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.

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!

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.

For this entire week I’ve been contemplating, “When am I going to start this English project”. I knew we only had about 2 months of “productive” school time left and procrastination was killing me. Kreinbring suggested we have are book finished by today, and of course I hadn’t even opened the front cover. Well, this is my moment of truth. Here we go, the biggest project of my high school career with my success or failure to determine my graduation eligibility. Kreinbring was right when he said I was up a creek.

 I chose my book a few weeks ago. It was a pretty easy decision, seeing as I have a rather limited literary pallet and was determined to pick a book I believed I would actually enjoy. This narrowed my search to science fiction novels, and since there are few of notable literary merit, the field shrank considerably. As I pondered over various reviews on the best classical novels, two authors kept resurfacing on each webpage. Orwell or Huxley, those were my options. The next day in class I tried to get a feel of what everyone else was going to do, and learned that Christian was pondering the same two novels. With an almost perfect randomness, I chose Nineteen Eighty-Four and Christian, Brave New World.

With little knowledge of the actual contents of the novel, It was time to do some background research. I learned that Nineteen Eighty-Four, was filled with scientific and futuristic aspects, had multiple movie recreations and was less than 400 pages, the three main criterion of selecting a book were fulfilled. As I read further, I also found that the thematic purposes addressed by Orwell within the text interesting. I was intrigued by the government intrusion and cultural censorship, as well as the influence of fear of communism on Orwell’s work. I felt comfortable with my choice and proceeded to purchase.

After I received my book about a week ago, I was ready to begin the journey. However, the convenient assignment of The Picture of Dorian Gray and annoying sickness postponed my start. After reading Wilde’s enthralling homo-eroticism and writing a million allusions and poetry journals, I am ready to start reading. I hope this book is as good as I have hyped it up in my mind. If not, that paddle I see in the distance will quickly fade away.