1984

           Thatwastheultimatesubtlety: consciouslytoinduceunconsciousness,andthen,onceagain,tobecomeunconsciousoftheactofhypnosisyouhadjustperformed. Eventounderstandtheword‘doublethink’involvedtheuseofdoublethink. 

           Theinstructresshadcalledthemtoattentionagain. ‘Andnowlet’sseewhichofuscantouchourtoes! ’shesaidenthusiastically. ‘Rightoverfromthehips,please,comrades. ONE-two! ONE-two!...’ 

           Winstonloathedthisexercise,whichsentshootingpainsallthewayfromhisheelstohisbuttocksandoftenendedbybringingonanothercoughingfit. Thehalf-pleasantqualitywentoutofhismeditations. Thepast,hereflected,hadnotmerelybeenaltered,ithadbeenactuallydestroyed. Forhowcouldyouestablisheventhemostobviousfactwhenthereexistednorecordoutsideyourownmemory? HetriedtorememberinwhatyearhehadfirstheardmentionofBigBrother. Hethoughtitmusthavebeenatsometimeinthesixties,butitwasimpossibletobecertain. InthePartyhistories,ofcourse,BigBrotherfiguredastheleaderandguardianoftheRevolutionsinceitsveryearliestdays. Hisexploitshadbeengraduallypushedbackwardsintimeuntilalreadytheyextendedintothefabulousworldofthefortiesandthethirties, whenthecapitalistsintheirstrangecylindricalhatsstillrodethroughthestreetsofLondoningreatgleamingmotor-cars orhorsecarriageswithglasssides. Therewasnoknowinghowmuchofthislegendwastrueandhowmuchinvented.