WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

[Mr. Willhoit]

How could the oxymorons WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH make sense in the type of society being
described? Explain reasoning behind each statement.

[Sammi D]

When war does occur the result would hopefully be peace. In
this book they fight and rebel against what is really out in the world
it seems and by doing this, they live in their own world peacefully.
We fight in wars to have a peace with that other country. In a way it
seems that the only true way to acquire a peaceful life is to be a
part of a war.
To be free they have to abide by certain rules set by those
who are of higher class than they are. Winston abides by Big Brother
laws, as does his neighbors and his coworkers. Even though he is free
he still is watched and can not do things that would be allowed if you
were a completely free person. None of us are really free because we
all have to answer to someone, whether it be a boss, manager, or even
parents, they are always setting rules for us to abide by. To be a
free person you have got to have some rules that would create the
setting of a slave.
Not knowing what is going on can make you become a stronger
person. Winston does not understand why everything that is happening
happens. He begins to try to look into it and becomes a stronger
person, not caring what happens to him as long as he can figure out an
answer. Sometimes if a person does not know something they are better
off and they are a better person without that knowledge.

-Sammi

[Tecya Peterson]

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH is used
many times throughout the first two chapters. At first, I was really
confused about his oxymoron. Then I read on and realized that the
society that they live in is not the typical society. It reminds me
of the society in Germany during WWII or communism. This statement is
all over the telescreens and are being brainwashed into the public's
mind. The Big Brother Party wants this so that they can control all
the people in the state and have power.
I did not really get the image that Sammi got from the first couple
chapters. I thought of repeating this quote the government is acting
like the general people are like robots. This oxymoron is being
repeated over and over again to show who has power and dominance in
that society and who the "guinea pigs" are.

[Julie Champagne]

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY ANSD IGNORANCE IS STRENGHT makes
sense in the book 1984 because people live in a society completely
controlled by a group of people called "The Party" and they are
watched in every single moment of their lives.

I did not really get the part about war is peace so I can't really
tell my opinion...

People live in a slavery society where they can not do all what they
would do if they were alone or a completely free person. I agree with
Sammi about the freedom is slavery because even in OUR world we have
some responsibility and we are also controlled by some superior
authority like bosses or parents sometimes.

What about the ignorance is strength, it completely make sense in the
book because they do not know what is going on at all and they can not
find out about Ministeries because they are guards everywhere and it
is impossible to get in. In the contrary of sammi, I think that it is
not a choice to not know but the society they live in just forbid them
to know because if they do the control that the Party have over them
would be over and there probably would be a rebellion or something
like that.

[Kimmy Monkemeyer]

I would hope that the desired result of WAR is PEACE. If we're not
fighting for peace, what are we fighting for? Like for example right
now the war in Iraq, are we fighting for peace or are we fighting
because we want to destroy it? There can be no peace without war.

FREEDOM is SLAVERY, is understandable, because we all live by this,
not just the characters in the book, but us as well. They say that
America is the land of the free, is it? Sure we are free, but only to
a certain extent. We still have authority figures that boss us around
and think we should obey every thing they say even if we do not agree
with them. If you want to be free, you must be a slave to the
government, teachers, parents, etc.

IGNORANCE is STRENGTH; what makes someone strong? Is it passion,
devotion, or desire. The saying, ignorance is bliss, comes to mind
when I hear this. Why? I was confused at first, but then I realized
that when there is a lot going on, no matter what it is, if I am
totally and completely oblivious to everything around me, it makes it
a whole lot easier on me. I feel sort of happy-go-lucky. For me, this
gives me strength, in a way that gives me assurance that I will figure
everything out and it will all work out for the best, hopefully.

[Brittany Walker]

WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, and IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH is used
numerous times throughout Chapter One. I agere with Tecya about this
type of setting being a communistic part of the world where the
government controls everything that people do. They act as robots and
they do not really get a say in what they do. If they do think
something, the "Thought Police" get them in the night. They basically
live in fear. So by saying that War is Peace, it is saying that they
are willing to fight because it feels calming to them. By saying that
"freedom is slavery," it kind of gives that society no hope because
obviously their views are against having your own opinions on
everything. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH is talking about how if they do not
know or understand the thinsg of the past, that it will make them a
stronger person. If they do not know, they will not ask questions and
move forward and become a stronger community.

-Brittany

On Feb 6, 6:07 pm, "Mr. Willhoit" <NickSWillh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Stu Warpinski]

After hearing these three oxymorons, I thought of the phrase "Arbeit
Macht Frei." In German, means "Work Makes You Free", and these words
were placed above the gates to German concentration camps during world
war II. I think that this phrase relates to 1984 because it was a form
of propaganda like the three oxymorons from 1984. As jews were led in
to the camps, they believed they would be working for a while, then
freed, so they worked with the belief that they would be freed.
Similarily, freedom is slavery is very much the same. People in 1984
are brainwashed to believe that through hard work, or slavery, they
will gain freedom. This is partially true because working hard can
only get you ahead in life, but in 1984 people do not have the
potential to be whatever or whoever they want to be.
War is peace is a good form of propaganda used by the Big Brother
because is keeps all the people of Oceania united against the enemies
of Oceania. Big Brother uses this oxymoron to keep the people together
and united.
Ignorance is strength fits very well because the government keeps the
people dumb so they will not overpower the government. Using this
phrase, Big Brother keeps people thinking its okay to be dumb and
ignorant.

[Courtney Anderson]

I agree with Kim for the most part. I agree with what she said about
"If war is not fighting for peace, what are we fighting for?" I also
agree with what she said about freedom is slavery. I don't agree with
what she said about ignorance is strength though. I don't agree with
this statement at all. Ignorance is NOT strength. I want to know my
surroundings, the people who do not want to know there surroundings
are obviously hiding from something. Yes, your life will be easier or
seem easier but you're just a fool. You will not figure anything out.
I think you will fail at life. You will always be trying to play catch
up with the world if you are ignorant.

On Feb 6, 6:07 pm, "Mr. Willhoit" <NickSWillh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[ivoge...@abv.bg]

I agree with Kim and Courtney about the war and the slavery part.
Fighting a war is fighting for peace and thats always been that way.
Slavery is not just about African Americans and a long time ago. We
are still getting controlled by one person or another no matter who it
is. The government controls us, like Kim said your boss can control
you, parents, teachers anyone but that's how the world works. I fully
agree with Courtney that ignorance is not strength.I would always want
to know what is going on and to be aware of a situation than living
without knowing. Ignorance to me is a weakness and not a strength.

[Caytee Becker]

WAR IS PEACE
The result of WAR is PEACE.
I do not know how else to explain this. But through every fight,
battle, or war, each is resolved. It does not always have to be nice,
but it ends up with some kind or agreement.

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
FREEDOM can be accomplished, but behind every accomplishment is a
struggle. FREEDOM was used from SLAVERY. Slaves became free. Not
only slaves but also rights, such as you freedom of speech or
assembly.

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Being able not to listen to someone or something, is considered
strength. For example, a bully told me to eat dirt, and I do not
listen to him. I became stronger because I did not make an idiotic
decision. But this is not always true for other examples.

On Feb 6, 6:07 pm, "Mr. Willhoit" <NickSWillh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Katy Lynn]

These oxymorons would make sense in this type of a society because
in the book they talk about how they were at war with eurasia and the
war had been going on for several years and everyonr knew about it, so
if they were to tell them that there was no longer any war there would
be complete chaios! so the ministry of truth just dcides to hide
these thing from them and making oceana a peaceful place.
Then we have the saying freedom is slavery. To me this would mean
that the people of oceana are in a way free but only if they obide by
the rules, in fact there really not free at all the just dont know any
better. They have been brain washed to beleive that the way they are
livng their lives is freedom and if they begin to think in any other
way they were to be vaporised. so in all relality they really just
like little slaves going through life with no real recolection of what
freedom really is.
Last of all we have ignorance is strength. This oxymoron kind of
bothers me in a way, but i guess in their society it would work. All
of the people in Oceana are totally obllivious to what the real work
actually is. They all think that the way they lives is the normal way
to do so. This giving them the strangth to live in a place like that!
If they have no idea about what really happend in the world then they
are said to be ignorant to it which gives them strength to in their
world bacause its the ones that are able to thil for themselves that
are vaporised.

Katy Lynn

On Feb 6, 6:07 pm, "Mr. Willhoit" <NickSWillh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[ryans...@yahoo.com]

I think that in the sense of having war to create a more peacful
living or a style of living that suites the ways and ideas that there
has to be war or some kind of fight for what you believe in. When you
talk about war there are many ways you can look at it and i think that
in this book it also talks about the war of control and keeping
peoples minds under control as well.

Which is why i think that the statement " FREEDOM IS SLAVERY" means
that when you are free to think about whatever you want then you
become a slave to your own thoughts and ideas and they will eventually
consume your life and trap you in what you think is good and bad.

Finally i think that the oxymoron that says IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH is a
direct outcome of the control of the brain because in the society when
you can be killed for thinking a certain thing it is a good thing to
be unaware of certain situations, this way you dont have to watch
yourself and constantly be thinking about your expressions and what
you do.

On Feb 6, 6:07 pm, "Mr. Willhoit" <NickSWillh...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Gustavo Gaspari]

Yes.It makes sense because they dont have freedom they live in a placa
that they cant show them beliefs and say something agaisnt the party,
and the party has all the power in the oceania, they control
everyone.Who do something or say something against the party is gonna
be in trouble.