The
reader is introduced to these seemingly nonsensical party slogans asreads them on the Ministry
of Truth building. There is some obvious greatthat a ministry that proclaims itself as the
purveyor of truth should produce such slogans as, "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery,
Ignorance is Strength" (p.6). It surely makes a mockery of what any reasonable minded
citizen would understand as logical thought, but therein we gain some understanding of the
totality of control that the government of Oceania exercises.
Just as
Newspeak seeks to mould the very language of citizens to produce the government's desired
outcomes, the meaning, the production of the three slogans is designed to twist the citizen's
logic into accepting previously thought of undesirable aspects of humanity (war, slavery,
ignorance) as normal or even as a virtue. In order to reinforce the citizenry's acceptance of
the new logic (and override the natural human desire to question the logic of the slogans) the
state employs such apparatus as saturation propaganda, police terror and torture, and public
events like Hate Week.
The party slogans foreshadow what is to come. 's
torture of Winston involves curing Winston of his supposed insanity of not accepting party
logic. We learn during Winston's torture that the Party can successfully change 'truth' to
whatever purpose it wishes - a truly chilling exercise of power.
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