1984 blog 3 - 9/22/2013

At this point in the book, Winston and Julia are just beginning their relationship, and still trying to sneak around in order to see each other. Winston still refers to her as “girl” and doesn’t know her name yet. The author includes different scenes within these few pages to show how serious Winston and Julia are about meeting up and how their relationship will start to develop. The different scenes he uses also somewhat develop their personality.

On page 112, Winston once again saw Julia sitting at a table. While he was about to approach her, another man sat down before Winston had the chance to do so. Using quotes such as “His hopes sank again” and “with ice in his heart Winston followed,” the reader can easily understand that Winston cares about Julia and hopes to be with her. Julia also obviously cares about meeting up with Winston since she decides a time and place to unite with him.

Pages 112 through 117 also characterize Julia very well. She is always extremely cautious about meeting up with Winston, but always knows the right thing to do. She seems experienced with sneaking around against the government, with proof on page 113 where Winston and Julia discuss when and where to meet up. Julia wants to meet up in Victory Square when she is done with work, but Winston does not think Victory Square is a good place to meet up since it is full of telescreens. Julia, though, says, “Don’t come up to me until you see me among a lot of people. And don’t look at me. Just keep somewhere near me.” She is clearly used to sneaking around behind the government’s back and is very wise in nature. She wants to develop a relationship with Winston also, but acts very nonchalant about it to keep it on the down low. After meeting up in Victory Square, Julia and Winston plan another time and place to meet up in which Julia gives Winston directions to a very private place. Their dedication to meeting up with each other is yet another piece of evidence to show that their relationship is about to evolve. Julia’s directions of “to the secret meeting spot once again show how wise and secretive she is.

These scenes and dialogue should help foreshadow what is to come of Julia and Winston’s relationship. At the end of page 116 and beginning of page 117, Winston describes the feeling of meeting up and holding Julia’s hand. The book reads “But at the last moment, while the crowd still hemmed them in, her hand felt for his and gave it a fleeting squeeze. It could not have been ten seconds, and yet it seemed a long time that their hands were clasped together. He had time to learn every detail of her hand.” This specific section of the book identifies his relationship with Julia and how they begin to get to know each other. The closing of this chapter helps the reader picture Winston and Julia together and the start of their relationship. Describing them holding hands, the author wants to imply that Winston and Julia will come together as one to go against the government. 

1984 - blog 2 (through pg 127)

The scene at the antiques shop is vital in adding to the storyline. I find irony in how the entire book is about Big Brother and the government controlling everyone’s lives and taking away their freedom as if that is what government is supposed to do. In order to convince citizens that government is supposed to be controlling and demanding, they have eliminated all reminders and stories of history and brainwashed older citizens into forgetting about the past and only knowing a controlling government. The only trace of history left is the antique shop, which is rather ironic that the antique shop has not been eliminated also. The store and its items in stock must have some sort of significance.

                Winston met the proprietor again as he stepped into the old antique shop in chapter 8, where the proprietor remembered him buying the diary that Winston has been keeping day by day. As Winston tells him that he is just stopping by, the proprietor states, “You see how it is; an empty shop, you might say. Between you and me, the antique trade’s just about finished. No demand any longer, and no stock either. Furniture, china, glass it’s all been broken up by degrees. And of course the metal stuff’s mostly been melted down. I haven’t seen a brass candlestick in years.” This particular scene is a sign that the government is trying to rid the country of any elements of history to brainwash citizens. If citizens knew how government used to be and how much freedom citizens had before Big Brother took over, many people would probably rebel and try to overthrow the government. By erasing all elements of history, citizens have no problem with the current government and obey the laws.

                Another interesting part of this scene was when the man took Winston upstairs to where he used to live. Winston noticed that there was no telescreen up there, in which the man replied, “I never had one of those things. Too expensive. And I never seemed to feel the need of it, somehow.” At some point, the man never had to have a telescreen in the prole district, where other areas are all constantly being watched on a telescreen. Why would the proles be able to have a choice whether they have a telescreen or not? This was a question I pondered as I read, and I came to the realization that the proles are prisoners and are not watched on telescreens since they are already in captivity.

                One last point of discussion occurs just after Winston notices the telescreen. The old man asks Winston if he is interested in any old prints. Winston looks at the picture described as, “a steel engraving of an oval building with rectangular windows, and a small tower in front. There was a railing running round the building, and at the rear end there was what appeared to be a statue… it seemed vaguely familiar, though he did not remember the statue.”  Winston began to remember what the picture was about and remembered it to be in Victory Square outside the Law Courts. Winston did not purchase the picture because it would be an “incongruous possession”, meaning that he may be rebelling against the government by purchasing the picture. Why is the picture still remaining on the wall and why is it screwed to the wall? Why is the picture still there when almost all other elements of history are diminished? The picture seems to be yet another symbol for the lost past that the government has erased. 

1984 - blog 1 (pgs 1-81)

                Since 1984 was written in the 1950’s, George Orwell was conducting a prediction of what he believes the government will eventually be like. His imaginative society is actually quite relative to today’s government with all of the tracking our government does, especially with advances in technology. 1984 is a dystopian writing because of the exaggerating, yet critical views and opinions that exemplify the government and political system.

                Multiple restrictions are enforced on the citizens. Big Brother is constantly overpowering and controlling every action. Characteristics of a dystopian society are rather relevant compared to the events that occur in the book at this point. The first characteristic of a dystopian society is the use of propaganda in order to control citizens. Between the different ministries, propaganda officers work for each one, including the main character, Winston, himself. The next characteristic, in which thoughts and freedoms are restricted, is also relevant to the book. Citizens may commit thought-crime and soon be arrested by the Thought Police. Winston tells how he has to be cautious of his every thought and move, and especially what he writes in his diary. Since Big Brother controls the citizens and is constantly watching, they are worshipped by the citizens and their communist ways are believed to be the best strategy for government control. Big Brother and communism is also another characteristic of a dystopian society, especially since they are worshipped and believed to be just and right. In a dystopian society, citizens are constantly under surveillance, and in the book Winston is constantly watched through a telescreen. Another quality includes citizens having a fear of the natural world or seeing the outside world as banished or distrusted. Adults living in the time period with Big Brother have no recollection of their childhood or memories they had before Big Brother originated. Children have never seen any other lifestyle besides the communist-based control that they are currently under. Therefore, the citizens have no connection to the outside world. All of the topics are factors of a dystopian society and definitely correlate with the events in the book and the description of the government.

 Although Winston seems to rebel against the government, especially with inscribing in his diary, he is still frightful of the government and the control they have over him. Although the government’s control is ruining the society, Big Brother fools citizens into believing that they are living in a perfect world. Winston and O’Brien seem to understand that Big Brother is secretly plotting against all citizens and society, which is why I would predict and anticipate them rebelling against the government and putting the government through a metamorphosis.