My gains from the blogging experience...

I thoroughly enjoyed the blogging experience. It gave me the chance to share my ideas with others and easily understand a concept if I was confused. Blogging is a great wa to assign homework because it works as a classroom discussion any time of the day, leaving no opportunity to misunderstand a lesson. I felt that my writing also helped others form their ideas. I also felt my blog helped others design their own because of my experience using the site. Specific times in which I incorporated others ideas were such as in deciding what to do for my three personal blogs, the ones on any part of the story. I felt it would help new students if I depicted the characters, themes, and symbolism. Blogging truly was a benefit to my writing and is a great idea for english classes to help interpret and discusses books and lessons.

The Similarities

Orwell wrote this book in a time of fear and confusion. At the time it paralleled the government and living styles of the citizens like himself. There were many threats then and now depicted similarly to these in 1984. Its ideals of dictatorship and extreme limits to personal freedom are not as revolutionary as from when the book was written. now, it is clear that these problems are very realistic and many have already happened. He explains many of these as individual threats. Things such as thought police, who controlling every move, and the freedom of knowing your family history exemplify loss of personal freedom.These two are the most radical ideas to modern readers, but in reality are ot outrageous. Laws and acts by the government presently allow more governmental power to find personal information than ever before. The thought police and children who are spies on the parents are references to these acts. The clearing of past history is another way to make the government seem more powerful and ultimately makes the citizens that more brainwashed. THere are few people who are less affected, like winston. He is the parallel to modern day peacemakers. All h wishes to o is figure out the deep lies of “Big Brother” and to find what the past was like. There are so many similarities in this novel to present societies. It seems as though more similarities will continue to arise in the future, affecting all citizens and eventually turning many of us in Winstons.

Warnings

1984 is one of Orwell’s most powerful warnings ever issued against the dangers of a totalitarian society. Other of his books such as Animal Farm are much similar, but do not give the intensity and realistic quality of 1984.The book shows the worst human society imaginable, a dystopia, in an effort to convince readers to avoid any path that might lead toward such societal degradation. In 1949, at the dawn of the nuclear age and before the television, Orwell’s vision of a post-atomic dictatorship in which every individual would be monitored ceaselessly by means of the telescreen seemed terrifyingly possible. Backed by his party names, posters, and details of society assist Orwell in his work. To this day the book is still a great influence on the future. Things like telescreens have been created, just not for the same use, and similar governments in other countries are similar to his concepts. His warnings influence all who read his book and reveal some of the most terrifying possibility we fear.
Other examples such as two minutes of hate and the bans of information on the past also warn the reader of what present events are leading us to. In our world there is much hate. Things like wars, dictatorships, and other governmental issues are main causes of this. The idea of two minutes of hate seemingly makes sense in the future. The constant build up of such anger would drive citizens to insanity the entire time, so why not get it all out in two minutes. Other warnings such as banning of the information of past events are not only mentioned by symbolized by things such as the paper weight. This terrifying concepts are important warning George Orwell felt would be important to keep in mind for the future. The success of this book is determined on the influence on its reader. This book has truelly affected all of its readers and future leaders.

Psychological Manipulation

The Party terrifies its citizens with psychological stimulation designed to overwhelm the mind’s capacity for independent thought. Telescreens are placed in all citizens’ room, streaming propaganda designed to make the failures of the Party appear to be amazing successes. The telescreens also monitor behavior—everywhere they go, citizens are continuously reminded, especially by means of the posters reading “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU,” that the authorities are scrutinizing them. The Party undermines family structure by inducting children into an organization called the Junior Spies, which brainwashes and encourages them to spy on their parents and report any instance of disloyalty to the Party. The Party also forces individuals to suppress their sexual desires, treating sex as merely a duty to help overrun the creation of new Party members. The Party then channels people’s frustration and emotion into intense, ferocious displays of hatred against the Party’s political enemies, minutes of hate. Many of these enemies have been invented by the Party expressly for this purpose.

Important Charecters

The two most important characters in the book are Winston and Julia. Both characters represent the dangers and reality of such a totalitarian government. Winston primarily represents the fear and the loss of hope by citizens. He is a man that is stuck in a troubled time that has been haunted by the government throughout his entire life. Winston continues to worry about the police throughout the book and is attempting to find ways to unlock the lies of the government. Julia's deeper symbolism is the slight hope Winston may have in his life. He met her when he was terrified and scared of the thought police. She was much younger than him yet was in live with him. She is a rebel that goes against all governmental views. She seems to be some type of link to the past because she has ideas from the past and is attracted to Winston, like Winston's attraction to the past. They are both warnings for us to see how normal people like ourselves could be just as easily affected by a government as the characters in 1984.

Is ignorance their strength or the goverment's?

The world in which 1984 takes place blinds their citizens by false promises, fear, and lies. It seems as though they have been taught what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong, brainwashing. They have attempted to clear history, preventing citizens from knowing the past, making it impossible for them to compare their life to someone else’s. There are posters everywhere and telescreens, all of which are used to prevent people from loosing their ignorance. The classic quote, "War is Peace, ignorance is strength, and slavery is freedom," is constantly corrupting all minds.

The government’s method of fear is equally as forceful as their brainwashing capabilities. Hate week, constant wars, and public executions are always taking place. "Big Brother s Watching you" constantly terrifies citizens to the point in which they act as they are emotionless, having no other dedications but to the government. Governments are the main influence over any society. It does not get affected by love, but by hate, and is does not care of religion, their ignorance.

The Depper Meaning held down by the Paper weight

Winston Smith, the main character, lives in a world of dystopia and fear. He has memories of what life use to be like and what he wishes could be like again. His conflict with his journal goes stronger and stronger. It becomes a way to express his feelings and pains while dealing with the governmental tortures. After talking to an old man in a bar, thinking he is a link to the past, he only becomes more confused and distressed. He leaves the bar to go to a pawn shop. In the pawn shop he buys another journal and a pink paper weight. The idea of writing relaxes and places fear into Winston’s mind. He dearly wants to but he knows there are consequences. The paper weight has great symbolism. It is used to represent how the past will never be back. The weight is for paper and Winston uses paper to write his dreams and thought of the past and present. Therefore his dreams and thoughts are being weighted down, never to be released. The color pink has many different interpretations of symbolism. It is represents marriage to the Chinese, relaxation, and even creativity to the working. If these are true it would mean Winston is also loosing his creativity (work ability) and is hurting because of the lost of is wife. The paper weight can be interpreted many ways, but these seem to be the most logical when relating to 1984.

Saftey and blogging

This posting was done in response to Mr. Miller's Blog posting on May 13, 2007.
There are many potential dangers involved in blogging. There are many stories of child predators and murderers, these are a reality, but only if you don’t take the proper safety precautions. The other dangers are plagiarism of work, and copywriting others work without giving credit were its due. If there were to be three rules that we should follow they would be: 1. Never write personal information on blogs (phone numbers, social security, address, or age), 2. Do not copy write or plagiarize others work, and 3. Always keep information in the views of all readers; it is very easy to offend other people, even if it’s unintentional.

First Thoughts of Story

1984 is a immaginative story of the terrors George Orwell thought the futurre would reveal. The first sentence revealed a great deal of insight in a few words. The atmoshpre is cold and is in military time. Past events in the real world have involved military power and struglles. Orwell uses these events to be inspired and write his story. The classic quote of "Big Brother Is Watching You," is a common phrase when attempting to gain military rule because is places fear in those reading the phrase. There are many radical ideas in the first few pages, all of wich corrupt the minds of the civillians. The governmantal parties have slogans that enhance the corruption. "War is Peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is Strength."

The story line is incredibly hard to understand. This helps enhance the idea that the world in wich these events are happining, are confusing and out of control. There seems to be alot of symbolism and deeper meanings throughout the story. I am looking forward to reading the story because I have read Animal Farm, and remember how powerful and the amount of symbolism throught the story.