1984 11

“Then listen carefully. You’ll have to remember this. Go to Paddington station....” (96)

           Orwell references a real place, Paddington station, when Julia uses it as a landmark to tell Winston how to meet up with her in secret. Paddington station is known historically as the first underground railway in the world. Orwell might have used Paddington station in this context because an ‘underground railway’ sounds a lot like an ‘underground railroad.’ There was a secret society called the Underground Railroad in the late 1700s and 1800s that helped smuggle black slaves out of the south and into safety. This could represent the secret meetings that Julia and Winston were planning. Also, the fact that Paddington station still exists in Oceania shows that it is impossible to completely destroy history. No matter what, there is always something left. 

London Paddington Station." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 04 Sept. 2011.             <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Paddington_station>.

"The Underground Railroad." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 04 Sept. 2011.             <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html>.