1984 Final

In 1984, by George Orwell, the doctrine that O’brien proclaims to Winston plays a major role in maintaining the system of oligarchical collectivism upon which the INGSOC is based, and plays a huge role in Winston’s ultimate fate at the close of the novel.

First I will discuss what oligarchical collectivism is. It is in which mind control is used by a group to rule over another group of people. Mind control is effective because it gives those in power the control to rule over what people see, hear, and even feel. As the doctrine states, “What-ever the Party holds to be the truth is truth.” 205. This shows that the party knows their power and they use it. For what the party says is always right and will never be questioned. Also, fear is a great part in forcing people to believe what you say. The party has the power to just make people simply, disappear. To have this power is very intimidating. Also, the party leave many things unknown, and most people fear the unknown.

The doctrine plays a large role in Winston’s ultimate fate at the end of the novel because, Winston finally gives in. He stop’s rebelling, and just simply gives in. He lives the way he is told to live. His own curiosity led him to his one biggest fear and because of this fear, he just bowed out. He realized that he cared too much for himself to keep rebelling. Especially against something that scared him so. In the end Winston just gave in to Big Brother because it showed that Big Brother always wins. If they would have killed him, it would show a flaw in their way of life, but by being able to conform him, it shows that they can change any person if need be.

The Chimney Sweeper

1.) I do agree with the editors of the textbook. I feel Blake's poetry has the power to enact social change by appealing to the imagination of the reader. I feel this is true mainly because of the strong language, or loaded words that Blake has used in poems. I feel that his diction helped to get his point across very strongly. Such as when he says,
“And because I am happy, and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King,
Who make up a heaven of our misery.”
I feel that part of the poem is appeals to the imagination because all I picture when I read that stanza is a young boy putting on a show for his mother and father to think he is happy working non-stop just so they can have a chance to pray; but to this boy, the reality is that this is not his heaven, it is his hell.


2.) I feel that editors may have included the Parliament transcript as a primary source document because it gives you the possible reasons as the why the Factory Act of 1833 was passed. This made my reading of Blake's work a lot harsher. I was very shocked when reading these transcripts.

Johnathon Swift

A.) Questions -
What is the significance of the language barrier between Gulliver and the Lilliputians?
Is Gulliver a giant among normal people? Or are the lilliputians dwarfs among Gulliver?
Who has the right to say what normality truly is?
Is Gulliver truly awake, is this all simply a dream?

Excerpt- Pg 555

"I confess I was often tempted, while they were passing backward and forward on my body, to seize forty or fifty of the first that came in my reach, and dash them against the ground. But the remembrance of what I had felt, which probably might not be the worst they could do, and the promise of honor I made them, for so I interpreted my submissive behavior, soon drove out those imaginations. Besides, I now considered myself as bound by the laws of hospitality to a people who had treated me with so much expense and magnificence."

-This quote holds importance because it shows that Gulliver thought he had opportunity's
to defeat these people simply because of his size. Also, because he felt he was smarter than the Lillputians.

B.) Working In Groups-
I feel that the small teacher groups were very effective. I felt much more comfortable with working with a smaller group rather than in front of the whole class, but I still got the conflicting opinions of other people which helped me to see the text in a different view. It helped me to see several aspects of the text that I had not really thought about. Such as, was Gulliver really experiencing this, or was he still asleep in the meadow?


C.) Ways Of Teaching-
My group and I have decided to break up how we will teach the text. Through discussion questions first, and then clarification questions. The discussion questions will allow others to listen to our opinion as a group and give theirs as well. The clarification questions are questions that we had about the text, and felt that others may have had and what answers we came up with.

Orwell Assignment

In reading 1984 I found myself very drawn to the main character, Winston Smith, for several reasons. My main reason for finding a liking in Winston was that he seemed to want to not only rebel, but understand why this totalitarianism came to be, much unlike his counter part, Julia. Winston was very thoughtful and mindful of how and what he did towards Big Brother, for the most part. I think for most people under control of the “Big Brother” found it to be almost a safe haven. Somewhere where you are watched over and no one can hurt you; but to others, like Winston, it was an open threat. You are constantly being watched by a “person” whom is possibly not even real. I feel this may have been one of Winston’s motives for a rebellion; simply to discover if “Big Brother” were actually real. You can tell Winston has a great disdain of the Party through his actions. He has an illegal love affair with Julia. Also, when he wrote “Down with Big Brother” in his diary was another way of him pushing the power limits. To me Winston is the most interesting and intense character in this book. His eventual, and seemingly unquestionable, downfall I think is truly brought on by O’Brien and Winston’s own paranoia. If it wasn’t for his belief that he would be caught no matter what, he may have never trusted O’Brien and he may not have been punished.

I feel that Julia may have been a major character, and major part in the book, but her motives seemed to very different from those of Winston. Julia’s reasons for rebellion seemed very selfish and one sided. Her main reason to rebel was for pleasure whereas Winston wanted answers. The only true thing that Julia is Winston share is their desire for sex. Julia even admits to having affairs with Party members and she has no intention of changing her ways. She does not fear being caught because her rebellion is small and insignificant.