3. Be able to explain the significance of the following themes:
• The meaning of freedom: Freedom is slavery. There are no laws, so technically everybody is free, but nobody is because they don’t know what is allowed and what is not. Big Brother controls everything, without acknowledging that they control anything really. The Proles are both freer and less free than the upper class. They are freer because they aren’t subjected to the same rules as the Party members. However, they are less free because they do not have the ability to think for themselves.
• The responsibility of the individual in society: They have the responsibility to uphold the properties of doublethink and newspeak. Their only responsibility is to do what they are told by the Party, and to be loyal. They are supposed to totally surrender their mind, individuality, and identity to the Party.
• Dehumanization as a method of control: Once you take away a person’s humanity, they are just animals. Animals can’t think for themselves, are easier to control, and easier to kill because they are viewed as inferior. They make everybody the same and give them a pack mentality, removing all connections between people. They take away emotions and the other things that make us inherently human.
• Isolation: The Party removes all connections between people, emotional anyway. They are expected to be connected to the Party and only to the Party. Sex is not against the law, just frowned upon, but is overlooked as long is there is no emotional connection.
• Social class disparity: The Proles have to work 14-hour days at manual labor. The Party members don’t, but they have to swear complete allegiance and are watched more fervently than the Proles. The Party members are the upper class. The Inner Party has even more privileges than the Outer Party. The Proles are not educated in order that they can’t organize an uprising. This disparity is used to keep the system in control and keep the people separate in order to exert more power over them.
• The abuse of power: People are always being watched, all the time, everywhere by the telescreens. The three major states are constantly at war with one another to keep a system of checks and balances and to control the general populace. If you break a rule, you are taken to the Ministry of Love and tortured until you admit to things you didn’t even do, and are killed once you are completely rehabilitated. They bomb their own countries in order to keep the people afraid. They focus their hatred on one enemy at a time to unify the people for the goals of the Party.
4. Define dystopia and apply it to the novel: A dystopia is a place where everything is inherently bad, and is typically totalitarian. The Party claim to have a utopia built on power, but it can’t be a utopia if it is built on social classes and controlling the masses. They are actually striving for a dystopia, because they will not repeat the “mistakes” of past governments. They want power purely for power, and they are not afraid to admit it. This book clearly portrays a dystopia because of the disparity between social classes, the isolation of people from one another, the complete and total control exerted by the government, and the conditions in which people are forced to live.
7. Examine the following symbols:
Big brother: Big Brother does not exist as a person, he is an ideal, representative of everything the Party stands for. He is the figurehead and face of the Party, so the people have something to direct their love, loyalty, and devotion toward.
The party slogans: Freedom is slavery, war is peace, and ignorance is strength. Freedom is slavery: the Party believes that to be an individual is to be a slave because the individual always dies, while the machine lives on. War is peace: they use war as a way to keep their country peaceful and under control because it focuses the hatred outside of themselves, on a common enemy. Ignorance is strength: If you don’t know much, then you don’t know just how much you don’t know. If you are ignorant, you won’t be aware of how helpless you are.
The four ministries: Ministries of peace, love, truth, and plenty. The names are all ironic, because they are the opposite of what they do. Ministry of peace is concerned with war. The ministry of love is concerned with law and order, and they torture people who break the laws. The ministry of truth deals with the media and propaganda, and changing the past. The ministry of plenty is concerned with rationing food which doesn’t need to be rationed. The backwards names are a symbol of the society itself being backwards, and represent doublethink.
The paperweight: It represented Winston and Julia’s relationship, and then it breaks. It is their own little world that they have created (outside the Party’s control), which is infiltrated when the paperweight is broken. It also represents the isolation of people, because Winston relates his world to a paperweight that is surrounded by glass and can’t be touched by the outside.
The golden country: It represents utopia, a place that is the opposite from the society that the Party has created. It is Winston’s escape from the world.
Emmanuel Goldstein: He, like Big Brother, does not exist. He is the common enemy created by the Party to embody everything that is “bad”. The masses are supposed to hate him, and most do, but he is still a beacon of hope to others.
James, Aaronson, Rutherford: They represent the abuse of power. They prove that the Party controls every aspect of life, even the lives of those who have really done nothing wrong. The Party can do anything they want to you because, when they accuse you of something, the masses will usually believe them. They will torture you until you believe them too. These men are an allusion to Communist leader (and accused traitor), Trotzsky.
Chestnut Tree Café: this café is a place where everybody who has been “rehabilitated” goes to drink away their thoughts and memories. They go there to live their non-lives as shells of people who are just ghosts of their former beings. They go there to await death. It also represents room 101 and the torture they endured there.
Doublethink: The ability to know that two opposite things are true, and believe only one of them. This also represents the abuse of power because the Party can change the past and the people no choice but to believe it.
Newspeak Dictionary: Newspeak represents the abuse of power and dehumanization and isolation because the Party takes away your ability to express your thoughts and ideas through taking away your vocabulary. If you cannot talk to another person, you cannot connect with them.
Winston’s diary: Winston writes in his diary because he needs an escape from the society in which he has been forced to live. He needs a way to express his feelings against Big Brother and the Party because nobody is allowed to express themselves in this world. This relates back to the themes of isolation and the meaning of freedom. He is not even supposed to be writing in a diary and, as a result, he feels guilty and has to be secretive about it, even though he is just writing down his personal thoughts.
Junkshop: This represents most of the themes. It represents the meaning of freedom because Julia and Winston feel as though they are free there, even though they really aren’t. It represents the responsibility of the individual in society because Mr. Charrington is actually thought police, even though Winston thinks that he is one person who Winston can trust. It represents isolation because Julia and Winston have to sequester themselves off in a random corner room just to be together. It represents social class disparity because of the interactions Winston has with the Prole woman while there. Also because Julia first applies makeup there, which is something that only Prole women do. She also buys food on the black market, food that only the inner party has. It represents abuse of power because Charrington is secretly thought police, and he abuses Winston’s trust.
Songs: This definitely represents social class disparity and isolation. It represents social class disparity because the Proles sing sad songs and songs with lyrics that they don’t really know what they are about. They apply their own meaning to them because they have had hard lives. It also represents isolation in that nobody actually creates music anymore. It is all created on a machine and done so in a way that does not sound like real music. Even then, the songs of the Prole woman and of the thrush bird show that there can still be emotion, beauty, and hope in the world. At the Chestnut Tree Café, the song that plays serves to remind people of what they endured in the Ministry of Love, and makes them realize that they are totally and completely alone.
Proles: These represent all of the themes. Meaning of freedom: the Proles could be considered freer than Party members because they are allowed to do basically whatever they want. They could also be considered less free because they don’t really have thoughts of their own, or the ability to think for themselves. Responsibility of the individual in society: the Prole’s responsibility in society is to work and produce more Prole babies. They are expected to be loyal to a fault and not question anything. Dehumanization as a method of control: the Proles are seen as less than people. They are pawns to be used for the Party’s gains, and nothing else. Isolation: the Proles are isolated from the rest of society and from the government. The only people that the Proles aren’t isolated from is each other. Social class disparity: The Proles are the under class, who don’t get an education, rarely have enough to eat, and live in poverty. Abuse of power: the Proles are kept unintelligent in order to be controlled more easily. They don’t even know that they could rebel if they wanted to.
10. Describe the setting. It is 1984, we think. The world is in a state of duress and it is a dystopian society. It is a world run by three major superstates, who rule with an iron fist and are interested in nothing but power. Everything is dirty and everything is rationed even though it doesn’t have to be. Winston’s story takes place in Oceania, which used to be England (and a larger chunk of Europe). There are telescreens and posters of Big Brother everywhere, always watching you. There is no privacy anywhere.
15. Discuss the meaning of Room 101. It represents isolation, because you must be separated from your peers in order to be interrogated. This emphasizes the psychological part of the torture and makes you feel as though you are completely alone in the world which, at that point, you are. It also represents the abuse of power. People are brutally tortured, even when they have maybe done nothing wrong. It also shows just how far the Party can get inside your head, because they know your thoughts and know what your deepest fear is, the thing you could not mentally escape even if you wanted to. It represents dehumanization as a method of control because the people who are taken there are not given baths or food, are beaten and broken until they don’t even resemble people. Supposedly everybody knows what is in Room 101, because it is the deepest fear within themselves, but that changes for every person. Room 101 is the place where they completely break you down and then build you up into the loyal party member that you were meant to be, before killing you.
18. Discuss the three movements in the book and summarize what happens in each.
• Part One: This is basically a description of the society. Since it is so different from our own (or anything we have ever known) Orwell had to take a while to set it up, otherwise we would not understand the rest of the book. We meet Winston, the protagonist. We learn the ideals of the Party, the principles of Ingsoc, the Party slogans, and all about Big Brother. The first part also introduces us to some important characters, and how Winston views them.
• Part Two: Winston and Julia meet and immediately begin a relationship. It starts with Julia passing Winston a note that says, “I love you,” though they have never spoken before. This is the inciting event of the book. They use their relationship as a form of rebellion against the Party. They continue meeting upstairs in Mr. Charrington’s shop, where they think they are alone. They discuss the Brotherhood, which Winston wants to join, while Julia just goes along with it. Finally, Winston gets a message from O’Brien. Julia and Winston go visit O’Brien, where O’Brien tells them about the Brotherhood and Goldstein’s book. Winston then receives the book and reads it, where he finds out that the book says nothing he didn’t know. Winston and Julia are captured in the upstairs room, where they find that a telescreen has been hiding behind a picture. They are taken away.
• Part Three: Winston is in the Ministry of Love, in a cell with many other people and no food. This cell is where he finds out that O’Brien is actually thought police. He is then taken away to be tortured. He is psychologically and physically tortured for a long time, though we don’t know specifics. O’Brien is the chief perpetrator of the torture, and asks Winston questions. He also tells Winston things about the society, and the purpose of the torture, which is to “rehabilitate” wayward individuals. Then Winston is brought to Room 101, where he is asked to face his biggest fear, rats, or completely surrender himself. He does, and betrays Julia as a result. He is then let go, where he lives for a little while, spending most of his time at the Chestnut Tree Café. He sees Julia, but there is no feeling anymore, and they both confess that they betrayed each other. At the end, Winston gives up all hope and realizes that he loves Big Brother.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Book of Torture and Hatred: Study Questions
Book Three, Chapter Numero Uno
1. Winston is at the Ministry of Love. He is put into a barely furnished cell that is never dark. He is assigned a number and treated worse than a prisoner by today's standards. He isn't allowed to move and is always watched. No one gives him any food, so he wastes away.
2. Ampleforth has also been taken to Miniluv. He was detained because he kept the word "God" in a poem when he couldn't find any other suitable rhymes. Parsons is also in Miniluv. His kid heard him say "Down with Big Brother," in his sleep, and turned him in. However, this does not stop Parsons from being incredibly proud of his little spy.
3. The chinless man offered the starving man a piece of crust that he found in his pocket. The telescreen, seeing what was going on, started yelling. The starving man immediately retreated and put his arms behind his back. Officers soon burst into the room, pick up the crust, and beat the chinless man.
4. When he is told that he is being taken to Room 101, the starving man starts begging for mercy. He says he'll confess to anything they want him to; he'll do anything for them. He says that they can kill his whole family in front of his eyes as long as they don't take him to Room 101. The starving man tries to pin a crime on the chinless man in order to divert their attention to someone else. When he sees that the officers are still going to take him, he grabs ahold of the bench and howls, but is soon overpowered.
5. O'Brien is a member of the Inner Party and the Ministry of Love. Both he and Charrington get others to do their dirty work. They deceive people for power.
Book 3, Chapter 2
1. Winston is treated horribly in order to humiliate him and break him down to the point where he is unable to argue and reason. His torturers are cruel one moment, and kind the next. They make him confess to crimes he didn't commit and implicate other people that weren't even involved in anything. He suffers innumerable interrogations and beatings. Winston is allowed recovery periods, where he can sleep and eat, but is then subjected to torture again.
2. O'Brien is attempting to make Winsont "sane". He is trying to get Winston to believe that whatever the Party says is automatically reality and the past doesn't exist. He wants Winston to submit to and love Big Brother.
3. O'Brien explains that the Inner Party avoids the mistakes of past totalitarian governments by brainwashing people, basically. The Inner Party has created a world where there can be no martyrs, no inspiration. The Party alters the minds of the people in order to make them actually love Big Brother before killing them.
4. The shock treatment wipes out part of Winston's memory momentarily, allowing him to accept the answers of the Party because he can't remember otherwise.
5. Winston asks O'Brien what he has done with Julia. O'Brien replies, saying that Julia betrayed Winston immediately and was very easy to convert. Winston then asks if she was tortured, to which O'Brien does not reply. Winston asks if Big Brother exists and O'Brien says that he is an embodiment of the Party. To clairfy, Winston asks if he exists in the same way that he, Winston, exists. O'Brien retorts, saying that Winston doesn't exist. Winston then rephrases his question and asks if Big Brother exists in the way that he is matter that takes up space that only he can occupy at one time, that he is conscious, was born, and will die. O'Brien says that it isn't important. Winston asks is Big Brother will die; O'Brien asks, "How could he?" Winston asks if the Brotherhood exists. O'Brien tells Winston that he can will never know that, that that is the one thing that Winston will never be able to be sure of. Finally, Winston asks what Room 101 contains. O'Brien tells Winston that he knows, everyone knows what is in Room 101.
Book Three, Chp. Tres
1. According to O'Brien, the three steps of Winston's reintegration and learning, understanding, and accepting. Winston is about to enter into the "understanding" phase.
2. No one person wrote Goldstein's book; it was a collaboration of many people, including O'Brien. O'Brien says that the descriptions that the book includes are true, but that the process of rebellion through the proles could never be true.
3. The Inner Party seeks power simply for the sake of power. They have no real purpose, no actual cause, solely the want of power and control. They believe that "one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship", rather than establishing the dictatorship to make the revolution like in Soviet Communist parties.
4. Freedom is Slavery; Slavery is Freedom. Alone, humans are defeated by death, but when they are a part of the Party, humans are able to live forever as the Party is immortal and all-powerful.
5. One person asserts power over another by making him suffer. "Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation." "Power is power over human beings." Power is asserted over the body, but mainly over the mind. If you control the mind, you control that person's entire perception of reality and can alter it to your will. If you control someone's mind, you can rewrite the laws of nature. "Nothing exists except through human consciousness."
6. Oceania differs from other utopias because it is built on hatred. It continues to grow more powerful, more merciless, and more painful. It suppresses all emotions except rage, hatred, fear, and triumph. In Oceania, connections between people have been severed and are not allowed to be created. There can be no love, no laughter, no joy, no art, no science, only power and terror.
7. Winston feels that he is morally superior to O'Brien because he isn't a liar and he isn't cruel. He still has human spirit. O'Brien proves him wrong by playing the tape of Winston agreeing to to do all of those horrible things in the name of the Brotherhood.
8. Winston is frightened by his own appearance. He feels pity for himself. He now shows awareness of the situation. O'Brien tells him that that is what humanity looks like.
9. Winston hasn't betrayed Julia; he hasn't said that he doesn't love her.
10. Winston feels reverance towards O'Brien. He believes that he is intelligent and always knows what Winston means.
11. Winston asks O'Brien how soon they will shoot him.
Book III, Chapter 4
1. They treat Winston much better now. He gets to bathe, eat at regular intervals, wear comforatble clothes, regain his strength, get medical care, live in a better cell, and is even given cigarettes. In his time, Winston sleeps and dreams. He lies alone and dreams of the Golden Country. He can feel his health coming back to him. Winston has a new idea of how he feels towards the Innter Party. He is obedient to them because they treat him well when he behaves and torture him when he doesn't. He has been brainwashed by O'Brien. He writes the slogans of the Party and other Party phrases and believes that anything can be true.
2. Winston shows that he is not entirely true to Big Brother when he shouts out for Julia.
3. At this point, Winston still hates Big Brother.
Book Three, Chapter V
1. In Room 101, the worst thing in the world happens. This thing differs from person to person depending on their biggest fears. For Winston, his fear of rats is played upon. He is put in a chair and a mask that contain hungry rats is placed onto his face. If released, the rats will devour his face. Winston becomes so frightened that his ultimate survival instinct kicks in. He begs for them to force that rats upon Julia instead of him, anything to save himself. In Room 101, the only thing keeping Winston human is taken away: love.
Book III, Chapter Six
1. The Chestnut Tree Cafe, on a sunny day around 15:00. Winston is sitting at his usual corner table and music is streaming from the telescreen.
2. Winston has a job where he can do little work and still get payed a lot of money. He is part of a sub-committee of a sub-committee focused on the usage of commas and brackets in the 11th Newspeak edition.
3. When Winston and Julia meet again, they don't really care about each other. It's awkward and solemn. They admit that they betrayed each other, but it isn't really important because they have no feelings toward each other anymore. They say that they should meet again, but neither one of them really wants to or cares.
4. Winston doesn't care about anything anymore, especially rebellion. He has mastered the process of doublethink and believes in everything the Party says. He spends his days drinking gin and listening to the telescreen. Winston suppresses all of his emotions and believes that his memories of the past are false. He is excited when he hears about the victory over Africa and he now loves Big Brother.
5. In the last two paragraphs of the book, Winston is remembering his times in the Ministry of Love, all of the "confessions" and implications he made, and the process he went through to become a "better person". Winston is finally being shot. He thinks that everything is okay now, because he has finally learned to love Big Brother.
Book III, Chapter Six
1. The Chestnut Tree Cafe, on a sunny day around 15:00. Winston is sitting at his usual corner table and music is streaming from the telescreen.
2. Winston has a job where he can do little work and still get payed a lot of money. He is part of a sub-committee of a sub-committee focused on the usage of commas and brackets in the 11th Newspeak edition.
3. When Winston and Julia meet again, they don't really care about each other. It's awkward and solemn. They admit that they betrayed each other, but it isn't really important because they have no feelings toward each other anymore. They say that they should meet again, but neither one of them really wants to or cares.
4. Winston doesn't care about anything anymore, especially rebellion. He has mastered the process of doublethink and believes in everything the Party says. He spends his days drinking gin and listening to the telescreen. Winston suppresses all of his emotions and believes that his memories of the past are false. He is excited when he hears about the victory over Africa and he now loves Big Brother.
5. In the last two paragraphs of the book, Winston is remembering his times in the Ministry of Love, all of the "confessions" and implications he made, and the process he went through to become a "better person". Winston is finally being shot. He thinks that everything is okay now, because he has finally learned to love Big Brother.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Study Questions: "1984", Chapters 3 - 5
Book Two, Chapter 3
How and where do Julia and Winston meet?
The church tower within a month after they met in the field. Other than that, they had to meet briefly in the crowded streets.
What is Julia’s job?
She works in the Fiction Department as a mechanic for the novel writing machines.
What is her background?
Julia is 26 years old and lives in a hostel with thirty other girls. She doesn’t know, or care, about anything before the Revolution. Her grandfather told her stories, but he was taken away when she was eight. She was captain of the hockey team and won the gymnastics trophy for two years. She had been a troop leader of the Spies and a secretary of the Junior Anti-Sex League. When she was older, she was picked to work in the Pornosec department. She had her first love affair when she was 16, with a Party member.
What is her attitude toward the Party?
Julia hates the Party, but she isn’t man enough to do anything about it. She just performs little acts of disobedience, rather than actual working to make a change.
Describe the quote “ With Julia, everything came back to her own sexuality. As soon as this was touched upon in any way she was capable of great acuteness”. What does Winston think about Julia?
Winston obviously likes Julia (or “loves”, as they like to say so often. This kind of relationship is her natural elements because she’s been accustomed to it for so long. She views it as a rebellion to the Party; all she cares about is defying the Party through sex. She doesn’t care about anything unless it effects her, so this is really the only topic she can discuss in full length.
Why does the Party think the sexual impulse as well as the familial love dangerous?
They are uncontrollable emotions that make connections between people. Big Brother knows that the only way people can band against the government is through connections.
Book Two, Chapter 4
How does Winston react to the singing Prole woman?
He likes her because she’s so carefree. He thinks that her singing is a symbol of rebellion, but he doesn’t like the song because it was manufactured by the Party. Winston noticed that the woman was content, and compared her to the Party members.
What pleasures of the senses are mentioned in this chapter? What is Orwell’s point in mentioning them?
Scent, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. Scent – the smell of Julia’s perfume. Taste – the food that Julia brings. Touch – Julia herself. Sight – everything around Winston. Hearing – the woman singing outside. He uses them to show that Winston and Julia are sill human even though their humanity is supposed to be taken away in this society.
What is Winston’s reaction to rats? Julia’s reaction?
Winston is afraid of rats and finds them disgusting, but Julia doesn’t really mind them, she’ll just patch up their hole and be rid of them. The rats remind Winston of horrible nightmares from his childhood.
Winston is interested in the church bells that once played in the city even though he is not religious. What do church bells mean to him?
Church bells are a symbol of connections between people because both Julia and Mr. Charrington recite the rhyme. They also symbolize the old days before the Rebellion. They remind him of his childhood.
Winston sees the coral paperweight as a symbol of what?
The paperweight symbolizes the room above Mr. Charrington’s shop, and the lives of Julia and Winston are the coral inside the paperweight, like they’re in their own little world where nothing matters. The paperweight is symbolic because it doesn’t have a meaning, and the Party doesn’t deal with anything unless it has a meaning. It symbolizes the days before the rebellion and how simple everything was.
Chapter 5
Who has vanished? How does Winston confirm this?
Syme has vanished. He can’t find his name on the list of Chess Committee members.
Describe the preparations for Hate Week. In what ways does the Inner Party excel in building spirit?
They decorate the town with banners and posters. They distribute pamphlets and have extra meetings and lectures. Everyone works extra hours in order to prepare for Hate Week. Winston has to go back and change things so that they can quote them in their Hate speeches later or use them on posters with altered pictures. Everyone is spreading rumors and telescreen shows about Hate Week are produced. New songs are made and posters of a Eurasian soldier are hung up to make people feel even more hate. The Party started dropping more bombs on the people.
Julia and Winston have some differences. Explain them.
Julia is a lot younger than Winston and has a different mentality. Julia hates the Party, but only cares about issues if they affect her directly, while Winston wants a large-scale revolution. Winston knows about the years before the Revolution, while Julia does not. Julia is practical, while Julia is not. Julia works more with her hands and Winston works with his mind. Julia only lives in the present that the Party has created, but Winston is concerned with the past and future.
Themes:
Isolation – Julia and Winston are both isolated from the rest of the world inside their little, secret bubble. They also have to meet in isolated places so that no one can spy on them. Winston feels isolated in his own mind because no one else seems to remember anything and he seems to be the only person who cares about a great change.
The Meaning of Freedom – Julia and Winston both have different definitions of freedom. Julia believes that she can attain a certain amount of freedom through her small acts of rebellion, while Winston wants total freedom for the society that they live in. They both want to be free of the control of the Party. As Winston listens to the singing Prole woman, he thinks about how free she looks and sounds as compared to the members of the Party, which seem to be under more control.
Social Class Disparity – Winston’s comparison between the Prole woman and Party members shows the break in social classes. The Prole woman is economically worse off than Party members, but she has less to worry about and can sing. Party members are always under close surveillance and they are kept under more control.
How and where do Julia and Winston meet?
The church tower within a month after they met in the field. Other than that, they had to meet briefly in the crowded streets.
What is Julia’s job?
She works in the Fiction Department as a mechanic for the novel writing machines.
What is her background?
Julia is 26 years old and lives in a hostel with thirty other girls. She doesn’t know, or care, about anything before the Revolution. Her grandfather told her stories, but he was taken away when she was eight. She was captain of the hockey team and won the gymnastics trophy for two years. She had been a troop leader of the Spies and a secretary of the Junior Anti-Sex League. When she was older, she was picked to work in the Pornosec department. She had her first love affair when she was 16, with a Party member.
What is her attitude toward the Party?
Julia hates the Party, but she isn’t man enough to do anything about it. She just performs little acts of disobedience, rather than actual working to make a change.
Describe the quote “ With Julia, everything came back to her own sexuality. As soon as this was touched upon in any way she was capable of great acuteness”. What does Winston think about Julia?
Winston obviously likes Julia (or “loves”, as they like to say so often. This kind of relationship is her natural elements because she’s been accustomed to it for so long. She views it as a rebellion to the Party; all she cares about is defying the Party through sex. She doesn’t care about anything unless it effects her, so this is really the only topic she can discuss in full length.
Why does the Party think the sexual impulse as well as the familial love dangerous?
They are uncontrollable emotions that make connections between people. Big Brother knows that the only way people can band against the government is through connections.
Book Two, Chapter 4
How does Winston react to the singing Prole woman?
He likes her because she’s so carefree. He thinks that her singing is a symbol of rebellion, but he doesn’t like the song because it was manufactured by the Party. Winston noticed that the woman was content, and compared her to the Party members.
What pleasures of the senses are mentioned in this chapter? What is Orwell’s point in mentioning them?
Scent, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. Scent – the smell of Julia’s perfume. Taste – the food that Julia brings. Touch – Julia herself. Sight – everything around Winston. Hearing – the woman singing outside. He uses them to show that Winston and Julia are sill human even though their humanity is supposed to be taken away in this society.
What is Winston’s reaction to rats? Julia’s reaction?
Winston is afraid of rats and finds them disgusting, but Julia doesn’t really mind them, she’ll just patch up their hole and be rid of them. The rats remind Winston of horrible nightmares from his childhood.
Winston is interested in the church bells that once played in the city even though he is not religious. What do church bells mean to him?
Church bells are a symbol of connections between people because both Julia and Mr. Charrington recite the rhyme. They also symbolize the old days before the Rebellion. They remind him of his childhood.
Winston sees the coral paperweight as a symbol of what?
The paperweight symbolizes the room above Mr. Charrington’s shop, and the lives of Julia and Winston are the coral inside the paperweight, like they’re in their own little world where nothing matters. The paperweight is symbolic because it doesn’t have a meaning, and the Party doesn’t deal with anything unless it has a meaning. It symbolizes the days before the rebellion and how simple everything was.
Chapter 5
Who has vanished? How does Winston confirm this?
Syme has vanished. He can’t find his name on the list of Chess Committee members.
Describe the preparations for Hate Week. In what ways does the Inner Party excel in building spirit?
They decorate the town with banners and posters. They distribute pamphlets and have extra meetings and lectures. Everyone works extra hours in order to prepare for Hate Week. Winston has to go back and change things so that they can quote them in their Hate speeches later or use them on posters with altered pictures. Everyone is spreading rumors and telescreen shows about Hate Week are produced. New songs are made and posters of a Eurasian soldier are hung up to make people feel even more hate. The Party started dropping more bombs on the people.
Julia and Winston have some differences. Explain them.
Julia is a lot younger than Winston and has a different mentality. Julia hates the Party, but only cares about issues if they affect her directly, while Winston wants a large-scale revolution. Winston knows about the years before the Revolution, while Julia does not. Julia is practical, while Julia is not. Julia works more with her hands and Winston works with his mind. Julia only lives in the present that the Party has created, but Winston is concerned with the past and future.
Themes:
Isolation – Julia and Winston are both isolated from the rest of the world inside their little, secret bubble. They also have to meet in isolated places so that no one can spy on them. Winston feels isolated in his own mind because no one else seems to remember anything and he seems to be the only person who cares about a great change.
The Meaning of Freedom – Julia and Winston both have different definitions of freedom. Julia believes that she can attain a certain amount of freedom through her small acts of rebellion, while Winston wants total freedom for the society that they live in. They both want to be free of the control of the Party. As Winston listens to the singing Prole woman, he thinks about how free she looks and sounds as compared to the members of the Party, which seem to be under more control.
Social Class Disparity – Winston’s comparison between the Prole woman and Party members shows the break in social classes. The Prole woman is economically worse off than Party members, but she has less to worry about and can sing. Party members are always under close surveillance and they are kept under more control.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
"Is this real life?"
1. Mutability of the Past
In "1984", the main way that Big Brother is able to stay in control is by changing the past. The government has hired people to rewrite things like books and news articles, in order to prevent people from getting ideas from the past. This process is meant to make people believe that Big Brother knows all and has always known all, and that they are much better off now than in the past. In the real modern world, we now have the technology to go back and erase things from our past, for a fee, of course. You can pay people to scan the internet for any sort of controversial information surrounding you and your life, and have them change it or delete it. The idea is that, in time, no one will remember or be able to find information on the bad things, so you can basically start with a blank slate.
2. No Privacy
We live in a world where we could easily be under constant watch. People can track our activities on the internet, listen to our phone conversations, or place an inconspicuous video camera somewhere. Our level of privacy is going down as greater technology becomes more prevalent. In the same way, the society of "1984" has zero privacy. There are telescreens all around that allow Big Brother to watch people constantly, as well as microphones and spies.
3. Hate
The people of "1984" are made to endure Two-Minutes of Hate every day. Everyone gathers together at the same time in front of a big screen that plays political videos of Goldstein and the Eurasian army. This video is complete propaganda that is used to focus the anger and hatred of the people onto one source. Goldstein is used as a target, so that everyone has one common enemy. In the real world, propaganda is used to trigger the hate in people and direct towards a common enemy so that they are easier to be controlled. Currently, our "Eurasia" is the Middle East and our "Goldstein" is the followers of Islam. We are told horrible stories of terrorists and made to think that Muslim culture is based off of Satan, but really, very few Muslims are extremists, and the religion of Islam is mainly based off of kindness and generosity.
4. Newspeak
Today, just like in "1984", our vocabulary is being dumbed down, and our definitions are becoming more generalized. Phrases like "war on terror" or "collateral damage" (when what is really meant is "civilian casualties"), are current Newspeak words. Through the innumerable abbreviations involved with the texting craze, our vocabulary is being depleted. We defy people by calling them "stupid", rather than pointing out flaws in their arguments. In "1984", Newspeak is used to make people unable to express themselves, especially their dislike for the government, in a coherent manner.
5. Entertainment
In today's world, the government tries to control the people through the media. We are bombarded with celebrity scandals, sports news, and comics, entertainment meant to calm us down and provide relaxation after a long day of work. In "1984", the proles are subdued and brainwashed by the media that is presented to them. They spend their time focusing on the lottery, sports, and porn, rather than researching matters of intellectual concern that could pose a problem to Big Brother.
In "1984", the main way that Big Brother is able to stay in control is by changing the past. The government has hired people to rewrite things like books and news articles, in order to prevent people from getting ideas from the past. This process is meant to make people believe that Big Brother knows all and has always known all, and that they are much better off now than in the past. In the real modern world, we now have the technology to go back and erase things from our past, for a fee, of course. You can pay people to scan the internet for any sort of controversial information surrounding you and your life, and have them change it or delete it. The idea is that, in time, no one will remember or be able to find information on the bad things, so you can basically start with a blank slate.
2. No Privacy
We live in a world where we could easily be under constant watch. People can track our activities on the internet, listen to our phone conversations, or place an inconspicuous video camera somewhere. Our level of privacy is going down as greater technology becomes more prevalent. In the same way, the society of "1984" has zero privacy. There are telescreens all around that allow Big Brother to watch people constantly, as well as microphones and spies.
3. Hate
The people of "1984" are made to endure Two-Minutes of Hate every day. Everyone gathers together at the same time in front of a big screen that plays political videos of Goldstein and the Eurasian army. This video is complete propaganda that is used to focus the anger and hatred of the people onto one source. Goldstein is used as a target, so that everyone has one common enemy. In the real world, propaganda is used to trigger the hate in people and direct towards a common enemy so that they are easier to be controlled. Currently, our "Eurasia" is the Middle East and our "Goldstein" is the followers of Islam. We are told horrible stories of terrorists and made to think that Muslim culture is based off of Satan, but really, very few Muslims are extremists, and the religion of Islam is mainly based off of kindness and generosity.
4. Newspeak
Today, just like in "1984", our vocabulary is being dumbed down, and our definitions are becoming more generalized. Phrases like "war on terror" or "collateral damage" (when what is really meant is "civilian casualties"), are current Newspeak words. Through the innumerable abbreviations involved with the texting craze, our vocabulary is being depleted. We defy people by calling them "stupid", rather than pointing out flaws in their arguments. In "1984", Newspeak is used to make people unable to express themselves, especially their dislike for the government, in a coherent manner.
5. Entertainment
In today's world, the government tries to control the people through the media. We are bombarded with celebrity scandals, sports news, and comics, entertainment meant to calm us down and provide relaxation after a long day of work. In "1984", the proles are subdued and brainwashed by the media that is presented to them. They spend their time focusing on the lottery, sports, and porn, rather than researching matters of intellectual concern that could pose a problem to Big Brother.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
"1984" Chapter Dos
Why is Winston ill at ease once he is alone with Julia?
Winston is out of his element; the only interaction he really knows is during lunch at work. He doesn't know how to connect with other people. He is unsure of what to do, and doesn't know what Julia thinks about him or if she will continue to "love" him. He is also wary of being spied on.
What does Julia bring with her that she has obtained on the black market?
Chocolate that isn't all gross and crumbly.
What are Julia’s ideas about the Party?
She grew up in this kind of society so she can't remember what the world was like before the Revolution. Her expectations of rebellion are not as high as Winston's, but she does hate the Party. She is content with her simple instances of rebellion, while Winston wants to break down the entire Party system.
What familiar sign does Winston find?
Winston recognizes the pasture area as the Golden Country.
What is the significance of the thrush music?
The thrush and it's song symbolizes nature, all that the Party does not stand for. The thrush represents what is outside of the unnatural, mechanical world, with its machine-made music, that the Party has created. The fact that Winston and Julia can appreciate the music of the thrush show that they are mentally outside if the Party.
What does Winston mean when he says that he loves Julia all the more because she has had scores of sexual encounters?
Winston loves that she partakes in so much rebellion against the Party, especially since it is with Party members. She is impure and uncontrolled, which Winston loves. He can't stand the women who are always under the brainwashing control of the Party, so he loves Julia for showing signs of rebellion and intellectual thought.
Winston is out of his element; the only interaction he really knows is during lunch at work. He doesn't know how to connect with other people. He is unsure of what to do, and doesn't know what Julia thinks about him or if she will continue to "love" him. He is also wary of being spied on.
What does Julia bring with her that she has obtained on the black market?
Chocolate that isn't all gross and crumbly.
What are Julia’s ideas about the Party?
She grew up in this kind of society so she can't remember what the world was like before the Revolution. Her expectations of rebellion are not as high as Winston's, but she does hate the Party. She is content with her simple instances of rebellion, while Winston wants to break down the entire Party system.
What familiar sign does Winston find?
Winston recognizes the pasture area as the Golden Country.
What is the significance of the thrush music?
The thrush and it's song symbolizes nature, all that the Party does not stand for. The thrush represents what is outside of the unnatural, mechanical world, with its machine-made music, that the Party has created. The fact that Winston and Julia can appreciate the music of the thrush show that they are mentally outside if the Party.
What does Winston mean when he says that he loves Julia all the more because she has had scores of sexual encounters?
Winston loves that she partakes in so much rebellion against the Party, especially since it is with Party members. She is impure and uncontrolled, which Winston loves. He can't stand the women who are always under the brainwashing control of the Party, so he loves Julia for showing signs of rebellion and intellectual thought.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Hamlet, Act V
1. The gravedigger is there mainly for comic relief. He acts as the clown before the really tragic part. He also allows us to see Hamlet's change in character. Hamlet now sees death as a natural event, and he doesn't care as much about it.
2. Hamlet is able to speak to the skulls and the gravedigger about death in a nonchalant kind of way. It shows how differently he views death; his motive is more about a greater good than his own personal wants. He is sad that Yoric and Ophelia is dead, but perhaps has accepted the death of his father already. It also shows how really did love Ophelia.
3. Hamlet is 30-years-old. The gravedigger says he's been digging since Hamlet was born, and that was 30 years ago.
4. The argument between Hamlet and Laertes highlights their dramatic foils. It is just more evidence that Hamlet really did love Ophelia, but also backs up Hamlet's need for dramatic attention.
5. After his stay with the pirates, Hamlet is more willing to take action. He isn't concerned about consequences anymore. He is more concerned with the state of Denmark as a whole than his own personal revenge.
6. Before, the revenge was all for Hamlet's own self, his mother, and his father. Now, Hamlet thinks he should be king of Denmark.
7. Osric acts as a reincarnation of Polonius. He backs up the idea of prostitution. He sucks up to Hamlet, and tells him what he wants to hear.
8. "We defy augury". The "we" in this case isn't just Hamlet and Horatio, it's Denmark as a whole. Hamlet is saying that to not duel Laertes would be going against fate. He states that whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway because it's God's will.
9. Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet because Hamlet killed his dad. He has essentially lost because he isn't going to kill Hamlet in an honorable way; he's cheating by using the poison.
10. Gertrude talks about how the drink has poisoned her and warns Hamlet not to drink of it. This shows Gertrude's care for Hamlet, as well as her fault that she cares too much for material things. Claudius asks his friends to defend him because he's hurt, which shows how he relies on everyone else to do stuff for him, and shows how he uses others people. Laertes apologizes to Hamlet and asks for forgiveness. He is the only person that feels guilty. This shows that he is still noble.
11. Fortinbras is obviously a winner here. He gets Denmark and his revenge without any opposition. Horatio also wins because he survives, unlike everyone else.
2. Hamlet is able to speak to the skulls and the gravedigger about death in a nonchalant kind of way. It shows how differently he views death; his motive is more about a greater good than his own personal wants. He is sad that Yoric and Ophelia is dead, but perhaps has accepted the death of his father already. It also shows how really did love Ophelia.
3. Hamlet is 30-years-old. The gravedigger says he's been digging since Hamlet was born, and that was 30 years ago.
4. The argument between Hamlet and Laertes highlights their dramatic foils. It is just more evidence that Hamlet really did love Ophelia, but also backs up Hamlet's need for dramatic attention.
5. After his stay with the pirates, Hamlet is more willing to take action. He isn't concerned about consequences anymore. He is more concerned with the state of Denmark as a whole than his own personal revenge.
6. Before, the revenge was all for Hamlet's own self, his mother, and his father. Now, Hamlet thinks he should be king of Denmark.
7. Osric acts as a reincarnation of Polonius. He backs up the idea of prostitution. He sucks up to Hamlet, and tells him what he wants to hear.
8. "We defy augury". The "we" in this case isn't just Hamlet and Horatio, it's Denmark as a whole. Hamlet is saying that to not duel Laertes would be going against fate. He states that whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway because it's God's will.
9. Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet because Hamlet killed his dad. He has essentially lost because he isn't going to kill Hamlet in an honorable way; he's cheating by using the poison.
10. Gertrude talks about how the drink has poisoned her and warns Hamlet not to drink of it. This shows Gertrude's care for Hamlet, as well as her fault that she cares too much for material things. Claudius asks his friends to defend him because he's hurt, which shows how he relies on everyone else to do stuff for him, and shows how he uses others people. Laertes apologizes to Hamlet and asks for forgiveness. He is the only person that feels guilty. This shows that he is still noble.
11. Fortinbras is obviously a winner here. He gets Denmark and his revenge without any opposition. Horatio also wins because he survives, unlike everyone else.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Hamlet Act IV - Study Questions
Scene One:
1. Gertrude tells him immediately after.
2. Claudius must do something with Hamlet immediately, before everyone finds out and he kills them too. He tells his "wisest friends" so that they will be witness that Claudius didn't kill Polonius and is "deeply concerned" about his death.
3. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Scene Two:
1. Hamlet says that "the body is with the king, but the king is not with the body". He doesn't answer them directly and doesn't give any clues as to where he hid the body. Hamlet is implying that Claudius isn't the actual king, but that the king is merely a figurehead, a shadow of the lower people.
2. Claudius.
Scene Three:
1. Claudius says that Hamlet won't be confined because he is loved by the people. He doesn't want to look like the bad guy, or start a rebellion.
2. Hamlet replies with an example of a worm eating a king, a fish eating the worm, and a beggar eating the fish. He says that Polonius is "not where he eats, but where he is eaten." He also gives a clue that you could smell him from the lobby.
3. Claudius wants to have someone kill Hamlet while he is in England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern don't know this.
Scene Four:
1. The captain is sent to greet Claudius and inform him that they are going to pass through Denmark to get to Poland.
2. The soldiers are going to Poland to fight for a small, worthless piece of land.
3. Hamlet is impressed with Fortinbras because he actually takes action and gets things done, even if it's just about honor.
Scene Five:
1. Gertrude says she won't talk to Ophelia because Ophelia's crazy and only speaks in symbolic songs. She changes her mind because Horatio warns her that Ophelia might end up saying something she shouldn't to somebody that shouldn't know about it if her mood isn't satisfied.
2. Claudius thinks that Ophelia is mad mainly because of her father's death, but also because Hamlet left. I think he's right.
3. Laertes returns from France because of his father's death. He wants to be there for the funeral and for Ophelia, and also to seek revenge. He wants to become king.
4. Laertes's followers want him to be king. Claudius feels he has to placate Laertes before there is an uprising, and also to get on his good side for when he asks Laertes to get revenge on Hamlet.
5. Claudius comes Laertes down by flattering him. He promises Laertes that if any guilt can be found with him and the queen, then they will gladly give up their throne to him.
Scene Six:
1. The ship Hamlet was traveling on to get to England is taken over by pirates, and in the ensuing fight, Hamlet ended up over on the pirates's ship. He is taken captive, but not treated badly because he has made a deal with them.
2. The pirates bring him back to Denmark as part of their deal.
3. The pirate messengers are going to take Horatio to Hamlet.
Scene Seven:
1. Hamlet is loved both by Gertrude and the people.
2. Hamlet sends a letter to Claudius.
3. Hamlet was supposed to be killed in England under orders of the King, but he never made it to England.
4. Claudius and Laertes plan to put poison on the rapier so it will kill Hamlet even if he survives the duel. If this doesn't work, they'll just poison him the old-fashioned way, with a chalice of poison.
5. Ophelia is picking flowers by a stream and starts to climb a willow tree. One of the branches breaks and she drowns.
1. Gertrude tells him immediately after.
2. Claudius must do something with Hamlet immediately, before everyone finds out and he kills them too. He tells his "wisest friends" so that they will be witness that Claudius didn't kill Polonius and is "deeply concerned" about his death.
3. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Scene Two:
1. Hamlet says that "the body is with the king, but the king is not with the body". He doesn't answer them directly and doesn't give any clues as to where he hid the body. Hamlet is implying that Claudius isn't the actual king, but that the king is merely a figurehead, a shadow of the lower people.
2. Claudius.
Scene Three:
1. Claudius says that Hamlet won't be confined because he is loved by the people. He doesn't want to look like the bad guy, or start a rebellion.
2. Hamlet replies with an example of a worm eating a king, a fish eating the worm, and a beggar eating the fish. He says that Polonius is "not where he eats, but where he is eaten." He also gives a clue that you could smell him from the lobby.
3. Claudius wants to have someone kill Hamlet while he is in England. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern don't know this.
Scene Four:
1. The captain is sent to greet Claudius and inform him that they are going to pass through Denmark to get to Poland.
2. The soldiers are going to Poland to fight for a small, worthless piece of land.
3. Hamlet is impressed with Fortinbras because he actually takes action and gets things done, even if it's just about honor.
Scene Five:
1. Gertrude says she won't talk to Ophelia because Ophelia's crazy and only speaks in symbolic songs. She changes her mind because Horatio warns her that Ophelia might end up saying something she shouldn't to somebody that shouldn't know about it if her mood isn't satisfied.
2. Claudius thinks that Ophelia is mad mainly because of her father's death, but also because Hamlet left. I think he's right.
3. Laertes returns from France because of his father's death. He wants to be there for the funeral and for Ophelia, and also to seek revenge. He wants to become king.
4. Laertes's followers want him to be king. Claudius feels he has to placate Laertes before there is an uprising, and also to get on his good side for when he asks Laertes to get revenge on Hamlet.
5. Claudius comes Laertes down by flattering him. He promises Laertes that if any guilt can be found with him and the queen, then they will gladly give up their throne to him.
Scene Six:
1. The ship Hamlet was traveling on to get to England is taken over by pirates, and in the ensuing fight, Hamlet ended up over on the pirates's ship. He is taken captive, but not treated badly because he has made a deal with them.
2. The pirates bring him back to Denmark as part of their deal.
3. The pirate messengers are going to take Horatio to Hamlet.
Scene Seven:
1. Hamlet is loved both by Gertrude and the people.
2. Hamlet sends a letter to Claudius.
3. Hamlet was supposed to be killed in England under orders of the King, but he never made it to England.
4. Claudius and Laertes plan to put poison on the rapier so it will kill Hamlet even if he survives the duel. If this doesn't work, they'll just poison him the old-fashioned way, with a chalice of poison.
5. Ophelia is picking flowers by a stream and starts to climb a willow tree. One of the branches breaks and she drowns.
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