To: memo@sdsu.eduSubject: MALAS600B - We
From: Jenn
Bill,
I couldn't help but think of the Panopticon while reading We. Prison inmates are constantly observed and under surveillance, although they were unable to see whether or not they were being observed by the guards in the central tower. While the Panopticon functioned as around-the-clock surveillance, it also served as a form of mental discipline, similar to how the One State was governed. Without ever really knowing who - or if anyone - was monitoring their actions, the numbers had to be constantly vigilant. D-503's Great Operation made me flash back to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, when McMurphy receives a lobotomy, resulting in a vegetative (and, therefore, compliant) state. As a way to assert control over the individual and restrain their rights, the operations served as a medically-sanctioned form of mind-control.
-Jenn
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