Monday, December 16, 2013

1984 Reflection

I think it is safe to say that the ending of 1984 was not the most uplifting. I, myself, believed and wished for Winston to rebel and actually make some sort of change or difference in his country. I also tend to enjoy works of literature or films or music or anything artistic that tends to be authentic; it probably does not have the happiest themes or outcomes but it is honest and it does not sugarcoat anything. I think that is what I like the most about this story. Even though it takes place in a fictitious society I do find genuine themes and realistic demonstrations of society, especially for Orwell’s era in the 40s and 50s. Obviously I am not happy or content with how things played out in the end. I could almost feel the torture being put upon Winston and feel true shame on myself believing in O’Brien from the beginning. I too was mesmerized by O’Brien and was genuinely shocked to see him working for the Ministry of Love. I am a little curious as to why he waited so long to arrest Winston if he has been watching him for seven years. I understand him wanting to gather enough evidence but it never really seemed like that was how the Party handled these kinds of events especially ones dealing with thoughtcrime or hating the Party. I think a good word to summarize part three would be disturbing. From the torture, to hearing about how Parsons was arrested, to the women in his cell, the rats, comparing the Party to past totalitarian regimes, and the massive paradox of love and power. O’Brien kept saying that Winston must love Big Brother without really giving him a reason why. People need reasoning to trust something-we are not robots. It seems like that was what O’Brien was trying to say the Party was doing but making it sound like it actually benefits the people. I wish Winston could have hated Big Brother until the end. But I think I would not hold on long enough either. After all that has happened to him, Big Brother was the only thing that did not betray him, and he does not even know him.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Goldstein's Book

Goldstein’s book was very dense in terms of the amount of material but it was very interesting at the same time. While trying to decipher all of the information, I realized that the Party is doing exactly what Winston, Julia, and Goldstein thinks they are doing- manipulating the citizens. In the chapter that Winston reads titled WAR IS PEACE, Goldstein details how each of the three superpowers came to be. He also describes the theory of the lower, middle, and high classes that distinguish and categorize people based on wealth and status. The goal of the fighting was to merely distract the lower and middle classes in order to maintain power in the high classes. No two countries could take down another country or vice versa. The ongoing and never ending war is also used to keep the populations of each nation ignorant to other populations. Basically, Goldstein is describing the political themes that we know of today such as capitalism, socialism, classism etc. I also find it funny and ironic that the first few chapters that Winston reads are titled after the Party’s slogan. I do think that it was intentional for Goldstein to do that; in a way it is like he is poking fun at this slogan by then explaining each phrase and what they really mean. It is very clear that Winston is excited about obtaining the book and feels as though the rebellion is actually beginning but it seemed as though after reading one chapter he felt like it was all a little underwhelming. Goldstein was just writing facts about the past that many people do not remember given that the past is virtually destroyed. I think that information being printed and recorded is vital, but it is not anything new according to Winston. He still does not know what to do in terms of actually acting on rebelling. I still feel the same way about the Party, in terms of being very opposed to what they believe in and how they run society but, like Winston, I am unsure what Goldstein is trying to get across in his book. Luckily, there are more than just three chapters.

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Unknown Citizen Explication


               W.H. Auden creates an overall image of societal culture in his poem The Unknown Citizen. Auden’s poem is caked with subtle irony in every line that makes the reader almost miss the fact that the government is proud of this individual that they practically molded themselves. Throughout the poem there are lines like “He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be….” and “our Social Psychology workers found…” or “Our researchers into Public Opinion are content”. It reminds me a little bit of 1984 in terms of the Ministries that control different facets of life like war, media etc. The man that is described as the “unknown citizen” seems to be a perfect individual. It even states that he has everything that makes him the “Modern Man”. There are no complaints against him, everything he did was for the Greater Community (whatever that means), and always paid his dues. If he is so unknown, how, why is it that these Eugenicists and psychologists and things like Producers Research and High-Grade Living know all about this man? They talk of him in high regards because he does everything right according to their standards. The first time I read this poem through, I too thought this person seemed great and that nothing was wrong with him. However, the last line of the poem is particularly startling as well as disturbing. The last line is “Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard”. I picture this man to be Winston in my mind (except the part that says the man has 5 children) because it is this person that followed the rules but you cannot tell if he really is happy or free. To answer the poem’s questions I do not really think he is because even though it is never said, I think this man is just going through life blindly. In modern society you do not really here of the guy who supports his children’s education or the man who does well at his job-you only hear of the people who make horrible decisions and corrupt their society. At first I thought that was what this poem was doing, focusing on the good people who do not get noticed, but it is actually more of the fact that there are so many things that watch what we do and define us as people when it is up to ourselves to define who we are.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Julia in 1984


I have mixed feelings about Julia. Obviously in Book One you have this speculation about her and you are not sure you can trust her. Winston would be terrified to make eye contact with her for too long, not to mention her dedication to the Junior Anti-Sex League and her seemingly obsessive adoration for the Party. In the first chapter of Book Two, we learn that she is actually in love with Winston. All of the trepidation and uneasiness felt towards her is now suddenly vanquished with the words “I love you”.
                Winston is not stupid and knows that this could be a trap. He ultimately goes through with it and meets her in this secret location surrounded by vacant meadows and lush bushes and trees. We learn that this girl, Julia, is the exact opposite of what Winston believed she was. She even tore off her Junior Anti-Sex League sash and through it to the side. They eventually have sex in the country and she tells him that she has done this with many Party members, but not the inner Party members whom she refers to as “swine”. Winston is thrilled that she has had sex with a score of members and wishes that it had been hundreds or thousands of members. He believes that the more times she has, the greater the emphasis of rebellion. Julia is seen as this reckless and savvy and sexy character that is cunning but also incredibly smart at dodging the cameras of the Party and undermining their authority. At first I was just in complete awe of her and her courage and her ability to laugh at the society she lives in even though it is the only thing she has ever known. She is significantly younger than Winston and could have virtually been sucked in to the Party’s views easily. However even though she is able to outsmart the Party and still have all of these mature and youthful emotions inside of her, I found her to be a little cruel as well. There is a part where she mentions her first sexual affair with a 60 year old man at only 16 which she almost boasts about. The man eventually kills himself to avoid being executed by the Party, in which she feels no guilt or anger for, but only feels lucky and happy that he did not end up confessing her name. It is quickly mentioned and then she throws it away like it is some old memory from her youth. It just rubbed me the wrong way. I do not hate her knowing that, but it shows another side of her that makes you think twice about her. I definitely see her and Winston rebelling already with their affair, and they could possibly make the rebellion even bigger and beyond just sex.