Week 7!

It would not matter if it killed you at once. To be killed was what you expected. But before death (nobody spoke of such things, yet everyone knew of them) there was the routine of confession that had to be gone through: the groveling on the floor, and screaming for mercy, the crack of broken bones, the smashed teeth and bloody clots of hair. Why did you have to endure it, since the end was always the same? Why was it not possible to cut a few days or weeks out of your life? Nobody ever escaped detection, and nobody ever failed to confess. (pg 103)

This passage is filled with rhetorical devices. To start, the imagery that Orwell creates is so intense it makes the reader cringe. "The crack of broken bones," and "bloody clots of hair," are sounds and images that no one wants to experience. It also proves that the government during this time was allowed to torture innocent people. Next, the rhetorical questions leave the reader hanging. They are deep questions, with really no response, and they make the reader reminisce on their past, and wonder why they can't live it over again. Finally the overall dark tone of the passage conveys the meaning of the novel, that life in the future will not behold great things. That every person ever found completing a task that was not approved by the government, would not escape, and would have to confess, whether innocent or guilty. 

Week 6!

"In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence o external reality was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they might be right. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Ot that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable -- what then?" (pg 80)

This passage is at the end of chapter seven, and Winston is writing in his diary. He is thinking over his past, and the Party, and is pondering over his life in general. This passage shows the psychological manipulation of the people in the party by Big Brother. Winston can't even be sure if two plus two is four, because if the Party decides to change that, he has to listen. He is controlled by the external world and not by his internal thoughts. This argument within his head represents man vs. society, as well and man vs self. Winston clearly does not agree with the way that society is being run around him. However, he is conflicting inside himself and debating whether or not he should speak out against this society. He is not afraid of death, but afraid of what the future holds, and how much more his past can be manipulated. 

Week 5!

Winston turned his head a little aside to avoid the scrutiny of the large dark eyes. 

"It was a good hanging," said Syme reminiscently. "I think it spoils it when they tie their feet together. I like to see them kicking. And above all, at the end, the tongue sticking right out, and blue--a quite bright blue. That's the detail that appeals to me." (pg. 49)

This passage makes me feel sick to my stomach. As I continue to read this novel, I become more and more disgusted with the human race. Orwell writes with the intention of scaring individuals so that they never become like the characters he writes about. For example, Orwell characterizes Syme as a man who enjoys watching other humans be hanged in public. Syme enjoys human suffering. Orwell is very cynical and his feelings towards people come out through his characters. He also uses descriptive language to give the reader the image of a man hanging by his neck, with his feet tied together, and his blue tongue sticking out. These details not only enhance the meaning of the work, which is that humans are selfish, but it also enhances the author's feelings towards the human race. 

Week 4!

A sudden hot sweat had broken out all over Winston's body. His face remained completely inscrutable. Never show dismay! Never show resentment! A single flicker of the eyes could give you away. He stood watching while the instructress raised her arms above her head and--one could not say gracefully, but with remarkable neatness and efficient--bent over and tucker the first joint of her fingers under her toes. (pg. 36)

When reading this passage I felt that Winston's reaction to the instructress, was similar to the reaction of a soldier in boot camp. George Orwell wrote this negative utopia with the intention of mocking what he felt the world would eventually turn into. This passage does an excellent job in making the world under "Big Brother," seem like torture. Winston's body movements are run like a robot's. He does exactly as he is told, and never shows resentment or dismay. This passage helps to convey the overall meaning of the work, that life in the future will not be easy, we will all be like clones. 

P.S! I hope this isn't late.. I handed it in on Saturday! even if it is late afternoon!

Week 3!

Winston could not definitely remember a time when his country had not been at war, but it was evident that there had been fairly long interval of peace during his childhood, because one of his early memories was of an air raid which appeared to take everyone by surprise. Perhaps it was the time when the atomic bomb had fallen on Colchester. He did not remember the raid itself, but he did remember his father's hand clutching his own as they hurried down, down, down into some place deep in the earth, round and round a spiral staircase . . . (pg 32-33)

So far, the overall mood of this novel has been dismal and dark. Every page is filled with terrible stories and descriptions of what life is like in this negative utopia. This passage continues that trend, as Winston discusses how he does not remember a time in his life that there was not fighting in his lifetime. This description of atomic bombs being dropped gives the passage a violent tone that gives the reader a feel for what it is like to be Winston, living in this violent world. Also, imagery is used to give the reader a view of how Winston survived this atomic bomb falling on Colchester. The author repeats "down, down, down . . . " to emphasize that Winstons life is going down hill, just like the stair case. The events in his life are going round and round like a spiral staircase. He saw his parents suffer and die because of Big Brother, and similar to them, he is going around and followin their path. This foreshadows that Winston one day will also be running around in circles, not knowing where to go in this life.

Week 2

Down in the street the wind flapped the torn posted to and fro, ad the word INGSOC fitfully appeared and vanished. Ingsoc. The sacred principles of Ingsoc. Newspeak, doublethink, the mutability of the past. He felt as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom, lost in a monstrous world where he himself was the monster. He was alone. The past was dead, the future was unimaginable. What certainty had he that a single human creature now living was on his side? And what way of knowing that the dominion of the Party would not endure forever? Like an answer, the three slogans on the white face of the Ministry of Truth came back to him: 

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

(pg 26)

The dismal tone of this passage parallels the tone of the entire book thus far. The world that Winston is living in, is a terrifying place, and he has no desire to live. In this passage, Winston's feeling about his lfie really come out through the use of metaphors and rhetorical questions. For example, Winston's feels "as though he were wandering in the forests of the sea bottom." This strong metaphor is followed by the symbol of a monster. The monster represents Winston, and how he is destroying his own life. If Winston were to be like the others, and believe in the Party and Big Brother, he would not dread waking up every day. But because he has his own beliefs and knows the life he is living is not right, he is struggling to make it through life. The rhetorical questions asked, are answered, but in such a vague way. These questions show the reader that they are not the only ones that are confused, but in fact, Winston doesn't really understand how this story of his life, is going to end. The syntactical arrangement of this passage, makes the message that this futuristic life is not worth living, even more clear. For example, Orwell writes a long sentence with the metaphor of a sea monster, and then writes "He was alone." Although this sentence is only 3 words long, those three words add so much to the meaning of this novel. 

Week 1

Down in the street little eddies of wind were whirling dust and torn paper into spirals, and though the sun was shining and the sky a harsh blue, there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black-mustachio'd face gazed down from every commanding corner. There was one on the house front immediately opposite. Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption said, while the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own. (pg. 2)

1984 is a classic novel, and within the first 2 pages that I read, I found multiple important passages. However this passage stood out most to me. The first rhetorical device I saw was alliteration: "Wind were whirling", "Commanding corner", and "Big Brother." I feel that commanding corner and wind whirling needed to be emphasized to explain the setting of the story, and by repeating the consonant sounds the author is successful. I also noticed a lot of imagery. For example "the sun shining and the sky a harsh blue." This gives the reader an image of the setting outside Winston's apartment. By describing the sky as "harsh," it implies that the weather is bad, which implies that the outside world is not a good place. The next image that one pictures is the billboard on the house that says "Big Brother is Watching You." At this point in the story, the reader doesn't know why these people live such harsh lives or who big brother is, but by describing his image before his person, the reader thinks that this big brother figure is actually the reason why life is so terrible.