* entry of your choice: My Room 101
The part of the book that left the most impression on me was Room 101. Room 101 is a torture chamber where the victim gets tortured by their worst fear. Since the party knows everything, they would know your biggest fear no matter how hard you tried to keep it hidden. Room 101 definitely brought about very strange feelings for me. I ended up thinking about myself and I imagined that, if I were in the place of Winston, what would I do??? I am sure I would do the same thing that Winston did, and betray my companion, although I cannot make that decision without actually being there and going through the events that Winston faced.
My biggest fear is of SPIDERS and DEATH. I am terrified of both of these things to the extreme and I can't imagine what the party would do to me with spiders or death. :O It is a very scary thought!! I do not know how the party would portray death but I presume it would be in a terrifying way.
What caught my interest was that Winston was not really frightened by Room 101 at first but more intrigued and interested in the room. He witnessed people doing anything to escape from going to Room 101, yet when it came time for his turn to enter Room 101 he did not show any resistance like some others had. Winston is a very confusing character at times but I enjoyed learning and coming to understand some of his complex characteristics in the novel 1984.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Question 7: 1984
* are there are any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? what are they, and how do they relate? does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or "fixed"?
There are many current situations that relate to the novel 1984. Some current situations like what is happening in North Korea can relate to the novel 1984. The situation in North Korea is not as extreme, in some ways, as in 1984. For example, North Koreans are not observed by telescreens and thought crime doesn't exist, but children and adults are being killed for their beliefs and actions. This is unjust and wrong.
In 1984, people who commit thought crime or rebel against the party are either put to death or sent to the Ministry of Love. In the Ministry of Love most people are not killed but, instead, are tortured and corrupted into loving the party. This is almost the exact opposite in North Korea. Most people in North Korea are not put on trial but are immediately killed if they oppose the government. Some similarities between the North Korean situation and 1984 are things like the government having complete censorship over the entire nation, abusing power for their own glory, not letting people believe or spread their own beliefs about religion and not being able to escape from the country or to escape from the false reality they are trapped in. I do not think that the novel 1984 sheds any light on solving the situation in North Korea.
There are many current situations that relate to the novel 1984. Some current situations like what is happening in North Korea can relate to the novel 1984. The situation in North Korea is not as extreme, in some ways, as in 1984. For example, North Koreans are not observed by telescreens and thought crime doesn't exist, but children and adults are being killed for their beliefs and actions. This is unjust and wrong.
In 1984, people who commit thought crime or rebel against the party are either put to death or sent to the Ministry of Love. In the Ministry of Love most people are not killed but, instead, are tortured and corrupted into loving the party. This is almost the exact opposite in North Korea. Most people in North Korea are not put on trial but are immediately killed if they oppose the government. Some similarities between the North Korean situation and 1984 are things like the government having complete censorship over the entire nation, abusing power for their own glory, not letting people believe or spread their own beliefs about religion and not being able to escape from the country or to escape from the false reality they are trapped in. I do not think that the novel 1984 sheds any light on solving the situation in North Korea.
Question 6: 1984
* are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable?
I found many settings in this novel to be memorable. In particular I found the scene in which the refugee woman shields her child from being hit by the bullets to be very memorable. This was a helpless effort by the woman but she still held her son to her chest as if that would help save her son from being showered with bullets, along with herself. Pg 11: " There was a middleaged woman who might have been a jewess sitting up in the bow with a little boy screaming with fright ad hiding his head between her breasts as if he was trying to burrow right into her and the woman putting her arms around him comforting him although she was blue with fright herself. All the time covering him up as much as possible as if she thought her arms could keep the bullets off him."
Throughout this scene the whole audience is laughing and enjoying this brutal massacre. I found this to be very disturbing. How could people actually find it funny to see other people being killed and murdered in grotesque ways?? How long did this process take to change people's minds so they found tragically heartbreaking events funny? These were some questions I asked myself when reading this passage. I did not understand at all how a human of any kind could find something like this humourous. Today there are some people who are mentally sick and just completely weird who might find this kind of thing funny, unfortunately. But in this scene EVERYONE is laughing and enjoying this murder. Therefore, this is why I found this scene to be memorable and very disturbing.
I found many settings in this novel to be memorable. In particular I found the scene in which the refugee woman shields her child from being hit by the bullets to be very memorable. This was a helpless effort by the woman but she still held her son to her chest as if that would help save her son from being showered with bullets, along with herself. Pg 11: " There was a middleaged woman who might have been a jewess sitting up in the bow with a little boy screaming with fright ad hiding his head between her breasts as if he was trying to burrow right into her and the woman putting her arms around him comforting him although she was blue with fright herself. All the time covering him up as much as possible as if she thought her arms could keep the bullets off him."
Throughout this scene the whole audience is laughing and enjoying this brutal massacre. I found this to be very disturbing. How could people actually find it funny to see other people being killed and murdered in grotesque ways?? How long did this process take to change people's minds so they found tragically heartbreaking events funny? These were some questions I asked myself when reading this passage. I did not understand at all how a human of any kind could find something like this humourous. Today there are some people who are mentally sick and just completely weird who might find this kind of thing funny, unfortunately. But in this scene EVERYONE is laughing and enjoying this murder. Therefore, this is why I found this scene to be memorable and very disturbing.
Question 5: 1984
* please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. why is this passage meaningful?
Pg 69: "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was the final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true have got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall toward the earth's center. With the feeling that he was speaking to O'Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote, Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows."
This passage was a real eye-opener for me. I found this passage to contain so much about life and free will. Winston makes a complete 180 by the end of the book. At the end he agreed with everything the party said. After finishing the book and then re-reading this passage, I was very discouraged because in this passage Winston seems to be so strong and firm about what he believes and by the end he doesn't believe in anything. His brain becomes an empty shell filled with all of the Party's ideas and laws. I hated to see this happen to Winston.
Pg 69: "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was the final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true have got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall toward the earth's center. With the feeling that he was speaking to O'Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote, Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows."
This passage was a real eye-opener for me. I found this passage to contain so much about life and free will. Winston makes a complete 180 by the end of the book. At the end he agreed with everything the party said. After finishing the book and then re-reading this passage, I was very discouraged because in this passage Winston seems to be so strong and firm about what he believes and by the end he doesn't believe in anything. His brain becomes an empty shell filled with all of the Party's ideas and laws. I hated to see this happen to Winston.
Question 4: 1984
* who are the main characters in the novel? do you like them? why or why not? what is special about them? what do they reveal about the universal human experience?
The main characters in the novel 1984 are Winston, Julia, O'Brien and Big Brother (slthough Big Brother is not real person).
I do not really like any of the main characters in this novel. I like to think that if I were Winston or Julia I would have not given in at the end, and that I would have stood up for what I believed in. But, if I think about it deeper, I am not quite sure if I would have given into O'Brien or not. I would only be able to know, for sure, if something like that actually happened to me.
I like Winston in some ways because I can relate with him in some aspects, but my experiences are not nearly as extreme as the ones Winston goes through. I dislike Winston when he gets caught and throughout his time in the Ministry of Love. I like some characteristics of O'Brien as well. In some ways he reminds me of people I know. Although he is mean and corrupted he does persuade and act as a kind of friend to Winston, even though he is torturing him. O'Brien was the perfect person to torture Winston. They are both very similar and remind me of brothers. (O'Brien being the older brother who teaches Winston and shows/guides him onto the same path in which he is walking; although in this book, this is a bad thing.)
There is something special about every main character in any book. In this case I found that all the characters in the novel 1984 are exceptionally intelligent and have very interesting views of the world. I found each character interesting to read about and get to know. Each main character can represent the world and people in today's world.
The main characters in the novel 1984 are Winston, Julia, O'Brien and Big Brother (slthough Big Brother is not real person).
I do not really like any of the main characters in this novel. I like to think that if I were Winston or Julia I would have not given in at the end, and that I would have stood up for what I believed in. But, if I think about it deeper, I am not quite sure if I would have given into O'Brien or not. I would only be able to know, for sure, if something like that actually happened to me.
I like Winston in some ways because I can relate with him in some aspects, but my experiences are not nearly as extreme as the ones Winston goes through. I dislike Winston when he gets caught and throughout his time in the Ministry of Love. I like some characteristics of O'Brien as well. In some ways he reminds me of people I know. Although he is mean and corrupted he does persuade and act as a kind of friend to Winston, even though he is torturing him. O'Brien was the perfect person to torture Winston. They are both very similar and remind me of brothers. (O'Brien being the older brother who teaches Winston and shows/guides him onto the same path in which he is walking; although in this book, this is a bad thing.)
There is something special about every main character in any book. In this case I found that all the characters in the novel 1984 are exceptionally intelligent and have very interesting views of the world. I found each character interesting to read about and get to know. Each main character can represent the world and people in today's world.
Question 3: 1984
* what is the mood of this novel? do you find this novel saddens you in any way? why?
The mood of this novel is a very dark and secretive. In the novel 1984 the government has complete control over everything. So, another mood of this novel involves fear, fear of getting caught or being hanged like the people they see at least once a month being hanged in the park. People live in fear and this keeps them from violating any laws or rules that Big Brother puts into place.
This novel was full of many different emotions and changes. I had many different feelings throughout this novel. The end of the novel surprised me in a very disturbing way. When I took the time after finishing the novel to think about the end, it did sadden me. To think that in the end the Party wins and Winston seems to forget everything that happened before his arrest. I suppose that the events which happen to him in the Ministry of Love are very traumatizing. Even though I can see how Winston, in the end, ended up loving Big Brother, it seems so hard for me to accept that. That Winston actually believed 2+2=5 and many other concepts that O'Brien taught him is difficult to accept. Even though all these events take place I didn't want Winston to end up loving Big Brother. It certainly does sadden me in many ways to think that every truth Winston came into contact with was shapped by O'Brien into either a lie or a mistake. It is disturbing that the human mind can be changed so drastically, to the point at which you may forget or corrupt your past and your memories.
The mood of this novel is a very dark and secretive. In the novel 1984 the government has complete control over everything. So, another mood of this novel involves fear, fear of getting caught or being hanged like the people they see at least once a month being hanged in the park. People live in fear and this keeps them from violating any laws or rules that Big Brother puts into place.
This novel was full of many different emotions and changes. I had many different feelings throughout this novel. The end of the novel surprised me in a very disturbing way. When I took the time after finishing the novel to think about the end, it did sadden me. To think that in the end the Party wins and Winston seems to forget everything that happened before his arrest. I suppose that the events which happen to him in the Ministry of Love are very traumatizing. Even though I can see how Winston, in the end, ended up loving Big Brother, it seems so hard for me to accept that. That Winston actually believed 2+2=5 and many other concepts that O'Brien taught him is difficult to accept. Even though all these events take place I didn't want Winston to end up loving Big Brother. It certainly does sadden me in many ways to think that every truth Winston came into contact with was shapped by O'Brien into either a lie or a mistake. It is disturbing that the human mind can be changed so drastically, to the point at which you may forget or corrupt your past and your memories.
Question 2: 1984
* what is the climax of this novel? what happens? how do the events of this novel make you feel?
The climax of the novel 1984 is when Winston and Julia visit O'Brien's house. This is the point of the novel in which Winston and Julia cannot return to their regular lifestyles or turn back to their normal ways. After their conversation with O'Brien they are already shortening their time together, but it is only a vague possibility they believe they can avoid. Many events lead up to the climax. First, Winston and Julia start their affair. Second, Julia brings Winston's thoughts out and, in a way, corrupts WInston and encourages him to make that final step in receiving "the book". If it were not for Julia, Winston wouldn't have gone as far as he did but, with Julia at his side, he felt sure and confident. Third, Winston took a leap of faith and went to O'Brien's house, where he received information and an understanding about the general ideas of the Brotherhood. While reading this section of the novel I was kept on the edge of my seat, reading for hours at a time. These events were very intriguing and suspenseful. They are not as suspenseful as the events that take place after Winston and Julia are caught, but they certainly build up to the point at which they are arrested.
The climax of the novel 1984 is when Winston and Julia visit O'Brien's house. This is the point of the novel in which Winston and Julia cannot return to their regular lifestyles or turn back to their normal ways. After their conversation with O'Brien they are already shortening their time together, but it is only a vague possibility they believe they can avoid. Many events lead up to the climax. First, Winston and Julia start their affair. Second, Julia brings Winston's thoughts out and, in a way, corrupts WInston and encourages him to make that final step in receiving "the book". If it were not for Julia, Winston wouldn't have gone as far as he did but, with Julia at his side, he felt sure and confident. Third, Winston took a leap of faith and went to O'Brien's house, where he received information and an understanding about the general ideas of the Brotherhood. While reading this section of the novel I was kept on the edge of my seat, reading for hours at a time. These events were very intriguing and suspenseful. They are not as suspenseful as the events that take place after Winston and Julia are caught, but they certainly build up to the point at which they are arrested.
Question 1: 1984
* what is the major theme of this novel? why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?
The major theme of the novel 1984 is about power and how the government chooses to use it. This theme is important to a teenager living in 2007 because we have to be aware of how the government uses its power and the government uses its power for. All groups of people should be aware of the actions of their own government and the decisions it makes, because it can affect them.
In the novel, the party had absolute control of the state. I think that the question that haunts readers today after reading 1984 is: Could the world in 1984 ever really exist? Sadly, in some areas of the world this may be true, but perhaps not as extreme as in the novel.
Another major theme in this novel is history, and understanding the truth of where you've come from. The history of country or region is what shapes it and molds it. In the novel, the government manipulated history and shaped it so that it didn't contradicte anything that Big Brother said. One of the main reasons Winston rebelled against the government was because he wanted to know the whole history and not a false history that resulted in the false reality in which he was living. The party knew the importance and influence that history could have on the people and so to avoided rebellion and conflicts by eliminating all the history before Big Brother.
The major theme of the novel 1984 is about power and how the government chooses to use it. This theme is important to a teenager living in 2007 because we have to be aware of how the government uses its power and the government uses its power for. All groups of people should be aware of the actions of their own government and the decisions it makes, because it can affect them.
In the novel, the party had absolute control of the state. I think that the question that haunts readers today after reading 1984 is: Could the world in 1984 ever really exist? Sadly, in some areas of the world this may be true, but perhaps not as extreme as in the novel.
Another major theme in this novel is history, and understanding the truth of where you've come from. The history of country or region is what shapes it and molds it. In the novel, the government manipulated history and shaped it so that it didn't contradicte anything that Big Brother said. One of the main reasons Winston rebelled against the government was because he wanted to know the whole history and not a false history that resulted in the false reality in which he was living. The party knew the importance and influence that history could have on the people and so to avoided rebellion and conflicts by eliminating all the history before Big Brother.
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