Book 2 Chapter 3 - Extensions of the Thought Police

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Book 2 Chapter 3 - Extensions of the Thought Police

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"The sex impulse was dangerous to the Party, and the Party had turned it to account. They had played a similar trick with the instinct of parenthood. The family could not actually be abolished, and, indeed, people were encouraged to be fond of their children, in almost the old-fashioned way. The children, on the other hand, were systematically turned against their parents and taught to spy on them and report their deviations. The family had become in effect an extension of the Thought Police. It was a device by means of which everyone could be surrounded night and day by informers who knew him intimately." (page 111)

     Julia and Winston have a discussion prior to this passage about the "connection between chastity and political orthodoxy." This leads Winston to think about the ways the Party controlled its citizens through their sexual impulse and their own children. Turning something that is potentially dangerous into a method of surveillance is a very smart thing for Big Brother to do. Families could not be destroyed or banned from their society because it is a essential part of the government. These families make up their party members and overall population. They are brought up to admire and almost protect Big Brother, even if that means betraying their own family members. Both parents are forced to make the decision of whether or not it is worth it to have a child. Many desire to one day have children but in this case, doing so could ultimately lead to their demise. They can choose to give up on having children or have a child and watch the government turn them against them. It would be unlike the telescreens. With the telescreens, there are certain ways to avoid them and trick the system but with the children of the party, it would be harder to escape the extra pair of eyes. If the Party chose to not influence future children, this would be a problem for them. These children could grow up to disobey the Party laws and create a rebellion. They would also risk lying to Big Brother in order to protect their own families.

Comments

  1. Abdu MalikovNovember 8, 2017 at 9:40 PM

    First of all, I have to admit that you have great vocabulary and grammar. You writing is sophisticated/professional and simultaneously simple. Please recommend me to all your former English teachers :) But anyways, I agree with what you thought about the passage. In all honesty I remember how disturbed I was when I was reading this passage. It just seemed cliche to me, very predictable and unsatisfying. But yeah, once again you are right. Perfect description of the Parties system, intentions, how it operates, and its pros/cons.

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  2. Joceline PerezDecember 7, 2017 at 5:03 PM

    I'm honestly dying of laughter at Abdu's request to recommend him your English teachers. On another note, I think it's important to talk about what sex represents in this book and in this society. It brings up an interesting conversation, and you did a good job of addressing what that conversation was between Julia and Winston was.

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  3. EmendozaMIddleCollegeDecember 10, 2017 at 3:24 PM

    I can agree with you Angelina. It is important to have families because with no family there is no government. They have no one to control. The people are what makes the government. I also like what you said about how partners would think about having children because they didn't want their own children turning on them.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownDecember 11, 2017 at 3:11 AM

    I think you do a great job at explaining your family quote because it takes a team to build a government with certain connections and tolerance for a person can not be described by anything else besides family.

    ReplyDelete

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