"1984 (Translated Classics)" Reading Notes

"1984 (Translation Classics)" Reading Notes#

Author: George Orwell
Reading Duration: 4 hours

These are the notes and excerpts I recorded while reading "1984 (Translation Classics)" on WeChat Reading.

Translator's Preface#

Therefore, in Li Si's view, Orwell is primarily a socialist and secondarily an anti-totalitarian. His "struggle against totalitarianism is a necessary result of his socialist beliefs. He believes that only by defeating totalitarianism can socialism possibly triumph."

I have endured the life of poverty and the feeling of failure. This has increased my innate hatred of authority.

At this time, it seems to me that being unsuccessful is the only virtue. Self-struggle, even if it brings in a few hundred pounds a year, makes me feel that even the slightest thought of it is spiritually ugly and an act of oppression.

I have tasted the life of poverty and the feeling of failure. This has enhanced my innate hatred of authority, making me fully aware of the existence of the working class for the first time, while my work in Burma gave me some understanding of the nature of imperialism. But these experiences were not enough to provide me with a clear political direction.

Totalitarianism has mastered the means of modern political domination, including political organizations, social life, tools of public opinion, artistic creation, historical compilation, and even personal thoughts and privacy, all under the comprehensive and strict control of a tangible and intangible "Big Brother" (the English term "Totalitarianism" refers to this, and can also be translated as "comprehensive powerism").

The dangers of totalitarianism ring alarm bells to the world, making everyone see its harmfulness—destruction of ethics, control of thought, deprivation of freedom, strangulation of humanity, fabrication and distortion of history...—is of utmost importance. If it is allowed to run rampant, human society will soon fall into an irretrievable situation.

Therefore, in Li Si's view, Orwell is primarily a socialist and secondarily an anti-totalitarian. His "struggle against totalitarianism is a necessary result of his socialist beliefs. He believes that only by defeating totalitarianism can socialism possibly triumph."

I have endured the life of poverty and the feeling of failure. This has increased my innate hatred of authority.

At this time, it seems to me that being unsuccessful is the only virtue. Self-struggle, even if it brings in a few hundred pounds a year, makes me feel that even the slightest thought of it is spiritually ugly and an act of oppression.

I have tasted the life of poverty and the feeling of failure. This has enhanced my innate hatred of authority, making me fully aware of the existence of the working class for the first time, while my work in Burma gave me some understanding of the nature of imperialism. But these experiences were not enough to provide me with a clear political direction.

Totalitarianism has mastered the means of modern political domination, including political organizations, social life, tools of public opinion, artistic creation, historical compilation, and even personal thoughts and privacy, all under the comprehensive and strict control of a tangible and intangible "Big Brother" (the English term "Totalitarianism" refers to this, and can also be translated as "comprehensive powerism").

The dangers of totalitarianism ring alarm bells to the world, making everyone see its harmfulness—destruction of ethics, control of thought, deprivation of freedom, strangulation of humanity, fabrication and distortion of history...—is of utmost importance. If it is allowed to run rampant, human society will soon fall into an irretrievable situation.

One#

However, the patrols are not frightening; only the thought police are frightening.

You can only live under such assumptions—starting from habits that have become instinctive, you have long lived this way: every sound you make is heard by someone, and every action you take, unless in the dark, is closely observed by someone.

There are only two situations: if the future is the same as the present, then the future will not listen to him; if the future is different from the present, then his situation has no meaning.

This is because she strives to carry a flavor of hockey fields, cold baths, and collective hikes, in general, a taste of pure thought. He dislikes almost all women, especially young and beautiful ones. Women, especially young women, are always the party's most blind supporters, swallowing slogans whole, acting as duty spies, and inspectors of unorthodox thoughts.

The two minutes of hatred are frightening not because you must participate in the performance, but because it is impossible to avoid participation. Within thirty seconds, all modesty is unnecessary. A pleasure mixed with fear and revenge, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash others' faces with a big hammer, seems to flow through this group like an electric current, even making you involuntarily become a madman shouting in a harsh voice. However, the fervent emotion you feel is an abstract, aimless feeling, like the flame of a blowtorch, capable of shifting from one object to another.

This part is a praise of Big Brother's wisdom and greatness, but more of a self-hypnosis, consciously numbing one's consciousness with rhythmic noise. Winston feels a chill in his heart. During the two minutes of hatred, he cannot help but mumble along with everyone else, but this beastly "B—B! ... B—B!" shouting always fills him with fear. Of course, he shouts along with everyone: it is impossible not to do so. Concealing your true feelings, controlling your facial expressions, doing what everyone else does is an instinctive reaction. But for a second or two, the expression in his eyes may have exposed himself.

He has committed— even if he has not written it down on paper, he has still committed—the fundamental crime that encompasses all other crimes. This is called thoughtcrime. Thoughtcrime cannot be hidden for long. You may temporarily evade it, even for years, but they will eventually catch you.

It is always at night—arrests always take place at night. Suddenly waking from sleep, a rough hand grips your shoulder, light shines directly into your eyes, and a circle of fierce faces surrounds your bed. In most cases, no interrogation is held, no news of the arrest is reported; people just disappear like this, and it is always at night. Your name is removed from the register, all records of everything you have done are erased, your existence is denied, and then forgotten. You are canceled, annihilated: the usual term is "vanished."

However, the patrols are not frightening; only the thought police are frightening.

You can only live under such assumptions—starting from habits that have become instinctive, you have long lived this way: every sound you make is heard by someone, and every action you take, unless in the dark, is closely observed by someone.

There are only two situations: if the future is the same as the present, then the future will not listen to him; if the future is different from the present, then his situation has no meaning.

This is because she strives to carry a flavor of hockey fields, cold baths, and collective hikes, in general, a taste of pure thought. He dislikes almost all women, especially young and beautiful ones. Women, especially young women, are always the party's most blind supporters, swallowing slogans whole, acting as duty spies, and inspectors of unorthodox thoughts.

The two minutes of hatred are frightening not because you must participate in the performance, but because it is impossible to avoid participation. Within thirty seconds, all modesty is unnecessary. A pleasure mixed with fear and revenge, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash others' faces with a big hammer, seems to flow through this group like an electric current, even making you involuntarily become a madman shouting in a harsh voice. However, the fervent emotion you feel is an abstract, aimless feeling, like the flame of a blowtorch, capable of shifting from one object to another.

This part is a praise of Big Brother's wisdom and greatness, but more of a self-hypnosis, consciously numbing one's consciousness with rhythmic noise. Winston feels a chill in his heart. During the two minutes of hatred, he cannot help but mumble along with everyone else, but this beastly "B—B! ... B—B!" shouting always fills him with fear. Of course, he shouts along with everyone: it is impossible not to do so. Concealing your true feelings, controlling your facial expressions, doing what everyone else does is an instinctive reaction. But for a second or two, the expression in his eyes may have exposed himself.

He has committed— even if he has not written it down on paper, he has still committed—the fundamental crime that encompasses all other crimes. This is called thoughtcrime. Thoughtcrime cannot be hidden for long. You may temporarily evade it, even for years, but they will eventually catch you.

It is always at night—arrests always take place at night. Suddenly waking from sleep, a rough hand grips your shoulder, light shines directly into your eyes, and a circle of fierce faces surrounds your bed. In most cases, no interrogation is held, no news of the arrest is reported; people just disappear like this, and it is always at night. Your name is removed from the register, all records of everything you have done are erased, your existence is denied, and then forgotten. You are canceled, annihilated: the usual term is "vanished."

Two#

He is a fat, stupid person, but very active in every way, filled with low-level enthusiasm—he belongs to that kind of loyal lackey who never asks why, and the party relies on them to maintain stability, even more than on the thought police.

What is a bit frightening is that they seem like two little tiger cubs, soon to grow into man-eating beasts.

The worst part is that through organizations like the Young Pioneers, they are systematically turned into uncontrollable little savages, but this does not create any tendency among them to oppose the party's control. On the contrary, they worship the party and everything about it. Singing, parades, flags, hikes, wooden gun drills, shouting slogans, worshiping Big Brother—all of this is very fun for them.

Apart from a few cubic centimeters in your head, nothing belongs to you.

A monotonous era, a lonely era, Big Brother's era, the era of doublethink, to the future, to the past, to an era of free thought, where people are different but life is not lonely—to an era where truth exists, and deeds cannot be erased!

He is a fat, stupid person, but very active in every way, filled with low-level enthusiasm—he belongs to that kind of loyal lackey who never asks why, and the party relies on them to maintain stability, even more than on the thought police.

What is a bit frightening is that they seem like two little tiger cubs, soon to grow into man-eating beasts.

The worst part is that through organizations like the Young Pioneers, they are systematically turned into uncontrollable little savages, but this does not create any tendency among them to oppose the party's control. On the contrary, they worship the party and everything about it. Singing, parades, flags, hikes, wooden gun drills, shouting slogans, worshiping Big Brother—all of this is very fun for them.

Apart from a few cubic centimeters in your head, nothing belongs to you.

A monotonous era, a lonely era, Big Brother's era, the era of doublethink, to the future, to the past, to an era of free thought, where people are different but life is not lonely—to an era where truth exists, and deeds cannot be erased!

Three#

He is in the light and air, while they are sucked down to die; they are below because he is above. He knows this reason, and they know this reason; he can see from their faces that they know. There is no blame in their faces or hearts, just the knowledge that in order for him to live, they must die, and this is the inevitable law of things.

Today there is fear, hatred, pain, but no dignity of emotion, no deep or complex sorrow.

With this elegant, indifferent posture, she seems to have annihilated the entire culture, the entire ideological system, as if Big Brother, the party, and the thought police could be swept away with a wave of the arm. This posture also belongs to the ancients.

The current enemy always represents absolute evil, so there is no possibility of any agreement with it, whether in the past or the future.

If the party can intervene in the past and say that this or that event never happened, then this is certainly more terrifying than mere torture or death.

One of the party's slogans says, "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."

Whatever is correct now will always be correct. This is simple. All that is needed is to repeatedly and endlessly overcome your own memory. They call this "reality control"; in Newspeak, it is called "doublethink."

Knowing and not knowing, being aware of the entire truth while telling a perfectly airtight lie, holding two contradictory views at the same time, knowing they contradict each other yet believing both, using logic against logic, professing support for morality while denying morality, believing that democracy is impossible while also believing that the party is the defender of democracy, forgetting everything that must be forgotten and remembering it when necessary, and then forgetting it again immediately, and especially applying this practice to the practice itself—this is truly exquisite: consciously entering the unconscious and then not realizing that you have just completed the hypnosis. Even to understand the meaning of "doublethink," you must use doublethink.

If there are no records other than your own memory, how can you determine even the most obvious facts?

He is in the light and air, while they are sucked down to die; they are below because he is above. He knows this reason, and they know this reason; he can see from their faces that they know. There is no blame in their faces or hearts, just the knowledge that in order for him to live, they must die, and this is the inevitable law of things.

Today there is fear, hatred, pain, but no dignity of emotion, no deep or complex sorrow.

With this elegant, indifferent posture, she seems to have annihilated the entire culture, the entire ideological system, as if Big Brother, the party, and the thought police could be swept away with a wave of the arm. This posture also belongs to the ancients.

The current enemy always represents absolute evil, so there is no possibility of any agreement with it, whether in the past or the future.

If the party can intervene in the past and say that this or that event never happened, then this is certainly more terrifying than mere torture or death.

One of the party's slogans says, "Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."

Whatever is correct now will always be correct. This is simple. All that is needed is to repeatedly and endlessly overcome your own memory. They call this "reality control"; in Newspeak, it is called "doublethink."

Knowing and not knowing, being aware of the entire truth while telling a perfectly airtight lie, holding two contradictory views at the same time, knowing they contradict each other yet believing both, using logic against logic, professing support for morality while denying morality, believing that democracy is impossible while also believing that the party is the defender of democracy, forgetting everything that must be forgotten and remembering it when necessary, and then forgetting it again immediately, and especially applying this practice to the practice itself—this is truly exquisite: consciously entering the unconscious and then not realizing that you have just completed the hypnosis. Even to understand the meaning of "doublethink," you must use doublethink.

If there are no records other than your own memory, how can you determine even the most obvious facts?

Four#

The Ministry of Truth not only needs to satisfy the party's various demands but also has to create a whole set of low-level things for the proletariat to enjoy.

It is likely that there are now more than a dozen people separately modifying what Big Brother has said, and in the future, one of the core party's great minds will select one version, re-edit it, and then have it repeatedly checked as necessary. After this complex process, the final selected lie will be recorded permanently, becoming the truth.

He finds it strange that you can create the dead but cannot create the living. Comrade Ogilvy, who never existed in reality, now exists in the past; once the forgery work is forgotten, he will exist as truly as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar, based on the same evidence.

The Ministry of Truth not only needs to satisfy the party's various demands but also has to create a whole set of low-level things for the proletariat to enjoy.

It is likely that there are now more than a dozen people separately modifying what Big Brother has said, and in the future, one of the core party's great minds will select one version, re-edit it, and then have it repeatedly checked as necessary. After this complex process, the final selected lie will be recorded permanently, becoming the truth.

He finds it strange that you can create the dead but cannot create the living. Comrade Ogilvy, who never existed in reality, now exists in the past; once the forgery work is forgotten, he will exist as truly as Charlemagne or Julius Caesar, based on the same evidence.

Five#

However, interacting with certain comrades is more pleasant than with others.

"It was very clean and neat," Syme recalled. "But I think they tied their feet together, which is a pity. I like to see them jumping around with both feet. Especially at the end, when the tongue sticks out, turning blue—very blue. I like to see those little details."

The whole purpose of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? Ultimately, we want to make it so that no one can commit thoughtcrime in practice, because there will be no vocabulary to express it in the future.

Winston looked at the mouth on the face without eyes, busy opening and closing, and felt a strange sensation in his heart, thinking that this was not a real person, but a kind of dummy. What was speaking was not that person's brain, but his larynx. What came out, although composed of words, was not real speech, but noise emitted in an unconscious state, like a duck quacking.

It seems that some even parade to thank Big Brother for increasing the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. He thought to himself that just yesterday it had been announced that the ration would be reduced to twenty grams a week. Only twenty-four hours apart, could they really forget? Yes, they did forget.

However, interacting with certain comrades is more pleasant than with others.

"It was very clean and neat," Syme recalled. "But I think they tied their feet together, which is a pity. I like to see them jumping around with both feet. Especially at the end, when the tongue sticks out, turning blue—very blue. I like to see those little details."

The whole purpose of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? Ultimately, we want to make it so that no one can commit thoughtcrime in practice, because there will be no vocabulary to express it in the future.

Winston looked at the mouth on the face without eyes, busy opening and closing, and felt a strange sensation in his heart, thinking that this was not a real person, but a kind of dummy. What was speaking was not that person's brain, but his larynx. What came out, although composed of words, was not real speech, but noise emitted in an unconscious state, like a duck quacking.

It seems that some even parade to thank Big Brother for increasing the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. He thought to himself that just yesterday it had been announced that the ration would be reduced to twenty grams a week. Only twenty-four hours apart, could they really forget? Yes, they did forget.

Six#

He thinks that your greatest enemy is your own nervous system. The tension within you can leak out at any moment through an obvious symptom.

The party strives to suppress sexual instincts; if it cannot suppress them, it seeks to make them abnormal and dirty.

Rather than saying he wants a woman to love him, he wants to break down that wall of chastity, even if only once in his life. Satisfactory intercourse is, in itself, rebellion. Sexual desire is thoughtcrime.

He thinks that your greatest enemy is your own nervous system. The tension within you can leak out at any moment through an obvious symptom.

The party strives to suppress sexual instincts; if it cannot suppress them, it seeks to make them abnormal and dirty.

Rather than saying he wants a woman to love him, he wants to break down that wall of chastity, even if only once in his life. Satisfactory intercourse is, in itself, rebellion. Sexual desire is thoughtcrime.

Seven#

They will never rebel until they become aware; they will not become aware unless they rebel.

Everything has disappeared into the fog. The past has been erased, and the erasure itself has been forgotten, and lies have become the truth.

Under the shade of the chestnut tree, I betrayed you, you betrayed me; they lie there, we lie here, under the shade of the chestnut tree.

Their philosophy not only implicitly denies the validity of experience but also denies the existence of objective reality. Common sense has become the heresy of all heresies. What is terrifying is not that they will kill you because you do not think so, but that they may be right.

If the past and the objective world only exist in consciousness, and consciousness can be controlled—what then?

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. Acknowledging this makes everything else fall into place.

They will never rebel until they become aware; they will not become aware unless they rebel.

Everything has disappeared into the fog. The past has been erased, and the erasure itself has been forgotten, and lies have become the truth.

Under the shade of the chestnut tree, I betrayed you, you betrayed me; they lie there, we lie here, under the shade of the chestnut tree.

Their philosophy not only implicitly denies the validity of experience but also denies the existence of objective reality. Common sense has become the heresy of all heresies. What is terrifying is not that they will kill you because you do not think so, but that they may be right.

If the past and the objective world only exist in consciousness, and consciousness can be controlled—what then?

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two equals four. Acknowledging this makes everything else fall into place.

Eight#

We can only see from books, and what is said in books may not be true. I would like to hear you speak. History books say that life before the revolution was very different from now.

They are like ants; they can see the small things but not the big ones. In a situation where there are no memories and written records have been altered and forged, the party claims it has improved the people's lives, and you have to believe it, because there is no standard for comparison that can be measured, nor will there ever be.

There are no dark places that are imagined futures; you will never see them, only mysteriously share them due to foresight.

We can only see from books, and what is said in books may not be true. I would like to hear you speak. History books say that life before the revolution was very different from now.

They are like ants; they can see the small things but not the big ones. In a situation where there are no memories and written records have been altered and forged, the party claims it has improved the people's lives, and you have to believe it, because there is no standard for comparison that can be measured, nor will there ever be.

There are no dark places that are imagined futures; you will never see them, only mysteriously share them due to foresight.

One#

As for writing to her through the post office, that is simply impossible. Because all letters must be checked during the mailing process, this necessary procedure is no secret. In fact, very few people write letters. Sometimes, when it is absolutely necessary to convey information, they use printed postcards with a long string of ready-made phrases, just crossing out the inappropriate ones. Anyway, he does not even know the girl's name, let alone her address.

Two#

It is not just a person's love, but animal instincts, simple and indiscriminate desires: this is the power that can bring down the party.

But now there is no pure love or pure desire. No feeling is pure because everything is mixed with fear and hatred. Their embrace is a battle, and the climax is a victory. This is a blow to the party. This is a political act.

It is not just a person's love, but animal instincts, simple and indiscriminate desires: this is the power that can bring down the party.

But now there is no pure love or pure desire. No feeling is pure because everything is mixed with fear and hatred. Their embrace is a battle, and the climax is a victory. This is a blow to the party. This is a political act.

Three#

A man's sexual instincts are harder to control than a woman's, and therefore more likely to be corrupted by the obscene works they create themselves.

What a smart person should do is break its rules without endangering your life. He vaguely thinks that among the younger generation, there are countless people like her. This generation has grown up in a post-revolution world, unaware of any other world, viewing the party as something unchangeable, like the sky above, never rebelling against its authority, only trying to avoid it in every possible way, like a rabbit dodging a hunting dog.

This is simply because sexual instincts create their own realm, which cannot be controlled by the party, and therefore must be destroyed as much as possible. It is especially important that the deprivation of sexual life can lead to hysteria, which is a good thing because it can be transformed into war frenzy and leader worship.

She does not understand that there is no such thing as happiness in the world; the only victory lies in the distant future long after you are dead, and from the moment you declare war on the party, it is best to consider yourself a corpse.

A man's sexual instincts are harder to control than a woman's, and therefore more likely to be corrupted by the obscene works they create themselves.

What a smart person should do is break its rules without endangering your life. He vaguely thinks that among the younger generation, there are countless people like her. This generation has grown up in a post-revolution world, unaware of any other world, viewing the party as something unchangeable, like the sky above, never rebelling against its authority, only trying to avoid it in every possible way, like a rabbit dodging a hunting dog.

This is simply because sexual instincts create their own realm, which cannot be controlled by the party, and therefore must be destroyed as much as possible. It is especially important that the deprivation of sexual life can lead to hysteria, which is a good thing because it can be transformed into war frenzy and leader worship.

She does not understand that there is no such thing as happiness in the world; the only victory lies in the distant future long after you are dead, and from the moment you declare war on the party, it is best to consider yourself a corpse.

Five#

One day at a time, one week at a time; although there is no future, one still tries to prolong the present time, which seems to be an uncontrollable instinct, just like as long as there is air, human lungs must breathe.

She did not feel the abyss open beneath her feet at the thought that lies had become truth.

It can be said that the party has successfully instilled its worldview in those who lack understanding. The most obvious violations of reality can make them believe, because they never understand how absurd their demands are, as they have no interest in major social events and never pay attention to what is happening. It is precisely because of their lack of understanding that they do not go mad. They swallow everything whole, and what they swallow does not harm them because there are no residues left, just like a corn kernel passing through a bird's body without digestion.

One day at a time, one week at a time; although there is no future, one still tries to prolong the present time, which seems to be an uncontrollable instinct, just like as long as there is air, human lungs must breathe.

She did not feel the abyss open beneath her feet at the thought that lies had become truth.

It can be said that the party has successfully instilled its worldview in those who lack understanding. The most obvious violations of reality can make them believe, because they never understand how absurd their demands are, as they have no interest in major social events and never pay attention to what is happening. It is precisely because of their lack of understanding that they do not go mad. They swallow everything whole, and what they swallow does not harm them because there are no residues left, just like a corn kernel passing through a bird's body without digestion.

Seven#

If you love someone, you love him; when you have nothing else to give him, you still give him your love. When the last piece of chocolate is taken away, his mother holds the child in her arms. This does not help; it changes nothing, cannot create a piece of chocolate, cannot save the child or herself from death; but she still holds her, as if it were very natural. The woman escaping from the sinking ship also protects her child with her arm, which is as thin as a piece of paper, unable to withstand bullets. What is terrifying is that what the party does is make you believe that mere impulse, mere love and hate have no meaning, while at the same time stripping you of all power to control the material world.

If you feel that maintaining humanity is worthwhile, even if it cannot have any results, you have already defeated them.

If you love someone, you love him; when you have nothing else to give him, you still give him your love. When the last piece of chocolate is taken away, his mother holds the child in her arms. This does not help; it changes nothing, cannot create a piece of chocolate, cannot save the child or herself from death; but she still holds her, as if it were very natural. The woman escaping from the sinking ship also protects her child with her arm, which is as thin as a piece of paper, unable to withstand bullets. What is terrifying is that what the party does is make you believe that mere impulse, mere love and hate have no meaning, while at the same time stripping you of all power to control the material world.

If you feel that maintaining humanity is worthwhile, even if it cannot have any results, you have already defeated them.

Eight#

We are the dead. Our only real life lies in the future. We will participate in future life as a handful of yellow earth, a few dry bones. But how far away that future is from now, no one knows. It could be a thousand years.

Nine#

The important purpose of modern warfare (according to the principles of doublethink, the guiding minds within the core party both acknowledge and deny this) is to exhaust the products of machinery without raising the general standard of living.

If everyone can enjoy leisure and security in life, the vast majority of people who were originally ignorant due to poverty will learn culture and think independently; once they do this, they will eventually realize that the privileged minority is useless, and they will sweep them away. In the long run, a hierarchical society can only exist on the basis of poverty and ignorance.

If he has the opportunity to interact with foreigners, he will find that foreigners are also human beings like himself, and most of what he hears about foreigners is lies. The closed world he lives in will be shattered, and the fears, hatreds, and arrogance that his spirit relies on will vanish.

Inefficient nations will eventually be conquered; to improve efficiency, there can be no illusions.

War is conducted by a ruling group against its own people; the purpose of war is not to conquer foreign territories or defend one's own territory, but to maintain the social structure intact.

The goal of the upper class is to maintain their status. The goal of the middle class is to exchange status with the upper class. The characteristic of the lower class is that they are always too busy to look around, occasionally paying attention to matters outside of daily life; therefore, if they have goals, they are merely to eliminate all differences and establish a society of equality.

The key to an oligarchy is not hereditary succession but a worldview imposed on the living by the dead, a continuation of a way of life. A ruling group is a ruling group as long as it can designate its successor. The party is concerned not with maintaining bloodlines but with ensuring the party's eternal existence. Who holds power is not important, as long as the hierarchical structure remains unchanged.

For party members, this means that when the party's discipline requires you to say black is white, you have this conscious loyalty. But it also means the ability to believe that black is white, even to know that black is white and forget that you once had the opposite understanding. This requires constant alteration of the past, and to alter the past, only that method of thought which actually includes all other methods can achieve it; this is called doublethink in Newspeak.

The past does not exist objectively; it exists only in written records and human memories.

Because the secret of domination is to combine the ability to believe in one's own consistent correctness with the ability to learn from past mistakes.

The Ministry of Peace is responsible for war, the Ministry of Truth is responsible for lies, the Ministry of Love is responsible for torture, and the Ministry of Plenty is responsible for starvation.

Where there is truth, there is non-truth; if you adhere to the truth, even if the whole world disagrees with you, you are not mad.

The important purpose of modern warfare (according to the principles of doublethink, the guiding minds within the core party both acknowledge and deny this) is to exhaust the products of machinery without raising the general standard of living.

If everyone can enjoy leisure and security in life, the vast majority of people who were originally ignorant due to poverty will learn culture and think independently; once they do this, they will eventually realize that the privileged minority is useless, and they will sweep them away. In the long run, a hierarchical society can only exist on the basis of poverty and ignorance.

If he has the opportunity to interact with foreigners, he will find that foreigners are also human beings like himself, and most of what he hears about foreigners is lies. The closed world he lives in will be shattered, and the fears, hatreds, and arrogance that his spirit relies on will vanish.

Inefficient nations will eventually be conquered; to improve efficiency, there can be no illusions.

War is conducted by a ruling group against its own people; the purpose of war is not to conquer foreign territories or defend one's own territory, but to maintain the social structure intact.

The goal of the upper class is to maintain their status. The goal of the middle class is to exchange status with the upper class. The characteristic of the lower class is that they are always too busy to look around, occasionally paying attention to matters outside of daily life; therefore, if they have goals, they are merely to eliminate all differences and establish a society of equality.

The key to an oligarchy is not hereditary succession but a worldview imposed on the living by the dead, a continuation of a way of life. A ruling group is a ruling group as long as it can designate its successor. The party is concerned not with maintaining bloodlines but with ensuring the party's eternal existence. Who holds power is not important, as long as the hierarchical structure remains unchanged.

For party members, this means that when the party's discipline requires you to say black is white, you have this conscious loyalty. But it also means the ability to believe that black is white, even to know that black is white and forget that you once had the opposite understanding. This requires constant alteration of the past, and to alter the past, only that method of thought which actually includes all other methods can achieve it; this is called doublethink in Newspeak.

The past does not exist objectively; it exists only in written records and human memories.

Because the secret of domination is to combine the ability to believe in one's own consistent correctness with the ability to learn from past mistakes.

The Ministry of Peace is responsible for war, the Ministry of Truth is responsible for lies, the Ministry of Love is responsible for torture, and the Ministry of Plenty is responsible for starvation.

Where there is truth, there is non-truth; if you adhere to the truth, even if the whole world disagrees with you, you are not mad.

Ten#

You are the dead; the future belongs to them. But if you can maintain the life of your mind as they maintain the life of their bodies, passing down the secret doctrine that two plus two equals four from generation to generation, you can share in their future.

One#

Down with Big Brother

Two#

Their truly powerful weapon is the relentless, hour after hour, merciless interrogation that makes him slip up, falling into traps, distorting every word he says, seizing on every lie and every contradiction until he cries, not so much from shame as from mental exhaustion.

Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.

Before publicly trialing the victims, they deliberately undermine their dignity. They use severe torture, solitary confinement, and torment them into becoming pitiful creatures begging for mercy, willing to confess to any crime, insulting themselves, and attacking others.

We are not satisfied with passive obedience; we do not even want the most servile obedience. Your final surrender must come from your own free will. We do not destroy heretics because they resist us; as long as they resist for a day, we do not destroy them. We want to transform them, win their hearts, and make them reborn. We want to burn away all their evil thoughts and illusions; we want to bring them to our side, not just outwardly but sincerely stand on our side in their hearts. We will transform them into our people before we kill them. We cannot allow there to be a place in the world, no matter how hidden or ineffective, where a wrong thought exists. Even in death, we will not allow any deviation from orthodox thought.

Their truly powerful weapon is the relentless, hour after hour, merciless interrogation that makes him slip up, falling into traps, distorting every word he says, seizing on every lie and every contradiction until he cries, not so much from shame as from mental exhaustion.

Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.

Before publicly trialing the victims, they deliberately undermine their dignity. They use severe torture, solitary confinement, and torment them into becoming pitiful creatures begging for mercy, willing to confess to any crime, insulting themselves, and attacking others.

We are not satisfied with passive obedience; we do not even want the most servile obedience. Your final surrender must come from your own free will. We do not destroy heretics because they resist us; as long as they resist for a day, we do not destroy them. We want to transform them, win their hearts, and make them reborn. We want to burn away all their evil thoughts and illusions; we want to bring them to our side, not just outwardly but sincerely stand on our side in their hearts. We will transform them into our people before we kill them. We cannot allow there to be a place in the world, no matter how hidden or ineffective, where a wrong thought exists. Even in death, we will not allow any deviation from orthodox thought.

Three#

It seeks power because the masses are weak, cowardly, pitiful creatures who neither know how to use freedom nor face the truth, and must be ruled by stronger people who engage in planned deception. The choice before humanity is freedom or happiness; for most people, choosing happiness is better. The party is the eternal guardian of the weak, a faction that commits evil to bring about good, sacrificing its own happiness for the happiness of others.

For such a madman, he is smarter than you; he calmly listens to your arguments but still insists on his madness. What can you do?

We understand very well that no one seizes power to abolish power. Power is not a means; power is an end. The establishment of a dictatorship is not to defend the revolution; rather, the revolution is conducted to establish a dictatorship. The purpose of persecution is persecution. The purpose of torture is torture. The purpose of power is power.

Have you ever thought that this slogan can be reversed? Slavery is freedom. A person alone and free is always defeated. So it must be, because everyone must die; this is the greatest failure. But if he can completely and absolutely obey, if he can rid himself of personal existence, if he can merge with the party and become the party, the party is him, then he is omnipotent, eternally immortal.

Power lies in inflicting pain and humiliation on people. Power lies in tearing human thought to shreds and then reassembling it in the way you choose.

"Because it is impossible to build civilization on fear, hatred, and cruelty. Such a civilization can never last." "Why not?" "It will lack vitality. It will fall apart. It will self-destruct."

It seeks power because the masses are weak, cowardly, pitiful creatures who neither know how to use freedom nor face the truth, and must be ruled by stronger people who engage in planned deception. The choice before humanity is freedom or happiness; for most people, choosing happiness is better. The party is the eternal guardian of the weak, a faction that commits evil to bring about good, sacrificing its own happiness for the happiness of others.

For such a madman, he is smarter than you; he calmly listens to your arguments but still insists on his madness. What can you do?

We understand very well that no one seizes power to abolish power. Power is not a means; power is an end. The establishment of a dictatorship is not to defend the revolution; rather, the revolution is conducted to establish a dictatorship. The purpose of persecution is persecution. The purpose of torture is torture. The purpose of power is power.

Have you ever thought that this slogan can be reversed? Slavery is freedom. A person alone and free is always defeated. So it must be, because everyone must die; this is the greatest failure. But if he can completely and absolutely obey, if he can rid himself of personal existence, if he can merge with the party and become the party, the party is him, then he is omnipotent, eternally immortal.

Power lies in inflicting pain and humiliation on people. Power lies in tearing human thought to shreds and then reassembling it in the way you choose.

"Because it is impossible to build civilization on fear, hatred, and cruelty. Such a civilization can never last." "Why not?" "It will lack vitality. It will fall apart. It will self-destruct."

Four#

He obeys the party, but he still hates the party. In the past, he hid heretical thoughts beneath the surface of obedience. Now he has taken a step back; he has surrendered in thought, but he wants to keep his inner integrity intact.

To hate them and die, that is freedom.

He obeys the party, but he still hates the party. In the past, he hid heretical thoughts beneath the surface of obedience. Now he has taken a step back; he has surrendered in thought, but he wants to keep his inner integrity intact.

To hate them and die, that is freedom.

Six#

There are some things that your own actions cannot be undone. Something in your heart has already been strangled, burned, corroded away.

"Sometimes," she said, "they threaten you with something that you cannot bear, and you cannot even think about it. So you say, 'Don't do this to me, do it to someone else, to so-and-so.' Later you may disguise this as a tactic, saying it to make them stop, but that is not true. At that moment, you really meant it. You think there is no other way to save yourself, so you are very willing to use this method to save yourself. You really want this to happen to another person. Whether he can bear it or not, you do not care at all. You only care about yourself."

Under the shade of the chestnut tree; I betrayed you, you betrayed me—

This is because the questions they want to discuss have led to increasingly complex and profound debates, nitpicking definitions, wandering off-topic, arguing to the point of even threatening to consult superiors. But suddenly, they deflate, and then sit around the table, staring blankly at each other, like ghosts that vanish when the rooster crows.

He looked up at that enormous face. It took him forty years to know what the smile behind that black beard looked like. Oh, the cruel, unnecessary misunderstanding! Oh, the stubborn exile from a loving heart! Tears flowed down his nose, tinged with the smell of alcohol. But it is nothing; everything is fine, the struggle is over. He has conquered himself. He loves Big Brother.

There are some things that your own actions cannot be undone. Something in your heart has already been strangled, burned, corroded away.

"Sometimes," she said, "they threaten you with something that you cannot bear, and you cannot even think about it. So you say, 'Don't do this to me, do it to someone else, to so-and-so.' Later you may disguise this as a tactic, saying it to make them stop, but that is not true. At that moment, you really meant it. You think there is no other way to save yourself, so you are very willing to use this method to save yourself. You really want this to happen to another person. Whether he can bear it or not, you do not care at all. You only care about yourself."

Under the shade of the chestnut tree; I betrayed you, you betrayed me—

This is because the questions they want to discuss have led to increasingly complex and profound debates, nitpicking definitions, wandering off-topic, arguing to the point of even threatening to consult superiors. But suddenly, they deflate, and then sit around the table, staring blankly at each other, like ghosts that vanish when the rooster crows.

He looked up at that enormous face. It took him forty years to know what the smile behind that black beard looked like. Oh, the cruel, unnecessary misunderstanding! Oh, the stubborn exile from a loving heart! Tears flowed down his nose, tinged with the smell of alcohol. But it is nothing; everything is fine, the struggle is over. He has conquered himself. He loves Big Brother.

Appendix: Principles of Newspeak#

The purpose of Newspeak is not to expand but to narrow the range of thought, reducing the choice of words to a minimum, indirectly aiding this purpose.

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