“One who controls the past also controls the present, and therefore, the future.” Is this true, or not so true? What role do memory and history play in building our future? Can history ever be TRULY objective, after all? by Smith, Cary (CCPS)

2025-10-06 14:35:38 UTC

I think this statement is true because whoever controls history controls how people understand reality. In 1984, the Party rewrites the past so citizens believe whatever the government says, even if it’s false. This power lets them control people’s thoughts and keep authority. Memory and history are connected because what we remember shapes how we act and make choices. If our memories are changed, our future is controlled too. History can’t ever be completely objective because people always interpret events through their own views and biases. Orwell shows that truth depends on who has the power to define it.

2025-10-06 14:36:47 UTC

There are valid points when bringing up how history is based off of who wrote it so it isn’t always an accurate representation of the past.

2025-10-06 14:36:55 UTC

Sydney made a great point about Columbus Day and how now it's Indigenous People's Day, Columbus was believed to "discover" Amercian which is why there was a national holiday dedicated to him. Yet, the chaos and destruction he brought to the Americas is ignored, America sees him as a savior and the natives view him as a destructor.

2025-10-06 14:37:10 UTC

In some way it is true because people change the narrative of the past to make somethings that are actually bad positive to other people. They manipulate information and use certain words to change the reality.

2025-10-06 14:37:21 UTC

Stutie, I agree with her response as she made a good point that whoever controls the people can control history as they have the power to make them believe whatever they want.

2481233 — 2025-10-06 14:38:02 UTC

I agree with everything that's been said so far. History can never be truly objective. There will always be bias and history typically favors a specific side. So it will always be a challenge to get the truth and just the truth alone.

2025-10-06 14:38:13 UTC

The quote "One who controls the past controls the present, and therefore the future." is true. In older times when there was not any documents there were stories. Elders from different cultures would pass down their stories and this would create the past, by knowing what has happened in the past people can know how to navigate the future and what not mistakes to repeat. History is based on how people remember it, also their experiences; one person can tell history a different way than someone who lived through the same thing.

2025-10-06 14:38:33 UTC

The quote is true because controlling the past lets people shape how others see the present and future. In 1984, the Party rewrites history to maintain power and control beliefs. Memory and historry guide how we can learn and make deciscions, so if they're chanaged, poeple lose the truth. History can't ever be fully objective since it's shaped by those who record it, but seeking multiple viewpoints help us get closer to it.

2025-10-06 14:38:48 UTC

I agree with this statement. Someone who can control the past and history has the ability to rewrite it and even erase it. Those who write history essentially hold the power of whether the information is true or not. This will then effect how these historical situations are perceived in the future as well. The rewriting of history can change people's memory on what truly happened and can change how someone views this in the future.

2025-10-06 14:38:54 UTC

I agree with this statement. Somebody that controls the past can manipulate what others think or what type of culture they center their lives around. For example, in 1984 there are many beliefs against recreational sex which leads to groups such as the Anti-Sex League and is looked down upon by most of society. This can build upon our future because these types of beliefs can cause society to form cultures around these beliefs which is similar in the real world with prominent religions such as Christianity.

2025-10-06 14:39:04 UTC

I agree with Stuti's response as many times in history, atrocities that are done by certain countries often are not accounted for in history books to make it seem like a country that did no bad things

2025-10-06 14:41:09 UTC

This quote is true to an extent, meaning history is completely biased and is dependent on where you live and the how the people within your country view different problems. It will never be truly objective because historian decide what they want to pass onto history, they'll leave specific factors out to save face or even conceal how their country was in the wrong. Memory is objective and isn't the same for any one person. The way someone views an event is individual to them and is based upon their opinions. In order to build the future, we have to learn from the mistakes of the past and try to see how out actions not only affect the people around us, but globally.

ariannetsi419 — 2025-10-06 14:41:21 UTC

The statement is partially true because in a sense our present is heavily influenced by the events of the past. For example when most reform movements come about they are a direct result of being discontent with current circumstances or past concerns that haven't been properly resolved. These reform movements later move on to create our future whether it be for the better or for the worse. History plays more of a key role in building our future because memory is subjective meaning it differs from person to person. Therefore what ever is written in the books becomes concrete evidence of an event as compared to what someone remembers or believes.

2025-10-06 14:41:34 UTC

I like Heaven's quote that said "Reality exists in the mind", which sort of disagrees with the statement. Even if history is written down people can believe what ever they want and can center their lives around their own believes. People don't have to live with the normalize culture everyone else believes in.

2025-10-06 14:41:41 UTC

I like Heavens points that even though it is difficult, people are able to choose to believe what they want. This could disprove the idea that someone who controls the past can control the present and the future.

2025-10-06 14:41:45 UTC

What Stuti and Michaela said about how history being perceived depends on who wrote it and when, makes perfect sense. Depending on what is acceptable or not during that time will change how something is written, but in the future the times and norms change, and those previous views can be thought about differently.

2025-10-06 14:42:05 UTC

Estelle made a great point by saying that had the Native Americans not spoken up "Colombus Day" would still have that title. Students is recent years have grown up thinking that Christopher Colombus discovered America and that was what we believed to be true. However, Native Americans spoke up and said that they had been the ones to discover America, almost throwing away everything people have learned in recent years.

2481233 — 2025-10-06 14:42:14 UTC

I agree with Heaven's point about how reality exists in the mind. It really comes to down to opinion and interpretation. Two people can experience the same event and have very different stories about what happened. This goes back to how history cannot be objective because people will always include their perspective with their version of the truth.

236820_5 — 2025-10-06 14:42:33 UTC

To some extent this is true because history has the tendency to repeat it self if know one can learn from it. Whoever controls the people controls the narrative and what is written in history. History is extremely biased to who is writing the story, whether that be winston or the party, those writing will always make themselves appear better. Memory plays a big role, because several people remember what some try to erase and that goes back to learning from the past so it doesn’t happen again.

2025-10-06 14:42:42 UTC

I believe its true because as something is kept from the past it will be used to look back and help people grow ideas and beliefs in the future. Memory is important when building our future but when theres only a few accounts of events it may not be as impactful. History plays a large role as it gives us knowledge of what came before us but it cannot be objective as its always biased from the side that writes it .

236820_5 — 2025-10-06 14:44:46 UTC

I liked the way Stuti expressed how history is extremely biased to who writes the story, “the one who controls the narrative controls the future outcomes.”

2025-10-06 14:44:55 UTC

I agree with Michaela's point because whatever the Party said went in the book, they had the final say in how you spoke and thought. They were so far gone that even if there was to opposition it wouldn't have matter because they were so brainwashed and lost their sense of reality. They're essentially living in a simulator where someone controls their every move.

2025-10-06 14:45:00 UTC

Being able to control history is a very important thing. Past events are looked upon and further discussed to create advances that we use in present time, which is then advanced further in the future. That said, controlling history allows for the present and the future to be controlled just as easily. I think that history will never truly be objective since it relies on the accounts of many people, which could have different ways of explaining how things could have happened or the result of certain actions.

2025-10-06 14:45:44 UTC

I like Stuti's response about whoever controls the future can control the people. This was similar to my thoughts as I said people who control the past can control people's culture. She brought up an example about how the indigenous groups such as the Native Americans that inhabited the Americas before the Europeans have little to no information about them. We can only go off of the Europeans history that they wrote about the Native Americans. We also know from history that the Europeans were objectively racist toward other ethnicities. Knowing this, the Europeans basically made the Native Americans seem like savages which shaped how the future societies viewed them.

ariannetsi419 — 2025-10-06 14:46:26 UTC

I agree with stutis response that delirium plays an important part in mind control. The people in 1984 were so consciously unaware of the oppressing nature of their society because of the delusional loop they were stuck in as a result of the parties brainwashing.

2025-10-06 14:46:36 UTC

I agree with Mikayla on how nothing would change with only one person having radical ideas. Considering the amount of brainwashing that has been done, regardless of however many attempt to express radical ideas, there will be no change

2025-10-06 14:47:17 UTC

I agreed when Asalah mentioned that a rebellion wouldn't essentially work on the party because the society was too far gone into submission, using the kid snitching on their own father as an example.

2025-10-06 14:47:55 UTC

I agree with how the circle is saying in 1984 their past has made them unable to go against the party since they’ve gotten so deep in their kind of society.

236820_5 — 2025-10-06 14:49:19 UTC

Heaven and Jaiden disagreed with Estelle’s point saying that one persons memory doesn’t have a huge impact on the bigger picture. I have mixed feelings because sure in the grand scheme of things one person may be small, but when push comes to shove we may need that memory to keep what they remembered alive, whether it be civil rights movements, or just things that the party tried to erase. What if someone did remember a time before the party but were either silenced or were constantly fed false propaganda that it changed their mindset.

2025-10-06 14:50:29 UTC

I agree with what Michela said about how if people do say they see change or want change, its hard to believe they truly mean that because they are far too deep in the manipulation done to them by the government that its engraved with them . And memories play a huge role in building the future because they guide how societies learn from mistake and shape progress. If those memories or history is changed or forgotten people lose their ability's to question authority or understand the truth losing the power to change.

ariannetsi419 — 2025-10-06 14:50:39 UTC

I Agree with Heaven when she spoke about how since the citizens of Oceania were so immersed in the practices of the party, they couldn't tell right for wrong or let alone an oppressive society from an non oppressive society. This further proves how the party was able to control the future of their society because they flourished off the weak mind state of their citizens.

2025-10-06 14:51:16 UTC

I think that is is true as people are very suspect able to falling victim to false information. We can easily see this is daily examples as we are always on social media and believe things that we hear if it sounds even the slightest bit right. Theoretically people could use this to control peoples ideas and causing certain outcomes to become true. These outcomes could prove to be major events in shaping the future. For example presidential elections are heavily influenced by propaganda and the outcome of that election will lead to major changes for the nation. Also if one person is able to control the past it is hard for people to break out of that as when they come to realization no one around them will support it.

2025-10-06 14:51:28 UTC

In 1984 the party controls truth, history, and even thought itself. In our world who or what has the power to shape what we believe, and how much responsibility do individuals have to question or resist that influence?

2481233 — 2025-10-06 14:51:29 UTC

I like Stuti's point about them being stuck in a loop. How can you rebel if you don't know what you're rebelling against? I think that's where the power of the party lies. By controlling history, they're controlling the minds of citizens.

2025-10-06 14:55:53 UTC

Sydney's example about them watching the narrative being changed in real time yet still choosing to believe it is a really strong point when thinking about the prompt. Since the party is changing the past and directing the hate of the people towards a different group, they are able to control who the people will decide to avoid and who they will try to communicate with in the present and the later future.

2481233 — 2025-10-06 14:56:53 UTC

I really like Heaven's question about what makes confident we're being told the truth today. And again that comes down to interpretation and perspective. We're so heavily influenced by social media, the news, and our peers its hard to decipher truth from opinion.

2025-10-06 14:57:10 UTC

I agree with Heaven and Jaden with there opinion on that one persons opinion doesn't have t have too much of an impact on the grand scheme of things

2025-10-06 15:00:04 UTC

I agree with heaven that history is a bunch of narrative because it makes you choose who hate and who to praise cause it from there perspective which Michaela mentioned earlier in the inner circle.

2481233 — 2025-10-06 15:01:32 UTC

What Sydney said is really interesting. That history can be told objectively and not received objectively. I would have to disagree, but I like the argument. If history isn't received objectively then it can't be told objectively. History is what we hear, what we read, and what we witness. So it can't truly be objective in the grand scheme of things.

2025-10-06 15:04:32 UTC

I agree with Asahla The book was very subjective and manipulative

2025-10-06 15:05:13 UTC

I agree with Tim and Sydney and how they talked about a real world example of the past being used to control present time. The book is important when it comes to someone's mindset but having real examples of it happening is just as, if not, more impactful. This is because these changes could possibly affect the well-beings of many people, not just mentally or psychologically, but physically.

2025-10-06 15:13:17 UTC

I believe this statement is true. Many times, things that are said by people of high power like politicians spread lies and hard believers will listen to what they regardless of what they're saying. Similarly, people are afraid to say anything negative or radical about their leader because they fear the consequences that come with it. Because of this, people listen to what is said without questioning it, essentially allowing people in power to control the way people. This will cause people in power to say whatever they want about a period in time and people will have no choice to believe it, essentially giving people no choice but to listen to a bias non objective history

2025-10-06 15:13:44 UTC

I agree with what Tim said when he was talking about how Trump is trying to control the future by using how the stereotype of America being indestructible, with his slogan "Make America Great Again" assuming that America was "perfect to begin with".

2025-10-08 14:37:12 UTC

Gabe and Daniel had really good responses to how phones are always watching us even without of our consent/ knowledge and how that connected to the telescreens

2025-10-09 15:06:49 UTC

This is definitely true. The phrase "The winners write history" accurately defines the current state of our world. Memory and history are important because they create a framework for ideals and values that people will operate under in the world. For example, people nowadays mostly hold hatred or pity for certain groups of people based on certain historical events because they weren't around during those times and they are forced to believe the history, manipulated or not, that's presented to them in the current times. This affects responses to certain ideas, information, or people, impacting the way the world's development will proceed.