‘’Power is inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of you own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow less but more merciless as it refines itself...’’ (279).
I believe that this passage is very significant since it basically puts in words what we already knew. The spies, microphones and telescreens are just a manner to be able to control and, most importantly, punish. The system basically asks people to be rebellious and be against the Party. And maybe that is just what they want. To be able to live in a society where torment is an ‘‘everyday thing’’. You will be more likely to not commit a crime, yet it is kind of what the Party wants. Their hunger, or lets say Big Brothers’ power for hunger, destroys his own society since he want them to suffer even though they are innocent. This is also communicated in a character like Parson. I personally believe that this man was innocent, he could never cause any uprising because he really does love the Party. I don’t think he ever mumbled in his sleep ‘‘Down with Big Brother’’. Yet, de Party just takes him in, kills his personality (if he already had one), and kills him. So, the main reason is why? Why does the Party do this? Would this ‘‘strategy’’ work in todays society? Do you think this can exist for thousands of years? Would people be able to uprise together in a society of torture and pain? Would be people do it anyway because of the pain? What is Orwell trying to convey in this passage?
Before I'll go at the questions I'd first like to respond your earlier statement that "The system basically asks people to be rebellious and be against the Party". While this might be true in most rationally thinking societies today I think that it's certainly not the case in Oceania. In contrast, I'd say they use he system of "inflicting pain and humiliation" (279) not merely to suppress its people, but more as a demonstration of their power and to underline the all-mightiness of Big Brother. This actually makes the Party members love the Party itself. They don't realize the real target of the Parties infliction of pain and humiliation. To them it seems like all the people who suffer because of the Party deserve to suffer, even the ones suffering themselves.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that in today's world society a system like INGSOC would have any future. The imaginary lines or boundaries between the different social classes have become too vague to make the 3 groups adequately distinguishable anymore. This leads to the situation that in our communities (at least in the cities as we know them in the Western world, more or less everyone sees him or herself as a part of the Middle-Class, and while it is not achievable, there are only very few people in the world that do not have the belief fastened in their mind that equality is something one needs to strive for. Also people don't like to be told what to do anymore and revolt at the slightest implementation of power of one party over another.
At the same time, knowing about the standards and beliefs of the Party members in Oceania, I do think that INGSOC has a future in the fictional world that George Orwell has so eloquently created as for them it obviously does work out and the beliefs of the people are a whole lot different.
About the statement concerning "the system basically asks people to rebellious against the Party" , I don't see how that is true in any rational society and I strongly believe that it is not the case in Oceania. To me it's actual the opposite, all the tools that the party uses are to make sure that nobody rebels. I agree with you Helen speaking of the power hunger of the party however that just proves their will to control everything and discourage people to betray them. "Crime" is something that the party fights against and tries to eliminate in all possible ways as we have seen (torture..)
ReplyDeleteHelen, I have to disagree with you when you talk of how BB "destroys his own society since he want them to suffer even though they are innocent" and "living in everyday torment" , same goes for the "infliction of pain and humiliation" that Georg has mentioned. I do not think that BB is destroying his society, he is actually building a great system where things are working well: money is being produced,people are making babies , a certain order is present , they are rules being followed that make our specie survive very well. If we take a step back and look at what I stated , these are the basic criteria for a "society" that runs of "well" and will last long. However, the human aspect is taken out of it, and that is the most powerful force of the Party. We might say that people are innocent and suffering but that s just our perspective as critical students with a great open mind. This said, to the brainwashed inner party members that is how life is and they shall obey , they are convinced by it and they love Big Brother. I know understand what Ignorance is strength truly means. They do not know how lame their lives are they believe and go on satisfied. So really if we think of it , is it truly an issue? ( By the human aspect I mean : freedom and democracy, giving the people a chance to live as they wish)
I do think that this is very possible in our society: If a Party was to exist they could simply kill a couple of educated generations . Make them have kids , raise them on the system , brainwashed them and there it is. That is of course very hard to do. However, I do believe that this book is a great analysis of society in a more extreme way. Still I believe in the power of leadership and the weakness of humans and the ability to manipulate them a simple great example is the Nazi period. If a man was able to make a whole country wipe out the majority of a race without having anyone claim how wrong it was then everything is possible.