Monday, December 15, 2008

English II Honors - 1984 FINAL






Hey guys!

The 1984 final questions will be 1, 2, and 3.

Good luck.

Mr. Parsons
GCHS English

2 comments:

Kristyn Bell: period 2 said...

Essay #1

Ending of 1984
In the book 1984 Winston was a part of the outer party. He obeyed the law of the thought police called Big Brother. They were at the top of the social pyramid with the inner party underneadth them. He started breaking the laws by buying a book from a regular store, in which party members are not supposed to do, and decided to write a diary. In itself writing a diary could mean twenty-five years to death if caught by the Big Brother. Also he started having sex with Julia and he thought he was falling in love. Then he got caught by the thought police, Big Brother, and found out that Julia was betraying him.
Then at the end they brainwashed him into thinking that Big Brother was always right. That their world, thoughts, and rules were right. Then they sent him into room 101, the most feared room in the Ministry of Love. They force people to confess by using their fear against them, as Winston’s fear was of rats. He eventually ended up at the very last sentence saying, “He loved Big Brother.”
The question of if the novel’s ending was appropriote is hard to say. I think it was not appropiate in a way because I believe that a person should have the freedom to do and think whatever they want. That a person should chose, by their own thoughts, of whats right, wrong, their religion, and not having a government do it for him. Since he did not think that Big Brother was right they brainwashed him into convincing him that Big Brother was right. That all the values and laws that they had was for the people and he had to believe that to. In Big Brother’s dictatorship over Oceania was the best way to govern. However I believe that the acts in the ending were wrong and that Winston had the right to believe what he wants to.
The ending contributes to the overall message of the novel by showing the dictatorship and control that Big Brother and the party members had over the people. They would not let people have very much freedom. Everytime they would turn a corner they would see signs saying, “Big Brother is Watching.” They would not let them forget who was in charge. That they need to be law abiding citizens or be found by Big Brother and be charged with the cost of their deed.
The overall message was the way Big Brother ruled over Oceania by a hard dictatorship. That they were always watching them through their telescreens and they had little privacy. Big Brother was a cruel government and would do anything for power. Power was always the complete goal for them and always showed the citizens their power they had over them by their dictatorship.

Kristyn Bell: period 2 said...

Essay 2

Philosophy

The world within Winston lives is full of contradictions. Such as the party’s major philosophy is that War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength. The departments have contradictions in their slogans. The three departments are Ministry of Peace, Ministry of Truth, and Ministry of Love.
Winston worked in the Ministry of truth as an outer party member. However in the end he was interrogated in the Ministry of Love.
One contradiction is that War is Peace. This could be true somewhat in a sense that war can lead to peace. For with war you can make treaties and for an occasion create a peaceful atmosphere. However most of the time war actually interrupts and creates commotion, Instead of peaceful world where things are quite and sweet. It is also a contradiction because peace does not include violence or war.
Another one is freedom is slavery. This could also be true as with freedom you have the opportunity to do what you want so you can put yourself in a situation somebody else would enslave you. As also you can also in slave your mind, too subconsciously. Mostly, this cannot be possible as the one before. For when you are in slavery you do not have the freedom to do what you want or think, in the case with Big Brother. Sometimes people believe they are in freedom, as in Oceania, but they were actually slaves, to Big Brother, for they could not do or think the way they wanted to. I would call that slavery as dictatorship, like Hitler, rules the people for power.
Last one is ignorance is strength. Ignorance is in a case where they are vague and don’t care, like they are set on one thing and do not let anything or anyone change their opinion. As to have a strong and open opinion in my thought you are strong against anything.
On a grand scale these contradictions in the society tries to convince people that something is something else. That instead of doing the wrong thing, like war is peace, they have slogans convincing them they are doing the right thing. Also it covers up how bad Big Brother is and what they would do for power. These contradictions are also sort of propaganda for the ministries. Letting people believe they are free in a dictator government, also was big for Big Brother.