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Finished
March 10th, 2009 by aevans75
I have finished Nineteen Eighty-four and am ready to start researching criticism. The novel ended with a frustrating resolution. As a reader, I had a lot of hope in the novel’s main character, Winston, to break the chain of Party and therefore government control. However, his torture and submission was heart-breaking. As the novel closed, the Party was as strong as ever, and the reader is left without hope for the future. As I began to think about why Orwell would write the resolution this way, I realized he wants the frustration we feel to be used to fuel the change that is necessary for today’s society.
Today I began to research criticism for my introduction and abstracts. Of course, due to the popularity and depth of the novel there was tons of information to sift through. Now I am ready to start the next phase of my project.
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All Hope Must Lie in the Proles!!!
March 5th, 2009 by aevans75
Part 2 of Orwell’s novel is plot-driven and exciting, but also introduces to meaningful clues to potential themes and questions societal hierarchy. Part two begins with a frustrated reader, as detailed in my last post. We want Winston to break out of his shell of ignorance and rebel. Finally, in the first 30 pages of Part two our prayers are answered. Winston’s affair with Julia excites the reader. We are happy that he finds an avenue to undermine authority and are intrigued by his opinions of their relationship. Winston’s desire for pleasure and companionship lacks the basal air of contemporary human relationships. Instead Winston’s sex drive is fueled by a desire for political disobedience rather than physical gratification. Orwell explains, “Their embrace had been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political act.” (Orwell 126) The reader begins to understand that the party opposes sex, not because of it physical benefits, but rather because of the feelings it creates within it membership.
However, as Orwell progresses the reader becomes board with their relationship. Their reoccurring sexual encounters begin to appear as menial protests that fail to inflict real damage to the Party. Thus, Orwell gives their relationship a new meaning. Orwell shows that the reader that human relationships are bigger than companionship or a need to reproduce. He reveals that a relationships chief purpose is to empower its components. This implies the real danger to the Party. As Winston’s relationship with Julia develops, so does his courage to fight against the Party. Orwell explains this as the Party’s reasoning for the destruction of the familial unit in society. Winston’s new found confidence allows him to take new risks, and ultimately join the infamous Brotherhood.
Winston and Julia’s induction into the Brotherhood marks their official death, for it is inevitable that they will be caught and vaporized. This is intrigues the reader, because we know they are ever closer to death, yet we still maintain a hope that they will see the abolition of Party rule. As Part two comes to a close, the pair are captured by the Thought Police. They seemingly have no hope for escape and submit to the certainty of their fates. However, the reader still has hope. We know the institution of the Party must be defeatable, but are left wondering how it will come to fruition. All hope must lie in the proles!
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IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
March 1st, 2009 by aevans75
I have just finished the first 104 pages of 1984. I am pretty pleased thus far with Orwell’s writing style and the overall themes that have been presented in the novel. Orwell’s ideas are fairly classical; however, considering the time period in which he wrote, they were necessary to be voiced. Orwell’s plot and characters keep the reader’s interest effectively. I easily align with Winston’s character; however, for the majority of part one I was conflicted. I agree with all of Winston’s ideas and his questioning of the ideals of the Party, yet I am often angered by his inability to act and stand up for what he believes.
As an American reader it is easy to understand the fears and injustices Winston feels. Our values of freedom, individuality, and personal success are all demeaned by the structure of the Party. As I progress through the novel I find myself begging Winston to spark rebellion and be the martyr that we envision our founding fathers were. However, the novel makes you wonder, “Would I be able to stand up?” As one mulls over Orwell’s work it is easy to say we would fight the socialist unity of the Party and demand our rights, but in reality I am not so sure. Civil disobedience seems fashionable and appropriate; however one must ponder if it is really what’s right. Like Winston, without ever experiencing freedom in our lives, how could we demand it? How would we be sure we were being oppressed, that the ideals of the Party were not best for the common good?
These answers are what I hope Winston finds and thus myself in the next section of the novel. I hope Winston can figure out that the key to succesful revolution is elightenment. I hope the lies and fraudulant claims of the Party are exposed, as Winston and his “comrades” realize that ignorance is really weakness and their real freedom is worth fighting for.
P.s.: The celibacy of the Party nation is quite interesting. Party members are the exact foil of Dorian Gray. Hedonism could never exist in their society. It is also interesting that the women are so indoctrinated with hate for sexual pleasure. Without companionship and any source of entertainment, it would seem the people of Oceania would go insane.
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