What Was Discussed in My Group Yesterday Up Through Part I (3)

During my class, there were groups that discussed what has happened up through part one of the book, 1984. My group member and I pointed out some important ideas and events that have occurred in this part in the book.

One important idea that we discussed was about the three party slogans:
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength

We think that the first slogan, "War is Peace" means that war takes place in order to get peace between two enemies. we think that the second slogan, Freedom is Slavery" means that in order to be free, you have to be a slave. If you are already free, then "you do not have or want to be free" because you are free already, but if you are under slavery, you have to or want to be free since you are not yet. we think that the third party slogan, "Ignorance is slavery" is the most difficult slogan out of the three slogans. We kind of thouhgt that it was trying to say that showing lack of knowledge about something can show that you are sort of in a way, strong and smart. This is kind of what Winston does in his life throughout part I of the story as others like his friend, Syme, show that they are very smart which could get them into a lot of trouble later on in as they live under the State/Party because the State/Party does not really like those who are like that.

We went over the Two Minutes Hate. This has to do with Emmanuel Goldstein who is against the Party/State and Big Brother. He wants to overthrow the Party/State and is against the way the Party lives which makes everyone watching him on the big telescreen very angry. We discussed as to why the Party's government would want them to watch this. We thought maybe because the governemnt could show who is against them and make them want to even more strongly support their party/state. We also thought that they might do this to see who strongly supports the Party/State and who does not. I also feel bad for Goldstein just like how Winston does, even though he does not actually express it in front of anyone (if he did, he might be told to the crime police). If everyone in the Party/State was not so "brainwashed" and manipulated in being part of the Party/State, they might see the importaant ideas Goldstsein brings up. they would have more fredom that what they have now and they would not be lied to about almost everything they have learned.

We also when over the quote, "Whoever controls the past, contols the future: who ever contols the present, controls the past."
We thought that this quote is trying to say that what is done in the past reflects on what will be done in the future, and what is done now (presently) reflects on what has already been done in the past. This is true in the society from the story by how the government controls what their people know from the past and in the present, and they even plan for the future on what they are going to control with (or keep from) the people. In the Ministry of Truth, where Winston works, anything that was predicted wrong gets corrected as though it was never wrong. These predictions about anything (example: the Party's sales) were really from the future, but when that time come and the prediction is no longer a prediction, but is wrong, it is as though no one ever knew that the predictions were ever made let alone ever wrong. This makes big brother seem as though he is perfect, correct always, and never does anything wrong.