Sunday, June 3, 2012

Name the technological devices used in 1984.

In 1984, Orwell describes a number of technological devices which are used by the people of Oceania. Here's a list:


  • Telescreen: these screens are installed in the homes of party members and are primarily used for the purposes of surveillance. But the telescreens are also used to transmit party messages to people, like news about the war with Eurasia and information about rations.

  • Memory Hole: these devices use currents of warm air to carry waste paper to the nearest incinerator. The reader is introduced to these in Part One, Chapter Four when Winston is rewriting history as part of his job at the Ministry of Truth.  

  • Helicopter: these are used by the party to spy on the citizens of Oceania, as described by Winston in Part Two, Chapter Three. They are also used in the war against Eurasia, and later, Eastasia.

  • Dial: this is a torture device which is used on Winston at the Ministry of Love in Part Three, Chapter Two. This is not well-described in the text (we do not learn its proper name, for instance), but it enables the user, O'Brien, to inflict pain on an individual who is strapped to a chair.

What is striking about these devices is that they are all used against the people of Oceania. Whether employed for pain or surveillance, each device enables the party to gain a greater degree of control over the people it rules - and they are powerless to stop it.

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