Part I

War is Peace:

1. Is the U.S currently at war? If so, with whom? Are there any local indications that we are at war?

- Yes the US is currently at war with Iran and some countries in the middle east.

2. Do we fight war to create peace? Or for other reasons?

- We fight to create peace and for our democracy

3. Does having an enemy abroad unify people at home? Does this make them easier to govern?

4. Who benefits from war? Who suffers?

5. Could an imaginary war have political benefits?

Freedom is Slavery:

1. What is freedom? Is it the ability to do anything you want to do? Does that mean no laws and no police? Does it

mean no rules and no parents? Is it being able to make choices about some important things but not others? Can

freedom be limited?

2. What is slavery? Is it being owned by someone? Is it having no rights? Is it having no choices, doing only what

you are told to do? Is it working 80 hours a week for minimum wage?

3. Can political rhetoric or advertising persuade people to do something they wouldn't do otherwise? If they are

manipulated to do something voluntarily, is this free choice?

4. Is it sometimes more comfortable to know what the rules are, to be guided by conformity to tradition, and to be

told by an authority what to do?

Ignorance is Strength:
1. What does the following statement mean: "Don't confuse me with the facts, I know what I think"?

2. Is it easier to be certain if you only talk to people who agree with you?

3. "Ignorance" is related to the word "ignore." Is it easier to make decisions if you ignore some of the facts?

March 23, 2017

1. What is a telescreen? How is it different from the televisions we know? Is it possible to make a television that

could see and hear everything in the room? Could such a device be used for discovering criminals and terrorists?

Could it be used for political control? Would it be a good idea to install such a device in every household?

- A telescreen is a device that is used to watch everyone and hear everything what people are saying.

Since our technology is advancing, I think it is possible to do this. Im pretty sure a device similar to

the telescreen can be used to discover terrorists and criminals. Yes it can be used for political control.

I dont feel like it would be a good idea because it is invading privacy, it is a little too much.

2. What are the four government ministries that control the world of Big Brother? In our own society, we have

departments in the federal government, such as the Department of Defense and the Department of Education. Are

these the same as the ministries in Oceania? How are they different?

- The four ministries that control the world of Big Brother are: Ministry of Truth, Peace, Love, and

Plenty. They are a bit alike because they all have their areas where they need to control, both the

ministries and departments take on the same areas. They are different by the way they are guarded,

the ministries have barbed wires and steel walls, there are even guards protecting the ministry

buildings. They also have ironic names.

3. Why does Winston want to keep a diary? Why, even though it is not illegal because there are no laws, could he be

punished by death or 25 years in a labor camp for possessing it?

4. What is the Two-minutes Hate? What effect does it have on the people? Who is Emanuel Goldstein? Why is it

important to hate him?

Discussion Questions Chapters 2-4

Chapter 2

1. Why are parents afraid of their children ?

- The children are part of the junior spies organization

2. We shall meet in a place where there is no darkness

Chapter 3

1. He dreamt about being with his mother on a sinking ship, and the golden country. Tells us he thinks

he is responsible for his mothers disappearance.

2. He could see through the telescreen

Chapter 4

1. He rewrites some of big brothers speeches so that they go along with the history that he promises. He

is good at it and likes it.

Chapter 5

1. What is the purpose of Newspeak? Who will eventually speak it?

- The purpose of Newspeak is to speak in a shorter and simpler language so nobody can speak out

against the government. Everyone will eventually speak it.

2. Who are the thought police?

- Theyre a police force that vaporizes people when they have bad thoughts about the government or

speak out against it.

3. Why does winston think that his colleague, Symes, will be vaporized

- Symes is intelligent, and sees everything clearly. The type of person the government doesnt like.

Chapter 6

1. What kind of marriage does Winston have?

- Winston is in a government approved marriage, that he does not like.

2. Why does he live alone?

- They tried to make a baby and they couldnt so they left.

Chapter 7
 1. The Proles are peasants.The proles are not monitored by the government because the government
believes they are not smart enough to do anything. If the proles were to gather together they could
blow the Party to pieces, they have a lot of power but are unconscious about it.
2. The history isnt wrong, but it is propaganda, time and history is being manipulated by the
government. Winston goes to people who might have been alive during that time but is not told
everything because they did not remember. People are unreliable.
3. .
4. .

Chapter 8
1. He wanted to know how things were like before. He buys a paperweight, he buys it because it was
from the past.
2. .

Part II

Chapter 1
1.Why does Winston have conflicting emotions when he sees the dark-haired girl from the fiction department fall
down?
- He has conflicting emotions because he thought that she was a spy or was going to turn him into the
thought police.
2.Why is Winston stunned when he reads what the girl wrote on the note she gave him?
- He thought it was going to read something else, instead it read I love you
3.Why is it so difficult for Winston to meet the girl?
- There are telescreens watching and he would get killed or imprisoned if he commits adultery
4.In the relationship between Winston and Julia, who seems to be in charge? Why?
- Julia controls the relationship, she told Winston where to meet, therefore she is the brains of the
relationship.
Chapter 2
1. Why does Winston trust Julia?
- He trusts her because she didnt get him arrested.
2. Why is Julia attracted to Winston?
- Julia sees that he is unhappy with the government
3. Whos is Julia? What are her strengths?
- She is a girl with black hair
Chapter 3
1. Why cant Winston and Julia get married?
- Winston is already married and they are committing adultery, they could get killed or go to prison.
They are also just rebelling
2. What kind of job does Julia have?
- Julia works for the anti-sex league, she has spent a good amount of time speaking with and to the
junior anti-sex league
Chapter 4
1. Julia brings coffee, tea, and sugar to the room above the junk shop. But she also has make-up and perfume. Why
is Winston so surprised to see her wearing make-up?
 - Make up is rare to see in Oceania
Chapter 5
1. What happens to Syme?
- He gets vaporized, erased from history
2. Julia thinks that the rocket bombs that hit London everyday are fired by the government of Oceania itself to keep
the people frightened. Does that seem possible?
- I think that Oceania hitting itself delivers a message of fear to the people of Oceania, that says that
the government is not afraid to fire missiles on their own people.
3. When Winston explains that the past is being erased, Julia doesnt care. Is she right?
- No she is not right
Chapter 6
1. Why is the meeting with OBrien important?
- The meeting is important because they want to see if OBrien feels the same way about the
government.
Chapter 7
1.What happened to Winstons mother? What kind of boy was he?
- His mother disappeared, he was a little rat
2.Winston suggests that they should break up before they are found out. Julia says no. Why?
- She wants to be with him, she rather live with him for six more months, maybe even a year.
3.When they are talking about torture, confession, and betrayal, Julia says They can make you say anything
anythingbut they cant make you believe it. They cant get inside you. Do you think that is true?
- Yes I think it is true, only what is said outloud can be controlled but not what is in the inside.
Chapter 8
1.Why is it surprising that OBrien makes reference to Symes?
- OBrien makes a comment about Symes even though he got erased from history.
2.Why do Winston and Julia go together to OBriens house?
- They need to show that as a couple they are both interested in rebelling against the government
3.How is the life of an Inner Party member different from the life of an Outer Party member?
- The life of the Inner Party is more luxurious while the outer party is more in poverty
4.OBrien asks Winston and Julia to agree to do some horrible things. Why do they agree to everything except being
separated?
- Because they would never see each other.

Goldstein's Book

1.How is Goldsteins book organized?

- Into chapters
2.According to Goldstein,
-What is the primary purpose of modern warfare?
> To use machinery products
-Why isnt there much scientific or technical progress?
> It would require thought and creativity which is not allowed in Oceana
-What are the two great aims of the Party?
 > To create reality and make abstract thinking impossible
-What are the three groups that humans have been divided into since before history?
> Low, middle, high
-Do the three huge countries in the world have different political systems?
> They pretty similar
-What are the four ways a ruling group can fall from power?
> It is conquered, masses revolt, loses its way of governing, a new class comes in
-What is the biggest danger to Big Brother?
> The proles
-What is crimestop?
> When people get rid of any unwanted thoughts
3. Does the part of the book that Winston reads answer his question about why?
- It didnt answer his question on why
4. Do Goldsteins ideas make sense? Do you agree with them? Do they apply only to Winstons society, or are they
applicable to our own? Why or why not
- His ideas do make some sense, but they are a bit too extreme and would not be seen in todays society
5. If Oceania is an oligarchy, then it doesnt have a dictator. Who or what is Big Brother?
- Big is the one ruling it

Part III
Chapter 1
As Winston waits in the jail cell in the Ministry of Love, he meets the poet Ampleforth and his neighbor Parsons.
What are they in for?
- Poet Ampleforth and Parsons are in for thoughtcrime. Ampleforth put God at the end of a line in his
poetry, the word God gives them more hope which is against Oceania. Parsons said Down with Big
Brother in his sleep, his 7 year old daughter turned him in.
What is Room 101?
- It seems to be a torturing room
OBrien comes in the cell with a guard. What does Winston say? How does OBrien reply? What does this mean?

Chapter 2
Why does OBrien say that the photograph of Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford, which he just showed to Winston,
didnt exist and that he doesnt remember it?
For the Party, does the past have a real existence?
Why does OBrien want Winston to say that there are five fingers when he is only holding up four? Why isnt he
satisfied when Winston finally says five? What lesson is OBrien trying to teach Winston?
Winston wonders why they are torturing him if they are just going to kill him anyway. What is OBriens answer?
What, according to OBrien, is the purpose of the Party?
Chapter 3

1. Winstons torture and interrogation have several stages. What techniques are used in each stage?

1. According to OBrien, who actually wrote The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism? What
does this mean, if true?

1. OBrien teaches that there is no world outside of the human mind, so that the Party can control reality in the
same way that he can make Winston see five fingers when there are only four.This is Believing is seeing
rather than Seeing is believing, as we would normally say. Is it possible to so thoroughly brainwash
someone that he or she will see things that are not there?

1. OBrien says that Winston should imagine a future in which a boot is stamping on a human face forever.
Winston tries to argue that such a vision would fail. Who do you think is right?

Chapter 4

1. Winston thinks he is making progress. He is learning to practice crimestop. What is he learning? What is he
hoping for?

1. Winston has a setback. In a daydream, he cries out. What does he say? What happens to him?

Chapter 5

1. What is waiting for Winston in Room 101? What does it make him do?

Chapter 6

1. Winston meets Julia. What happens?

1. What finally causes Winston to think he loves Big Brother?