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1984 (1956)
This is our land.
A land of peace and of plenty. A land of harmony and hope. This is our land. Oceania. These are our people. The workers, the strivers, the builders. These are our people. The builders of our world, struggling... fighting, bleeding... dying. On the streets of our cities and on the far-flung battlefields. Fighting against the mutilation of our hopes and dreams. Who are they? Eurasia! Eurasia! They are the dark armies. The dark, murdering armies of Eurasia. In the barren deserts of Africa and India... on the oceans of Australasia... courage, strength, and youth are sacrificed. Sacrificed to barbarians, whose only honor is atrocity. But even as we grasp at victory... there is a cancer, an evil tumor... growing, spreading in our midst. Shout, shout... shout out his name! Goldstein! Nothing the Party says is true. Nothing the Party does is good. Even the war itself isn't real. The Party wants you to believe we are at war... so as to channel your aggressions away from their rightful target... the Party. Big Brother is not real. He is pure fiction, created by the Party. The real rulers of the State... are unknown, faceless manipulators... who, because they are not known... are able to wield power without let or hindrance. People of Oceania, you are being duped. The Party doesn't serve the people, it serves itself. We are not at war with Eurasia. Death! Death! Traitor! You are being made into obedient... stupid slaves of the Party. Open your eyes. See the evil that is happening to you. The Party drops bombs on its own citizens. Traitor! It is the Party, not the Eurasians, who are our enemies. Rise up. Throw off the yoke. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. People of Oceania. Big, Big, Big... Innuendo, deleted. Intransigence, rendered as crime. Inversion... Back, Day One. Ref. Times 14-2-84, Page 3, Byline 2, should read: "Miniprod Forecasts Increase Chocolate Ration, April, 1984... "from 20 to 25 Grams Per Week. " I confess to spreading the rumor, on orders from Goldstein... that the war is not really with Eurasia, but with Eastasia. That, for years, in fact since the days of our glorious Revolution... I had no faith in our future. I forged government announcements and falsified figures... quoted for agricultural and industrial production. As a result of mental disturbance from my experiences during the atomic wars... I was a willing subject of Goldstein's influence. I was stubborn and egocentric. When ownlife thoughts occurred to me, I reveled in them. I went into the proletarian zones... I had sex with prostitutes, I deliberately contracted syphilis. It was at this time that I made contact with the Resistance. I was personally contacted by the archtraitor, Goldstein... and ordered to assassinate certain Inner Party officials. Bugger! This I did. My agents forged documents and gained entry into the Ministry... "Thoughtcrime is death. "Thoughtcrime does not entail death. "Thoughtcrime is death. "I have committed, even before setting pen to paper... "the essential crime that contains all others in itself. " I have spent many hours of my free time, encouraging my agents... to deface Party posters and hoarding announcements. I read and memorized Goldstein's book. For 30 years, I have plotted to bring down the Party. I was sick in mind and body. Together with my colleagues, Aaronson and Rutherford... I did counterfeit important Party documents... including ex-London permits and travel passes. And that by use of these documents... my agents traveled freely throughout Airstrip One... encouraging insurrection and organizing a massive counterplot... to destroy the innermost faction of the Oceanian leadership. Furthermore... I used my position of privilege within the Inner Party... to pervert and betray the truth at all times... and to suggest, wherever possible, that our traditional allies in Eastasia... were in fact, our deadly enemies. "April the 4th, 1984. " In my position as Chief Factory Planner... "I think... " I stole military plans... and, at vast financial profit, sold them to the Eurasian leadership. "... to the past... "or to the future... "to an age when thought is free. "From the age of Big Brother... "from the age of the Thought Police... "from a dead man... "greetings!" Right, let's see which one of us can touch his toes. Right over from the hips, brothers and sisters, please. One, two. Smith? 6079, Smith, W.? Yes, you. Bend lower. You're not trying. Watch me. There, brother. That's what I want. Anyone under 45 is perfectly capable of touching his toes. I'm 39, and I've had four children. We don't all have the privilege of fighting in the front line. Remember our boys on the Malabar Front. Just think what they have to put up with. Production of water-heaters is up 1.5 percent. Switchgear, 4.5 percent. Electrical wiring, 10 percent. Cigarettes, 18 percent. Bricks, 3 percent. Morning, Smith. Parsons. Heard the rumor? No. Good news, is it? I should say so, yes. Choco rations going up. Really? Twenty-five grams next week. Doubleplus good. Speakwrites, 14 percent. Vibra-aging castings, 9 percent. By the way, Smith, I seem to have run out of razor blades for some reason. You wouldn't happen to have any spare, would you? I'm sorry, brother. I'm on the last one. Bandages, 9 percent. In 1983, Oceania's coal output... reached 630 million tons. In 1976, coal output was 605 million tons... an increase of 4. 1 percent. an increase of 17.6 percent. I wanted to ask you if you've got any razor blades? I've tried all over the place. I've been using the same one for six weeks. ...a staggering increase of 93.4 percent. Did you see the prisoners hanged yesterday? No, I was working. But I shall see it on the screens. You'll pick up the gin on the way? I'll have two. Mark 5 submachine guns... light machine guns... Give me a gin. recoil-operated heavy machine guns... and 1.4 million lightweight... spigot-launching, anti-tank rocket projectors. Food production is also up... -How's the Newspeak Committee? -Working overtime. ...butter, 2 percent, milk, 6 percent. Plusbig waste is in adjectives. Plusbig problem is timing the language to scientific advance. It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words. You won't have seen the Dictionary, It's that thick. The 11th edition will be that thick. So the Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect. The secret's to move from translation, to direct thought, to automatic response. No need for self-discipline. Language coming from here, not from here. Excuse me for intruding. You're saying that we'll be rid of the last vestiges of Goldsteinism... when the language has been cleaned. -I couldn't agree with you more, brother. -Absolutely. Praise be to our leader and the Party workers! Other munitions production figures are as follows. with 76-mm cannon. Smith. Syme. It's encouraging to think that by 2050... not a single person will be able to have a conversation like this. Except the proles? The proletariat don't count. They're animals. See the hanging? Missed it, myself. Bloody committees. Doubleplus good, this. You know, I don't think there's a single piece of meat in this stew. Looks like meat. Tastes like meat. It isn't meat at all. Doubleplus good. Not like it, Smith? Yes, it's too rich for me. Do you mind if I... Brothers and sisters, the battle for production has been won. Completed returns show that the standard of living... has risen by no less than 20 percent over the last year. All over Oceania there've been spontaneous demonstrations of Party workers... voicing their gratitude and joy! In honor of this massive overfulfillment of the ninth three-year plan... it's been announced that chocolate ration is to be increased to 25 grams per week! "If there is hope... "it lies in the proles. "If they could become conscious of their own strength... "they would have no need to conspire. "History does not matter to them. "It was three years ago... "on a dark evening. "Easy to slip the patrols. "And I'd gone into the proletarian areas. "There was no one else in the street, and no telescreens. "She said, '$2. ' "So I went with her. "She had a young face... "painted very thick. "It was really the paint that appealed to me... "the whiteness of it, like a mask... "and the bright red lips. " Come on. "There were no preliminaries. "Standing there, with the scent of dead insects and cheap perfume... "I went ahead and did it, just the same. " Rutherford unperson. Substitute Ogilvy. Ogilvy bio, details as follows: "War hero. "Recently killed, Malabar Front. "Today awarded posthumous Order of Conspicuous Merit, Second Class. " I accuse myself of sabotage... embezzlement of Party funds... sale of military secrets... of being in the pay of the Government of Eurasia... of being a sexual pervert and a thoughtcriminal. I exploited my trusted position at the Ministry of Peace... to mislead our allies in Eastasia... and also to corrupt youth by means of seditious literature and drugs. I am guilty on all counts. I stand here... a victim of the influence of... "Under the spreading chestnut tree... "I sold you... "you sold me. " And I ask only... for you to accept... my love of our leader. Can I help you? Anything special? I was here before. Razor blades. You sold me the notebook. Yes. Please look around. What's this? It's a beautiful thing. Over 100 years old. Cost you $4. There's another room upstairs that you might like to see. But there's not much in it. Just a few things. My woman's dead. I'm just trying to sell the furniture. It's a beautiful bed... if you can get the bugs out of it. Interested in old prints at all? The frame's fixed to the wall, but I daresay I could unscrew it. How did this escape? I know what it is. It's the museum in the street outside the Palace of Justice. "'Oranges and lemons,' say the bells of St. Clement's. " What was that? Something old. War is peace! Freedom is slavery! Ignorance is strength! A triumph of willpower over the orgasm. At a rally of the Anti-Sex League in Victory Square tonight... held to celebrate a 50-percent decrease in civil marriages... over 10,000 Party women took a vow of celibacy... and pledged themselves as vessels for the artificial insemination... "I hate her. "I should kill her before she denounces me. "I have disliked her from the first moment of seeing her. " Sector 43... Sector 44... Sector 45... Sector 46... -Are you hurt? -It's nothing. It's my arm. I'll be all right in a second. Brother, could you... Are you all right? It's nothing. I only gave my wrist a bit of a bang. Thank you, brother. Who is she? All I know is that she works in the corner section... probably on the proletarian novel-writing machines. Mrs. Parsons? A spanner? Under the sink, beside you. Thank you, brother. I wouldn't have had to bother you, but my husband's out late. Committees. You know what us Parsons are like. You're a thoughtcriminal. They haven't been out much. Thank you, brother. Attention! Your attention, please! A newsflash has this moment arrived from the Malabar Front. The forces of Oceania in South India have won a glorious victory. I am authorized to say that the war against Eurasia... is within measurable distance of its end. have been killed or captured. Can you hear me? Yes. Do you have an ex-London permit? Yes. Can you get Sunday afternoon off? Yes. Take this. It's quite precise. I rely on you to destroy it. Are you sure you can come? Yes. On your own, brother? No, I'm joining the Vic Mans community hiking group. I was held up on urgent Minrec business. Sing to the bravest on the sturdy fortress Sing to the soldiers on the battlefields Sing to the airmen in the burning azure Sing to the farmers' rising yields We are the children, builders of the future And we the children swear to thee Loyal devotion, fearless devotion And to die with dignity Sing to the faithful... A daring and resourceful maneuver... under the personal direction of B.B. himself... ensuring the total annihilation of the Eurasian heavy-armored divisions... Look. It's a dream. I want you. Not here. Come back to the woods, it's safer. Have you done this before? Of course. Hundreds of times. -With Party members? -Yes. Inner Party members? Not with those bastards. Though there's plenty who would. Look, I hate purity. I hate goodness. I don't want virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone corrupt. I ought to suit you, then. I'm corrupt to the core. Do you like doing this? I don't mean just me. I adore it. Winston? We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness. Adult literacy amongst the proletariat has risen by 56 percent. The proletarian infant mortality rate has dropped by 12 percent. Incidences of leukemia, tuberculosis, and meningitis have dropped considerably. Improved diet has been responsible for a dramatic decrease in rickets. Eye diseases show a steep drop. So, too, do deaths from pneumonia and smallpox. The improvement in sewerage and drainage systems... has resulted in better health, overall. State rodent operatives report a 50-percent reduction... in the number of vermin in the central proletarian zones. I just want to finish by saying a few words... about the impact of this imminent neurological breakthrough. When the orgasm has been finally eradicated... the last remaining obstacle to the psychological acceptance... of the principles of Ingsoc, as applied to artsem, will be overcome. In other words, the unorthodox tendencies towards ownlife... which constantly threaten the natural erosion of the family unit... will no longer have the biological support of the organism. As we all know, the biological and social stimulation of the family leads to... private reflection, outside Party needs... and to the establishment of unorthodox loyalties... which can only lead to thoughtcrime. The introduction of artsem, combined with the neutralization of the orgasm... will effectively render obsolete the family... until it becomes impossible to conceptualize. Thank you. Excuse me, brother. You dropped your ink pencil. Thank you, sister. A pincer movement has developed... involving the floating fortresses of the Eurasian 17th Fleet... Not much. Not much left at all, these days. Walls. Police don't like us much. That room... how much? $4 a week. Traitor! Traitor! Criminal! Big, Big, Big... A vast military buildup of armored divisions... missiles and floating fortresses, accompanied by a fourfold increase... in the number of radio-controlled rocket bombs... directed at the most densely populated areas of Airstrip One... It is folly... as though deliberately, we move one step nearer the grave. I can't understand why she accepted the idea... she, who is so careful. Hello. Let me show you what I've brought. Look. What is it? Real sugar. Not saccharin. And I've got a loaf of bread, proper white bread... and jam. A real tin of milk. Look. Coffee. Real coffee. Inner Party. Half a kilo. How did you manage to get ahold of all this? There's nothing those bastards don't have. Aren't you pleased? Yes. Of course. Real tea. There's been a lot of tea about lately. They've captured India or something. I want you. I want you, too. Wait. Turn around, and don't look until I tell you. Listen to that. How can she make a song written by a machine sound so beautiful? You can turn around now. -I... -Winston... Do you like me? More than ever. Was there ever a time when this seemed ordinary? Attention! Your attention, please! A vast military buildup has been reported in the Sahara Desert... sectors 17 and 18 of the war zone. "There is truth, and there is untruth. " ...have been sighted proceeding in convoy in a northerly direction... "Freedom... "is the freedom to say two plus two equals four. "If that is granted... "all else follows. " That is the end of the announcement. We'll rehab the war from a neutral zone, remaking dust in interstate plusplan levels. Intend ego 1980 level in dust output by 48 percent. Stop, end emission. Re: Times, 31-10-81. Brother Tillotson wins Mini chess. Request photo. File follows. Attention. Your attention, please. Will all Outer Party members of Ways and Means Committees... please attend their local community centers for discussions and... "Under the spreading chestnut tree... "I sold you, you sold me. " The meetings begin at 20.:00 hours. Smith? I've been reading your Newspeak articles in The Times. Yes. You write very elegantly. That is not my own opinion. I was recently talking to a friend of yours, who is an expert. His name has slipped my memory for a moment. What I wanted to say was, that there were one or two unwords, only very recent. Have you seen the 10th edition of the Newspeak Dictionary? No, we're still using the 9th edition at Minrec. A few advance copies have been segregated. I have one myself. You might be interested. Yes. There are some plus skillful new developments. Let me give you my address. I'm usually at home in the evenings. If not, my servant will give you the dictionary. "It has happened at last. "The call has come. "It seems that all my life... "I've been waiting for it. " ...is to be named after Sub-lieutenant Ogilvy... hero of the State of Oceania... recently awarded, posthumously, the Order of Conspicuous Gallantry... for his action in the recent glorious victory... over the forces of Eastasia on the Malabar Front, in South India. Half the water's boiled away. What does the clock say? It says 21:00 hours. What time do they cut the light in your flats? At the hostel it's 23:00. What is it? I don't know. A little chunk of history that they've forgotten to alter. Message from 100 years ago. "'Oranges and lemons,' say the bells of St. Clement's. " "'You owe me three farthings,' say the bells of St. Martin's. " Who taught you that? What is it? I don't know. I just know it. You know, the only thing to do... is to walk out of here before it's too late... and never see one another again. Yes. Our luck can't last. You're young... you look normal, you're innocent. You keep clear of people like me, and you might stay alive. What you do, I do. I've thought it out. I'm good at staying alive. When shall we meet again? Not for several weeks. It's not safe. Give me half an hour. I love you. Julia... Do you think the Resistance is real? No. None of it's real. Steamer! Dead overhead! Get down! ...round the clock, plus a 153 sets in eyes top a P.M.A. Willmer. "Oceania is at war with Eastasia. "Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia. "Eurasia is our ally. Eurasia has always been our ally. "Everything fades into mist. "The past is erased, the erasure forgotten. "A lie becomes truth and then becomes a lie again. " What is it? I dreamt... about my mother. What, darling? It was during the wars... before the Party. Winston! I couldn't help myself. I knew what I had done... and I couldn't help myself. When I went back, hours later... my mother and sister were gone. I never saw them again. So it's not just staying alive. It's staying human that's important. What counts... is that we don't betray each other. If you mean confessing, we're bound to do that. Everybody does. You can't help it. I don't mean confessing. Confessing isn't betrayal. I mean feelings. If they can make me change my feelings... they can stop me from loving you. That will be real betrayal. They can't do that. It's the one thing they can't do. They can torture you... and make you say anything. But they can't make you believe it. They can't get inside you. They can't get to your heart. I'm going to see O'Brien. I know. Outer Party Member 53922... Hicks, Minirec, Proletarian Affairs Section. Outer Party Member 22315... Howard, Miniprod, Hospital Section. Outer Party Member 947743... Bolgar, Minitrue, Records Section. Outer Party Member 5739, Brady, Minitrue, Records Section. Outer Party Member 984213... Devereux, Minitrue, Records Section. Outer Party member 9106... Dawes, Minitrue, Porno Section. Outer Party Member 38091... Ware, Minitrue, Porno Section. Outer Party Member 11792... Bigland, Minitrue, News Section. "Items one, comma, five, comma, seven, approved fullwise. Stop. "Suggestion contained item six doubleplus ridiculous verging crimethink... "Cancel, stop. End message. " Outer Party Member 4392... Rosenblum, Miniprod, Light Industry Section. Outer Party Member 66755... Davis, Miniprod, Women's Section. That concludes the list of known agents of Goldstein... actively engaged in the latest conspiracy... Not much of this gets to the Outer Party, I'm afraid. To our leader. ...that our eternal allies in Eurasia are turning against us. More nests of conspirators and saboteurs have been uncovered... and further arrests are expected shortly. You can... Yes. We are allowed that privilege. Some more of this? It's called wine. There are thoughtcriminals who maintain the Resistance is not real. Believe me, Winston... it is very real. Perhaps you are not familiar with how it operates. I'm attentive to the news. Indeed. Perhaps you imagine a huge network of conspirators... prepared to commit any atrocity to demoralize... and weaken the order of our society. The reality is infinitely more subtle. If Goldstein himself... fell into the hands of the Thought Police, he could not give them a list of his agents. Such a list does not exist. They're not an organization in the sense we know. Nothing holds it together but an idea. There is no possibility of change in their lifetime. In the face of the Thought Police... they cannot act collectively. Individually, they cheat... forge, blackmail, corrupt children... spread disease and prostitution... in the name of spreading knowledge from generation to generation. Until... in a thousand years... You may find this of interest. Thank you. ...address a rally in Victory Square at 21.:30 hours. That is the end of the announcement. Goodbye, brother. They have attacked an unarmed village with rocket bombs... and murdered 4,000 defenseless, innocent... and peaceful citizens of Oceania. This is no longer war. This is cold-blooded murder. Until now, the war has been conducted with honor... and bravery... with the ideals of truth and justice, in the best traditions of mankind... until this moment. Brothers and sisters... the endless catalogue of bestial atrocities... which will inevitably ensue from this appalling act... must, can, and will be terminated. The forces of darkness and treasonable maggots... who collaborate with them, must, can, and will... be wiped from the face of the earth. We must crush them. We must smash them. We must stamp them out. We, the people of Oceania... ...will not rest until a final victory has been achieved. Death to the eternal enemy of Oceania. Death! Brothers and sisters... one week from now... in this very square... we shall, as a demonstration of our resolve... as a sure sign to those who attempt to threaten... our Party and our State... we shall execute publicly... the same number of Eastasian prisoners... by hanging, drawing and quartering. Big, Big, Big... "In accordance to the principles of Doublethink... "it does not matter if the war is not real... "or when it is, that victory is not possible. "The war is not meant to be won. It is meant to be continuous. "The essential act of modern warfare... "is the destruction of the produce of human labor. "A hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. "In principle, the war effort is always planned... "to keep society on the brink of starvation. "The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects. "And its object is not victory over Eurasia or Eastasia... "but to keep the very structure of society intact. " Julia? Are you awake? There is truth, and there is untruth. To be in a minority of one doesn't make you mad. Julia, my love... I understand how. I don't understand why. I'm hungry. Let's make some more coffee. The water's cold. There's no oil in it. That's strange. I thought it was full. They say that time heals all things They say you can always forget But the smiles and the tears across the years they twist my heartstrings yet. She's beautiful. She's a meter across the hips. Easily. It's her style of beauty. The future is hers. We are the dead. We are the dead. You are the dead. Remain exactly where you are. Make no move until you are ordered. Now they can see us. Now we can see you. Clasp your hands behind your heads. Stand out in the middle of the room. Stand back-to-back. Do not touch one another. The house is surrounded. The house is surrounded. I suppose we may as well say goodbye. You may as well say goodbye. While we're on the subject... "Here comes a candle to light you to bed. "Here comes a chopper to chop off your head. " Pick that up. Thought Police. Parsons. Keep away from me, Smith. I'm an agent of Goldstein. I didn't know it myself. Thoughtcrime is so insidious. It just creeps up on you. My daughter found it out. Very proud of her. Very grateful I've been discovered before it's too late. They won't shoot me, will they, Smith? I know I could be very useful in a labor camp. Room 101. No. Please, you don't have to take me there. Why? There's nothing I won't confess. Nothing. I've told you everything already. What is it you want me to know? Take him instead of me. He's the thoughtcriminal. It's him you want. They got you, too. They got me a long time ago. You knew this would happen, Winston. Don't deceive yourself. You've always known it. The photos of you and the girl will be recycled for proletarian use. Do you know where you are, Winston? I don't know. I can guess. In the Ministry of Love. Do you know how long you've been here? No. Weeks? Months? Do you know why you're here? Shall I tell you why we brought you here? To cure you. To make you sane. That was 40. You can see that the numbers on this dial run up to 100. Will you please remember that, during our conversation? I have it in my power to inflict pain on you at any time... and in whatever degree I choose. You know perfectly well what is the matter with you, Winston. You've known it for years, though you've fought against the knowledge. You are mentally deranged. You suffer from a defective memory. You never tried to cure yourself of it, because you did not choose to. It was a small effort of will, which you were not ready to make. For example... which power is Oceania at war with? Eastasia. Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Eastasia. Good. And Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia, has it not? Tell me what you think you remember. I remember... that until only a week before I was arrested... we weren't at war with Eastasia at all. It was Eurasia. That lasted four years, I think. Another example. A serious delusion. Photographs about which you've had hallucinations... which you believed you held in your hand. They never existed. Say what you were about to say, Winston. They exist... in memory. I remember. You remember. I do not remember. Only the disciplined mind can see reality, Winston. It needs an act of self-destruction... an effort of the will. Do you remember writing in your diary: "Freedom is the freedom to say two plus two equals four"? Yes. How many fingers am I holding up? Four. And if the Party says there are not four, but five, then how many? Five. No. That's no use. You're lying. How many fingers, please? Four. What else could I say? Five, or anything you like. Will you please stop it? Stop the pain. How can I help it? How can I help what I see in front of my eyes? Two and two makes four. Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five, sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. Neither the past, nor the present, nor the future... exists in its own right. Reality is in the human mind... not in the individual mind... which makes mistakes and soon perishes... but in the mind of the Party... which is collective and immortal. -Again. -No. How many fingers, Winston? Four. Four, I suppose there are four. I tried to see five. I wish I could. Which do you wish? To persuade me that you can see five, or really to see them? Really to see them. Again. How many, Winston? I don't know. Better. No one escapes, Winston. There are no martyrs here. All the confessions made here are true. We do not destroy the heretic because he resists us. As long as he resists us, we never destroy him. We make him one of ourselves before we kill him. We make his brain perfect before we blow it out. And then... when there is nothing left but sorrow and love of Big Brother... we shall lift you clean out of history. We shall turn you into gas and pour you into the stratosphere. Nothing will remain of you. Not a name in a register. Not a memory in a living brain. You will be annihilated in the past, as well as in the future. Three thousand. This time it won't hurt you. Before we bring this session to an end... I want you to ask me your questions. I want you to clear your mind. Julia. She betrayed you, Winston... immediately, unreservedly. All her rebellion, deceit, folly, dirty-mindedness... has been turned out of her. Does Big Brother exist? Of course. The same way as me? You do not exist. You've not asked me the question that is uppermost in your mind. You know what is in Room 101. Everyone knows what's in Room 101. Now... fix your eyes on mine. What country is Oceania at war with? I don't remember. Oceania is at war with Eastasia. Do you remember that now? Yes. How many fingers am I holding up? Five. You see, at least, that it is possible. You've understood the reality of the past... and of the present. Now for the future. A question: "How does one man assert power over another?" By making him suffer. Exactly. Obedience is not enough. Power is inflicting pain and humiliation. Otherwise, you cannot be sure. Power is tearing human minds apart... and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Power is not a means, it is an end. In our world, there will only be triumph and self-abasement. Everything else, we shall destroy. The past is forbidden. Why? Because when we can cut man from his own past... then we can cut him from his family, his children, other men. There is no loyalty, except loyalty to the Party. There is no love, except love of Big Brother. All competing pleasures, we will destroy. If you want a vision of the future, imagine... a boot stamping on a human face forever. You are thinking that my face is old and tired... that while I talk of power... I'm unable to prevent the decay of my own body. But the individual is only a cell. And the weariness of the cell is the vigor of the organism. -You'll fail. -Why? It's impossible. Hatred, the fear of life. Why is hate less vital than love? I don't know. But somehow you'll fail. Something will defeat you. Life will defeat you. We control life at all levels. We create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable. Or perhaps you've returned to your old idea that the proletarians will arise. Put it out of your mind. They are helpless animals. Humanity is the body. I don't care. In the end, they'll beat you. Sooner or later, they'll tear you to pieces. On what evidence? Goldstein's book. I wrote it. Or, at least, I collaborated in writing it. No book is individually produced, as you know. I just believe it. I know you'll fail. Something in this world... some spirit you will never overcome... What is it, this principle? I don't know. The spirit of man. And do you consider yourself a man? Yes. If you are a man, you're the last man. Your kind is extinct. We are the inheritors. Do you understand that you are alone? You are outside history. You unexist. Get up. Come here. Look at you. You're rotting away. That is the last man. If you are human, that is humanity. It will not last forever. You can escape from it whenever you choose. Everything depends on you. You did it. You reduced me to this. No, Winston. You reduced yourself to it. When will you shoot me? Might take a long time. But don't give up hope. Everyone is cured sooner or later. And in the end... we shall shoot you. The law of gravity is nonsense. No such law exists. If I think I float... and you think I float... then it happens. I love you. You have the strength, Winston. You have the whole Party. You are the Party. You're one of us, one of the chosen. I love you. I love you, too. Julia, my love. Get up. Stand up straighter. Look me in the face. Tell me, Winston, and remember, no lies. What are your true feelings towards Big Brother? -I hate him. -You must love him. It's not enough to obey him. You must love him. Room 101. You asked me once, Winston, what was in Room 101. I told you that you knew, already. Everyone knows. The thing that is in Room 101... is the worst thing in the world. It goes beyond fear of pain or death. It is unendurable, and it varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive or castration... or many other things. In your case, it is rats. No. Please. What do you want me to do? You will do what is required of you. What? What is it? How can I do it if I don't know what it is? In the proletarian areas, they will attack a baby... and within five minutes, strip it to the bone. They also attack the sick and dying. They show astonishing intelligence in knowing when a human being is helpless. Please. The mask fits over your head, leaving no exit. I press the first lever... and the rats move into the front compartment. I press the second, and the door of the cage will slide up. These starving brutes will shoot at you like bullets. Have you ever seen a rat leap through the air? They will leap onto your face and bore straight into it. Sometimes they attack the eyes first. Sometimes they burrow through the cheeks and devour the tongue. Tell me. What do you want? No, please. I love you. Do it to her! Do it to Julia! I don't care what you do to her, but do it to her! Tear her my face off! Do it to Julia, not to me! Do it to Julia! Not me! A vast military buildup has been reported in the Sahara Desert... in Sectors 17 and 18 of the war zones. That is the end of the announcement. Brother. On the house. Thank you for coming. You are warned to stand by for an important announcement at 15.:30. This is news of the gravest national consequence... concerning the war with Eurasia. Are you worried about the African front? The news is disquieting in the extreme. I've been worrying about it all day. It's not just a question of losing Africa. For the first time, the territory of Oceania itself is threatened by invasion. It's inconceivable. It must have been possible to outflank them in some way. I have an instinct. There's bad news on the way. I told them all about you. I'm only thankful they got me before it was too late. Yes, I told them about you, too. Thoughtcrime... sexcrime, all your treachery. I have a meeting to go to. We must meet again. Yes. We must meet again. I accuse myself of the following crimes.: I have seduced Party members of both sexes... I've been to the proletarian areas... I deliberately contracted syphilis in order to spread the disease... to my wife and other Party members. Together with other agents, I have counterfeited banknotes... wrecked industrial machinery, polluted the water supply... guided Eurasian rocket bombs to targets on Airstrip One... by means of coded radio signals. I stand here, a victim of the influence of Emmanuel Goldstein. Guilty on all counts. I'm glad I was caught. I was mentally deranged. Now I am cured. I ask only for you to accept my love of our leader. I ask only to be shot while my mind is still clean. A glorious victory! A vast, strategic maneuver to outflank... the Eurasian Forces on the African front has been successful. Perfectly coordinated, it has resulted in the utter rout of the Eurasian Army. There have been nearly a million prisoners. It has been an utter rout. Waiter? This immense victory brings the war within measurable distance of its end. Wonderful news. I love you. |
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