This document contains excerpts from the novel 1984 by George Orwell discussing concepts like doublethink, Newspeak, and the social hierarchy of Oceania. It also includes discussion questions analyzing these concepts and comparing Oceania's social structure to modern society.

1. Irony and Paradox Christina Germano, Dana Ergas, Emily Morse, Judy Choe, SzymonTurzynski

2. EQUALITY FOR ALL-IN THE SUBJECTIVE SENSE

3. “Until they have become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” (Page 70)

4. “But in among all this terrible poverty there were just a few great big beautiful houses that were lived in by rich men who had as many as thirty servants to look after them. These rich men were called capitalists. They were fat, ugly men with wicked faces, like the one in the picture on the opposite page…The capitalists owned everything in the world, and everyone else was their slave. They owned all the land, all the houses, all the factories, and all the money. If anyone disobeyed them they could throw him into prison, or they could take his job away and starve him to death.” (Page 73)

5. “The arithmetical problems raised, for instance, by such a statement as “two and two make five” were beyond his intellectual grasp. It needed also a sort of athleticism of mind, an ability at one moment to make the most delicate use of logic and at the next to be unconscious of the crudest logical errors. Stupidity was as necessary as intelligence, and as difficult to attain.” (Page 279)

6. “O’Brien’s manner became less severe. He resettled his spectacles thoughtfully, and took a pace or two up and down. When he spoke his voice was gentle and patient. He had the air of a doctor, a teacher, even a priest, anxious to explain and persuade rather than to punish.” (Page 245)

7. “She hated the Party, and said so in the crudest words, but she made no general criticism of it. Except where it touched upon her own life she had no interest in Party doctrine.” (Page 131)

8. What’s the significance of the following quote? “She hated the Party, and said so in the crudest words, but she made no general criticism of it.” (131) Question 1

9. “There is a new word in Newspeak,” said Syme. “I don’t know whether you know it: duckspeak, to quack like a duck. It is one of those interesting words that have two contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it is abuse; applied to someone you agree with, it is praise.” (55)Give an example of duckspeak that applies to our world today. Question 2

10. In the eyes of the Inner Party, what are the pros and cons of doublethink? Question 3

11. Explain the Inner Party’s motives for eliminating words from the dictionary and killing off erudites? Are these actions progressing society or actually making it more primitive? Question 4

12. Compare the social hierarchy in 1984 to that of ours today. Which class of society in 1984 would you choose to be a part of? Explain. Question 5