State of the Union Newspeak Translation

original text: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29431

Comrades:

I touch with goodest plushappy the think that presents self doubleplusgood comrades on now good bellyfell. The late addition of North Carolina to Oceania (prescribed data collected), ascent mention and reputability of Oceania, the general and addition good testament to ministries of Oceania, and consort, war, and lot with which all sanctify is setting in high standard to Oceania.

Startagain reference to Oceania you no take plushappy from picture that counts other meeting doubleplusnogood to factor as big and hard of work done. Later to know prospects and save good words Big Brother has given is good for session of Ingsoc.

With plusgood objects which attract eyes giving defense will be watched. Ready for war plusgood ways of control.

Comrades yes be equipped, but controlled; constant and plusgood plan vital; and security and concern is all should help factories incline to lower them liberated of others for vital, secure, things.

Right build of army nogood thought of. In provisions made about it is good stop relax support of officer and soldiers know money.

Way to like actions used with thought to the Brotherhood pleased people of south and west Oceania from attacks, but comrades see strategy secure in paper I show you (getting word of bellyfeel of Virginia) comrades must ready buy safety to parts of Oceania, and attack the Brotherhood.

Thoughts of Oceania is action with Eurasia helped by foods give me finish work way conditions think purify plusgood comrades, and return make to comrades be work, giving surroundings of things, clear Ingsoc, and able money given paying things in matters.

Many thoughts purify useful words Eurasia known to comrades fast learned by Big Brother.

Equality in money, masses, and things no approval; but I no hold back fear comrades help show new and useful things abroad works skill and smart make at dwelling, and helping contact Eurasia.

Freedom is Slavery

Memory Storage #53

Date: November 16, 2156

Name: Jason Silver

Breathing is stable, no upsetting hiccups to disrupt sleep. Muscles are relaxing at a good pace.

Eyes open.

Blink. Blink.

Dialogue Storage #183, Inner Monologue Unit #1:

            I recall the day I was taken out of the burden of mentation. I was three years of age, still a babe in my mother’s arms, and it was my natal day. It was also the day I would be released from my prison. I do not recall much of the procedure except that it was successful and I would be home within a fortnight. This event happened not but ten years ago and I do enjoy the recollection of the memory. In fact, it is the first memory I have stored.

System Check Complete: no damage to be reported. Free to start the day.

            My savior, I thank you. I must always thank my savior. He is the one who pulled me out of the darkness and made me free. My savior is my metallic spine that was given to me on my natal day ten years past. Once it was installed, I no longer had to control my body. Every movement is made and recorded in the spine, and every year I am given a new version. (The technology is still being developed, but it is worth it to be in the test subject generation.)

            Freedom is Slavery. Before the spines were created, the world was at war with themselves. No one had the capacity to make choices to better the human race. Then one glorious day, before I was born, Dr. Harrison Shredder created this wonderful technological advancement. He first tested it on himself and it was, in his own words, “Liberating to not have to control my own body anymore.” Once he gained enough funds, he began to liberate the people. At first he was only liberating adults because he didn’t know what would happen to children. That’s where the test subject generation comes in. You see at first, once someone had become twenty-five that was when they received the procedure but the people began to resist. So, Dr. Shredder began his research on children. Unfortunately, many of them died before being freed from their human bond. Luckily, my generation did not die during the procedure. I’m not entirely sure why we survived, but I do know that we are continuing Shredders great work.

            Now the details of the procedure are not entirely clear to me. All I know is that we had to wait until we were four years of age and then we were given the procedure. My mother said it has something to do with the maturity of our brains, but she is usually wrong about most things. She is still stuck in the old ways of thinking for herself, therefore she does not understand the complexities of Dr. Shredder’s research. She could not afford the procedure for herself, but she wanted me to further enhance my life by letting me have it. I cannot feel emotion, but I would suppose that I love her for that.

Admiring the World

I watched the rain. Watching the rain on the roof is like observing paint drip off a canvas. The smell of wet grass swelled across the suburb. There the city is – bright, diffused, modern, vintage, still, opaque, or lively, and always beckoning with an air of mystery ‘See what you can find.’ Tonight’s was different, as the rain blurred the boundaries of the city, distorting it to a new state of beauty. The rhythmic patter filled the air in a swell of musicality that deafened all other sounds with its majesty. The edge of the enormous metropolis, so faded as to be almost transparent, speckled with shades of black, ran curved, like a track field, far, far away along amber roads whose light was dimmed by an unknown light board operator. The rain was sharp, the land seemed to sparkle and harden with ice. As the cold water poured down on my face, the more it felt like little pin needles than refreshing droplets. But the crisp cool air softened the droplets into comforting feathers lightly dusting all that it touched. Here and there silverish-goldish stars brightened up the edge of city, with a pointed tower over them perhaps. Buildings only some decades old, and yet older than the history of most of the people living there. Every other day the city looked the same, as though it were in a picture; but now it has transformed into a sparkling wonderland of fast paced stars lighting up the night.

Colonization is all a Game

              Earlier this past week, we played a game about colonialism. For the game, we needed a deck of playing cards and our groups. The first step in the game was to pick how we are going to win the native people’s trust either guns a blazing, or peacefully. After we made that decision, the game began. Each group had to take twelve more turns, symbolizing the twelve months in a year, in order to gain a surplus of supplies. Whenever a group took a turn, we would have to randomly choose what type of weather we would have, whether or not the natives would retaliate, and whether or not we would press them for supplies. And everything that we chose impacted the next part of the turn. The goal of the game was to be the group with most surplus supplies after a year.
               For my group, we decided to start off the peaceful way. We didn’t start to press the natives for supplies until the third month. Then we started to press then every other month. In the end, after some bad weather and some difficult choices during that bad weather, we ended up with a surplus of three which was two more than what we started with.
              The reason why we chose to start off peacefully was that we wanted to create a lasting bond with the native people so that we could collect more supplies in the future. Even though we started off peacefully, we still established our dominance, but in a passive way. (We didn’t want the people to retaliate.) Even though this wasn’t a real expedition to colonize a foreign land, we tried to make it more realistic by keeping that mindset. And it all worked out in the end.
              After playing this game, I realized that trying to colonize a foreign place is a game of chance. The reason why I say this is because the “mother country” only knows what is going on in their part of the world. They don’t know what kind of weather happens on another hemisphere, nor do they know how the natives will respond to them. It’s all just a matter of “what ifs.” For example, what if there’s not enough room for farming, what if there’s a drought and everyone dies, what if the native people retaliate, etc.
              I think that if I were to change anything within the game would be to add in a portion where each group would have to keep a specific amount of native people alive in order to thrive as a colony. I think that would make the game a bit more realistic because in order to have a successful colony you need to have people. I’m not sure how to add that part into the game, but somehow it can be done.
             This game, to me, seemed like a correct representation of how colonization happened. You’re playing with forces that you can’t control nor do you fully understand them. It’s all a game of chance.