1984

           IfthePartycouldthrustitshandintothepastandsayofthisorthatevent,ITNEVERHAPPENED —that,surely,wasmoreterrifyingthanmeretortureanddeath? 

           ThePartysaidthatOceaniahadneverbeeninalliancewithEurasia. He,WinstonSmith,knewthatOceaniahadbeeninalliancewithEurasiaasshortatimeasfouryearsago. Butwheredidthatknowledgeexist? Onlyinhisownconsciousness,whichinanycasemustsoonbeannihilated. AndifallothersacceptedtheliewhichthePartyimposed —ifallrecordstoldthesametale—thentheliepassedintohistoryandbecametruth. ‘Whocontrolsthepast,’ranthePartyslogan,‘controlsthefuture: whocontrolsthepresentcontrolsthepast. ’Andyetthepast,thoughofitsnaturealterable,neverhadbeenaltered. Whateverwastruenowwastruefromeverlastingtoeverlasting. Itwasquitesimple. Allthatwasneededwasanunendingseriesofvictoriesoveryourownmemory. ‘Realitycontrol’,theycalledit: inNewspeak,‘doublethink’. 

           ‘Standeasy! ’barkedtheinstructress,alittlemoregenially. 

           Winstonsankhisarmstohissidesandslowlyrefilledhislungswithair. Hismindslidawayintothelabyrinthineworldofdoublethink. 

           Toknowandnottoknow,tobeconsciousofcompletetruthfulnesswhiletellingcarefullyconstructedlies, toholdsimultaneouslytwoopinionswhichcancelledout,knowingthemtobecontradictoryandbelievinginbothofthem, touselogicagainstlogic,torepudiatemoralitywhilelayingclaimtoit,tobelievethatdemocracywasimpossible andthatthePartywastheguardianofdemocracy, toforgetwhateveritwasnecessarytoforget,thentodrawitbackintomemoryagainatthemomentwhenitwasneeded,andthenpromptlytoforgetitagain: andaboveall,toapplythesameprocesstotheprocessitself.