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Big Brain Break In George Orwell's '1984'

733 Words3 Pages

Aymal Yousefzai
Mr. Gray
Sophomore Honors English--8
May 9, 2023
Orwell Essay
Big Brother’s Big Brain Break
The 1900’s world-renowned scientist, Marie Curie, said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” The Party, and the whole concept of Big Brother, live to destroy that understanding so the people may live in oblivion. In George Orwell’s 1984, The Party would stop at nothing–with the Ministry of Love utilizing hunger, pain, and bewilderment–to psychologically break its inmates.
The Ministry of Love’s use of hunger in psychologically breaking its inmates is apparent from the time the protagonist, Winston, spent in the Ministry of Love’s preserving cells. …show more content…

“It might be twenty-four hours since he had eaten, it might be thirty-six. He still did not know, probably never would know, whether it had been morning or evening when they arrested him” (Orwell 225). After being arrested with Julia in Mr. Charrington’s rented room, Winston was most likely blindfolded and taken to the Ministry of Love. Since Winston had no clue where he was or what time it was, there was no indication of when he would leave, contributing to a feeling of hopelessness. “Several studies showed that aMCI patients have poor insight into their memory deficits, underestimating them (12–18)” (Bastin et al.). Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) could have been what Winston received from his torture at the Ministry. Those aMCI patients who underestimated their memory deficits could reflect Winston’s bewilderment, where he subconsciously underestimated the amount of psychological impairment he had received, which led to a simultaneous feeling of hopelessness. The Party also used doublethink to perpetuate bewilderment. For example, inmates captured and sent to the Ministry of Love because they knowingly committed a crime against the party are constantly fed the concept of doublethink and compelled to accept the Party’s structure. “And he did see them, for a fleeting instant, before the scenery of his mind changed. He saw five fingers, and there was no deformity” (Orwell 258). O’Brien was holding up

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