1984

           whenthegreatorgasmwasquiveringtoitsclimaxandthegeneralhatredofEurasiahadboiledupintosuchdeliriumthatifthecrowdcouldhavegottheirhandsonthe2,000Eurasianwar-criminals whoweretobepubliclyhangedonthelastdayoftheproceedings,theywouldunquestionablyhavetornthemtopieces—atjustthismomentithadbeenannouncedthatOceaniawasnotafterallatwarwithEurasia. OceaniawasatwarwithEastasia.Eurasiawasanally. 

           Therewas,ofcourse,noadmissionthatanychangehadtakenplace. Merelyitbecameknown,withextremesuddennessandeverywhereatonce,thatEastasiaandnotEurasiawastheenemy. WinstonwastakingpartinademonstrationinoneofthecentralLondonsquaresatthemomentwhenithappened. Itwasnight,andthewhitefacesandthescarletbannerswereluridlyfloodlit. Thesquarewaspackedwithseveralthousandpeople,includingablockofaboutathousandschoolchildrenintheuniformoftheSpies. Onascarlet-drapedplatformanoratoroftheInnerParty,asmallleanmanwithdisproportionatelylongarmsandalargebaldskulloverwhichafewlanklocksstraggled,washaranguingthecrowd. AlittleRumpelstiltskinfigure,contortedwithhatred,hegrippedtheneckofthemicrophonewithonehandwhiletheother,enormousattheendofabonyarm,clawedtheairmenacinglyabovehishead. Hisvoice,mademetallicbytheamplifiers,boomedforthanendlesscatalogueofatrocities,massacres,deportations,lootings,rapings,tortureofprisoners,bombingofcivilians,lyingpropaganda,unjustaggressions,brokentreaties. Itwasalmostimpossibletolistentohimwithoutbeingfirstconvincedandthenmaddened. Ateveryfewmomentsthefuryofthecrowdboiledoverandthevoiceofthespeakerwasdrownedbyawildbeast-likeroaringthatroseuncontrollablyfromthousandsofthroats.