Power in 1984
What defines power?
In the last few chapters of 1984 we learn more about The Party and its motivations, the biggest being power. The Party defines power as control, the ability to do anything they want, and the respect of every single person in “the world” (Oceania). To them, power isn’t power unless it is over everything. As O’Brien puts it, this is the type of power that people like Hitler were trying to achieve, but they failed to achieve it because they retained some amount of humanness that “held them back”. I think our current world values power, but also values balance, so O’Brien would argue we don’t truly want power at all, because “power” can only be defined as total control. The reason Winston, Julia, and other thought criminals put this society at risk is because they fight for some small amount of power for themselves. Julia seeks power over her own life, the kind of power that we tend to define as “freedom”. The freedom to say what we want, believe what we want, spend time with who we want, and ultimately get to choose what our lives look like (to a certain extent). While Winston is also seeking power, I think he is looking for a different kind of power. He wants power over his mind, his thoughts, and his memories. By continuing to believe things that the party tells him are false, he feels powerful because he knows that he is taking away some of their power. He seeks the feeling of power, while Julia wants the freedom of power.
What kind of power do you personally think you value the most? Are the other examples of characters in 1984 who see power differently?
That is a very interesting way to see this. I like the idea of freedom of power, but perhaps that's because there isn't quite as much thought control in my life as there is in Winston's so perhaps I take that kind of power for granted.
ReplyDeletePersonally I hold my privacy closest to me. I don't really care if other aspects of my life are controlled one way or the other, I just value the time I have alone/away from others' eyes the most.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ms. Moffitt that I would prefer the freedom of power. I don't seek power or trying to have power over other people, but I would like to have the power to do what I think is best and what I want to do.
ReplyDeleteI think power in itself is something everyone wants, whether morally power to believe/ be comfortable with yourself is something you aspire to have, everyone wants the influence and power over others. i think theres something innate about wanting to control your environment, including those who influence it.
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting. One thing that I question is whether anyone in this book is actually ok with their society and what I think is that the inner party members are the only people who could be considered happy. I think the inner party members are happier because they have more power, they have power over the other people in society which no one else in the book does. This power probably gives them a better sense of purpose and therefore they are content.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good point. Everyone else lives in fear and squalor. Power is the currency here.
DeleteI think we all struggle with control in our everyday lives, and wish we could control more of it. At the same time however, thats sort of how life is. I think gaining too much power is unnatural to the human experience.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting way of categorizing the different character's goals. I think that I value the freedom of power most. It seems like in order to have this power you'd have to have some power over your mind and thoughts (maybe not memories), since you have to be able to control your mind enough to make decisions that aren't perfectly aligned with what the party would want you to do.
ReplyDeleteThis is the part of 1984 that alienates it from anything I could expect to occur in real life. Very, very few people, as I understand it, are so singularly focused on power that they form a huge, oppressive society that contains so many structures directly contradictory to human nature (artificially undermining social connections like the family, for instance).
ReplyDeletethis is jake ;_;
DeleteThe feeling of power is an important idea--no one has identities, really, under Oceania's regime. Interests and passions are crushed, things of the past. Everyone lives and breathes to serve the Party. While Winston's desire for truth may seem trivial in comparison to Julia's desire to live and act freely, finding his own identity is almost a more pure act of rebellion.
ReplyDeleteI'm not as sure that I would need to have the freedom of power. I mean it would be nice to have control over what you do and that sort of thing but I wouldn't want it in exchange for knowing that you have your own thoughts and that no one else has control of your mind.
ReplyDeleteI definitely value having power over my own life the most, and I think freedom in general is really important to most if not everyone. I think I value it a lot more than I once did, since covid basically came along and took that power away from a lot of people.
ReplyDelete