Who controls the past . . .

[Mr. Willhoit]

Explain the party slogan, "Who controls the past controls the future;
who controls the present controls the past." Also, infer what the
world would be like if America was not in control of the present.

[Kimmy Monkemeyer]

The phrase "who controls the past, controls the future; who controls
the present controls the past" can be taken in differently by
different people, however this expression to me means that the actions
taken by leaders and citizens of our past, have a certain power over
what happens in the future. In 1984 Big Brother can foretell the
future, this also lends understanding to the first part of this
phrase.
However, what happens if Big Brother foretells in future incorrectly?
That is simple, the Ministry of Truth will go back and rewrite
history, so that Big Brother will be right. This is where the second
line comes in, "who controls the present, controls the past".
If America was not in control of the present right now, we would be in
utter chaos. Who are we kidding, we are in chaos right now and we are
in control, although it may seem like the citizens have no say
whatsoever with what happens to the nation we inhabit. If America were
to hand over it's power to any other nation, right now at this very
second, we would be vaporized, just like in 1984.

[Tecya Peterson]

"Who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present,
controls the past." In 1984, the Big Brother is in control of
everything, peoples' thoughts, actions, and even their death. Big
Brother is definitely controlling the present. Since they have
control of that they control the past by erasing all documents showing
evidence of a persons' life or events like wars that happened back
then. They brainwash all of the public to believe what they were
saying about the past even if it was not true. Since they control the
past they can control the future. They can manipulate the publics
mind about what happened in the past so that they can convince the
public whether or not they want to do it in the future. For an
example, if America was lying to the public about that we never sent
the atomic bombs then they could send off the bombs in the future and
the public would have no idea what the outcome was going to be.
America has had a big part of controlling the past, present, and
future. Since the white men have been victorious throughout history,
they are the ones who write history and everyone learns from their
written experiences. America controls the present since we are one of
the top country in the world. By being so influential whatever
actions we take in the present will determine how the future will be.

[Courtney Anderson]

I agree with what Tecya had to say bout this topic. I liked how she
stated about Big Brother erasing the past and putting down the present
so it looked like they knew what will happen all along. I also agree
with what she said about America being number one and the most
influential to the world. Also i think people learn form their
mistakes for example the civil war, America learned to have everyone
be equal. Yes it took some time but in the end it, it better now.

[Stu Warpinski]

What it means basically, is that whoever controls the present controls
the past and future. Because big brother is in control at the present
time, big brother can therefore control the future and past as well.
They can control the future fairly easily by controlling production
and other aspects of society, and they can control the past be
changing it in books and other historical information. Because they
have control of the past, they have more control in the present
because they can make it appear as though they have always been in
power and always will be. Likewise, because they control the present

they can control the future.

If America was not in control of the present, we could not control the
future. The past cannot be controlled because in today's world it
would be impossible.

[Sammi D]

I like how Stuart explained this phrase. I would say about the same
thing. Since the Ministry of Truth can forge the past and make it the
way they would like it to go they do control the past and the future.
They will create a speech or an article that will be presented in the
future whether or not it is the truth. Just like Winston created
Comrade Ogilvy, he was creating a hero of the past but the speech
about him would be used in the future. Oceana can make their
community into whatever they would like it to be because they control
everything that goes on around them. If they do not like how
something turned out and wished they had a part in it, they can easily
go in and change the records to their liking.