The Alchemist Blog 3

Fatima is a girl that Santiago meets at a well at the Oasis. Originally, she seems uninterested. She somewhat dismisses everything that Santiago says. It seems like she doesn't want to be rude to Santiago. Santiago tells Fatima that he loves her, and she doesn't seem too excited, but she is startled by the news because she drops the water jug. Santiago tells her that the war is a blessing in disguise because he has met Fatima. She automatically looks for a reason to convince him otherwise. She says that "the war is going to end someday", as if the only reason he loves her is because of the war.

The Alchemist Blog 2

"You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just want to dream about Mecca. I've already imagined a thousand times crossing the desert, arriving at the Plaza of the Sacred Stone, the seven times I walk around it before allowing myself to touch it. I've already imagined the people who would be at my side, and those in front me, and the conversations and prayers we would share. But I'm afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it" (Coelho 55).

The crystal store owner tells Santiago that he doesn't really want to pursue his dreams, but that he is perfectly happy just dreaming about them. This illustrates the point that not everyone's life goals are the same. Whatever makes a person happy should be what they decide to do. If Santiago feels like something in his life is missing and that searching for the treasure is his only way to improve his life, then he should go for it. Melchizedek had said, "never stop dreaming" (62). He never said that people must follow their dreams. Just because "life wants you to achieve your Personal Legend" (52), that doesn't mean that one must achieve one's Personal Legend to be happy.

The Alchemist Blog 1

"It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie" (Coelho 18).

The old man is telling Santiago that no matter what may happen to him in life, he will always be able to make his own choices. I believe this to hold true in my life as well. I strongly disagree with the idea that everyone has a destiny. It's partially because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my own life. Coincidence should never be confused with providence. Although, many people who believe in God believe that their lives are controlled by Him specifically. However, because I'm an atheist, it doesn't make sense for me to believe in this ideal. I can't grasp a concept of a higher being controlling my life when I don't believe in a higher being altogether. This quote may not be related to God or faith in general, but it may be a warning to make sure that one's dreams are followed instead of not being followed because it's believed that one is not in control of his or her life.

Othello Essay: Iago Greatest Villain

Peter Sanfacon

Mr. George

World Lit Honors

2 December 2010

Iago: Evil Personified

            William Shakespeare has always been known for creating notable characters, who through sheer will and perseverance greatly affect the structure of their respective story worlds; Iago is no exception. He is widely considered to be one of the most prolific villains in all of Shakespeare. This is no mistake. Not only is Iago one of the greatest villains of Shakespeare, he is also one of the most clever. If Iago had used his incredible abilities for good, he would most likely be considered one of the greatest heroes in all of Shakespeare, instead of the greatest villain. However, this is not the path he choses. Iago’s motives are vague throughout the play and seem to change frequently, but his demeanor and goals never alter. This brings about a very important question: is Iago considered the greatest villain solely because of what he did to the characters of Othello, or because he is pure evil and continues to exact revenge just for the pleasure? However, this is not the only thing that makes him villainous. Iago is considered to be one of the greatest Shakespearean villains because he uses his incredible logic to deceive many characters in the play, his goals never change no matter how many times his motives might, and he does not stop until everyone in his way has been eliminated.

            Without a doubt, Iago possesses a gift: the ability to instantly assess any situation he is in and then adapt to the situation to twist it in his favor, thus being able to deceive anyone without much trouble. This skill is first revealed in his first soliloquy: “After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear / That he is too familiar with his wife. / He hath a person and a smooth dispose / To be suspected, framed to make women false. / The Moor is of a free and open nature / That thinks men honest that but seem to be so, / And will as tenderly be led by th' nose / As asses are” (1.3. 338-445). Iago hadn’t already thoroughly organized his revenge at this point. He was only beginning to plot. He exhibits masterful thinking by devising a plan to destroy Othello on the spot. His goal quickly becomes to bring Cassio’s affection towards Desdemona to light. The realization that Cassio is a perfect target of Othello’s jealousy only furthers Iago’s enthusiasm. He understands that Cassio is a well-spoken and handsome gentleman, and it would seem completely natural that Desdemona would fall for him. Then Iago makes a crucial discovery: Othello’s weakness. Othello is straightforward and never thinks twice about what he believes. Iago thinks that because Othello trusts men that seem honest without question, he can easily befriend him with his ability to deceive. After Iago has spoken to Othello about Cassio and Desdemona, he has another revelation and delivers yet another soliloquy: “will in Cassio’s lodging lose this napkin / And let him find it. Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ. This may do something. / The Moor already changes with my poison. / Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons / Which at the first are scarce found to distaste, / But with a little act upon the blood / Burn like the mines of sulfur” (3.3. 369-377). His objective here is to cause Cassio to believe that Desdemona has feelings for him. When more than one person is deceived, the truth is much harder to find. Othello wouldn’t be able to detect a lie because Cassio was well convinced as well; the one person Othello believes could reveal the truth doesn’t even know the truth himself. Iago knew that if Othello hadn’t already been jealous, the handkerchief would not have been a successful endeavor. However, Iago points out here that the smallest thing to a jealous man can blow up in his face, leaving him scarred with hatred.

            Iago is pure evil because once he loses his main motive for revenge he continues the path of destruction anyway. He begins the play jealous of Cassio because Othello promoted Cassio to Lieutenant instead of him. Iago then goes about getting Cassio drunk so that he will be seen as unfit as a Lieutenant (2.3. 40-43). Once Othello had demoted him, Iago’s quest for revenge should have stopped there. Instead, Iago decides to ruin Othello. He also goes about ruining Desdemona and Cassio even further. Iago seems to be having too much fun with himself to stop at this point. He leads Othello on and convinces him that his wife is cheating on him (4.1. 190-196). This ruins Desdemona’s reputation to Othello as being pure and faithful. Desdemona will eventually be ruined beyond repair when a jealous Othello finally murders her. Iago apparently didn’t have enough with Cassio once he had gotten him demoted. Iago brings Cassio aside within earshot of a hidden Othello as he gets him to “admit” to sleeping with Desdemona. He is actually talking about Bianca when he says, “I marry her! What? A customer? Prithee bear / some charity to my wit. Do not think it so unwhole- / some. Ha, ha, ha!” (4.1. 138-140). He calls Bianca a whore, but Othello believes that he is talking about Desdemona. So not only does Othello believe that Cassio has slept with Desdemona, he also thinks that Cassio doesn’t even respect her so he would turn around and cheat on her as well. He then vows to kill Cassio.

            Iago plans to eliminate all opposition. Othello approaches Iago and says, “How shall I murder him, / Iago?” (4.1. 188-189). Othello is willing to get rid of Cassio for Iago. Othello also plots to kill Desdemona. Othello gives the task of murdering Cassio to Iago who then gives the task to his loyal and naïve friend Roderigo. Roderigo fails and is killed by Cassio, but Iago stabs Cassio and flees without being seen. When Othello tells Desdemona that Cassio has been killed, she weeps for him: “Alas, he is betrayed, and I undone” (5.2. 96), which is the last straw and Othello makes up his mind. He then smothers her to death. Emilia begins to realize what is going on and tells Othello that Iago only spoke of lies. To shut her up, Iago stabs her; he kills his own wife. Only true evil could possess someone to kill their own wife only to preserve their own self-image.

            There is no character more evil than Iago. He will do anything and everything to get what he wants and he does not care who he hurts in the process. He also has basically no motive for the majority of the play. He might’ve realized that what he was doing reached a point where it no longer had a meaning, but he simply shrugs his shoulders as if to say, “I might as well finish what I started”. This mentality when incorporated with jealousy can only stem from a truly evil and disturbed man.

Character Description: Iago (Othello)

Peter Sanfacon

Mr. George

World Lit Honors

1 December 2010

Character Description: Iago

            Iago is the personification of evil as he selfishly destroys Othello and Cassio’s lives to systematically gain the pride he lost from his jealousy of the two.

            Before the play began, Othello had announced that Cassio would be his new Lieutenant. Iago, believing that he should have been promoted in place of Cassio, decides to go on a crusade to rectify this injustice; he begins to lie and stretch the truth mercilessly. When he tells Brabantio about his daughter’s lies, he uses sharp racism to convince him that Othello is in the wrong. This works out for Iago because Brabantio is the one to plant the seed of jealousy (1.3. 333-334). Later, Iago convinces Cassio to drink in celebration of Othello’s marriage. Cassio becomes drunk and starts a fight, which Othello must break up. Cassio is then demoted (2.3. 264-265). At this point, there would be no need for Iago to continue his path of destruction because his original goal has been accomplished. However, he is pure evil, so he continues his crusade. He eventually convinces Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. Othello’s jealousy drives him to kill Desdemona, his true love (5.2. 152-153).

            Iago possesses the hatred of the devil. His plots for revenge will not be stymied, like the boxer who doesn’t give up until he has won. He is the son who is overlooked and his thirst for attention burns like the fires of hell as his will to inflict pain increases like hot air trying to escape the tightest space.

            In an episode of Chappelle’s Show, Silky Johnson hates on people at the Player Haters ball not because he wants revenge, but because he is a hater and he enjoys it.

Othello Quote Log: Act 5, Scene 2

"Nobody. I myself. Farewell. / Commend me to my kind lord. Oh, farewell!" (5.2. 152-153)

Desdemona is killed by Othello and Emilia watches her die. Emilia asks Desdemona "who hath done this deed?"(5.2. 151) and Desdemona claims no one committed this treachery against her. Even in death, Desdemona is not willing to betray Othello. After all that Othello had put her through, her love for him was far stronger than any hate he had for her. She also refers to Othello as "kind", which at the beginning of the play would have been true; however, at this point, Othello is unreasonable and anything but kind.

Othello Quote Log: Act 4, Scene 3 / Act 5, Scene 1

"Yes, a dozen, and as many to th' vantage as would  / store the world they played for. / But I do think it is their husbands' faults / If wives do fall. Say that they slack their duties / And pour our treasures into foreign laps, / Or else break out in peevish jealousies, / Throwing restraint upon us. Or say they strike us,

Or scant our former having in despite. / Why, we have galls, and though we have some grace, / Yet have we some revenge. Let husbands know / Their wives have sense like them. They see and smell

And have their palates both for sweet and sour, / As husbands have. What is it that they do / When they change us for others? Is it sport? / I think it is. And doth affection breed it? / I think it doth. Is ’t frailty that thus errs? / It is so too. And have not we affections, / Desires for sport, and frailty, as men have? / Then let them use us well, else let them know, / The ills we do, their ills instruct us so" (4.3. 95-115).

 

Desdemona and Emilia greatly disagree on what is proper for a wife to do in terms of cheating. Desdemona, no matter how angry and rude Othello has been, still does not want to harm Othello in anyway; she still loves him. When Emilia raises the question if Desdemona would ever consider cheating on her husband, she quickly replied no. Emilia however,  mentions that she could easily cheat if the right circumstances were met: the world being at stake is what they discuss. Here, Emilia describes herself as more assertive when it comes to relationships, where as Desdemona is clearly passive. Emilia feels that wives should always make their presence known and that husbands should treat them like humans. Emilia believes that mean cheat out of lust and do it for fun. She then tells Desdemona that women also have very similar desires. Emilia says that men should either treat their wives well or suffer the consequences derived from a lesson learned from their husbands: cheating.

Othello Quote Log: Act 4, Scene 2

"A halter pardon him and hell gnaw his bones! / Why should he call her 'whore'? Who keeps her company? / What place? What time? What form? What likelihood? / The Moor’s abused by some most villainous knave, / Some base notorious knave, some scurvy fellow. / O heaven, that such companions thou’dst unfold, / And put in every honest hand a whip / To lash the rascals naked through the world / Even from the east to th' west!" (4.2. 159-169).

Emilia has begun to realize that Othello's abrupt change in behavior is being caused by someone on the outside pulling the strings. She wishes that man to be hanged and to burn and hell. She also calls him a a knave, or a deceitful person. However, Emilia does not know that this man pulling the strings is actually Iago. This is a great example of dramatic irony. Emilia has no clue that her husband is the knave that she speaks of. The reader might begin to wonder what Emilia would do if she were to discover this awful truth. Emilia also brings logic to the argument: she asks how Desdemona could find time or a place to sleep with anyone and that these accusations are simply illogical. Emilia knows Othello to be a smart and headstrong man. This leads her to believe that it is impossible that Othello could have come up with this theory on his own and that some "knave" must be behind it.

Othello Quote Log: Act 4, Scene 1

"Ay, you did wish that I would make her turn. / Sir, she can turn, and turn, and yet go on, / And turn again. And she can weep, sir, weep. / And she’s obedient, as you say, obedient. / Very obedient.—Proceed you in your tears.— / Concerning this, sir—Oh, well-painted passion!— / I am commanded home.—Get you away, / I’ll send for you anon.—Sir, I obey the mandate / And will return to Venice.—Hence, avaunt!" (4.1. 284-292).

 

Othello doesn't believe Desdemona whatsoever. He actually causes her to cry after he slaps her. He then doesn't believe that Desdemona is truly upset. He tells Lodovico that she is lying and that she can turn on him like she did to Othello. Even though Lodovico believes that Desdemona is obedient, Othello laughs at this fact, as he believes that she is completely unfaithful. He also seems to be glad that he has been called away because he wouldn't have to deal with Desdemona. He seems angry that he must accept his order, but does anyway. He is also glad at the same time because he can get away from Desdemona. These actions will lead to trouble because Othello's calmness will never be exhibited again. Lodovico and others will have a hard time trusting Othello and his judgment. 

Character Description: O'Brien (1984)

Peter Sanfacon

Mr. George

World Lit Honors

13 October 2010

Character Description: O’Brien

            O’Brien is one of the head party members who ultimately convinces Winston to love Big Brother after he lies and deceives him.

            O’Brien coaxes Winston to his flat when he tells him to come take a look at the new edition of the Newspeak dictionary. At the meeting, it is revealed that the Brotherhood exists and that O’Brien was everything that Winston hoped him to be. However, after the Thoughtpolice captures Winston, it turns out that O’Brien is actually working with the Thoughtpolice and that he had been playing Winston from the very beginning. O’Brien sold him out by telling him where to hide, then giving away his position to the Thoughtpolice. He then tortures Winston mercilessly. Winston is helpless as O’Brien explains in every conceivable way that he is wrong and that Winston will never be able to overcome Big Brother. After completely wiping away his memory, O’Brien replaces it with what he wants: love for Big Brother.

            O’Brien is like the executioner, taking pride and pleasure when his duty is fulfilled. Even though his job seems to be cruel, he takes to it with enthusiasm as if he were a mental patient. It’s almost too easy for him to seem menacing, yet convincing. He exerts minimal effort when exhibiting his intellectual prowess. O’Brien is the harbinger of inevitability and hopelessness.

            O’Brien is similar to Benjamin Linus from the TV show Lost: Ben delights in knowing more than others about the governing power, which in O’Brien’s case is Big Brother.

Othello Quote Log: Act 3, Scene 4

"That’s a fault. That handkerchief / Did an Egyptian to my mother give, / She was a charmer and could almost read / The thoughts of people. She told her, while she kept it,  / 'Twould make her amiable and subdue my father  / Entirely to her love, but if she lost it  / Or made gift of it, my father’s eye  / Should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt  / After new fancies. She, dying, gave it me  / And bid me, when my fate would have me wived,  / To give it her. I did so; and take heed on ’t,  / Make it a darling like your precious eye.  / To lose ’t or give ’t away were such perdition / As nothing else could match" (3.4. 65-79)

 

Othello wants Desdemona to be as nervous as he is, this is why he tells her that the handkerchief was made by a 200 year old witch and that it's magical. He probably doesn't believe this himself, but his jealousy is causing him to greatly stretch the truth. He is basically saying that by losing the handkerchief, Desdemona will bring on Othello's hatred and he will no longer love her. He wants to scare her into caring more and to admit any wrong doings she may have committed. He wants to know how angry he is and how much more he will become if Desdemona has lost the handkerchief.

Othello Quote Log: Act 3, Scene 3

"O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss / Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger, / But O, what damned minutes tells he o'er / Who dotes, yet doubts— suspects, yet strongly loves!" (3.3 195-200)

Iago is telling Othello that jealousy will torment him if he isn't careful. If Othello never knows who his wife is actually cheating with, he could still possibly find happiness. Iago is implying that if it is Cassio, Othello won't be able to let that go. He will be blinded with rage and jealousy. At this point, Iago has not yet mentioned Cassio as a suspected cheat. He is trying to get Othello to believe it before he throws Cassio's name into the situation. If he mentioned Cassio then explained what Othello should do, Othello would most likely pick up on Iago's lie. Iago is warning Othello about trusting Desdemona, while planting the seed of jealousy.

Othello Quote Log: Act 2, Scene 3 (to End)

"And what’s he then that says I play the villain, / When this advice is free I give and honest, / Probal to thinking and indeed the course / To win the Moor again? For ’tis most easy / Th' inclining Desdemona to subdue / In any honest suit. She’s framed as fruitful / As the free elements. And then for her / To win the Moor, were 't to renounce his baptism, / All seals and symbols of redeemèd sin, / His soul is so enfettered to her love, / That she may make, unmake, do what she list, / Even as her appetite shall play the god / With his weak function. How am I then a villain / To counsel Cassio to this parallel course, / Directly to his good? Divinity of hell! / When devils will the blackest sins put on / They do suggest at first with heavenly shows / As I do now. For whiles this honest fool / Plies Desdemona to repair his fortune /

And she for him pleads strongly to the Moor, / I’ll pour this pestilence into his ear: / That she repeals him for her body’s lust. / And by how much she strives to do him good / She shall undo her credit with the Moor. / So will I turn her virtue into pitch / And out of her own goodness make the net / That shall enmesh them all" (2.3 356-382).

By giving Cassio good advice, Iago believes that he has eliminated the possibility of being believed as evil. He wasn't lying to Cassio when he gave him advice about Othello. It is the right way to get back on good terms with Othello; Cassio will try to get on good terms with Desdemona first. Since Othello is so blindly in love with Desdemona, Iago says, Othello will do anything Desdemona says. This specifically refers to reinstating Cassio. Iago's plan is to get Othello to the side while Cassio and Desdemona speak, so that Othello can see them together, thus planting the seed of jealousy. He wants Othello to believe that the reason she will take Cassio's side is because she loves him, which is not true: Iago tells Cassio that because Desdemona is a caring person, she will side with Cassio. Iago wants to reverse this and trick Othello into jealousy. He has turned his attention away from Cassio and now onto Othello.

Othello Quote Log: Act 2, Scene 2/3 (to 171)

"If I can fasten but one cup upon him, / With that which he hath drunk tonight already, / He’ll be as full of quarrel and offense / As my young mistress' dog. Now my sick fool Roderigo, / Whom love hath turned almost the wrong side out, / To Desdemona hath tonight caroused / Potations pottle-deep, and he’s to watch. / Three lads of Cyprus, noble swelling spirits / That hold their honors in a wary distance, / The very elements of this warlike isle, / Have I tonight flustered with flowing cups, / And they watch too. Now ’mongst this flock of drunkards / Am I to put our Cassio in some action / That may offend the isle. But here they come. / If consequence do but approve my dream / My boat sails freely, both with wind and stream" (2.3 49-66).

Iago is trying to sabotage Cassio by making him look bad. Cassio admits that he is not a heavy drinker and that he is already drunk from watered down wine. Iago realizes that if he can get Cassio to drink just a little bit more, he will be so drunk that he will be prone to violence. He wants him to fight another drunk guard so the people of Cyprus can see how much of an unstable person Cassio is. Iago has already gotten Roderigo to drink a lot by toasting Desdemona because he loves her so much. He has successfully gained further control of Roderigo.

Othello Quote Log: Act 2, Scene 1

“That Cassio loves her, I do well believe ’t. / That she loves him, ’tis apt and of great credit. / The Moor, howbeit that I endure him not, / Is of a constant, loving, noble nature, / And I dare think he’ll prove to Desdemona / A most dear husband. Now, I do love her too, / Not out of absolute lust—though peradventure / I stand accountant for as great a sin— / But partly led to diet my revenge, / For that I do suspect the lusty Moor / Hath leaped into my seat. The thought whereof / Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards, / And nothing can or shall content my soul / Till I am evened with him, wife for wife. / Or, failing so, yet that I put the Moor / At least into a jealousy so strong / That judgment cannot cure. Which thing to do, / If this poor trash of Venice, whom I trace / For his quick hunting, stand the putting on, / I’ll have our Michael Cassio on the hip, / Abuse him to the Moor in the rank garb / (For I fear Cassio with my nightcap too) / Make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward me / For making him egregiously an ass / And practicing upon his peace and quiet / Even to madness. 'Tis here, but yet confused. / Knavery’s plain face is never seen till used” (2.1. 308-334)

 Iago's desires are purely selfish. He is willing to do anything to sabotage Othello and his happiness. His jealousy of Cassio has fueled his hatred for Othello. Iago is slowly becoming more and more paranoid as time goes on. Not only does he think that Othello has slept with his wife, he believes that Cassio has done so as well. Although both of these scenarios could definitely be true, he most likely believes this because of his hatred for Othello and his jealousy for Cassio. Iago admits to loving Desdemona, only because she is the instrument of his revenge. He also pretends to be Roderigo's friend to get what he wants from him. He calls Roderigo "poor trash of Venice". He is planning on gaining Othello's trust, then betraying him once he gets what he wants from him: the promotion that had been given to Cassio.

Othello Quote Log: Act 1, Scene 1

"Zounds, sir, you’re robbed! For shame, put on your gown.

Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul.

Even now, now, very now, an old black ram

Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise,

Awake the snorting citizens with the bell

Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.

Arise, I say!" (I.i. 94-101)

Iago hates Othello for not choosing him for Lieutenant. For this, Iago holds a grudge against Othello. Here, he purposefully exhibits several racist comments to show his disdain for the Moor. Instead of suggesting to Brabantio certain doom, he instead indirectly tells Brabantio to fear this chain of events. He tells him that his heart will break, and that half of his soul has been reaped out. Instead of gently bringing up the subject, Iago intentionally bashes Othello showing his distaste for him. He calls Othello "an old black ram" and refers to black grandchildren as a bad thing. He is trying to give his hatred for Othello to Brabantio. He might feel that the father of Othello's wife will be his best ally in bringing down Othello if he can be convinced.

1984 Essay: Freedom Is Slavery

Freedom Is Slavery

            One of the slogans and most prominent ideals of the party is Freedom Is Slavery. It seems to be an obvious paradox but carries with it several unwritten connotations. Throughout the novel 1984, George Orwell depicts the party as a power hungry egomaniac, which obsesses over controlling its people with impunity. Freedom Is Slavery specifically deals with controlling others by limiting their free will. However, it also involves limiting their actual behavior and how they interact with the party and each other. Freedom Is Slavery is a pertinent aspect of the party’s control because it involves controlling free will, limiting human behavior, and altering the people’s perspective of power and rebellion.

            The party has an easy time controlling the people’s free will and their choices. When people are free, they have the ability to rebel. One of the party’s underlying goals is to control the way people think and act. They are ultimately attempting to abolish the possibility of rebellion. The party gains power when their people are enslaved. This is because the people become consumed with serving the party and never contemplate rebelling. The freedom then comes to the party. They have little work to do when the people are willingly assimilating.

The thoughtpolice have little to worry about: “Of course I’m guilty…I brought her up in the right spirit, anyway” (Orwell 233). When people like Parsons are so willingly going along with the party, there is very little that needs to be done. Parsons is the definition of a slave. When Winston asks him if he is guilty, Parsons does anything but hesitate to admit to thoughtcrime. He also confesses that he’s glad they caught him before his thoughtcrime progressed. He wants to thank the thoughtpolice when he is tried. Only a man completely under the control of the party would willingly admit that he did something wrong. His crime was calling out “down with big brother!” (233) in his sleep. He technically has no clue whether or not he actually committed a crime. His daughter turned him in when she overheard him. She was intentionally listening through the keyhole. Parsons then commends his daughter for turning him in. He believes that the destruction of the family unit is a good thing. There is no freedom when one cannot feel free around his or her children. The party uses children as an extension of the thoughtpolice to further limit the people’s freedom.

            The party only accepts people that are willing to be slaves to the party. O’Brien tells Winston that when he finally surrenders to the party, it must be of his own free will (255). Even in death, all people must be slaves. It is believed by the party members that anyone who dies while deceiving the party has successfully rebelled. They must surrender their own beliefs to the party. Any rebels agree to die if it means rebelling against the party. All the party wants is for everyone, alive or dead, to agree with the party’s ideals.

            Freedom Is Slavery also pertains to the direct control of people’s behavior. O’Brien explains to Winston everything that the party plans to do: “Everything else we shall destroy…All competing pleasures shall be destroyed” (267). The party has broken the bonds “between child and parent, between man and man, and between man and woman” (267). If people are able to create bonds, the party fears that there will be a unity of people banding together to rebel against the party. If a parent and child still had a family bond, there’s a possibility that the parent may pass on any rebellious behavior to the child. Instead, the party decides to indoctrinate the children so that they never trust the parents and so Big Brother is the parental figure. O’Brien goes on to say that “the sex instinct will be eradicated” (267). The party plans to do this by abolishing the orgasm. The orgasm exists so that the people will be compelled to have sex over and over again. This is nature’s way of continuing life. If the party controls this, then the party can control the birth rate. When this happens, it’s easier for them to regulate the children and indoctrinate them. Also, the orgasm allows people to relax and be in good moods. The party would much rather have people tense and angry. If one were to be relaxed, there would be no need to continue to obey the party. The fear is that the orgasm will lead to rebellion. Any emotion will only be targeted at Big Brother. All love, loyalty, and laughter will be towards Big Brother (267). If people were to show loyalty to each other, then people would stop giving each other up to the thoughtpolice, so more thoughtcriminals will go unnoticed. If they can share love, then a union will be formed and a possible rebellion against an anti-sex party will be initiated. The same goes for laughter. One of the party’s aims is to completely abolish all “competing pleasures”.

            Using Freedom Is Slavery, the party can alter the people’s perception of their true role in society. Winston recognizes that “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four” (81). As long as someone has the ability to believe what they want to believe and not what the party wants them to, then they have freedom. They also have the ability to rebel. This is not what the party wants. Once O’Brien brainwashed Winston, he could no longer believe that two plus two equals four. He believed that it was five. Winston admits that he could just as easily believe that two plus two equaled three. Once any proof of a fact is deleted, the party has the freedom to rewrite it as they see fit. This is where the true freedom exists: having the freedom to change the past in front of the eyes of slaves who are to ignorant to realize that they are slaves. They just believe that they are an essential part of the party’s success.

            Freedom Is Slavery exists when the people become slaves. This gives the party freedom to do whatever they please without question. When all people are following in a straight line, the party can stray off in another direction without anyone noticing. When people stray off on their own, they may be inefficient at what they do. When everyone comes to a general consensus, efficiency is created. In this society, natural rights are to be treated as privileges one must constantly earn. Freedom Is Slavery because the party is free as everyone else suffers.