1984 assignment
1984 is the classic novel where power dominates and where the aphorisms which are present permeate the text. The book’s opening where Winston Smith goes into his squalid apartment conveys the depressive atmosphere which also permeates Smith’s thinking. The aphorisms commence from the very beginning since we have parallels with the life of the poor and those in justices which are part and parcel of society and intrinsic to the suffering of those who are at a disadvantage.
War is an important aspect of everything and this is no less present in 1984. The futuristic aspect of living in constant wartime conditions is an important aspect of the story especially due to the fact that the three superpowers are constantly at war with each other. Members of the ruling party are left foraging for their own supplies and the situation is generally quite bleak and dire on all fronts. The parallels with the superpowers are clear. Oceania is the United States and the Western World while Eastasia is the Eastern bloc. Finally we have Eurasia which is correctly predicted by Orwell as being the Far East and China so the futuristic tendency of the author is certainly to be admired here.
The reconstruction of history through propaganda is nothing new and has been going on for centuries. We have seen it going on in in the First World War where the demonization of the Germans led to war on quite a massive scale. The British propaganda machine used several aphorisms to convince the people that they were on the right side of history and that the war they were fighting was a just one. The public had to be convinced that all the slaughter which was going on in the trenches was not in vain and this certainly came together in the way the war was being portrayed. The First World War was a battle of attrition which provided much source for aggravation amongst nations for no real or apparent reason. First of all, nether nation which participated was actually prepared for war, neither were they prepared for the mass slaughter which characterized the whole campaign. Initially the war was rather quiet and calm with lots of small skirmishes but after a few months the scale of the battles grew to such an extent that the death and casualty rate rose to almost unbelievable levels.
Another aspect of how propaganda worked was the privation and rationing system which the general public had to endure. Prime Minister Lloyd George appointed Lord Rhondda to head a Commission which oversaw rationing conditions on a very large scale.
Amongst the recommendations of Lord Rhondda one could find the taking over of the whole food supplies of the country and to reduce the price of the necessaries of life although this involved an expense of considerable millions to the Exchequer. The use of the local authorities for the purposes of food distribution was also suggested and there were also strong measures to be taken to check profiteering. This was clear propaganda in every sense of the word since the public would be given all that was necessary to keep it quiet – a clear case of control. Those who were against such measures would be rapidly silenced and left out of the sphere of influence accordingly.
The First World War was a conflict where no real nation was the victor but Germany was certainly the loser in terms of territory. However it is ironic to note that the Germans were actually much closer to victory than they thought they were during the great Spring Offensive in 1918. The other British and French armies were technically in disarray and if it was not without the help of the United States, they would certainly have foundered. The British had been technically bled white and could take no further losses while the French had also suffered severely in manpower terms also. Still it was apparent that the Germans who had made considerable territorial gains could easily hold their own accordingly and they were not really in any danger of losing the war at this very late stage.
Great Britian was in a disastrous state in 1918 with most of its best officers and troops gone and with little strategy on what it was going to do in the future. It could easily have lost the war itself if it had known the actual strength of the German forces opposing it but decided to fight on. Technical and mechanical innovations were also quite retarded in those days and these certainly did not have any effect or bearing on the outcome of all proceedings. Several strategic decisions were also disastrous such as Ludendorff’s decision to do battle when his forces were not yet well prepared enough. If he had managed to gain a strategic victory in that battle then the outcome might perhaps have been considerably different than what actually happened. Foch’s masterstroke was perhaps one of the finest decisions of the war and the element of tactical surprise which it caused could have said to be the final real great turning point of the war. However no one of the allies really knew how close they were to defeat at the very end and it was only the intervention of the United States which really saved everything.
As already observed, Germany was in a much better state than it professed before the war ended and it lost everything including a large chunk of its territory. The other nations were certainly in a comparable state when the war ended and one wrong decision could easily have gone either way with the result that the map of Europe would have been shaped substantially differently at the final curtain. Definitely the war was not won due to any technological invention or through some sort of strategic brilliance or coup with the end result being a Germany which ended its days in disgrace and with a seething and festering hatred which eventually culminated in the rise of Adolf Hitler.
The issue of conscription was also an important part of the whole propaganda effort. It would take a lot of stick to convince someone to go out and die. This can be seen as a parallel to the diary Smith begins to keep as he attempts to record the goings on which happen during his time as party functionary. The gap between the lives of these minute functionaries and those who are in much higher positions in the party is also an important part of this propaganda.
Propaganda was also an important part of the War on Terror when the United States attacked Iraq and Afghanistan although the former was undoubtedly far more of a public operation. There were old scores to settle for the Bush administration and the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was the prime suspect here. The manner with which the Bush administration convinced the vast majority of Americans that a full scale war against the Iraqis to eventually topple Saddam Hussein is quite imposing and intriguing and creates several parallels with 1984.
The party has been taken over by those who live a life of luxury and who intend to destroy its beliefs and abandon its principles. Those party members have to take over the command structures of the party since it is only through this manner that this can take place. Observe what happened to the Communist Party in China when it was taken over by unruly elements who were only interested in furthering their own aims and did not care in the least how it could succeed internally. That party was overrun by corruption and destruction and ended up as being a shadow of its former self in several ways.
Proposal to take over the party:
The party functionaries who are subservient to their masters should rise and take over the key positions. The General Secretary who is a drunkard should be removed and demoted to some minor position while one of the minor delegates with appropriate training should take over this important position. It is intolerable that this secretary who has created a fabulous lifestyle for himself should continue to be in operation as the party will be destroyed.
After the takeover of the Executive is completed we should begin implementing certain policies which ensure a fair and just world for all. These include an equitable distribution of housing as well as foodstuffs to make sure that everyone can gain from the country’s material wealth. Those party leaders who have been ruling the roost for so long will be disciplined and taken care of since they have ruined the country and left it to rot
The principle of equitable distribution of wealth is the main thrust of our party and this has always been our major issue. We shall continue to move forward in a free and just society which remains true to the principles of the party. We shall not let outsiders infiltrate our ranks, especially those who only have their own selfish and personal interests at heart and who are without any sort of scruples. We shall continue moving forward to ensure that everyone is on an equal footing and that life is easier for the vast majority of the population. The party has to look forward and not backward and there is also the importance of creating a party that communicates regularly with everyone and not just its members. The rank and file are to be consistently respected but even those who are not members will gain from our policies and politics.
Let us move forward and unite forward with the principles of the party as our guiding light as we continually address the issues of the future.
Works Cited:
Barr, Marleen S. Future Females: A Critical Anthology. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1981, 191 pp.
Goeldner, Jacquelyn R. A Secondary School Guide to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eight-Four. Boulder, CO: University Colorado, 1984, 53 pp.
Baker, Kevin (June 2006), "Stabbed in the Back! The past and future of a right-wing myth", Harper's Magazine
Balakian, Peter (2003), The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America's Response, New York: HarperCollins, ISBN 9780060198404, OCLC 56822108
Ball, Alan M (1996), And Now My Soul Is Hardened: Abandoned Children in Soviet Russia, 1918–1930, Berkeley: University of California Press, ISBN 9780520206946, reviewed in Hegarty, Thomas J (March–June 1998), "And Now My Soul Is Hardened: Abandoned Children in Soviet Russia, 1918–1930", Canadian Slavonic Papers
