Big brother

War is peace

Freedom is slavery

Ignorance is strength

          That is the motto of the totalitarian regime which rules over the dystopian society portrayed in George Orwell’s book 1984. The book 1984 is a riveting tail of a man named Winston and his journey of hatred, love, and confusion. There are three superpowers ruling over the world in this novel, Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania. In Oceania, the country in of which Winston resides, there are four ministries the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Plenty, the Ministry of love, and finally the ministry of truth were Winston works. The names of these ministries are direct contradictions to their actual function, “The Ministry of Peace concerns itself with war, the Ministry of Truth with lies, the Ministry of Love with torture, and the Ministry of Plenty with starvation”(Orwell 1984). These contradictions are known as doublethink, or “controlled insanity” (Orwell 1984). Winston realizes this and decides to commit thought crime, which is the act of thinking independently of the party. It is with that decision that Winston’s story begins. Overall, the story of 1984 is an original classic which is guaranteed to enthrall you with this dystopian vision of the future.

“War is peace

Freedom is slavery

Ignorance is strength”

          Why would the party say war is peace, when it is not, why say freedom is slavery, when it is not, and why say ignorance is strength, when it is not? The answer is simple, doublethink. Doublethink is the process in of which big brother deceives itself and its people. It is the act of self-deception; Doublethink is accepting two differing lies as one singular truth.  Doublethink is part of one on the underlying themes of the novel 1984, that theme is that the only weapon against oppression is thought crime, and the only weapon against thought crime is doublethink. The act of individual thinking is thought crime, and once that happens the party loses power and crumbles. That is part of the reason big brother is so successful in his oppression of his people. They do not simple kill those who dare to think they change them “We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us: so long as he resists us we never destroy him. We convert him, we capture his inner mind, we reshape him… We bring him over to our side, not in appearance, but genuinely, heart and soul.” (Orwell 1984). The other reason big brother is large and in charge, because he uses doublethink not only to deceive his people but himself, and the best lie is a lie that you yourself truly believe.    

1984 rap:

Livin, livin in a world lies

Aint no freedom aint no privacy

Only big brother watching over you

“Protecting you”

War is peace

Freedom is slavery

Ignorance is strength

Only one truth I know in a sea of lies

Freedom is to say 2 + 2 = 4 not 5

There is this one pleasure reserved for the state

then one day came Julia and we went on a date

we met out of the city and went into the woods

and there under the trees she showed me the goods

it was treason, it was love, we were simply misunderstood 

One day we were betrayed into capture

And now I reside in prison awaiting some more fractures 

the government is hard

their beliefs are cold

All they do is remold 

Rebellious minds into their control 

War is peace

Freedom is slavery

Ignorance is strength

Pain, fear, emotions too great to describe

Flooded through me day in day out

Until one day, one moment I realized

2 + 2 = 5