The slogan “Uneducation is Power” captures how the Party remains in control by keeping the masses ignorant. In Goldstein’s book, the Party accomplishes this by being perpetually at war, eliminating contact with foreigners, and fabricating the past.
The three superstates are always at war with one another to ensure that the general population does not become more educated. On page 191, Goldstein states, “The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labor. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking into the depths of the sea, materials which might make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent.” If the war effort did not eat up any excess resources the uneducated population “would become literate and would learn to think for themselves...they would sooner or later realize that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away,” (190). Because the citizens of Oceania are incapable of thinking for themselves, they rely on the Party to do what is in their …show more content…
In order for this technique to be successful, citizens of Oceania must be kept from interacting with anyone from Eastasia or Eurasia. Therefore, a citizen “is forbidden the knowledge of foreign languages,” (196). If a citizen were permitted to communicate with foreigners “he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies...and the fear, hatred, and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate,” (196). The Party uses hatred and fear to fuel the citizens’ sense of blind patriotism. If these emotions towards foreigners were to disappear, then the Party’s main method of control would be gone as
The three superstates are always at war with one another to ensure that the general population does not become more educated. On page 191, Goldstein states, “The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labor. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking into the depths of the sea, materials which might make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent.” If the war effort did not eat up any excess resources the uneducated population “would become literate and would learn to think for themselves...they would sooner or later realize that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away,” (190). Because the citizens of Oceania are incapable of thinking for themselves, they rely on the Party to do what is in their …show more content…
In order for this technique to be successful, citizens of Oceania must be kept from interacting with anyone from Eastasia or Eurasia. Therefore, a citizen “is forbidden the knowledge of foreign languages,” (196). If a citizen were permitted to communicate with foreigners “he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies...and the fear, hatred, and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate,” (196). The Party uses hatred and fear to fuel the citizens’ sense of blind patriotism. If these emotions towards foreigners were to disappear, then the Party’s main method of control would be gone as