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Time for Tyranny “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” One must hold dear the memories of the past, the ever-changing present, and the unknown future. Time is all that you have, and once it is lost, you are completely controlled. In 1984, George Orwell uses the significance of time to illustrate the tyrannical tendencies in the society of Oceania. As evident from the Party’s slogan, a critical characteristic of the ruling Party in Oceania is its control of time: “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past” (Orwell 35). This slogan embodies an idea which may be a threat to humanity. The Party chooses to enforce its ideology through the absolute control of the past: “The mutability of the past is the central tenet of Ingsoc” (213). Orwell suggests that embracing transience is identical to abandoning the establishment of standards of truth and falsities. “Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure forgotten, the lie became truth” (75). The distinction between truth and falsehood can only be determined by looking outside the present moment; if there are no standards of truth, then what is right can only be determined by force. O’Brien, Winston’s tormentor, says, “Do you realize that the past, starting from yesterday, has been actually abolished?... History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right” (155).
Approximate Word count = 1008
Approximate Pages = 4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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