Adventures of Ivy Fleur: The Election of Liquidation

Chapter 14: Two Minute Hate

Ivy flicked through her book, the words becoming a blur as she looked for the paragraph she left off. She had forgotten to dog tag the page before she helped her mother make breakfast and now she was mindlessly looking through the novel.

The book was "1984" by George Orwell, a mandatory assignment for class. The other books she had to read before were troublesome since she could not understand the figurative language, but this one was easier - if only by a tad. However, she wasn't able to see how the Big Brother worked.

Ivy understood that fear controlled the people but wasn't able to understand their respect towards the oppressive government. Ivy has no recollection of experiencing fear but she does know how much it influences others. Fear can and does - in some countries - control citizens but many revolt against it, however, in '1984' the respect that people have towards Big Brother is what keeps the tyranny moving. Because, it did not matter who they were
- a child, a government official, or an old man running an antiques shop - they could be watchers of the Big Brother. Their respect is what brought the fear to the people and the people's fear fueled Big Brother.

But why? Why did these people respect them?

Maybe the real answer isn't in the book but what's around us, she thought. The undoubted respect that the characters had in 1984 were closely similar to most religions. If one questioned the higher power, they were shunned upon and in worst cases would be forced to never question again. That scene in the book, Two Minute Hate, where the people erupted into an angry mob towards those who were against Oceania, reminded Ivy a lot of a hate church.

Ivy remembered one of her aunts from her mother's side who lived in the deep South who had taken Ivy to one of her church's sermons.  Ivy's aunt told her mother that going to this church and following a path to God would lead Ivy to a normal life.

When Ivy was sitting in first row with her aunt, surrounded by seemingly ordinary people, she could never comprehend what was going to happen. When the priest started he talked about the teachings of God, but in seconds he started speaking his mind about things Ivy was too young to understand. Her six year old thoughts didn't know what words were pouring out of the man's mouth but Ivy did not like the way he spoke.

His words didn't seem to have the same effect on those of her aunt and the people around Ivy. Instead of being utterly mortified, they were angrily agreeing with him - some were even crying.

Suddenly, her aunt stood up and told the priest that Ivy was autistic and needed God to 'save' her. Ivy cautiously stood at the front of the alter as the crowd looked at her with suspicious eyes. Ivy expected the priest to say something along the lines of "God will forgive you" or "God loves all his children" like others at her home town had told her. Instead, he yelled at her, called her an abomination.

Saying it was her fault she was like this. That it was her parents fault. 

The crowd joined with the angry man's yelling, even her aunt. They started to call her mother names which Ivy didn't like. The small Ivy could not comprehend why they were yelling at her, all she wanted was for them to stop. She started to cry in front of them, but that only made the crowd more wild. Is was the first time Ivy had ever cried.

When Ivy told her mother, Mrs. Fleur was furious and cut all ties to her sister. Ivy has never seen that aunt since.

That, in way, is a lot like the respect the characters had to Big Brother. The incredible strength a higher power has, is what brings those people to respect it.

At first there is fear of that power, because one does not like to be controlled and the possibles of what that higher power could do to you.

Then that higher power offers you gifts or in some cases salvation, and suddenly that fear is turned to respect. At first that salvation may have been pure, but is soon corrupted or has always been tainted. The belief that a higher power is needed for control is a common one. In government and in religion, it has become a popular ideal that has been able to keep, some what, of a peace.