Strength of Ignorance

"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 realise that the privileged minority had no function, and they would sweep it away." (Page 190).

This passage comes from Goldstien's book with in 1984. Orwell includes this in order to give the reader a sense of the language used in Oceana. It also gives the reader another view of Oceana's history that Winston cannot give himself. Winston carries the hope that the Poroles will someday be enlightened and rebel against the Inner Party. Without knowledge the paroles will have no reason to rise and the Inner Party is efficiently washing intelligence from all the minds of Oceana's people. Poverty and ignorance is the only foundation for a dystopian society.