Chapter 9, Part II of 1984
1. “Winston was gelatinous
with fatigue.”
• Winston was weak like Jello; his
bones were so pliant that they
didn’t support him.
2.What will happen on
the last day of Hate
Week?
• Two thousand Eurasian prisoners
will be hanged!
3. What surprise
announcement was made?
• The enemy is now Eastasia!
4. Why will Winston have
to work 90 hrs./week?
• He will be changing lots of
documents to prove that the enemy
was always Eastasia.
5.
How does Goldstein’s book
get to Winston?
• It is passed to him inside a
briefcase in a crowd.
The Book
6. What is the book’s title?
• It is The Theory and Practice of
Oligarchical Collectivism
• * Oligarchical means government by
the few.
7. What countries
comprise the three
Superpowers?
• Oceania: The Americas, British Isles,
Australia, South Africa
• Eurasia: Northern Europe & Russia
• Eastasia: China and the countries south
of China
8. Truths that Winston
learns in Goldstein’s book:
a.Most atrocities of war are done by
countries on their own civilians.
b. War really involves small numbers
of highly trained specialists.
c. The same war is always in progress and
there cannot be a winner.
d. There is really nothing to fight about.
e. The land between Hong Kong,
Tangier, Brazzaveille, and Darwin is
always in dispute because the three
Superpowers want it for its cheap
labor force.
f. Fighting among the three
Superpowers is confined to just
this area.
g. The goal of Oceania is to use up
products produced without raising
the standard of living of its
people.
h. In the present time the world is
actually more primitive than it
was 50 years ago.
i. An increase in wealth would
destroy the hierarchical society.
j. War allows the production of goods
that aren’t consumed, like bombs,
planes, etc.
k. A general state of scarcity increases
the importance of small privileges and
magnifies the distinction between one
group and another.
l.
When people think they are in danger
(times of war or terrorist attacks) it
makes the handing over of power to a
small class the natural thing to do for
survival.
m. War is not only good for the economy,
but it satisfies a psychological need
too.
n. Science, as we knew it in the old days,
has ceased to exist. The only
advancement in science is weapons.
o. There are two aims of the Party:
1. Conquer the whole surface of the
Earth.
2. Extinguish independent thought.
p. But, there are two problems:
1. How to discover what a person
is thinking
2. How to kill millions of people
without warning.
q. Why can’t atomic
bombs be dropped?
• The Earth would be destroyed.
r. What hasn’t changed
in the past 30-40 years?
War
s.
Why don’t the citizens of
Oceania ever have contact
with foreigners?
• They would find out that their
government had lied to them.
t. What is the same in
all three Superpowers?
• The condition of life.
u. Explain why war is
peace.
• In becoming continuous, war has ceased
to exist. The continuity of war
guarantees the permanence of the
current order.
• There is an emotional need to believe in
the ultimate victory of Big Brother.
• War is important for consuming the
products of human labor. If the labor
was used to increase the standard of
living, the control of the Party over the
people would decrease. War is the
economic basis for a hierarchical society.
10. What are the three
classes of people?
• The Middles, Highs, and Lows
11. What do the Middles
sometimes do?
• They join with the Lows to
overthrow the Highs.
12. What can’t the Lows
ever do?
• They can never take control and
their condition never changes.
13. Which social classes
made up the Highs in the
olden days?
• They were the Kings, priests, and
leaders.
14. What did the Middles
preach?
• They taught equality, freedom, and
liberty.
15. When the Middles took
control, what happened?
• They became corrupt and
established a tyrany.
16. Who brought back old
barbaric justice such as
torture, public executions,
etc?
• It was the new Highs.
17. Which social groups
now make up the New
Highs?
• The new Highs of the Inner Party include
the former bureaucrats, scientists,
technicians, trade union organizers,
publicity experts, sociologists, teachers,
journalists, and politicians. To make it
simple, it is the salaried middle class of
the olden days.
18. What made the
enforcement of complete
obedience to the state
possible?
• It was the new technology.
Who owns everything in
Oceania?
• The Party owns everything.
20. Name the four ways
that a ruling group can fall
from power?
Be conquered from without.
Govern so the masses revolt (This is why the Party
leaves Proles alone!)
Allow a strong discontented middle group to come
into being (This is the Outer Party.)
• D. Lose self-confidence and the will
to lead. (This never happens!)
21. What is the only
danger for a group to fall
from power and why?
• The only danger is if a new group splits
off and gets educated. The first danger
doesn’t exist because the Superpowers
are equal. The masses can’t revolt if
they aren’t aware that life can be
better.
22. The Pyramid of Power
• Big Brother
Inner Party- the brains of the State
- 2%
Outer Party - the hands of the State - 13%
Proles
85%
The dumb masses
23. Is membership in any
group based on heredity?
• No! You can’t be born into a social
class unless you are born a Prole.
24. How do you get placed
into one of the three social
groups?
• You take a test at age 16 to
determine if you are going to be an
Inner Party or Outer Party member,
or a Prole.
25. Does Oceania have a
capital city?
• No, there is no need for one.
26. What is the only
concern of the Party?
• Total control of everyone and
everything
27. What two things make
a good Party member?
• First, be incapable of thinking too
deeply, and second, live in a frenzy
of hatred
28. What is Blackwhite?
• It is a contradiction of facts. For
example, 2 + 2=3
29. Why is doublethink or
altering the past necessary?
• Party members must not have a past to
compare the present with
• Party members must believe that they
are better off than their ancestors
• The Party must be infallible which is why
facts must be altered and history
rewritten.
Why Ignorance Is Strength:
• There have always been three
levels in any society: the High, the
Middle, and the Low. No change
has ever brought true human
equality.
• Collectivism doesn’t lead to
socialism. Wealth belongs to the
new “High Class.” Collectivism has
only ensured the permanence of
economic inequality.
• Wealth is not inherited from person
to person, but is kept within the
ruling group.
Why Freedom Is Slavery
• The masses (Proles) are given freedom of
thought because they don’t think!
• A Party member is not allowed the
slightest deviation of thought, and there
is an elaborate mental training to ensure
this - doublethink.
Why War Is Peace
• Each Superpower has within its
boundaries all of the natural resources it
needs.
• Each Superpower is unconquerable so
war is on-going by each Superpower
against its own citizens. This is why
Oceania can change enemies at will - it’s
all lies!
A Quick Summary of What
Winston Learns About War:
• The same war is always in progress and
there is never a winner.
• There is nothing to fight about except
the strip of land called Darwin which all
three Superpowers want for its cheap
labor force.
• War involves a small number of
highly trained specialists.
• Most atrocities of war are done by
the Superpowers on their own
citizens.
Why War Is Good for the
Economy:
• War uses up products without
raising the people’s standard of
living.
• War allows for the production of
products that aren’t consumed such
as bombs, planes, weapons, etc.
• Keeping the supply of consumer
goods scarce magnifies the
separation of social groups. (The
“haves” and the “have-nots.”
The End!