Entry No.6

Are there any settings in this novel which you have found to be beautiful? or disturbing? or memorable? describe these settings and comment on why they were meaningful to you.


The rat room of 101 in the torture room is the most disturbing setting in the novel. Since this setting is also the climax of the novel, my attentions were focused deeply onto this setting. However, as I paid closer attention to the setting, the setting began disgusting me more and more.


Consisting of dark and vapory walls, the room smelled of rotten mice. There was an air of disease in the room and death lured Winston’s nose. The atmosphere of death disgusted me out. I wanted to skip this passage through as fast as I can. Nonetheless, because this passage was the climax of the novel, I could not skip this passage through. I read this passage repeatedly until I almost memorized it by heart.


The description word choices that Orwell had made inspired my dark thoughts to arouse and take over my mind. I suddenly feared the setting; I began to share to fear that Winston was suffering from. It felt like as if I was in the situation. The constant agitation of the setting carved into my mentality. The setting disturbed me and left a permanent mark in my mind.

Entry No.5

what is the major theme of this novel? why is this theme important to a teenager living in 2007?


“Totalitarianism is hazardous in every ways, physiologically, technological, physical, and socially.” That statement is I believe the major theme of the novel. Totalitarianism is, regardless of whose hand it is handed to, is a threat to both the people and the government. Teenager should carve this theme into their hearts. They should remember this fact for their future well-being.


George Orwell’s intentions are deeply soaked into this statement. He anticipated informing us that taking caution in the upcoming totalitarianism is vital. This novel is a true dystopia where every motion or action one takes is manipulated or watched from someone. No absolute privacy exists. No absolute freedom exists. Only absolute rule exists. Although a rule to this extent will be most likely to be impractical in real life, Orwell intended the exaggeration to uncover itself throughout the book. Through the exaggeration, Orwell emphasized the significance of the caution to be taken.


For this reason, we should consider George Orwell’s intentions and apply his intentions into action. If not, totalitarianism will cloud the whole Earth sometime in the future. We, teenagers, are the future governors, doctors, and civilians of the countries we belong. Without proper ideals in the teenagers’ minds, the world will be in great chaos. Totalitarianism will be practiced in almost every country in the world. George Orwell bewares us of this menace to come. He notifies to take caution against the totalitarianism to come.

Entry No.4

what is the climax of this novel? what happens? how do the events of this novel make you feel?


Winston’s torture within the cage of rats in Room 101 is the climax of this novel. Winston has been tortured for considerably a long time. Nonetheless, Winston had resisted to the torture vigorously. He did not commence on with loving the Big Brother. Even so, Winston eventually surrendered when he arrived at the cage of rats. O’Brien threatened Winston that if he does not act accordingly to the Big Brother’s wills, he will order the rats to consume his face.

Winston would not have fallen for this threat if it were not for the several days of torture. Yet the torture had consumed both his soul and body. Winston did not have the strength to oppose that threat. The fear had already surmounted him.

This is the climax because there is a clear mark of no return in this event. When Winston was abducted physically, there was no return for his body to the ordinary. Nonetheless, for his mental status, there was a return. He could have resisted and always have not left the ordinary mentally. Yet, when Winston surrendered to the Big Brother’s rule, there was no return physically and mentally. Therefore, this, I believe, is the point of no return.

As the sequence of trials in this novel occurred to Winston, I felt an enormous sympathy for him. If there were ways out to his adversity, my sympathy would not have been as great. Yet, all the trials that Winston faced were inescapable. In whatever way or choice he made, the result was always same, destruction.

I felt, face to face, the world that Winston was facing for himself. Winston lived in a world where every action one took was manipulated, a world where legitimate optimism was impossibility. I felt the soreness of the bolt that the Big Brother had put on civilization the world. As my emotions took over my mentality, I wondered of an equivalent situation of this book in the current world.

Entry No.3

Please choose one passage from the novel that is significant to you. Why is this passage meaningful? Please type it into one of your entries and comment on what you think about the passage.


“And when memory failed and written records were falsified—when that happened, the claim of the Party to have improved the conditions of human life had got to be accepted, because there did not exist, and never again could exist, any standard against which it could be tested.”

Although this passage used a language style that was hard to interpret by one simple look, several glimpse at this passage brought enlightening to my thoughts. This quote emphasizes on how one’s past attitude affects that of the present. Smith explores into the life before the Revolution in this passage. He discovers that the Party has weakened people’s memories in order to prevent their acknowledgement of the Party’s wrongdoings.

This passage conveyed lots of thoughts in my mind because of the truths it brought up about the nature of weak minded men. The party did anything that took them to retain their power eternally. Violating human rights weren’t something of a issue for them. Humans were to them, only mere utilities for acquiring power.

Also, this passage demonstrated how people could be tricked so effortlessly. All the Inner Party had to do to the people was to weaken their memories. The people became excessively controllable without difficulty.

Consequently, I became aware of the wretched side of men, if not, I was able to detect the feeble side of men. This assured me of the significance of God. God is a revitalizing fountain in the midst of immorality. He is our one and only foundation of dependence.

Entry No.2

Who are the main characters in the novel? Do you like them? Why or why not? What is special about them? What do they reveal about the universal human experience?

1984 was comparably a long novel. For this reason, this novel contains a substantial amount of characters. Nonetheless, there are only a few major characters: Winston Smith, Julia and O’Brien.
Winston Smith


Winston Smith, along with Julia, his lover, is the protagonist of this story. George Orwell envisioned his nightmarish world of totalitarianism through Smith’s perspective. For this reason, I felt as if I were reading George Orwell’s minds as I was reading Smith’s minds in this novel.


Winston is thoughtful. He has an intellectual ability to question the unjust rules of the Big Brother. Unlike Julia, who has a tendency to rebel only to seek her personal pleasure, Winston rebels in order to unearth the answer to his numerous questions. Winston seeks to discover why the Inner Party exercises such callous and absolute power in Oceania.


Winston’s curiosity soon leads to passionate rebellion against the Inner Party. With his curious and rebellious mind, Winston sets out to test the limits of the Party’s power. He commits countless crimes throughout the novel. Starting from writing ‘DOWN WTH BIG BROTHER’ in his diary, to sharing an illegal love with Julia and to joining the anti-Brotherhood party, Winston puts all his efforts into testing the limits of the Inner Party. Even so, Winston’s actions does not completely intend to only ‘test’ the limits of the Party, it also consists of his call for freedom and independence.


I personally like Winston Smith’s character as it is presented in this novel. He reveals the world in which legitimate optimism is an impossibility. After writing down his disgust for the Party in his diary, Winston lives in constant fear of the outcome of his thought-crimes. His disgust worsens as the fear turns into paranoia. Conversely, that paranoia became his source of his pursuit on rebellious actions. I like the fact that Winston pursued his rebellious actions even when there seemed to be no hope in doing so. Even if he was blind, to be extreme, in seeing the truths of the world he was living in, he gave himself an optimistic view of the world.
Julia


Julia is a perfect example of a contradictory character of Winston Smith. While Smith possesses a fatalistic view of the world, Julia is exactly the opposite. Julia’s purpose in having affairs with Smith and purpose for all of her doings is to satisfy and fulfill her desires.


I like Winston’s character. However, Julia is exactly the opposite of what Winston is. Therefore, I do not like Julia’s character excessively.
O’Brien


O’Brien, as the antagonist of this novel, is a member of the Inner Party that tricks Smith into believing that he is one of the Brotherhood. However, the validity of his membership in the Inner Party is also irresolute. Thus, I believe O’Brien serves as a mysterious figure in this novel.


Not knowing any distinct essentials about this man, my opinions about him become ambiguous as well. Therefore, I neither like nor dislike O’Brien.


All three of the characters in this novel reveal a single universal truth. I believe that the author intended the readers to recognize this truth. As clearly shown in the characters’ characteristics, their actions are swayed here and there accordingly to the intensity of power that is clouding them. Smith shows that people do have the right to oppose the power through his passionate rebellion against the Inner Party. Therefore, I believe that people should live undisturbed by any factors other than themselves.

Entry No.1

Are there any current situations in the world that relate to the novel? What are they, and how do they relate? Does the novel shed any light on how current situations could be resolved or “fixed”?


Many current situations of the world relate to this particular novel. An important issue was discussed in this novel, totalitarianism. This subject is growing to be an important issue in various nations, such as China. China has sustained its system of government for considerably a long time. This country is I daresay an immaculate form of the Inner Party in this novel.


After Mao’s revolution in China, communism rooted itself down deeply into the government and the culture of all Chinese people. The politicians of that government used communism to enslave these people into slavery. Just as the Inner Party enslaved its people to keep eternal power, the Chinese government used Communism as their tool for accomplishing this job.


Although China is excelling in terms of economic and politic status currently, during the revolution times, it was exactly the opposite. Despite the fact that Chinese Communists did not intend to abuse the power, the power in their hands caused massive shedding of blood in the country. In other words, power was abused in the Communists’ hands.


If anyone has ever lived in China, civilians that reside in that country are overly content with the rule over themselves. They certainly would not prefer taking over or opposing the government. The government has succeeded in master minding its citizens to such an extent that having restrictions in their freedom is common in their lifestyle. Yet, I believe that their content has a certain reason. Although China’s rule was not successful during the early 1900’s, it is getting effective nowadays. Even I would not want to hinder the government’s success during times like this.


Nonetheless, George Orwell sheds light on how this situation can be corrected. Regardless of the opinions of the Chinese citizens, George Orwell states through Winston Smith mouth, that common workers can throw over the totalitarian rule. The civilians of Chinese people can throw over the government.