What is that? A light in the darkness?

The room above Mr. Charrington's shop is a paradise, The act of rebellion is committed without fear of being observed, but what is the secret that the room appears to be holding? The room above Mr.Charrington's shop is a heaven for Julia and Winston. The room proves to be a sign of freedom and rebellion in a world of uniform marching and absolute control by the government. The importance of the room is the fact that they can do anything there, there are no visible telescreens, and slowly after a time Julia and Winston feel as if the room is a fort and no one can destroy or ruin what they have there. Winston expresses his ideas of the rarity and secrecy of the room by stating "The room was a world, a pocket of the past where extinct animals could walk." The meaning of "a pocket" represents how in the whole are a of airstrip one, that this lone secluded area provides the perfect setting to perform the act of rebellion. Which according to Winston "The act of sex, if performed correctly is rebellion". Julia, Who is much like Winston shows the same ideas about rebellion and sex. In our modern day we find that innocence and Virginity are good things. However for Winston innocence is negative, Winston finds that the more men Julia has been with the better. The concept of innocence is not liked here because innocence is orthodoxy, and as we know orthodoxy is not really living at all. The couple clearly show us their intentions with the room. However, the room, though it is extremely rare to find such a secluded place, it begins to make one wonder, if like the piece of coral Winston bought, if that too is a trap. Winston and Julia are becoming too reckless, the impression of how Winston talks about the room like a "safe heaven" seems to be polluting the secrecy of it.

The piece of coral that Winston bought, appears to be a rash act, as if someone has deliberately placed it there. The coral that was found in Mr. Charrington's shop was what appeared to be a former paperweight. However Winston sees the coral as himself, small and bright with ideas, and the glass that it is encased in it the world around him, ever squeezing the life and morale out of him. The world is closing in on Winston, faster than he ever expected, and now he is lost in a world of glass, where people reflect the party, rather than shining bright with their own ideas. When Winston first comes upon the coral he says "As Winston wandered toward the table, his eye was caught by a round, smooth thing that gleamed softly in the lamplight". I believe that this has a double meaning, that the people, proles and the city are the pile of trash on the table, and Winston is the coral, gleaming with his ideas and concepts, all of this in the eye of the party. Julia appears to be the coral as well, she seems to be a lot like Winston, in his beliefs and rebellious ideas. Is Winston being noticed by the party? It is clear that the purchase of the coral is an indirect rebellion but to what avail?

A New Man

In the first book of 1984, Winston discovers that he has rebellious feelings towards the Party. His initial reaction to these new found feelings is apprehensive and cautious as he does not know what to do with the new sensation he feels that is rebellion. His caution towards his ideas are seen when he writes "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER" in his diary and then writes, "theyll shoot me i dont care theyll shoot me in the back of the neck i dont care down with big brother" (19). He writes this in a sense of panic and hysteria as he realizes the extremity of what he was thinking. This event sets the tone for his nervous approach to his ideas, however, this is changed by his relationship with Julia.

Winston's relationship with Julia started when she slipped him the "I love you" note. From then on their relationship became very sexual. This was something that the Party condemned. Winston used his relationship with Julia as a way to rebel against the party and show his hatred for it. This is seen when he says, "I hate purity, I hate goodness. I don't want any virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone to be corrupt to the bones" (126). In this quote, the purity Winston is referring to is the standard set by the Party and being impure implies going against what the Party says. This quote displays Winston's involvement from a timid man with revolutionary ideas, to a highly opinionated man who finds joy in defying the party. Julia brings him a sense of confidence in himself and his ideas that allows him to become more radical.

Winstons relationship with Julia

In book two in "1984," Winston's life takes a turn when he bumps into Julia and she slips him a note that reads I love you. His life takes a turn because he has found a new interest in Julia. She has become the centerpiece of his mind and his focus. "A kind of fever seized him at the thought that he might lose her, the white youthful body might slip away from him!" (Orwell 92). Before he wanted to kill her and now the realization that there is a woman in his life that he never thought possible again, has turned his head upside down and changed his focus onto her. Amidst this world that he lives in, she is a sign of better times, or a sign of light at the end of a tunnel. After that incident he spends a lot of his time trying to get into touch with her, without looking suspicious and getting caught. Once they come into contact, they begin a relationship "behind the lines" or in secret.

Winston's state of mind completely changes during this process. Originally the reader sees him as a very curious man. He has always had an interest in whats going on outside with Big Brother, and the thought police and what not. He has always seemed more interested in whats going on rather than just accepting his life as it is and going about it. The reader clearly sees this when he logs in entries in his diary about his thoughts. And also when he buys the coral from the shop. But now with Julia, his interest in the things Big Brother doesn't allow has become greater. He was determined to find her again and come into contact with her after the note incident. "The relief of seeing her again was so great he could not resist staring directly at her for several seconds." (Orwell 93). Winston's interest in this girl and determination for this girl is a clear sign of dedication due to the severity of the punishment that could result from what he is doing. All in all, Julia opens up Winston's world to a new perspective. Where as before he was always thinking about what could be and what isnt and such but now he has something clear to live for in her.

Julia

In The book, "1984," written by George Orwell, Julia has a very rebellious lifestyle in life and against the party. Her rebellious lifestyle is shown through her relationship with Winston. Julia knows that their relationship is a rebellion and some could argue that she likes the idea of that better than Winston. Their rebellious relationship is shown when Julia says," It was something in your face. I thought I'd take a chance. I'm good at spotting people who don't belong. As soon as I saw you I knew you were against them." In this qoute it is very clear that both Winston and Julia are against the party and thats what they most like about eachother. As shown above Julia has a very rebellious attitude in life that also plays an effect on Winston.

Not only does Julia have a rebellious lifestyle, but she also has a serious and formal lifestyle to. Julia comes off to the readers as well to Winston as very formal and buisness like and many scenes. In one scene Winston even says, " As soon as she woke up her demeanor had changed. She became alert and buissnesslike, put her clothes on, knotted the scarlet sash about her waist, and began arranging the details of the journey home." This qoute shows her formal attitude and we realize that although her in Winston can go some places and be theirselves the reality is that they do not live in the same world as they are in when their together. In light of above, Julia has two different lifestyles that are shown in opposing enviroments in the book 1984.

Philosophy on life and the Party

Although both Winston and Julia do not like the Party their philosophy when it comes to life and the Party are different. Julia grew up in the time were there was always the Party unlike Winston making her want to rebel against the adults. Julia is pretends to be a conformist but rebells against the Party because she feels she should not be controlled. Julia is part of the Party but rebells when her and Winston make love. Going against Big Brother with Winston was not Julia's first time, proving her to disagreement with The Party thoughts.

"'Have you done this before?'

'Of course. Hundreds of times- well, scored of times. anyway.'

'With Party members.'

'Yes, always with Party members'" (page 104).

The conversation between Julia and Winston reveal her need to rebel and her hate for The Party since Party members are not supposed to have sex and relationships. When Julia admits to making love more than once it shows she has disagreed with the views for awhile. Although Julia makes it clear in her rebel by making love she thinks there is still hope in life for living and Big Brother will not kill everyone opposed to Winston's thought on life.

Winston grew up in a time before the Party but can barley remember it. He acknowledges that the Party's actions are wrong and rebels with a purpose opposed to rebelling against elders. While in the room Winston buys for himself and Julia, she enters with a bag full of food and other goods you can not usually purchase. "The smell was already filling the room, a rich hot smell which seemed like an emanation from his early child-hood, but which one did occasionally meet with even now, blowing down a passageway before a door slammed, or diffusing itself mysteriously in a crowded street, sniffed for an instant and then lost again" (page 117). The line from the book shows that Big Brother is taking over everyones memories slowly. Winston letting the uncommon luxuries enter the room and making love to Julia shows he is rebelling against the Party. Although Julia and Winston both hate the Party and Big Brother their philosophies for life and the Party differ. Julia wants to live life to the fullest and have hope for the future while Winston tells Julia "We are all dieing" and believes there is no hope. They are rebelling for different reasons as well, while Julia is rebelling against elders, Winston is going against his lost child-hood memories and Big Brother taking away all hope.

Julia/Winston point of view on life and the party

Banny Beeman...
In the book 1984, by George Orwell, Winston is trying to figure out what is wrong with the world that he is living in right now. He does not know what life is like outside of the party and Big Brother. All he knows is oppression and constantly being watched. He remembers the difference of the time before the revolution when he says "Beyond the late fifties everything faded. when there were no external records that you could refer to, even the outline of your own life lost its sharpness. You remembered huge events which had quite probably not happened, you remembered the details of incidents without being able to recapture their atmosphere...". In the quote it shows that it is very difficult to remember earlier life before the party and that its almost impossible because the party tells you that its all wrong and Winston has to believe them because there is nothing else to believe in. Yet, he does know that something is wrong and when he figures out that the party is bad and there was real life outside of the "revolution", he wants to destroy it any way he can. Once he becomes acquainted with the dark haired girl, Julia, he finds out that there is hope with destroying Big Brother.

Julia, unlike Winston, goes along with life of the "Revolution". She does not remember anything but that so she has no other desire to have a life different than what she has always known for her whole life. Her philosophy is, "Any kinda of organized revolt against the party, which was bound to be a failure, struck her as stupid. The clever thing was to break the rules and stay alive all the same". This quote shows that she is against the party, but does not believe that it could be broken and it will not break. she just excepts the fact that it is the highest power because that's what she grew up with. Julia's perspective is different than Winston's because Julia does not think of even breaking up the Party while Winston knows a better life than the revolution and wants to end it.

revolution or civil disobedience?

Julia's view on the Party and party life is very different from Winston's. Winston believes that it is possible to overthrow the Party and be free. He thinks that the Proles are the key and that if they can be persuaded to act together they have the power to overcome the Party. He accepts that he will die by the Party's hands and does nothing to stop it simply delay it. Julia's philosophy is that you simply have to live under the Party following the little laws so you can break the big ones. Her outlook is much simpler and in the book Orwell writes,"The clever thing was to break the rules and stay alive all the same."Julia doesn't rebel against the Party in the way Winston does her way is much more subtle.


In a way they are both rebelling against the Party in large ways. They simply do it very different ways. Winston wants a full overthrow in which Party doctrine is abolished completely and you can be free. In the book Winston thinks,"Anything to rot, to weaken, to undermine!" Julia does it a much more subtle way by buying black market items and having an affair with Winston

Of rooms and paperweights

In the book 1984, Mr. Charrington's shop as well as the coral paperweight embody Winston and Julia's relationship. Mr. Charrington's shop represents the time before Big Brother, and the room above it is the couple's safe haven. Mr. Charrington gladly allows Winston to use the room, his philosophy being that "Privacy, he said, was a very valuable thing. Everyone wanted a place where they could be alone occasionally"(137). His compliance to let Julia and Winston use the room allows for their relationship to flourish, while without the room their meetings were few and far between. The room above the shop is crucial to their love, as it gives them the freedom to be with each other far more than they had been able to.

The coral paperweight is a small trinket bought at Mr. Charrington's shop that represents the relationship between Julia and Winston. Winston describes how he views the paperweight, saying "The paperweight was the room he was in, and the coral was Julia's life and his own, fixed in a sort of eternity at the heart of the crystal"(147). By this, Winston means that he and Julia are bound together in their longing for freedom. They are part of something old, something before the tyranny, and there is no taking that away from them. Like the coral stuck in the glass, they are trapped within their society, and yet they manage to shine through, just as the coral can be seen by all through the glass. In a way the glass is also their rebellious natures, as it keeps them separated from the party just as the glass separates the coral from the outside world. Both the paperweight and the room are important aspects of the two's relationship.

The relationship

The relationship between Winston and Julia changes drastically, in the emotional and physical sense, in the second book. In book 1, Winston does not like her, and does not trust her. He does not like her because of "the atmosphere of hockey fields and cold baths and community hikes and general clean-mindedness," (page 10). He believes that she is part of the thought police. He also does not like her because she is young and beautiful. He believes that there is no chance for someone his age to score with someone as young as her.

The relationship starts to get better in the second book when Julia slips Winston the note, saying I love you. Julia explains that she likes Winston because of " It was something in your face... I'm good at spotting people who don't belong. As soon as I saw you I knew you were against them," (page 122). They keep their relationship a secret by not interacting with each other at work. When they get time to escape work for 30 minutes, they would got to the streets and talk, or go to the bombed out church.

Book Two Blog Post - Due Wednesday, 2/23

Hi guys - Here's what I would like for you to work on today to dive into this new section of reading :

Choose one of the topics below to explore in a new blog post. Your post should be 2 paragraphs in length and should include clear topic sentence claims, evidence, and commentary.

1) How does Winston's relationship with Julia begin to change his state of mind in the opening chapters of Book Two?

2) What is the significance of The Golden Country -- in Winston's dream and in reality in his encounter with Julia? What does this place symbolize for Winston?

3) Describe Julia's philosophy on life and the Party. How does it perhaps differ from Winston's?

3) Discuss the importance of the room above Mr. Charrington's shop and the coral paperweight as related to Winston's relationship with Julia.

In Class Work - Monday, Feb 21

Today in class, spend the first 20 minutes looking back at the writing done on our blog so far. I want you to comment on at least 3 different posts written by different classmates on this blog or on the D period's blog. To comment on a post, click on the comment button at the bottom of the post -- DO NOT CREATE A NEW POST. A comment might include :

• a question to clarify the blogger's point in his/her post
  
• a question of confusion to ask the class or Mrs. Holliday on the topic
• a comment on the topic that the blogger did not address -- i.e. taking it in a different direction
• a comment adding evidence or another example to support the blogger's claim

Commenting is a way of continuing the dialogue on the questions raised by this book. Look to be specific and original in your comments -- i.e. don't repeat! Please remember all rules of classroom conduct still apply in an online environment. Happy Blogging!

An old encounter

When Winston visits the house where he bought the diary, the shop keeper takes him into a room that was outfitted in the decor of the pre revolution era. Winston describes the room as very cozy and woram and says it awkens a sense of nostalgia in him. He was beggining to remember what it was like before the revolution. This quote is important to Winston because he had found a place where he could not be monitered by the thought police, like a refuge from the modern days of the revolution that brought him back to life before the party. I think that this experience will help to further awaken Winston's rebellious ideas against the party. He now has proof of how life was before the party. The shopkeeper's room is symbolic of the old world, it is unmonitored by Big Brother and can provide Winston a refuge from being monitored.

Curious Coral

Hello bloggers. Today I am going to talk about page 95 of 1984. In this scene winston passes by an antique shop where he curiously looks inside. He then decides to go into the shop just to look around. Then a very peculiar object catches his eye. Winston decribes this object when he says," It was a heavy lump of glass, curved on one side, flat on the other, making almost a hemisphere. There was a peculiar softness, as of rainwater, in both the color and the texture of the glass. At the heart of it, magnified by the curved suurface, there was a strange, pink, convoluted object that recalled a rose or a sea anemone." Winston then decides to purchase this object for two dollars. After purchasing it he puts it in his pocket and goes on his way. I think this scene is a good example how winston continues to live in the old times instead of the times the party lives in.

-Rabbi

Questions on Chapters 5-6

Here are student generated questions for Chapters 5-6.

Reading Check Questions 2/16/11

1. What is the long term goal of Syme's work?
2. Who does Winston see in his last dream?
3. Who is Comrade Ogilvy?
4. Why does the Party change the way history is written?
5. Why did Winston not enjoy being married to Katherine?

Other Questions From the Section

Level One

• What does INGSOC stand for?
• How long ago was it when the Party was in an alliance with Eurasia?
• How many razors did Winston have stockpiled?
• Who was the friend Winston had lunch with?
• Why does Winston have to replace the records with new ones?
• What was the name of the painters and artists cafe'?

Level Two

• Why does the ministry lie about the chocolate rations?
• How can the Party tell if you are committing a thought crime?
• Why do you think Big Brother allows the people of Oceania to become fat?
• How do you think people in Oceania are allowed to make friends if they have no emotion?
• Do you think Syme sees through Winston?
• Why did Winston make up a person?
• Who came and visited Winston?
• How does Big Brother control the future?
• Explain double speak and double think.
  

Under the spreading chestnut tree.

Through out the book telescreens are repeating words telling society how to act. On page 66 in chapter seven a voice from a telescreen said, "Under the spreading chestnut tree I sold you and you sold me: There lie they, and here lie we under the spreading chestnut tree." Winston was in the cafe when the man on the telescreen came on. Men in the corner stood motionless and not speaking. Winston was brought a gin by his waiter when the telescreens came on. The page uses syntax because it shows short choppy sentences to show Winston's confusion and everything running through his mind. The quote is important to Winston because it shows how the government can come in at any moment and see what you're doing or tell you how to act. Also the three men standing in the corner never moved and were arrested after the telescreen turned on. The three men had engaged in fresh conspiracies and later admitted to other crimes. As the telescreen changed, the music changed, a yellow note appeared, and a voice on the screen repeated the quote, Rutherford was crying. When I first read the is quote I thought about how the government is taking over society and not letting people have their own thoughts or freedom. It is easy for them to watch what you are doing and inform society on whats wrong and right.

St. Clements' dane

Winston, in chapter 8, returns to the shop where he bought the diary. As he is talking to the shop owner he finds a painting of The Dane of St. Clements and Mr. Charrington, the owner, tells him a rhyme about two churches. Winston tells himself that after a month or so he will come back and buy the painting and leaves the store. He, however leaves the store very carelessly, "For perhaps five seconds exaltation made him careless, and he stepped out onto the pavement without so much as a preliminary glance through the window." When he steps out onto the street he forgets to look for anything or anyone that might give him away. It was slightly unnerving to see Winston let his guard down and become scared when he sees the dark haired girl following him. It also made me disappointed in Winston to see that he had become so careless when he was so close to making a revolution work. This happening is extremely significant to Winston because it confirms that the dark haired girl is following him and increases his paranoia. Winston becomes frighted that that night he would be "disappeared" by the thought police because of his actions. In the passage there is a lighthearted tone of happiness when he exits the store that quickly turns to cold dread when he sees the dark haired girl following him. This sudden turn could be an omen for things to come for Winston.

The Prole Painted Prostitute

Banny beeman here again.......

On page 69, Winston is remembering a memory that he did not want to remember about an older prostitute from the proles. He writes down that she was old, older than fifty even, and that he went ahead and did it anyway. He figures that writing this down in his diary will help him with the pain that doing this act has caused him. Winston didnt really want to do it, He just, "Went ahead and did it just the same". Winston feels pain when remembering this memory and wants it to go away but nothing can help him to make him not feel the need to scream filthy words. He felt as though this act was a sin upon him and needed to be confessed. He thought that once he confessed it to his diary, then the weight would be lifted from his chest. Despite writing it down, He feels more or less the exact same as before. Winston is risking possibly his life on the fact that he wants to feel satisfied by a prostitute and now regrets it to an excessive amount.

What will expand the ideals of freedom?

In a chaotic world where the concept of freedom is non existent, people strive to find hope in the most rudimentary concepts; these concepts for some can be a guiding light to their demise or to their perseverance .Winston is writing in his diary contemplating the power and concepts the communist and totalitarian government he lives in. Whilst Winston is writing he finds deep down that he knows more than ever that O'Brien is on his side, that O'Brien is for the revolution. Winston knows and is scared by the fact that "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears" this concept where the government holds up most power scares Winston. While Winston is panicking he realizes that while he is writing he is writing to O'Brien. Winston writes "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else will follow". Winston is trying to say that as soon as the party stops controlling what we hear and see, and once we begin to contemplate facts, such as "two plus two make four" all other ideas of freedom and liberty will be born. Winston is writing in a quick fierce manner, Using strong fiery diction, to still his words from his mind unto the page. For arguments against the party Winston uses futile diction such as "overthrow" and "subtle", these words are used to show the strength of the party because they would overthrow a debate between Winston, and use simple arguments that are too subtle for Winston to counter. Winston finds that when he writes the mesage "Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else will follow" that how controlling the party truly is. When any one person or group of individuals can control your ideas and what you believe, the power that they gold is far to great. Winston who is trying to secretly and unknowingly provoke a revolution finds that as soon as people can find a concept or idea that the party has "banned" from thought, and as soon as they understand that concept, their other ideas of questioning the government will follow. Other ideas such as, why do we live in this manner? and why do we have no freedom? will eventually, or hopefully for Winston provoke a revolution.
I believe to the utmost that the concept of making scene of logical concepts, and the understanding of the finds from the concept can and will eventually lead to new ideas. Such as when a student sits in math class and finds that two and two make four, that he or she will eventually want to learn what five and five makes, or what seven and seven makes.

A Hopeful Poem

Mr. Charrington cheerfully recites part of a poem that he partially remembers, "Oranges and Lemons, say the bells of St. Clements!"(Page 98-Chapter 8). Winston recognizes the building in a picture despite it having been bombed and reduced to rubble. Mr. Charrington then recalls that it was once a church, and joyfully sings his song about the churches of London. The tone of this poem is happy and carefree, a stark contrast to the usual depressing mood of the story. The words used are colorful and jovial, not often found in everyday speech, especially not for Winston. It is a recollection of times past, happier times before big brother. This rhyme that is sung is important to Winston as it gives him the feeling of being in the London of old, filled with joy and hope. It allows him to create a sense of connection with the world outside of the party, a sensation that gives him the hope of freedom. To me, the poem is representative of the old world. It and Mr. Charrington came before Big Brother, and thus they are uncorrupted by his rule.

Proles who see=revolution

Chapter 7 starts out with Winston writing in his journal again. This time, he is thinking about how the working class, the proles, can end the reign of Big Brother. He is thinking about how "If there was hope, it must lie in the proles, because only there, in those swarming disregarded masses, eighty five percent of the population of Oceania could face to destroy the party be generated," (page 69). This quote is important to Winston because this is showing the beginning of him wanting to rebel against Big Brother. The quote is full of hope and optimism that the commoners would figuratively open their eyes and see the power in numbers. It shows his optimism by having the sentence as on long sentence with a lot of commas. This quote affects me by showing me that people can be completely oblivious to the real working of their government. This reminds me of the rebelling going on in Egypt, in order to get a new president, because of how the larger, yet lower class, can overthrow any government. The rebellion that Winston is hoping for would be the numbers of the people versus the military and weaponry of Big Brother. This quote looks as if Winston is preparing to join the mysterious Brotherhood and help lead to a rebellion.

Questions on Chapter One

Here are the questions students generated after reading Chapter One.

Reading Check Questions 2/11/11 :

1. What do the posters that Winston observes on the street outside his apartment say?
2. Describe 3 details about the Two Minute Hate.
3. What is the reason Winston is spiteful towards the dark-haired girl?
4. What is the significance of Winston writing in his diary?
5. What can we gather about this society so far? What are our initial impressions?

Level One :

• What are the names of the four Ministries?
• What is the name of the man in the poster that is watching everybody?
• Where does Winston work?
• What does each room have in it for surveillance?
• What are the slogans of the Party?
• What does the red sash worn by the women signify?

Level Two :

• What is Winston's reaction to the Two Minute Hate?
• Why do you think Winston is fearful to write in his diary?
• What is the relation between the telescreen and the posters Winston sees?
• What do you think the thoughtpolice is?
• What does Winston experience in the Two Minute Hate?
• Why do you think the Party lets people go to the free markets?
  

controlling the past, present, and future.

I was taken back by the quote I received. It was so simple in what it was saying, but has a powerful message. The quote is ' "who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." '. It is talking about how the governments that are in power control what is written in the history books, and what is forgotten. By doing this, the governments are controlling what people learn in the present, about the past. The same governments also steer society in whatever direction they want to, and controls the future. It is significant to Winston because he is starting to realize that Big Brother (BB) is brain washing people that, without BB, everything would be chaotic and madness. He notices this when he has the moment of eye contact with O'Brian.

HATE

The idea of hate in the book "1984" is like nothing i have ever read or seen before. The society that Winston lives in has a period called the two minute hate where a image of a man named Goldstein comes up on the telescreens, and everybody for two minutes just hates. They scream and are angry and start freaking out at the image of this man. They society as a whole is supposed to hate him because he led a party against this style of society, which to most people would be a horrible way to live anyways so its not like he is a villain. He is only a villain to the leaders of the government. Most people would probably agree with him if there wasn't such dire consequences on hand. In my personal opinion, to have a period out of the day dedicated solely to hating somebody just because the government hates them, is wrong and weird. "As usual, the face of Emmanuel Goldstein, the enemy of the people, had flashed onto the screen. There were hisses here and there among the audience." (Orwell 11). Then it goes on to say he was the enemy of long ago, before anybody can actually remember. This gives me the indication that they dont actually know why they hate him, but they just do because of the way they have been brought up in this society. Besides the two minute hate period, hate is shown immensely throughout the book so far. All the great things in life are looked down upon by the government, such as books. Winston has to sit in a corner of a room where the tele screen cannot see him, just so he can write in a book. This government is so controlling with hate and forceful ways to make people live their lives. I think it would be terrible to live this way and live under power that ruled this way.

Parsons

The Parsons live in the appartment across from Winston. In Chapter two, Mrs. Parsons knocks on Winston's door and asks him if he can help her unclog her sink. When he goes over there to unclog the sink, hen is harassed by her out of control children who are dressed in the unform of the Spies. They are rowdy children who are out of the control of their mother and are die hard supporters of the Party. When the children come out of their room, they pretend to hold Winston at gun point and shout slogans of the Party. These unruly children show a defined contrast between radical supporters of the Party and people like Winston. The children have been brainwashed since birth to worship the party and it has turned them into blood craving loonatics, "'We want to see the hanging! We want to see the hanging!' chanted the little girl, still capering around" (23). Even the two year old girl has been raised to find pleasure in the murder of "traitors" to the Party. I think that the children are examples of how people who are raised under oppresion and know no other live can grow up to love it.

Winston Dreams of Another World

The Golden Country is a place that Winston dreams about. It is a beautiful pasture where everything is right as he sees it fit. There is no oppression from The Party or Big Brother, and the woman that he lusts after freely offer herself to him. The Golden Country essentially seems to be a safe place in the mind of Winston, a haven for him to flee to within his thoughts. Winston describes it with great detail, saying "It was an old, rabbit-bitten pasture, with a foot track wandering across i and a molehill here and there. In the ragged hedge on the opposite side of the field the boughs of the elm trees were swaying very faintly in the breeze, their leaves just stirring in dense masses like a woman's hair. Somewhere near at hand, though out of sight, there was a clear, slow-moving, stream where dace were swimming in the pools under the willow trees"(Page 30). This land seems to be the complete opposite of London under the Party. Everything that occurs there is pleasant, there is nothing to spoil it and only good can come from it. It is calm and serene, open and free, it is natural and unaffected by man.

doublethink:doublethink

My word or phrase was "doublethink". To doublethink is to contradict oneself while believing both are true. It is to use logic to refute logic, to make sense of something by saying it does not exist. The Party uses doublethink to control the amount of information its citizens know. To use doublethink Winston says, "-That was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness."(p.35) The whole concept is very vague and confusing to begin with, then try putting it into practice.

Rebellion Begins

The Diary is a relatively significant piece in Winston's life. It holds a symbol of rebellion, against Big brother and his totalitarian concepts. The diary is not illegal, or as Winston says "This was not illegal, but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death"(page 6). Winston finds that the diary is a place where he can express himself without anyone else knowing. However as he is writing he subconsciously writes "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER"(page 18) over and over again. Whilst writing this Winston undergoes a "twinge of panic" because he realizes the act he has committed. However upon realizing this he figures "Weather he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or weather he refrained from writing it. The thought police would get him just the same"(page 18/19). I believe as the reader, that the concept of keeping a diary is illegal in Winston's world makes sense. The government is trying to keep peoples free ideas suppressed, and as Winston shows us, writing can prove to unleash the concepts we believe without us knowing we are writing them. The fact that Winston wrote "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER"(page 18) also appears normal. The belief to overthrow the major Stalin like political figure, probably rests in the back of everyone's mind.

Obrien

Banny beeman talkin here.........

In the second chapter, Winston was one of the characters that winston sees in the hate. Obrien was a member of the Inner Party, Winston says, "A large, burly man with a thick neck and a course, humorous, brutal face" (13). When his eyes connect with him for one second he notices that obrien has a sort of intelligence in his eyes. He starts to wonder if he is against big brother too. Winston is very drawn to obrien in a way that he wants to talk to him alone and see if his political agenda is not entirely perfect. Obrien represents a mix of higher authority and civil man toward Winston and that is what intrigues him.

The Dark Haired Girl

Welcome my fellow students!!!!!
My topic is the dark haired girl . In chapter 1 winston see's this dark haired girl where he shows obvious hatred to the readers that he does not like her. He says he doesnt like her because she is young and beautiful and has aa chasity belt. Even during the two minutes of hate, he does not direct his anger toward Goldstein he directs it all towards her. Although Winston shows obvious hate towards her, some could argue he loves her and is just jealous that he cant have her. This is shown when he has a dream about her and in the dream the dark haired girl flings her clothes off and winston is amazed at easily she does this. This dream shows that winston shows many sexual and loving feelings towards the dark haired girl. In light of above, what we have read so far in, " 1984," winston shows many mixed signals towards the dark haired girl.

-Rabbi

The Thought Police

The thought police are mentioned in chapters one and two in the book 1984. The thought police were there to monitor the societys thoughts or actions through out the day. It is significant to Winston in these chapters because he hated them alot. "Thus at the moment Winston's haterd was not turned against Goldstein at all, but, on the contrary, against Big Brother, the Party, and the Thought Police; and at such moments his heart went out to the lonley, derided heretic on the screen, sole guardian of truth and sanity in a world of lies" (page 16). When I first read the idea of Winston hating them and rebelling I was not surprised. Most people in society would dissagree with someone you never met before watching your every move. People never knew when the Thought Police were watching them, they could just plug into any wire and see what society was doing at any given point. "How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to" (page 6).

Welcome A Period!

This collaborative space can enhance and record our exploration of the essential question : What should the individual's response be to oppression? You are all allowed to post and to comment here as well as add whatever visual elements that help to enhance this space. Your contributions on this blog might include :

- Questions created in class on a section of reading.
- Notes taken during a class discussion.
- Close reading of a passage in 1984
- Research on a topic related to 1984 and/or our essential question - i.e. fascism, socialism, oppression.
- Modern day connection to our essential question -- this might include news, personal experience, film, other reading, or music.
- Written exploration of an idea related to the text

I look forward to sharing this space with you. Happy blogging!