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Irony
Definition of Logos
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Logos is... read full definition
Logos, along with ethos and pathos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Book 2, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Goldstein's Book:
In the ninth chapter of the novel's second book, Orwell includes long excerpts from the fictional book The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism, generally referred to as the book. These excerpts make steady use of logos, as Goldstein applies reason and logic to the history of the Ingsoc regime and the aims of the Party. The style of the book is typical of manifestos, and its ideological basis feels reminiscent of Marxist thought. In fact, people have speculated that Orwell might have based the Goldstein character on Leon Trotsky and the novel itself on Trotsky's The Revolution Betrayed.
The longest excerpt from the book is its entire third chapter, titled "War is Peace." In this chapter, Goldstein lays out the "splitting-up of the world into three great super-states," differentiates war before versus after the Revolution, and reveals what the Party means when it claims, in one of its slogans, that war is peace. The mode of logos feels fitting for this text, given that Goldstein's stated aim is to uncover and explain.
Goldstein explains that industrialization has reached a point where a relatively high standard of living could be attained for everyone in the world. This is not a positive development for the Inner Party, as an "all-round increase in wealth" would threaten the destruction of "a hierarchical society" and further dismantle the system of power:
For if leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves; and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realize that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away. In the long run, a hierarchical society was only possible on a basis of poverty and ignorance.
Goldstein's explanatory tone is evident in this passage. Carefully outlining cause and effect, he explains the Inner Party's logic. Although an increase in wellbeing would seem like a positive thing, he explains why they feel the opposite. As Goldstein wraps up his argument, he breaks down their slogan and the logic behind it.
A peace that was truly permanent would be the same as a permanent war. This—although the vast majority of Party members understand it only in a shallower sense—is the inner meaning of the Party slogan: war is peace.
For the Inner Party, war is peace because it maintains the status quo. By sustaining a constant war, the superstates put aside enough of their resources and wealth to prevent the standard of living from increasing. Using logos, Goldstein shows how war keeps the people preoccupied, blinding them from inequality and their material demands.
At this point in the narrative, the explanatory mode is useful to the reader. Given that Orwell's fictional world somewhat corresponds but largely deviates from the world the reader lives in, it becomes necessary for the reader to receive a more direct summary of the alternative history that pushed the world in this dystopian direction.
Related Themes:
