technology affect the Party's ability to control

[Taezer]

I have basically two topics to do an essay on and this is what i got so far:

question 1
Discuss the idea of Room 101, the place where everyone meets his or her worst fear. Keeping in mind that for most of Winston's time at the Ministry of Love, he does not know what he will find in Room 101, what role does that uncertainty play in making Room 101 frightening? Does the cage of rats break Winston's spirit, or does it merely play a symbolic role?

I think that the uncertainty plays a major role in making the room frighetening because you dread it everytime you hear about it or when someone else is ordered to go into it, it sort of builds up the fear inside you making it a useful tool for the party to control you.
I also think that the cage of rats does break winstons spirit, when nothing else could because it was his deepest fear and he gave up at the sight of the rats julia, even though all the torture couldnt make him do it.

question 2
How does technology affect the Party's ability to control its citizens? In what ways does the Party employ technology throughout the book?

I think technology instills fear into everyones minds because they know that they are under constant watch and anything they do can put them in jail and subject to torture.

It is also a media through which the party has complete control over its citizens because it can monitor their everymove whenever they decide to or they are suspicious of someone. It is also used to control the citizens emotions like in the two minutes of hate etc..

It is also used to destroy evidence of the past before the partys rule, and create an alternate past where the party is always in control. It is also used to destroy previous documents to create new ones in its place with new information that contradicts the previous documents which enforces double think

Can someone help me choose which question is better to write the essay on ?
and give me more arguments or proofs for them??

thanks

[The Atheist]

I have basically two topics to do an essay on and this is what i got so far:

question 1
Discuss the idea of Room 101, the place where everyone meets his or her worst fear. Keeping in mind that for most of Winston's time at the Ministry of Love, he does not know what he will find in Room 101, what role does that uncertainty play in making Room 101 frightening? Does the cage of rats break Winston's spirit, or does it merely play a symbolic role?

I agree that the uncertainty will make it worse, because you'd always be hoping it was anything but the worst fear, which would multiply the fear when it became real.

I don't see the rats as symbolic - it could have been anything. I think rats as symbolism would've been a little light for Orwell.


I also think that the cage of rats does break winstons spirit, when nothing else could because it was his deepest fear and he gave up at the sight of the rats julia, even though all the torture couldnt make him do it.

Spot on.


question 2
How does technology affect the Party's ability to control its citizens? In what ways does the Party employ technology throughout the book?

I think technology instills fear into everyones minds because they know that they are under constant watch and anything they do can put them in jail and subject to torture.

It is also a media through which the party has complete control over its citizens because it can monitor their everymove whenever they decide to or they are suspicious of someone. It is also used to control the citizens emotions like in the two minutes of hate etc..

It is also used to destroy evidence of the past before the partys rule, and create an alternate past where the party is always in control. It is also used to destroy previous documents to create new ones in its place with new information that contradicts the previous documents which enforces double think

Can someone help me choose which question is better to write the essay on ?
and give me more arguments or proofs for them??

thanks

From what you've written, you seem to have a good grasp of both, but the fact that you already wrote far more on technology says that's where you should go.

Have a look around the sticky threads for more information, and feel free to ask for more!