1984 Group

Question:

kristina89
kristina89
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Trace the history of INGSOC from 1950 to 1984. What are some major events that took place and at what time in history did they happen?

part 1

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Posted by kristina89 on Thursday December 13, 2007 at 8:49 AM and tagged with 1984, ingsoc 1950 1983 major events history.

Answers:


  1. clane Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    INGSOC or English Socialism in OldSpeak emerged sometime in the late 1960s. History is a fluid entity in the current society under the rule of Big Brother so Winston is never certain what the date or year is. He believes that he was born in 1944 or 1945 and that the current year is 1984 because he believes that he is thirty-nine. He remembers pieces of his life as a young boy before the Revolution throughout the novel. For example, he remembers a time in the mid-fifties when his father disappeared and then later when his starving mother and sister disappeared one afternoon after he stole food from his dying sister's mouth and ran away. During the mid-sixties it was a period known as "the period of the great purges" where original leaders of the Revolution were wiped out (by 1970) leaving only Big Brother to rule. In about 1965 James, Aaronson, and Rutherford were arrested and tried for treason. From the point of Big Brother's rule in 1970 until 1984 Winston lived under the rule of the Party and history becomes particularly blurred. Oceania has been at war with Eastasia and Eurasia off and on, but in "truth" according to the Party has only been at war with one or the other and always been at war with one or the other.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/1984

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    Posted by clane on Friday December 14, 2007 at 9:34 AM