The Alchemist (4)

"You're not going to die. You'll live, and you'll learn that a man shouldn't be so stupid. Two years ago, right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream, too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of Spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept. In my dream, there was a sycamore growing out of the ruins of the sacristy, and I was told that, if I dug at the roots of the sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure. But I'm not so stupid as to cross an entire desrt just because of a recurrent dream" (Coehlo, 163)

The boy, Santiago, has finally reached the pyramids and began to dig for treasure. During his dig, he is attacked by bandits who take his gold from him. The leader of the group told Santiago that, like the boy, he had a dream of finding hidden treasure; the funny (possibly ironic) part of this is that his dream took him to the church where Santiago slept on Page 1. The man concluded by saying that he never followed this dream, and so he never completed his Personal Legend, unlike Santiago, who has finally done so. In the aftermath of this event, Santiago realizes that the treasure had been in Andalusia all along. This man is kind of like an antithesis to the boy and the alchemist: he has a dream of his Personal Legend, and yet he decides not to follow it, and so he never discovers the treasure. Santiago, on the other hand, followed his Perosnal Legend and fulfilled his dream.

The Alchemist (3)

"I have been waiting for you here at this oasis for a long time. I have forgotten about my past, about my traditions, and the way in which men of the desert expect women to behave. Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed that the desert would bring me a wonderful present. Now, my present has arrived, and it's you" (Coelho, 97).

Fatima, a young woman living in the oasis, become a fast friend, and lover, to Santiago. The first day they meet, Santiago says he loves her and wants to marry her. The next day, Fatima explains to Santiago that it was part of her Personal Legend to become a part of his. She says that she has been waiting her whole life for him, for he had always been in her personal legend. She has forgotten about life around her except for her personal legend. She always knew that her personal legend would involve finding her man, and she has in Santiago. Fatima, it seems, proves to be a character that fully displays the power and effect that a personal legend has on people, and the overall enjoyoment of its fulfillment. She has seen her personal legend be flufilled with the meeting of Santiago, and she quickly accepts it and continues down the path her personal legend created. Santiago had been looking for treasure and a woman, and now, because of both of their personal legends, he has found the woman. Their personal legend shave now joined together, for it was in their personal legends to find one another.

The Alchemist (2)

"You dream about your sheep and the Pyramids, but you're different from me, because you want to realize your dreams. I just ant to dreaam about Mecca... But I;m afraid that it would all be a disappointment, so I prefer just to dream about it" (Coehlo, 55).

The crystal glass merchant is a Muslim, and one of the Islamic obligations is to travel to Mecca in his lifetime. The merchant has dreamed about going to Mecca before, but it has never come to fruition. Like Santiago, he has a dream, yet unlike Santiago, he does not wish to fulfill it. Even though he's imagined everything that would happen in Mecca, he's still unable to realize his dream. This is not an uncommon situation: many times in life, people have a dream, where they imagine accomplishing something of importance. Whether it is going to the Pyramids or becoming a shephard, they dream up how their life would play out. Many times, this dream never comes to fruition. Sometimes, it is due to not having the time or ability to make the dream come true. Sometimes, it is because you fear the outcome, and in the end, you just feel like dreaming about it. No matter what, dreams can be fulfilled, you just need the willpower to do so.

The Alchemist (1)

"He was sure that it made no difference to her on which day he appeared: for her, every day was the same, and when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises" (Coelho, 27).

The boy was comtemplating selling his flock and looking for the treasure in Egypt, and at one point, he began to think about chhosing between what he wanted andd what he had become accustomed to. He also thought the merchant's daughter wasn't as important in this decision because he might have forgotten about him. He feels that she, like many people, forget about all of the good times in their lives as each new day arrives. If every day is good, than each new day is like the last, and it becomes easy to forget the good things that happen because so many can happen. This is a very common occurance in real life: every day, you think about how good or bad the day was, but you usually focus on what made it bad. Whenever you bring up memories, the bad ones are the easiest to remember. The boy feels this way about the merchant's daughter.

Othello: From a “Perfect Soul” to a Double Murder-Suicide

Brian Monahan

Mr. George

World Lit. Honors

2 December 2010

Othello: From a “Perfect Soul” to a Double Murder-Suicide

            How is it that a character can go from having a “perfect soul” to killing his wife and self? Well, just ask Othello; he does just that. Othello is a former slave turned war hero of Venice who secretly marries Desdemona, the daughter of a Venetian Senator, Brabantio. He gives the position of lieutenant in his army to Cassio and not to Iago, who wanted it. Out of anger, Iago plans to ruin Othello’s life by making it look like Desdemona is cheating on him with Cassio. To do so, Iago had to make Othello believe him, even though it wasn’t true. Here is the problem with Othello: he’s seemingly jealous in nature and he believed Iago word for word, even though he never had ocular proof. When Desdemona says to him that she never cheated on him, he would ignore her out and constantly blames her. It is this jealousy, trust in Iago and his words, and inability to listen to reason that plagues Othello and gives him more blame for the tragedy.

            Othello claims that he has a “perfect soul”, and Desdemona claims that Othello is not a jealous man, and yet jealousy plays a part in Othello’s downfall. At the beginning of the play, when Brabantio brings Othello to court he says, “Not I. I must be found. / My parts, my title, and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly” (1.2.35-37). Othello is claiming to Iago that he has no faults within his person, and he will show this to Brabantio and his men, proving that he should be able to freely love Desdemona. He says this with confidence, displaying no hint of fault in his character so far: he acts like a complete badass. However, as Iago begins to infest Othello’s mind with infidelity, and as Othello’s jealousy and insecurity allow him to only believe Iago, things take a turn for the worst. Later in the play, before Othello’s first attack on Desdemona, Emilia asks her if Othello is jealous and she replies, “Who he? I think the sun where he was born / Drew all such humors from him” (3.4.31-32). Desdemona, in the period of time she has known Othello, has never seen such emotions from her man. She has never heard of any jealousy stemming from Othello, and so she believes he cannot become jealous. Unfortunately for her, she is damn wrong: Desdemona is berated by Othello in this attack, where she tries to reason with him for Cassio, and yet he only cares about the handkerchief. As Othello’s anger grows, so does the hint of jealousy in his voice. After Othello shouts out an angry “Zounds” and leaves, Emilia asks her if this was jealousy and she replies, “I ne’er saw this before. / Sure there’s some wonder in this handkerchief! / I am most unhappy in the loss of it” (3.4.117-119). Poor Desdemona thinks this jealousy has suddenly stemmed from the loss of the handkerchief, and in turn becomes unhappy with its loss. Unbeknownst to her, this jealousy has stemmed from much more than a lost handkerchief. If Othello had never let his anger get the better of him, he might have been able to see through Iago’s cheap words and listen to Desdemona, rather than trust Iago.

            Iago’s plan is to have Othello believe that Cassio and Desdemona are screwing behind his back, and even though Iago never tells Othello exactly what is happening, nor gives him ocular proof of the affair, Othello believes him. Iago knows that Othello is very trusting in his men, and so Iago uses this trust to his advantage.  Iago tells Othello that he heard Cassio talk about Desdemona in his sleep, saying things about wanting to marry Desdemona and cursing Othello. Although it is barely any proof, Othello still fully believes Iago, replying to the evidence, “But this denoted a foregone conclusion. / ‘Tis a shrewd doubt, though it be but a dream” (3.3.486-487). Though Othello does say that it is just a dream and not ocular proof, Othello takes Iago’s word for it and, due to his trusting nature, believes him. Due to this trust, Iago is able to plant the seed of anger and jealousy in Othello, propelling the tragedy forward. One act later, Iago sets up a talk with Cassio about Bianca, only saying to Othello that he’s talking about Desdemona. Iago has left the handkerchief in Cassio’s possession, and so when Cassio displays the handkerchief, Othello immediately takes it the wrong way. After the conversation, the very first thing Othello asks is, “How shall I murder him, Iago?” (4.1.188-89). Othello has become so blinded by his trust towards Iago that he is willing to murder his friend for “revenge.” Othello’s trust in Iago has even affected his ability to listen to others and reason with his own feelings, because Desdemona continually denies her infidelity, and yet Othello refuses to accept it.

            After Iago’s words sink into Othello, he begins to attack Desdemona for the affair, calling her a whore and saying what she’s done, and every time Desdemona defends herself, Othello does not listen.  In Act 3 Scene 4, Othello goes to Desdemona and asks her about the handkerchief, and when she begins to talk about Cassio, he becomes both angry and jealous over the supposed infidelity; “Why, so I can. But I will not now. / This is a trick to put me from my suit. / Pray you, let Cassio be received again. / Fetch me the handkerchief! My mind / misgives. / Come, come, / You’ll never meet a more sufficient man. / The handkerchief!” (3.4.100-107).Throughout this argument, Desdemona continues to tell Othello of Cassio’s person, while his jealousy grows with each passing remark, throwing out “The handkerchief” every now and again. In the end, he leaves in a jealous rage. Othello never asks Desdemona where the handkerchief could be, whether she had given it to Cassio, or even to get Cassio to talk to the two of them. Instead, he does not listen to what she says, and only thinks of Iago’s words and the handkerchief. Othello’s inability to listen causes him to slap his wife in Act 4 after Desdemona says to Lodovico, “A most unhappy one. I would do much / T’ atone them, for the love I bear to Cassio” (4.1.254-255).Desdemona is merely saying that a problem has fallen between Othello and Cassio, and she wishes to fix the problem by having Othello reinstate Cassio. Since, Othello has just seen the handkerchief in Bianca’s possession, and he fully trusts Iago, what he hears from Desdemona is only “The love I bear to Cassio,” which he takes as a proclamation of her love. In turn, he strikes her, displaying yet again, his inability to ask her what she is talking about and reason with his wife over her words. At the end of the play, before Othello murders Desdemona, he confronts and accuses her of cheating on him with Cassio; “That handkerchief / Which I so loved, and gave thee, thou gav’st to / Cassio. / No by my life, send for the man / And ask him. / Sweet soul, take heed, take heed of perjury. / Thou art on thy deathbed” (5.2.58-64). He finally says to Desdemona that he “knows” the two screwed behind his back, to which Desdemona replies that it never happened, and Othello needs to send for Cassio to ask him the same thing. Othello’s reply: No, you are on your deathbed. Othello has let his jealousy completely take him over, and he has lost the ability to listen to anyone but himself and Iago. Desdemona denies everything and even tells him to ask Cassio, yet he cannot even do that. Instead, he continues to act upon his jealousy and kills her. If Othello had not been too weak to listen to others besides himself, he might have been able to stop this tragedy; instead, Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello are all killed by Othello himself.

            Othello goes from being such a badass, a character with a “perfect soul,” to a weak-minded, almost pathetic man who lets his emotions get the best of him. No one thinks he is jealous; however, a few words and too much trust in one man cause Othello’s emotions to run wild. Once his jealousy fills his mind, he stops listening to everyone but himself and Iago, and every time Desdemona denies her infidelity, Othello does not listen. All he needed to do was ask both Cassio and Desdemona if they had ever cheated behind his back, and this whole tragedy could have been avoided. Unfortunately for everyone, Othello was too weak of a character to think straight, allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment, and in the end, his weakness makes Othello more to blame for this awful tragedy.

Iago

Brian Monahan

Mr. George

World Lit. Honors

1 December 2010

Iago

            Iago is one of the greatest villains in all of literature due to his ability to literally brainwash Othello and make him truly believe his wife was cheating on him, all for revenge.

            At the beginning of the play, Iago tells Roderigo of his disdain for Othello following Cassio’s promoting over Iago; a disdain that would fuel Iago’s thirst for revenge and spark this tragedy. Iago’s plan begins to take form at the end of Act Three when he decides to use Othello’s good nature and marriage to make it seem like Cassio is cheating with Desdemona. In his soliloquy, Iago states, “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 tenderly be led by th’ nose / As asses are” (1.3.438-445). His plan involves filling Othello’s mind with images of Desdemona cheating with Cassio, a man who is known for being a ladies’ man. Iago knows that Othello thinks all men are honest, and will use his nature against him: as long as Othello thinks he is honest, Iago can tell Othello anything and he’ll believe Iago. Over the course of the play, this plan comes to fruition and causes the downfall of Othello, making Iago one of the greatest villains in literature.

            Iago is a puppeteer, pulling on the strings of Othello, using him as a puppet to do his dirty work for him. A puppeteer’s job is to create an illusion of reality by controlling a puppet to act as a real object. Iago creates an illusion of trickery and cheating by using Othello’s mind as a base for the puppetry and Othello’s body as the puppet to make the illusion a “reality” to Othello.

            Iago is like the Neighborhood Watch Alliance in Hot Fuzz; Iago controls Othello making the cheating illusion a reality, and the NWA controls their village’s image and people in it, making it look like the village is perfect.

Othello 5.2

"I will so. What's the matter? / That handkerchief / Which I so loved, and gave thee, thou gav'st to / Cassio. / No, by my life and soul! Send for the man / And ask him. / Sweet soul, take heed, take heed of perjury. / Thou art on thy deathbed" (5.2.57-64)

Othello has entered his chamber to find Desdemona sleeping; now that Cassio is "dead" it is time to kill her. When she awakens, she asks what's wrong. He replies that she gave Cassio the handkerchief he gave her. She says she never did and Cassio can say the same. Othello replies that she is lying on her deathbed. The biggest problem with Othello is that he does not listen to reason: whenever Desdemona tries to defend herself, he replies back that she lies. She says to get Cassio and he'll say the same a few times in the play, and not once does Othello do so; instead, he continues to listen to Iago and never once does he think to reason with Desdemona. Honestly, I think Othello is one of the worst characters I've ever heard of, made worse from the fact that he seemed so badass in the beginning.

Othello 4.3 & 5.1

"'Tis he,! O brave Iago, honest and just, / That hast such noble sense of thy friend's wrong! / Thou teachest me. -Minion, your dear lies dead, / And your unblest fate hies. Strumpet, I come. / {Forth} of my heart those charms, thine eyes, are / blotted" (5.1. 34-39)

Cassio is finally "dead," and so Othello praises Iago in his fine work for killing the man who his wife supposedly cheated with. Since that is done, Othello can murder Desdemona and end this terrible part of his life. More dramatic irony in this scene: Othello continues to praise Iago, calling him brave, honest, just, etc. All the while, Iago has been screwing Othello over throughout the entire play. It's also interesting to note that Othello leaves to kill Desdemona, and Iago sends Emilia to check on Othello and Desdemona, so is it possible that he did not think Othello would try to kill her immediately? Either way, the end is near, and death is sure to come, and not just for Desdemona.

This whole play seems to be just one big dramatic irony. In every page, something ironic seems to happen.

Othello 4.2

"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)

Oh the dramatic irony of this scene! So Emilia is saynig that Othello has no right or purpose to call Desdemona a whore, and she is damning the knave who has changed Othello and made his think so. She concludes by saying that she hopes someone will find the person who has done so and "lash him", and it should be done to any villainous knave across the globe. The dramatic irony in this scene comes from the fact that her husband, Iago, is the knave of whom she is talking about, and yet neither she nor Desdemona knows about this. What more, Iago is standing next to her as she says this unknowingly. Even more, after this, Desdemona asks Iago for advice, even though he's screwing her over. How nice.

Othello 4.1

"Is this the noble Moor, whom our full senate / Call all in all sufficient? Is this the nature / Whom passion could not shake, whose solid virtue / The shot of accident nor dart of chance / Could neither graze nor pierce?" (4.1. 297-301)

Othellos has struck his wife and left with a wave of fury washing over him; Desdemona left weeping. After, Lodovico asks Iago if this is the same Othello who was well respected in Venice; if this is the same Othello who had a "perfect soul". Iago remarks that Othello has indeed changed and Lodovico will see his change first-hand if he observes him. This whole scene just solidifies Iago's villainy, Othello's ease of control, and shows how even Lodovico can see just how much Othello has changed. Othello has officially become Iago's "servent", if you will, and in this act, there will surely be a death.
Can someone remind me why Iago's doing all of this. Is it really just because Cassio became Lieutenant? I mean, doing all of this for revenge is insane.

Othello 3.4

"Believe me, I had rather lost my purse / Full of crusadoes. And but my noble Moor / Is true of mind and made of no such baseness / As jealous creatures are, it were enough / To put him to ill thinking." "Is he not jealous?" "Who, he? I think the sun where the was born / Drew all such humors from him" (3.4. 25-32)

Desdemona and Emilia are conversing about the handkerchief Desdemona lost. Here, Desdemona explains that she values the handkerchief above all other posessions and that the handkerchief is a symbol of Othello's love of her. She then says that Othello will not think ill of her misplacing it. Emilia then asks her if Othello is jealous, and Desdemona replies that he was born without that emotion. However, as the reader will see later in the scene, she has no idea what she is talking about: The air is palpable with his jealousy. Again, this is another scene that displays both dramatic irony concerning Othello, and displays just how strong of a hold Iago has over Othello's emotions. Now, why is it that Emilia takes the handkerchief, knows nothing of Iago's plan, and hides her actions from Desdemona?

Othello 3.3 (II)

"I had been happy if the general camp, / Pioners and all, had tasted her sweet body, / So I had nothing known. O, now, forever / Farewell the tranquil mind! Farewell content! / Farewel the plumed troops and the big wars / That make ambition virtue... Th' immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeit, / Farewell! Othello's occupation's gone!" (3.3. 397-409).

Othello has become so paranoid from Iago's accusations that he has lost all confidence in both Desdemona and himself. Now, he believes that what Iago's told him could be true. Since Othello has lost his confidence and feels defeated, Iago will now be able to control his thoughts easier and get Othello to believe him more. Next, Iago will turn Othello against both Desdemona and Cassio, and set out to prove that the two are cheating. I think it's kind of funny how such a bad-ass character can be overcome so easily. It's barely half-way through the play, and Othello's whimpering like a baby and being controlled by Iago. Just how far will Iago go to get his revenge? I mean, if he can control a "bad-ass," he can do anything.

Othello 2.3 (II)

"Our General's / wife is now the general... Confess yourself / freely to her. Importune her help to put you in your / place again. She is of so free, so kind, so apt, so / blessed a disposition she holds it a vice in her / goodness not to do more than she is requested. This broken joint betwen you and her husband entreat / her to splinter, and, my fortunes against any lay / worth naming, this crack of your love shall grow / stronger than it was before" (2.3. 333-345).

Othello has just taken Cassio's Lieutenacy from him; part of Iago's plan is now complete. Next, Iago tells Cassio to ask Desdemona for help; ask her to talk to Othello and convince him that Cassio deserves his lieutenancy. However, Iago plans on using this meeting to stir jealousy within Othello by making it look like Cassio is cheating with her. How exactly this plan will come to fruition, it's unknown. But, this play is actually getting somewhat interesting. Also, what is the exact role of Roderigo? All that is known is that he's lovesick over Desdemona, but what is his part in Iago's overall plan?

Othello 2.3

"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 'mongst this flock of / drunkards / Am I [to put] Cassio in some action / that may offend the isle. But here they come / If consequence do but approve my dream, / My boat sails freely with both wind and stream" (2.3. 49-52, 61-66). The next part of Iago's evil plan is explained here. In understandable English, he's basically saying: I will get Cassio drunk enough to start a brawl, and as a result, Othello will strip him of his rank.(So much faster to say). This is just step 1 of his plan to make Othello believe that Desdemona and Cassio are screwing behind his back. Next, he must find a way to make it look like Desdemona and Cassio are lovers.

Now, why do I get the feeling that in the end, Desdemona, Othello, and maybe Roderigo and Cassio will all die? Maybe its because they're all the good, (or decieved) people in this play. Iago will live though, he's to cool to die.

Othello 1.1

"I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors. In honest plainness thou hast heard me say My daughter is not for thee. And now in madness, Being full of supper and distemp'ring draughts, Upon malicious (bravery) dost thou come To start my quiet" (Shakespeare 13) Here, the reader hears from Brabantio himself that he does not think that Desdemona is right for Roderigo: he has even banned Roderigo from being on his grounds. So, knowing that Roderigo loves Desdemona, and Othello has just eloped with her, Roderigo, like Iago, has a motive for wanting Othello out of the picture. Since Othello is a Shakespearian tragedy, someone is going to die; will it be Othello? Probably, cause the title character of Shakespear's works always seems to die. Maybe this is why some people don't like Shakespear's tragedies: you already know who's going to die.

Ex. Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, etc.

"If You Want Reace...Prepare for War" 1984 Style

Brian Monahan

Mr. George

World Lit. Honors

21 October 2010

“If You Want Peace…Prepare for War” 1984 Style

            How can one say that War is Peace? Isn’t war the opposite of peace, and isn’t the purpose of war to win and bring peace to your country? In 1984, that is not the case: in this world, the definition of peace is war. Ever since the 1950’s, Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia have been fighting each other. However, none of the super-states can be conquered by the other. So why must the war drag on? In the past, war was waged by countries trying to conquer one another. In 1984, war is waged for a number of reasons: to use up the products of the “machine”, to have a low standard for life, and to prevent the citizens of each super-state from realizing that the super-states are all the same. War is peace because war in 1984 is continuous, and it is the only worldly state that the Party will ever know of.

            Before the world had been ravaged by the atomic bomb, war had been waged by two or more sides in a battle to decide worldly supremacy. The reason behind the war may be different for each one, but the objective is always the same: to win. For example, the purpose of wars like the American Revolution were for one country to win independence from another; to do so, the weaker country had to prove its dominance over the stronger one. In World War II, it was a battle between democracy and fascism to determine which ideological government was stronger. In civil wars, a country is split in two, and the winning side takes full control over the country. Goldstein’s book defines past wars as, “Something that sooner or later came to an end, usually in unmistakable victory of defeat” (Orwell 197). In the past, war would come to an end with a winning side and a losing side, with the winning side proving their dominance over the other. Now, war is fought between unconquerable countries over an unnecessary part of land, just to use up products of the machine to keep the economy stable and the standard of life low.

            War in 1984 is no longer the fight for supremacy; it has become a fight to use up the products of the economy and keep the general standard of living low within the super-states. Goldstein writes in his book, “The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of labor. War is a way of shattering to pieces… materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses to comfortable and… too intelligent” (191). The three super-states fight against each other over a small piece of land that would not benefit anyone if captured. All the while, they are using their citizens to fight and work for them to defeat an unbeatable enemy. All the super-states are doing is using up resources to fight; however, because they are using up resources, fewer materials go to the Party. This is useful for Big Brother because it controls the standard for living, which is kept low so that the citizens can never want more. If the Party were to want more, and found a better life outside of what the Party was telling them, they would rebel against Big Brother. Since they have nothing and never see more, they will never know of a better world. As a result, rebellion is averted by Big Brother and the Inner Party. As a result, the war continues, and the Party remains in control. In 1984, there can be neither a winner nor a loser in war, and this is because each of the three super-states is almost identical to one another so they cannot be conquered.

            All three of the super-states that exist in the world cannot be conquered by one another; they are all equal in both strength and ideology, and so technically, each super-state is fighting a copy of itself. Each super-state has their own ideology: Oceania has Ingsoc, Eurasia practices Neo-Bolshevism, and Eastasia focuses on Death-Worship. It may sound like each ideology is different, but in fact, “The three philosophies are barely distinguishable, and the social systems which they support are not distinguishable at all” (197). Goldstein describes in his book that, “Everywhere there is the same pyramidal structure, the same worship of a semi-divine leader, the same economy existing by and for continuous warfare” (197). It is implied that like Ingsoc in Oceania, the other two ideologies have some kind of leader like Big Brother who is revered like a God by the citizens. These citizens are all kept in check by the “Inner Party” of each super-state, using mutability of the past and doublethink to control the minds and reality of the Party members. It can also be assumed that there are groups of Proles in each super-state that are kept stupid so they can’t rise up. Also, since Goldstein writes that the economy is the same, they all must share the concept of oligarchial collectivism. If so, then each of the super-states would be nearly identical to the others, and there is no way something can defeat or take over what is essentially a replica of itself. As a result, none can be conquered by another, and the war can never end.

             One of the slogans that the Party of Oceania abides by is War is Peace. War is peace within 1984 because war is continuous; this war has been fought for over 25 years and there are no signs of an end. War is peace to the Party and its people because they have never known of a world without war. This is possible due to the mutability of the past in conjunction with doublethink filling the past with nothing but war, and the low standard of life within Oceania. Since the past can be changed at will by Big Brother, the Party has rewritten the past so that war has existed in the world for as long as Oceania has. With the past changed, the members of the Party will never know about a world without a never-ending war, and they are not able to envision one due to the low standard of life and doublethink. By implementing doublethink, the Party makes their altered past the reality, and its members believe the altercation by forgetting the past, and then forgetting that you just forgot something. As a result, the members of the Party only know of their past, not the “real” past. The book also states; “It is often necessary for a member of the Inner Party to know that this or that item of war is untruthful, and he may often be aware that the entire war is spurious…such knowledge is easily neutralized by the technique of doublethink” (192). Doublethink allows the Party to make its members forget anything they want forgotten; if anyone finds out that the war is never-ending, they can doublethink the thought away, and so it never existed. With the mutability of the past and doublethink, the Party can control the minds of its members, and so they can keep the thought of war in their minds. As a result, they only know of peace in a time of war, hence the meaning behind War is Peace.

            War in 1984 is continuous; it has been going on for over 25 years, and there is no end in sight. War is no longer fought to declare a winner and loser; war is now fought to use up resources and keep the standard of living low for the citizens. There will never be a winner because the super-state cannot conquer one another. This is because they are almost identical to each other, and you cannot defeat yourself. Using the mutability of the past and doublethink, the Party can keep the state of war within Oceania. War is Peace within Oceania because the Party has never known of a time where there was no war; the past has been changed so that war has existed since the super-states were formed. War is Peace is possible because the war can never end, and as long as war is being fought, the Party can never lose.