#3

 

Why do you think, according to Winston's actions and thoughts, what was his biggest weakness? I personally felt like O'brien was Winston weakness and not Julia. Ever since the beginning, he was always  awed by O'Brien and almost convinced he was a part of the of the revolutionary group called the Brotherhood. On page 17 he says "I am with you, O'Brien seemed to be saying to him. I know precisely what you are feeling. I know your contempt, your hatred, your disgust. But don't worry, I am on your side!" But in the end of the book, when Winston is caught with Julia, he realized that he was a powerful member of the Inner Party. What i thought was interesting was that he let his fear get the worst of him and he let O'Brien torture and destroy the little ounce of hope he had left. When Winston confessed that it was all Julia, i was devastated. It was sad because Winston went through soo much and fought so hard and it was definitely a huge twist to the whole story. If you were given the chance to re-write the ending of "George Orwell 1984" would you? Or did you like how the whole story ended?

Blog #2

Which slogan was the most significant in the story?

I believe the slogan, "war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength" played such a significant role in the story. Propaganda is used many times to emphasize the importance it portrays. Throughout the book, you can see this slogan brought up over and over again. The whole purpose is for the government to control the people. They hate rebellion, and even the slightest bit of thinking can get you taken away from the thought police. I realized that this is a form of double speech. Which we went over in class, It's like saying one thing but meaning a whole other thing. I found the picture above to be so accurate to what was happening in-the book. In the first one it shows how the party was telling us what to believe and not to believe. The 2nd block is saying, how they are going to give us "freedom" but still watch our every move. In today's society that's like they were a parent who doesn't trust their child, so they keep watching them. But by doing that, they just broke the trust relationship between them. In Oceania, they were always in war, so the 3rd block shows how they are holding missile but demanding "peace". They totally contradict each other. Which quote from the book stood out to you more?

Totalitarian Goverement

 

How does "Big Brother" connect to a totalitarian government?

Hey Guys! I am reading George Orwell 1984, and it is a very interesting book. There are so many ways you could take  look at things from a different perspective. This story helped me be more aware of the situations going on.

A totalitarian government is a political system in which all authority is in the hands of the state. It is like we are all puppets, and the government is watching and directing us. Ordering us around, and having control over everything. Basically, nothing is a secret, private becomes theirs. The term "Big Brother" is often said in the book "George Orwell 1984". "It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran (page 2)." I found it very interesting how the author wrote that in Bold and emphasized it a lot. He talks about a society that has so much control, they even monitor their very own thoughts in their mind.

That particular section of the book, Orwell is feeling overpowered, it was more like a threat. The way he described his gaze said a lot about what Orwell thought. Big Brother, can sometimes be seen as a brotherly figure, or one who protects them...."What big brother was saying. It was merely a few words of encouragement, the sort of words that are uttered in the dim of battle, not distinguishable individually but restoring confidence by the fact of being spoken (page 16)."It was a little  comforting as well.  Both "big brother" and the Totalitarian government seemed to go off one rule. Which is to control everything. Since they monitor thoughts, Orwell writing in his journal was a big risk for him. How would you feel if you had your privacy invaded? Would you like it if the government watched us all the time?