Winston writes Down with Big Brother

Back in his flat, Winston discovers that while he sat helplessly musing he has been writing 'DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER' over and over again, filling half a page. He feels a twinge of panic, but he knows it makes no difference whether he writes it or not. The Thought Police will get him just the same, because he has committed the essential crime of thoughtcrime. He writes desperately that they will shoot him and he does not care. Then he sits back, slightly ashamed, and lays down the pen. The next moment there is a knocking at the door, and his heart leaps with terror.