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NINETEEN EIGHTY FOUR By George Orwell
Three groups form Oceanian´s population:
First of all, it is Big Brother, just an image that no one has ever seen in person, below him, the Inner Party members occupy the highest organisational position. Most of them are responsible for important posts within the Party. They are also watched over through telescreen, but these can be turn off for about half an hour time. Th Inner members really enjoy a privileged life status: good food, drinks, tobacco and domestic service. Secondly, the Outer Party members are the Party blue-collars, who work in the four ministries. They are not allow to speak among them and they can not trust anyone in fear that they will be reported to the Thought Police. They work sixty-four hours per week and up to ninety hours when the "Hate Week" celebration takes place. They must wear the uniform of the Party and they must fulfil the duty of participating in the daily Party´s activity, called "Two Minutes Hate", which consists on facing a big telescreen showing Goldstein face making a speech against Big Brother and the Party´s doctrine, then people start to scream and jell fiercely horrible offensive words. Daily life is hard, Party members live in wretched conditions, as they do not have good quality food to eat. They are supplied with rationing coupons for essentials and they are not allowed to go to shops to buy razor blades or shoelaces. Female Party members are not allowed neither to use make-up, or perfume. Besides, Party members have telescreen inside their houses that monitor every single movement they make. Every morning, an instructor whistle awakes them and they are forced to do hard gymnastic exercises without showing any resentment or failure. Furthermore, Party members must participate in community recreating organisations in their spare time; otherwise, it is extremely risky to act in a lonely attitude, because it will be considered an individualist behaviour and therefore, a punishable crime. In addition to it, every single facial gestures must be carefully performed against thoughts when walking on the street, passing by a big telescreen or simply staying in public place, because telescreen may record and catch every thing. All day long, telescreens keep reporting information about life quality conditions and productivity improvements that. Party members have to believe in spite of knowing; the Party is lying to them. Actually, Party members accept it practising the theory of doublethink, eventhough they are aware of the increasing deterioration of life. At the same time, Party members are told to erase from their minds whatever they see or hear. In order to lead Party members to their loss of identity and frustration, they are constantly been pressed for suppressing natural feeling, privacy and memories and the Party makes them to believe that their own enemy is inside them; it is their own nervous system. On family concerning, there is a particular committee responsible for the approval of Party members marriages, so after having proved that marriage is requested upon the idea of procreating children for the Party´s purposes, marriage is permitted, but permission is automatically rejected when finding out the existence of physical or sexual attraction. The Oceanian population majority is the Prole, considered, by Party members, to be the inferiors. They live in the most horrible inhuman conditions. They live in slums, their house are like "rat-holes", they do not even have enough essentials to survive, but they enjoy liberty to do what they wish. They are free to have their own code of morals, to divorce, to have love affairs and, the simplest fact, to sing whenever they want. Subsequently, the Party considers that their activities do not represent any problem to the system. Their duties are:
This people are not supposed to be intelligent enough to be involved in politics; therefore, there is no need to bring them into the Party ideology. Finally, they are not supposed to represent any risk for the Party´s doctrine. The Prole have no telescreens in their houses, however, to keep them under control, the Thought Police spread false rumours among them in order to find out whether someone may become dangerous.
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© Copyright 1999-2000 Other works by Ana Mullor Galdón. Created and updated on : Jan 20th, 2000 |