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Extract:

The pain flowed into Winston’s body. The needle must be at seventy, seventy-five. He had shut his eyes this time. He knew that the fingers were still there, and still four. All that mattered was somehow to stay alive until the spasm was over. He had ceased to notice whether he was crying out or not. The pain lessened again. He opened his eyes. O’Brien had drawn back the lever. ‘How many fingers, Winston?’ ‘Four. I suppose there are four. I would see five if I could. I am trying to see five.’ ‘Which do you wish: to persuade me that you see five, or really to see them?’ ‘Really to see them.’ ‘Again,’ said O’Brien. Perhaps the needle was eighty—ninety. Winston could not intermittently remember why the pain was happening. Behind his screwed-up eyelids a forest of fingers seemed to be moving in a sort of dance, weaving in and out, disappearing behind one another and reappearing again. He was trying to count them, he could not remember why. He knew only that it was impossible to count them, and that this was somehow due to the mysterious identity between five and four. The pain died down again. When he opened his eyes it was to find that he was still seeing the same thing. Innumerable fingers, like moving trees, were still streaming past in either direction, crossing and recrossing. He shut 318 1984 his eyes again. ‘How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?’ ‘I don’t know. I don’t know. You will kill me if you do that again. Four, five, six—in all honesty I don’t know.’ ‘Better,’ said O’Brien.

Word count: 283

(Orwell, 2023, p. 317-318 )

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He had capitulated, that was agreed. In reality, as he saw

now, he had been ready to capitulate long before he had

taken the decision. From the moment when he was inside

the Ministry of Love—and yes, even during those minutes

when he and Julia had stood helpless while the iron voice

from the telescreen told them what to do—he had grasped

the frivolity, the shallowness of his attempt to set himself

up against the power of the Party. He knew now that for

seven years the Thought Police had watched him like a beetle under a magnifying glass. There was no physical act, no word spoken aloud, that they had not noticed, no train of

thought that they had not been able to infer. Even the speck

of whitish dust on the cover of his diary they had carefully replaced. They had played sound-tracks to him, shown

him photographs. Some of them were photographs of Julia

and himself. Yes, even... He could not fight against the Party

any longer. Besides, the Party was in the right. It must be

so; how could the immortal, collective brain be mistaken?

By what external standard could you check its judgements?

Sanity was statistical. It was merely a question of learning

to think as they thought. Only—!

The pencil felt thick and awkward in his fingers. He began to write down the thoughts that came into his head. He

wrote first in large clumsy capitals:

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

Then almost without a pause he wrote beneath it:

TWO AND TWO MAKE FIVE

Word count: 261

(Orwell, 2023, p. 276-277)

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“You asked me once,” said O’Brien, “what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew the answer already. Everyone knows it. The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world.”

The door opened again. A guard came in, carrying something made of wire, a box or basket of some kind. He set it down carefully on the table. Winston had never seen anything of the kind before. It was a cage with a handle on top for carrying it like a suitcase. There were two rats inside.

“They are enormous,” said O’Brien. “That kind is sometimes found in the drains. They are a very common type in London. The rats in Room 101 are the worst thing in the world.”

“You can’t do that!” he screamed. “You couldn’t, you couldn’t! It’s impossible.”

“Do it to Julia!” Winston shouted. “Do it to Julia! Not me! Julia! I don’t care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!”

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Commentary and analysis Juan Martin Baquerizo

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Commentary and analysis Juan Martin Baquerizo

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Tone: The tone is painful and serious, but there is also irony, when something is the opposite of what we expect.

Winston says, ¨I would see five if I could.¨ This is ironic because he knows he sees four, but he wants to see five to stop the pain. It shows he is trying to believe something false, the reader knows this is not possible, so it feels sad and ironic

Theme: Manipulation of reality and the mind

The party does not only want people to obey, they want people to believe lies.

O brien is trying to make Winston believe that four fingers are five, this shows how the party uses fear to control thoughts

Character development: Winston´s mental struggle

At the beggining, Winston still tries to resist, he wants to stay strong, but the pain makes him weak and confused.He starts to say he doesn´t know how many fingers there are

This shows he is losing his fight

Techniques used:

Irony: Winston says something that he knows is false, showing how he is starting to lose his was of thinking

Symbolism: The fingers show how truth can change under manipulation, the number is not important anymore, it is about what the Party wants you to belive

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In this crucial moment in Winston’s transformation in Part III of George Orwell’s 1984, Winston’s reflections show how the Party’s complete dominance over him was inevitable. Orwell utilizes character development to demonstrate the utter superiority of the Party over individuals.

Winston’s thought of “Besides, the Party was in the right. It must be so; how could the immortal, collective brain be mistaken?” shows how O’Brien’s indoctrination has had its fruits in him, and proves that, after all, the power of language to change a person was more effective than the use of force, as well as Winston’s transformation into the very thing which he hated and thought was wrong with the world.

Furthermore Orwell uses symbolic language to illustrate how never even had a chance to go up against the Party as Winston reflects that “he knew now that for seven years the Thought Police had watched him like a beetle under a magnifying glass.”

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Theme: Control of reality:

The party wants to control how people think, not just how they act

They want people to believe what they say, even when it is wrong

Symbol: Fingers

The number of fingers become a test

O Brien wants Winston to stop trusting his eyes and believe in the Party

Character trait: Winstons resistance and collapse

Winston tries to stay strong, but in the end, he starts to lose confidence in what he knows

Literary Device: Physocoligal torture

The pain is not just physical, it is used to confuse Winston and change the way he thinks

Orwell shows how fear and pain can destroy a person´s mind

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When truth becomes less important that loyalty

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Can truth change if many people believe a lie?

Yes

No

Only under pressure

Reflection

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to agree with something you knew it was false? How did you feel?

Quiz

What literary device is used when Winston says, ¨I would see five if I could"?

Symbolism

Allegory

Irony

Hyperbole

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This scene was chosen because it clearly shows one of the main ideas of the book 1984: how a party can use fear and pain to control what people believe, in this part, Winston is forced to stop trusting what he sees and starts believing what the Party tells him. When he says, ¨I would see five if I could¨, it shows that he is trying to believe a lie to stop the pain, it is a very sad and scary moment that helps us understand the manipulation and power of the Party.

The literary elements used were, theme, symbol, character, and technique, help explain this scene more deeply. The theme is about controlling reality. The fingers are a symbol of how truth can be changed. Winstons character shows how a person can slowly lose their strenght under harsh situations. The technique of using pain to change thoughts shows how dangerous this manipulation can be.

The visual idead help show Winston feelings and confusion, the pictures of the brain, eye, give us another way to understand what is happening. The poll and questions help other people feel empathy and how they would feel in Winston´s place.

The padlet gives a clear and creative way to show how Orwell uses this scene to talk about truth, power and fear.

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Was the Party's success in changing Winston's core beliefs inevitable?

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Was the Party's success in changing Winston's core beliefs inevitable?

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The Party's fear-inducing nature in this novel causes instinctual reactions, mental and physical reprograming of the human race's behavior and thoughts.

The Party's prioritazies loyalty and power over anything else. Can you think of any examples from real life, of this pursuit of power ad loyalty being applied?

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The theme of psychological control and indoctrination is constantly present in the extract, showing how Winston has not only been physically destroyed, but completely psychologically dominated. The Party's doctrine has now been internalized by Winston and has accepted his incredulity in ever trying to rebel against it.

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The extract chosen, extracted from chapter 4 of Part III of the novel, has a significance in that it shows the extremes to which, ideology, power and totalitarianism, can go to maintain their power. This extract shows in particular the psychological effects of O’Brien’s indoctrination to Winston in the Ministry of Love, showcasing the theme of psychological  control and indoctrination. This is a pivotal moment in Winston’s journey as a character, since he is now ready to accept and obey anything that the Party says, killing any hope or sentiment he had for the Party’s being overthrown. This scene rewrites Winston as a personal, eliminating his humanity and individualism. Furthermore, the theme present in the extract of control and manipulation illustrates Orwell’s message of the power of terror and language to influence, persuade, and control. His warnings of what can become of the world and nations that have a totalitarian system, rely on the loss of freedom and humanity in these kinds of systems, in which he succeeds in illustrating its effects on society and its own people. Orwell utilizes rhetorical devices and symbolism to make us see just how dehumanizing and morally weak such a system can be, and encapsulates the Party’s ability to deceive, torture, lie, and change human beings on a fundamental level in order to ensure total loyalty, consolidate power, and control reality itself.

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he had been saying to sink in.

‘Do you remember,’ he went on, ‘writing in your dia-

ry, ‘Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make

four’?’

‘Yes,’ said Winston.

O’Brien held up his left hand, its back towards Winston,

with the thumb hidden and the four fingers extended.

‘How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?’

‘Four.’

‘And if the party says that it is not four but five—then

how many?’

‘Four.’

The word ended in a gasp of pain. The needle of the dial

had shot up to fifty-five. The sweat had sprung out all over

Winston’s body. The air tore into his lungs and issued again

in deep groans which even by clenching his teeth he could

not stop. O’Brien watched him, the four fingers still ex-

tended. He drew back the lever. This time the pain was only

slightly eased.

‘How many fingers, Winston?’

‘Four.’

The needle went up to sixty.

‘How many fingers, Winston?’

‘Four! Four! What else can I say? Four!’

The needle must have risen again, but he did not look at

it. The heavy, stern face and the four fingers filled his vision.

The fingers stood up before his eyes like pillars, enormous,

blurry, and seeming to vibrate, but unmistakably four.

‘How many fingers, Winston?’

Four! Stop it, stop it! How can you go on? Four! Four!’

‘How many fingers, Winston?’

‘Five! Five! Five!’

‘No, Winston, that is no use. You are lying. You still think

there are four. How many fingers, please?’

‘Four! five! Four! Anything you like. Only stop it, stop

the pain!’

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Tone: It can be seen an agressive tone as an interrogation scene is being developed. This helps to emphatize the pain and suffering O'Brien is giving to Winston.

Theme: Manipulation of reality and the life, this can be seen as the whole point of the interrogation is to lead Winston to the understanding that the party controls what is true and what not, what is part of the reality and what not.

Symbolism: A clear symbol that can be spotted in the extract, is the amoun of fingers O'Brien has in his hand, it looks forward to represent the Party's power to exploit history to its favor.

Character development: The extract shows a how Winston is starting to become mentally unwell, this is shown by the initial effort to stay strong but the slowly, and painfully, starts to give up on the idea that reality on itself actually exists.

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Does the thought-crime committed by Winsotn justify all his suffering?

How would you react towarrds O'Brien in-humanity?