anyone got tips on how to improve this essay or my writing in general??
thx in advance =D
Prompt: describe each stage of winston's reintegration into society and explain how each stage is designed to suit the party's purpose. The conclusion should evaluate the effectiveness of winston's reintegration.
The dystopian society portrayed in George Orwell's 1984 is dominated by an iconic Big Brother and the authoritative Inner Party. Caught rebelling against the Party's ideology Winston, an intelligent member of the Outer Party, is brought to the Ministry of Love where he is taught to conform to the Party. The process of reintegration consists of four stages: preparing, learning, understanding, and accepting, designed to strip Winston of his thoughts, emotions, and beliefs.
The first step of the procedure, the preliminary phase, used mental and physical torture to confuse Winston, preparing him for learning. The building of the Ministry of Love had no windows, and Winston often "wondered where he was, and what time of day it was. At one moment he felt certain that it was broad daylight outside, and at the next equally certain that it was pitch darkness" (229). Sitting in a continuously lit cell, Winston questioned himself, the self-doubt imitating Doublethink, believing two opposing ideas at the same time. Disoriented and unable to come to conclusion, the party began the physical, tangible preparation which consisted of torture. Even at the beginning of the beating, Winston realized, "nothing in the world was as bad as physical pain. Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop" (239). Intoxicated by pain, Winston's ability to think was limited by the Party's constant torment. Disabling his thought and reasoning, the party effectively tore apart Winston's pillar of beliefs. Battered both physically and mentally, the party proceeded to the next step of reintegration; learning.
The learning phase was stage designed to break down Winston's basis of belief. In this stage, the Party's "real weapon was the merciless questioning...most of the time they screamed abuse at him and threatened at every hesitation to deliver him over to the guards again; but sometimes they would suddenly change their tune, call him comrade, appeal to him in the name of IngSoc and Big Brother, and ask him sorrowfully whether even now he had not enough loyalty to the Party" (241). Incessantly nagged by his inquisitors, Winston, already worn from the preliminary phase, was further frustrated and aggravated. By means of threats and kind appeals, the Party slashed at Winston's wavering emotional state. Completely destroying the base of Winston's reality, O'Brien proceeds to the stage of understanding.
O'Brien says that "The party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of to others; we are interested solely in power, pure power" (263). O'Brien explains the true purpose and desire of humanity. The reason the Party was immortal, according to O'Brien, was because their sole intention was supremacy. O'Brien tells Winston to look at his emaciated form in the mirror saying "I can make my thumb and forefinger meet around your biceps. I could snap your neck like a carrot...if you are human, that is humanity" (272). O'Brien makes Winston examine himself in the mirror; the last human being. Seeing himself falling apart, Winston realizes the fragility of a single being.
Having learned and understood the party's ideals, Winston was given time to recuperate. Though he had "seemed to have lost his power of intellectual effort," Winston hears himself cry, "Julia, Julia, Julia my Julia!" (275). Though Winston is willing himself to accept the O'Brien's teachings, his mind still disbelieves subconsciously. Realizing his doubt, O'Brien orders Winston to Room 101, the last stage. Room 101 contained "the worst thing in the world, and [in Winston's case], the worst thing in the world happened to be rats" (287). Winston's head is put inside a cage, with starving rats that would gradually devour him. The Party's final stage in reintegration was facing Winston with something he feared more than death, forcing Winston to betray Julia.
In the end, Winston is portrayed sitting under the Chestnut tree sipping victory gin and playing chess. In a quick encounter with Julia, they admit their betrayal of each other. Winsotn realized that he loved Big Brother and that the party had successfully killed him.
Sometimes you might try to fit too much into one sentence:
The process of reintegration consists of four stages: preparing, learning, understanding, and accepting. This process was designed to strip Winston of his thoughts, emotions, and beliefs.
Rather than starting this paragraph with a quotation, maybe you should precede this sentence with a sentence about the understanding phase. Only after introducing the paragraph with a good topic sentence should you go on to explain it.
This is a good topic sentence, for example:
The learning phase was stage designed to break down Winston's basis of belief.
That conclusion paragraph can be lengthened and developed. Tell about the implications of the main truth being expressed int he essay.
Watch out for a misspelling of his name in that last sentence.
:-)
