1984 Part I Chapters 1-2

Chapter 1

1. Examine why Airstrip One operates on military time, as opposed to standard time, which Britain
has historically used.
It sets a militaristic, grim, and bleak tone to the novel and contributes to placing the novel in an
“other-worldly” setting, not Britain.
2. Discuss the message conveyed by the Big Brother posters hanging in apartment buildings. How
would this message differ if the posters only hung in public places?
The Big Brother posters hanging in apartment buildings convey that Big Brother indeed is
watching you at all times and privacy and freedom is nonexistent, even in one’s residential
space, in which privacy is expected. If the posters were hung only in public places, people would
be reminded to conduct themselves appropriately outside, whereas they would be ensured of
their privacy and freedom inside their space of residence.
3. Examine the Party’s three slogans: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” At
this point in the novel, what do you think they mean?
1) “War is peace”: Waging wars against enemies helps defend the country and maintain
peace at home.
2) “Freedom is slavery”: Freedom overburdens oneself and causes him or herself to be
enslaved by the choices he or she has to make, thus simply following what the Party
tells you to do is more reasonable.
3) “Ignorance is strength”: The population and regime is stronger when its citizens don’t
raise questions.

They are examples of “Doublethink” – contradictory terms exploited by the Party to manipulate

Citizens psychologically because they dare not to challenge the omnipotent Party’s sayings.

4. Analyze why Winston is not certain of the exact date and how a lack of time-keeping reinforces
the Party’s manipulation of history.
There is no calendar or any tool to be used for reference of the exact date in Winston’s flat. This
absence of exact dates and presumably special dates (holidays, weekends, birthdays etc.) dulls
the Oceanians’ sensitivity to time, thereby impairing the citizens to effectively recall events
because everyday seems like any other day without special occurrences; this, in turn, facilitates
the Party’s continuous manipulation of history because historical events are not recorded
accurately with exact dates.
5. Generalize what the film Winston watched says about the Party, how it controls the populace,
and how it views its citizens.
The film is propaganda, in which the Party is depicted as a powerful force that uses violence to
solve problems. Also, the film demonstrates the Party’s indifference of the dignity of human life
coupled with judgmental views against Jews and Proles. The gory and obscene scenes depicted
in the film are screened to the audience possibly to desensitize them to violence and normalize
it for them to believe that violence is so deeply entrenched in society and necessary as to occur
regularly.
6. Summarize Winston’s feelings about O’Brien.
 Winston has an optimistic feeling toward O’Brien because he hopes and believes O’Brien shares
the same distaste toward Big Brother and the Party as he does, even though Winston has yet to
speak with him.
7. Contrast Winston’s opinion of O’Brien with Winston’s opinion of the dark-haired girl in his office.
Winston admires O’Brien because he feels as though O’Brien’s ideology toward the Party is
imperfect and shares similar anti-Party feelings as he does. On the other hand, he condemns the
dark-haired girl because he thinks she is a slavish adherent of the Party because she is in the
Anti-Sex League. Also, Winston is frustrated of her being sexually unattainable.
8. Describe the Two Minutes Hate and its purpose.
The Two Minutes hate acts as propaganda against the Party’s opposition Emmanuel Goldstein
and enemy countries (Eurasia, Eastasia etc.). Attendees are shown films of Goldstein and the
Eurasian army, at whom the attendees pour their fury and hatred. The purpose of this event is
to channel the citizens’ hatred and fury at the outsiders, thereby preventing them from directing
anger towards the Party, which is in fact the true origins of their dread.
9. Show what Winston thinks he sees in O’Brien’s expression. How accurate do you think Winston’s
assessment is and why?
Winston thinks that O’Brien’s expression implies his opposition to the Party and his involvement
with the Brotherhood; however, it is very difficult to surmise such detailed opinions of another
merely by scrutinizing their countenance. Therefore, Winston is probably wrong.
10. Infer why Winston frightens himself when writing, “Down with Big Brother,” in his diary and
how he could be guilty of thoughtcrime.
Winston has not only committed thoughtcrime by writing his personal thoughts in his diary, but
also he has dared to condemn Big Brother and left an unmistakable tangible evidence of the act
in his diary.

Chapter 2

1. Formulate what the Party’s use of “comrade” says about its political tendencies and how this
places 1984 in a historical context.
Typically, “Comrade” is used by communist regimes, and is contextually appropriate to be used
in the novel as the novel was written just after WWII, right before the conflict between the
communist powers and other western countries.
2. Assess the role of children in Airstrip One. How are children trained to support the Party?
Children are biasedly educated and brainwashed to glorify violence, become servile citizens of
the Party, and they are trained to turn in any transgressors of the Party’s law, even their
parents. Therefore, the role of the children is to cast an atmosphere of distrust on society, for
they are trained to turn in even their family if necessary, and act as active surveillance systems
who can condemn heretics.
3. Interpret the comment that O’Brien says in Winston’s dream and predict how it will reoccur in
the novel.
“We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness”: We shall meet some day alone with no
Party people around.
It foreshadows their conspiracy or future meeting.
4. Name and explain the three principles of INGSOC.
 1) Newspeak: The Party’s official language in which the Party’s message is most effectively
conveyed because the Party takes advantage of the power of language to take out
unwanted thoughts and manipulate the citizens to speak and think only what they are
expected.
2) Doublethink: The ability to hold contradictory ideas in one’s mind at one time, which is
exploited by the Party by forcing citizens to believe everything they declare.
3) Mutability of the past: Not holding on to any particular belief or event in the past but
realizing that everything can and does change, for the Party constantly rewrites history for
its own good.
5. Explain Winston’s comment, “Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime IS death.”
Engaging in thoughtcrime ensures one’s death via the thought police. Winston more openly
courts rebellion as he realizes that writing in his diary (a thoughtcrime) has already sentenced
him to death and that he is virtually “a dead man standing.”