Tian

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

"5. If you were George Orwell, would you be pleased or displeased with the world political scene?  "

if i was george or-well and alive today after publishing 1984 in the late forties against wishes of the same military industrial complex  later revealed/disclosed by eisenhowie, i would suspect that the world had become utopia instead of dystopia and that my longevity was was the result of the benefit a true socialized healthcare and self love incumbent of a place that use to be noplace(thomas moore's utopia).

however, if george orwell was taken from a time machine which had propelled him here to 2003 a day after the first publication of 1984, he would not say i told you so. he would not explain how jack london foresaw an iron heel or how zamyatin checked what we would become or that aldous huxley proclaimed a brave new world or that ray bradbury knew the temperature at which books burned(451').

george orwell would be so displeased with the world political scene that he would only offer this forsaken world of big brother the solution to the problem of 1984 and if that solution was allowed to take 'roots' perhaps it would not take the 400 or more years to eradicate the police state of human affairs foresaw by london or the 'lynch letter'.

freedomisahapislave

[Kebo]

Tian said:
"A good idea to decide on whether to trust a source of information, is to look into whose interests it represents. If it's big capital or government, good reason to be suspicious.
Independent activists on the side of ordinary people usually have credibility."

But where do independent activists get THEIR information? Why would the system even keep documentation of corrput sh*t that goes on. And why wouldn't they see to it that all records of corrupt activity are destroyed. How does the information/Truth get to the hands of independent activists/reporters/social commentators who then pass it on?
In the world of Big Brother it still doesn't makes sense to me.

Kebo

[seshatasefekht7]

peace and hotep,

kebo, i use to think/believe that credible independent activists were usually on the side of ordinary people until i got a dose of the deptofjustice's "weed and seed"  program. to me it is just as bad as cointelpro.  wholesale sellout. community based programs did it for the love of money. soon the  world of Big Brother will make sense to us.

the most dangerous independent activists(free radicals) are problem solvers.  if they were not activist, they would be our finest scientists. refining information, seemingly, from thin air.

in the world of 1984, it has been proven that history is cyclical and by controlling the past --- big brother controls the present and the future.

 "why would the system even keep documentation of corrput sh*t that goes on? "

why would an outer party member, winston, be employed by the
ministry of information for the purpose of reclassifying people as-----non persons.  they are thought criminals, not me. he says.

"and why wouldn't they see to it that all records of corrupt activity are destroyed."

in 1984, the records of corrupt activity is 'bait' for potential thought crime. to a police state such records are invaluable
for perpectuating thoughtcrime.

truth/freedom is the freedom to say that 2 plus 2 equals 4.

starving and stolen children are being raised by big brother and like winston their eternal allegiance will be withe the hand that feed them. i was once told in a court of law that i bit the hand that fed me. what a relief........ because by biting that hand, the information/Truth get to the hands of independent activists/reporters/social commentators who then pass it on?

http://www.consortiumnews.com/newbook.html [smiley=lipsrsealed2.gif]http://www.randomhouse.com/features/bamford/home.html

freedomisahapislave