1984 and Contingency

Read through Breanna's research on chapter eight of Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. Then, look through Orwell's 1984 to find at least five moments in the text, other than those that Rorty mentions, that support the key points of Breanna's research. Explain how each moment relates to Rorty's points and present a short argument summarizing what is most worthwhile about Rorty's concepts in understanding the text. Email your research before class starts.

1. ‘We're destroying words—scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. We're cutting the language down to the bone. The Eleventh Edition won't contain a single word that will become obsolete before the year 2050.'
The moment when Syme and Winston discuss the reduction of language ties right into rority’s point about despising intellectuals that tell us the truth is not out there and that it is a function of the language we use.
2. 'No,' he said a little more hopefully, 'no; that's quite true. They can't get inside you. If you can FEEL that staying human is worthwhile, even when it can't have any result whatever, you've beaten them.'
I feel this line ties in with Rority’s point about how insistence in a prior belief can keep you going in tight situations. While Winston and Julia discuss what will become of them they stumble upon the idea that so long as they keep their desires in their hearts they can’t be beaten by torture or the machine.
3. There is a moment when Syme asks Winston is he went to see the hanging of prisoners. Winston replies that he would go to see it on television. There is also a moment earlier in which children want to see the hanging as well and are disappointed at not being able to do so.

This plays on Rority’s point on re-describing events that should be ghastly to the average person. Over time the characters have come to find torture as a mode of entertainment not the reality of what it really is.
4. There is a time while Winston is recollecting after being hit by the parsons boy, he notes that families are no longer what we consider families today but have been torn apart and now work against each other.
Rority mentions that Obrien talks about tearing down social structures and language to humiliate people. This in turn must help to keep them in check. Tearing the family structure down gives most characters in the novel no social support leaving everyone essentially helpless.  
5. There is a moment when Winston considers that the only way the party can stay in control is if there are enough paralyzingly stupid people to keep them in power.

I believe this ties into Rority’s comment about there not existing any individuals because people only follow what society tells them to do.

I feel that Rority’s comments help to make orwells motives a little more clear. I believe what's more pressing is how this book is basically the playbook of the future political and judicial order. Personally I feel Roritys comments make it easier to see how orwells notions come to play in our current society. I mean Rority makes a comment about men of great charisma and intellect being capable of monstrous things; what makes our leaders any different. Just today we have the senate trying to push a bill to let the intelligence arm data mine your email. How long till they stare back at us through the monitor, the technology is already there. The laws exist that allow indefinite detention without due process  but they'll never mention it on tv, the language is already disappearing from such parodies as tv news programs. Only small changes need to be made to the history of our modern times and as Rority points out we'll be looking at Orwell like he was a fool blabbering about nonsense than somone trying to warn us of our liberties. We gave the peace prize to somone who increased the scope of war, the majority don't know what the NDAA is and many are, whether economically or socially, trapped where they are. War is peace,freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength; we may have already crossed the rubicon.