"It was not Mary he was reacting to when he felt that fear and shame. Mary had served to set off his emotions, emotions conditioned by many Marys. And now that he had killed Mary he felt a lessening of tension in his muscles; he had shed an invisible burden he had long carried" (114)
I believe this quote is significant because it works like the Winter quote from A Separate Peace. For every Mary in this qoute, it can be replaced with White, and so it would then read: "It was not Mary he was reacting to when he felt that fear and shame. Mary had served to set off his emotions, emotions conditioned by many whites. And now that he had killed a white he felt a lessening..." So, in actuality, for it make to sense, you would only substitute one Mary for white, but I believe Mary represents all of the whites in Bigger's life. They have oppressed him all his life, and in the act of killing Mary, that burden was lifted; he rebelled against White Oppression.
Will Bigger kill again?
If Bigger tells Bessie, would she rat him out?
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Native Son Quote Significance End of Book One-3/26
"The reality of the room fell from him; the vast city of white people that sprawled outside took its place. She was dead and he had killed her. He was a murderer, a Negro murderer, a black murderer. He had killed a white woman." (pg. 87)
This quote is significant to me because the image of the quote stuck out to me. Just picturing the room Bigger's in falling away to be replaced by the entire city of whites boring into him was a powerful image. It's also good to point out Wright's emphasis on Bigger's thinking process during this. Bigger emphasizes on the fact that he was black and she was white, a major issue in this particular society. Bigger's thoughts stress the severity of his actions in his world.
Do you think Mrs. Dalton knew that Mary was dead? Does this distinction make her actions more symbolic or the image of her praying more serious?
If Bigger burned the body in the furnace, wouldn't the furnace then produce the smell of burning flesh? So wouldn't somebody find out?
This quote is significant to me because the image of the quote stuck out to me. Just picturing the room Bigger's in falling away to be replaced by the entire city of whites boring into him was a powerful image. It's also good to point out Wright's emphasis on Bigger's thinking process during this. Bigger emphasizes on the fact that he was black and she was white, a major issue in this particular society. Bigger's thoughts stress the severity of his actions in his world.
Do you think Mrs. Dalton knew that Mary was dead? Does this distinction make her actions more symbolic or the image of her praying more serious?
If Bigger burned the body in the furnace, wouldn't the furnace then produce the smell of burning flesh? So wouldn't somebody find out?
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Native Son Quote Significance to pg. 77- 3/25
"[Bigger] remembered seeing many cartoons of Communists in newspapers and always they had flaming torches in their hands and wore beards and were trying to commit murder or set things on fire...All he could recall having learned about Communists was associated in his mind with darkness, old houses, people speaking in whispers, and trade unions on strike." (65-66)
I think this quote is significant because it combines the theme of Communism with the Negative Portrayal by the media. All Bigger's ever heard of Communists was depictions of murderous psychotics. Now he feels he may have met one in real life and he's beginning to wonder what exactly a communist is, whether they're just like Mary and Jan, or whether they really somewhere inside like the political cartoons he saw.
Do you think Bigger will become a communist?
Will Bigger see his family again, since he has to live in the Daltons' house?
I think this quote is significant because it combines the theme of Communism with the Negative Portrayal by the media. All Bigger's ever heard of Communists was depictions of murderous psychotics. Now he feels he may have met one in real life and he's beginning to wonder what exactly a communist is, whether they're just like Mary and Jan, or whether they really somewhere inside like the political cartoons he saw.
Do you think Bigger will become a communist?
Will Bigger see his family again, since he has to live in the Daltons' house?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Native Son Quote Significance to pg.53 -3.24
"And rich white people were not so hard on Negroes; it was the poor whites who hated Negroes. They hated Negroes because they didn't have their share of the money."
I don't know whether this would be paradoxical, but if it is, then that's the reason I picked it. It reminds me of the Proles from 1984. The Proles would never become conscious until they rebelled, and until they rebelled they would never become conscious. Here, the rich whites weren't that hard on blacks, but the poor whites were only because they didn't have the blacks' money. They hate the blacks now because they want the blacks' money, but once they get the money, they'll be rich whites and won't be so hard on the blacks.
Do we ever meet Bessie?
Do you think there's a story behind Mr. and Mrs. Dalton's interest in blacks?
I don't know whether this would be paradoxical, but if it is, then that's the reason I picked it. It reminds me of the Proles from 1984. The Proles would never become conscious until they rebelled, and until they rebelled they would never become conscious. Here, the rich whites weren't that hard on blacks, but the poor whites were only because they didn't have the blacks' money. They hate the blacks now because they want the blacks' money, but once they get the money, they'll be rich whites and won't be so hard on the blacks.
Do we ever meet Bessie?
Do you think there's a story behind Mr. and Mrs. Dalton's interest in blacks?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Native Song to pg. 30 -3/23
"He wanted to run. Or listen to some swing music. Or laugh or joke. Or read a Real Detective Story Magazine. Or go to a movie. Or visit Bessie." (28)
I believe this quote is significant because it gives us some character development about Bigger's personality. This as well as two other instances in the chapter tell us something about Bigger's thinking process. He's very analytical. Despite his lack of education, he still has the capacity for great thinking. He analyzes every possible step before he takes one. The first example was when he left the apartment and waited on the street. He thought of the various things he could do that day, even taking into account the amount of funds he had for each venue, then decided on a course of action. The second time was when he got angry at Gus. He thought of the various ways he could hurt him out of anger, the options running through his mind at once. This is the final example of Bigger's analytical mindset. He thinks of all the things he could and wants to do, then finally opts to go see a movie.
What does G.H. stand for?
Is Bessie his girlfriend?
I believe this quote is significant because it gives us some character development about Bigger's personality. This as well as two other instances in the chapter tell us something about Bigger's thinking process. He's very analytical. Despite his lack of education, he still has the capacity for great thinking. He analyzes every possible step before he takes one. The first example was when he left the apartment and waited on the street. He thought of the various things he could do that day, even taking into account the amount of funds he had for each venue, then decided on a course of action. The second time was when he got angry at Gus. He thought of the various ways he could hurt him out of anger, the options running through his mind at once. This is the final example of Bigger's analytical mindset. He thinks of all the things he could and wants to do, then finally opts to go see a movie.
What does G.H. stand for?
Is Bessie his girlfriend?
1984 Essay
Scott Pero
Honors English 10
March, 19, 2009
How does the party try and make itself like a God?
To Doublethink Is Human, To Never Err Is The Party
Since the dawn of time, man has told stories of the past. Stories of heroes and damsels, of wit and strength, and of creation and destruction have bewitched the human mind for millennia, ever since man knew how to communicate. Most of these stories stem from various religions and mythologies, and all of them share one common factor: Gods. In each story of heroes, there is a God trying to halt them. In every tale of wit, there is a God the protagonist is trying to trick. In every myth of creation, there is always a God doing the creating. What, then, are Gods? The various religions and mythologies of the world use them to explain their natural world, but what truly is a God? All hold common traits: They are omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Gods are all-powerful, are always around, and know all. They control the world in which we live, much like the Party controls the dystopian society that is 1984. Like Gods, the Party controls everything. They can do anything, they know everything, and they are everywhere at all times. The Party, like a God, is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
The Party’s power in 1984 is mighty and great. The Party can do whatever they please, due to the commonplace ideology of doublethink. Simply put, it is forgetting one thing after another: "Consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word doublethink involved doublethink" (Orwell 32). Thanks to doublethink, The Party’s actions pass unopposed. The Party utilizes doublethink to control Oceania. Oceanians are to be at all times loyal to The Party, meaning following in silent obedience what it mandates. Any opposition is taken care of by doublethink. Doublethink is essentially the crux of The Party and their dystopian society. It eliminates opposition by eliminating any thoughts that may lead to it, called thoughtcrime. Gods have followers just as The Party does through doublethink, and The Party, using their god-like power, can erase those followers as well.
The Party can even erase people from the course of history thanks to their power. If someone goes against doublethink and opposes The Party, The Party deems them a thoughtcriminal and captures them: "People simply disappeared…your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated" (19). Doublethink completely covers any memories of the people that once existed, and therefore these people are completely forgotten. Not only does the Party erase the memories of those people, but their records. Hence, if anyone conceived a notion that one person actually existed, it could not be proven. Only consciousness held the facts of someone’s existence, and that thought was enough cause to be convicted as a thoughtcriminal. Just like the Gods who decide every aspect of the world they created, every aspect of 1984’s world is decided by the Party, a world where The Party is everywhere.
The Party is everywhere in 1984. Everywhere one looked, there would be some emblem of the party. Be it a telescreen or one of the many posters of Big Brother, The Party’s influence is everywhere. Hung up all over Airstrip One are the posters of Big Brother with his iconic saying, ‘Big Brother is Watching You’, and the slogans of the Party, ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.’ As Winston says when describing his world, "…there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black-mustachio’d face gazed down from every commanding corner" (2) the posters are all over Airstrip One, possibly even Oceania. The posters ensure that The Party’s presence is known at every hour of every day. Its influence is everywhere, enforced even more so by the telescreen.
The telescreen is a mandatory household item in 1984. Not only does it broadcast television, but it simultaneously records whatever is in its field of vision. It quite literally is a television that watches you, and it could never be turned off, other than to the secluded group of trusted Inner Party members. Because they can view anyone in their everyday life, and monitor them for any problems, the Oceanian must always keep his guard up: "You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized" (3). There is no telling when The Party is watching you via telescreen or not. Due to this notion, trapped in the Oceanian’s head, is the assumption the Party is watching, and therefore, they are everywhere, just as Gods are. Omnipresence allows for The Party’s Omniscience as well.
Most of all, the Party is omniscient. It knows and sees all, mostly through the use of telescreens. The Party also trains its younger generations to obey the Party above all else, including the family. Organizations such as The Spies encourage children to disown their parents as thoughtcriminals at the slightest slip up: "they were systematically turned into little savages, and yet this produced them in no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the party…they adored the Party" (24). Even if an Oceanian could escape the telescreens and the posters, they would still have to worry about their family, who, thanks to The Party, would betray them at any moment. The Party has its own agents within every family of Oceania. Like the Gods, The Party does not only see all, but it knows all as well.
Because of the previously mentioned doublethink, the Party can never be wrong. Whatever the Party says is truth, if someone remembers otherwise, doublethink ensures their orthodoxy. For instance, if The Party is at war with Eastasia, then it had always been at war with Eastasia. Suddenly, if The Party says it is at war with Eurasia, then it was and will always be at war with Eurasia. The Party controls the past, with the ability to bend it to whatever they wish it to be, and it can never be wrong. This is enforced by the job of the main character, Winston. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, which deals with the media and the fabrication of it. If The Party said one thing at one time, but it said another in the present, Winston’s duty is to fix that by making the former match the latter. If anyone were to look for textual evidence of The Party’s fallacy, they would then only find examples of their infallibility. As Winston reflects, "The past…had not merely been altered, it had been destroyed. For how could you establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory" (36). The Party has found a way to make itself like the omniscient gods. The Party does away with the past and replaces it with its own, which, according to doublethink, is the right one.
Omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience are all crucial to a God’s power, just as the three are to The Party. Without them, The Party would not be able to hold its place in Oceania. Each one interlocks with and compliments the other in some way. Omnipotence is utilized to impose the feeling of omnipresence. Omnipresence is used to gain omniscience. Omniscience contributes to omnipotence. The three form a continuous and impenetrable cycle that ensures The Party’s grip on the society they rule. The same can be said for any deity as well. Man does not worship those like him. The average deity needs these abilities to secure their influence on their followers. The Party likewise ascribes these qualities to itself to assume the guise of a God. If Gods did not have them, they are not worth believing in, and cannot be called Gods. Without power, presence, and proficiency, Gods are reduced to no more than the very beings they rule.
Honors English 10
March, 19, 2009
How does the party try and make itself like a God?
To Doublethink Is Human, To Never Err Is The Party
Since the dawn of time, man has told stories of the past. Stories of heroes and damsels, of wit and strength, and of creation and destruction have bewitched the human mind for millennia, ever since man knew how to communicate. Most of these stories stem from various religions and mythologies, and all of them share one common factor: Gods. In each story of heroes, there is a God trying to halt them. In every tale of wit, there is a God the protagonist is trying to trick. In every myth of creation, there is always a God doing the creating. What, then, are Gods? The various religions and mythologies of the world use them to explain their natural world, but what truly is a God? All hold common traits: They are omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Gods are all-powerful, are always around, and know all. They control the world in which we live, much like the Party controls the dystopian society that is 1984. Like Gods, the Party controls everything. They can do anything, they know everything, and they are everywhere at all times. The Party, like a God, is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
The Party’s power in 1984 is mighty and great. The Party can do whatever they please, due to the commonplace ideology of doublethink. Simply put, it is forgetting one thing after another: "Consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word doublethink involved doublethink" (Orwell 32). Thanks to doublethink, The Party’s actions pass unopposed. The Party utilizes doublethink to control Oceania. Oceanians are to be at all times loyal to The Party, meaning following in silent obedience what it mandates. Any opposition is taken care of by doublethink. Doublethink is essentially the crux of The Party and their dystopian society. It eliminates opposition by eliminating any thoughts that may lead to it, called thoughtcrime. Gods have followers just as The Party does through doublethink, and The Party, using their god-like power, can erase those followers as well.
The Party can even erase people from the course of history thanks to their power. If someone goes against doublethink and opposes The Party, The Party deems them a thoughtcriminal and captures them: "People simply disappeared…your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated" (19). Doublethink completely covers any memories of the people that once existed, and therefore these people are completely forgotten. Not only does the Party erase the memories of those people, but their records. Hence, if anyone conceived a notion that one person actually existed, it could not be proven. Only consciousness held the facts of someone’s existence, and that thought was enough cause to be convicted as a thoughtcriminal. Just like the Gods who decide every aspect of the world they created, every aspect of 1984’s world is decided by the Party, a world where The Party is everywhere.
The Party is everywhere in 1984. Everywhere one looked, there would be some emblem of the party. Be it a telescreen or one of the many posters of Big Brother, The Party’s influence is everywhere. Hung up all over Airstrip One are the posters of Big Brother with his iconic saying, ‘Big Brother is Watching You’, and the slogans of the Party, ‘War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength.’ As Winston says when describing his world, "…there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere. The black-mustachio’d face gazed down from every commanding corner" (2) the posters are all over Airstrip One, possibly even Oceania. The posters ensure that The Party’s presence is known at every hour of every day. Its influence is everywhere, enforced even more so by the telescreen.
The telescreen is a mandatory household item in 1984. Not only does it broadcast television, but it simultaneously records whatever is in its field of vision. It quite literally is a television that watches you, and it could never be turned off, other than to the secluded group of trusted Inner Party members. Because they can view anyone in their everyday life, and monitor them for any problems, the Oceanian must always keep his guard up: "You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized" (3). There is no telling when The Party is watching you via telescreen or not. Due to this notion, trapped in the Oceanian’s head, is the assumption the Party is watching, and therefore, they are everywhere, just as Gods are. Omnipresence allows for The Party’s Omniscience as well.
Most of all, the Party is omniscient. It knows and sees all, mostly through the use of telescreens. The Party also trains its younger generations to obey the Party above all else, including the family. Organizations such as The Spies encourage children to disown their parents as thoughtcriminals at the slightest slip up: "they were systematically turned into little savages, and yet this produced them in no tendency whatever to rebel against the discipline of the party…they adored the Party" (24). Even if an Oceanian could escape the telescreens and the posters, they would still have to worry about their family, who, thanks to The Party, would betray them at any moment. The Party has its own agents within every family of Oceania. Like the Gods, The Party does not only see all, but it knows all as well.
Because of the previously mentioned doublethink, the Party can never be wrong. Whatever the Party says is truth, if someone remembers otherwise, doublethink ensures their orthodoxy. For instance, if The Party is at war with Eastasia, then it had always been at war with Eastasia. Suddenly, if The Party says it is at war with Eurasia, then it was and will always be at war with Eurasia. The Party controls the past, with the ability to bend it to whatever they wish it to be, and it can never be wrong. This is enforced by the job of the main character, Winston. Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, which deals with the media and the fabrication of it. If The Party said one thing at one time, but it said another in the present, Winston’s duty is to fix that by making the former match the latter. If anyone were to look for textual evidence of The Party’s fallacy, they would then only find examples of their infallibility. As Winston reflects, "The past…had not merely been altered, it had been destroyed. For how could you establish even the most obvious fact when there existed no record outside your own memory" (36). The Party has found a way to make itself like the omniscient gods. The Party does away with the past and replaces it with its own, which, according to doublethink, is the right one.
Omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience are all crucial to a God’s power, just as the three are to The Party. Without them, The Party would not be able to hold its place in Oceania. Each one interlocks with and compliments the other in some way. Omnipotence is utilized to impose the feeling of omnipresence. Omnipresence is used to gain omniscience. Omniscience contributes to omnipotence. The three form a continuous and impenetrable cycle that ensures The Party’s grip on the society they rule. The same can be said for any deity as well. Man does not worship those like him. The average deity needs these abilities to secure their influence on their followers. The Party likewise ascribes these qualities to itself to assume the guise of a God. If Gods did not have them, they are not worth believing in, and cannot be called Gods. Without power, presence, and proficiency, Gods are reduced to no more than the very beings they rule.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
1984 Quote Significance End of Book-3/13
"[Winston] was falling backwards, into enormous depths, away from the rats. He was still in the chair, but he had fallen through the floor, through the walls of the building, through the earth, through the oceans, through the atmosphere, into outer space, into the gulfs between the stars--always away, away, away from the rats. He was light-years distant, but O'Brien was still standing at his side" (286-287).
This quote is significant because it is a symbol of the change in Winston. His silent rebellion against the party was his entire world in the beginning of the novel. He despised the party, revolting day and night within his head. He, unlike most, still held on to the values of his generation, the belief that family came before government. He was stubbornly sure of one thing: he would never betray his loved ones, including Julia. Yet, the will of The Party still prevails. Through the use of the dark parts of one's mind, they bend you to obey them and in the end they prevail. After being exposed to his greatest fear, Winston does the one thing he thought he'd never do. He betrays Julia. Suddenly, the world he stood for was suddenly lost to him, encompassed in that one act. He fell from the emotions he thought were his world--past their land, their oceans, and into the black space that is The Party surrounding it. This qoute is an amazing symbol of Winston's ultimate demise.
Baize-[Noun] 1. A soft, usually green, woolen or cotton fabric resembling felt, used chiefly for the tops of billiard tables
Didactic-[Adjective] 1. Intended for instruction; instructive. 2. Inclined to teach or lecture others too much. 3. Teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson. 4. Didactics, the art or science of teaching.
This quote is significant because it is a symbol of the change in Winston. His silent rebellion against the party was his entire world in the beginning of the novel. He despised the party, revolting day and night within his head. He, unlike most, still held on to the values of his generation, the belief that family came before government. He was stubbornly sure of one thing: he would never betray his loved ones, including Julia. Yet, the will of The Party still prevails. Through the use of the dark parts of one's mind, they bend you to obey them and in the end they prevail. After being exposed to his greatest fear, Winston does the one thing he thought he'd never do. He betrays Julia. Suddenly, the world he stood for was suddenly lost to him, encompassed in that one act. He fell from the emotions he thought were his world--past their land, their oceans, and into the black space that is The Party surrounding it. This qoute is an amazing symbol of Winston's ultimate demise.
Baize-[Noun] 1. A soft, usually green, woolen or cotton fabric resembling felt, used chiefly for the tops of billiard tables
Didactic-[Adjective] 1. Intended for instruction; instructive. 2. Inclined to teach or lecture others too much. 3. Teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson. 4. Didactics, the art or science of teaching.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
1984 Quote Significance 3.3- 3/12
"'Nonsense. The earth is as old as we are, no older. How could it be older? Nothing exists except through human consciousness" (265).
This quote is significant because it relates back to the concept and theme of reality in 1984. Though simply read over, this quote doesn't make sense. Evidence has been shown that says the earth has been here since the dawn of time, before even. If you think about it, it does, however, make sense. It all has to do with our own reality. Everything we know of earth we know because we've experienced it. Before we were born, we knew nothing of earth, therefore it did not exist to us and is as old as we are. The geographical entity that is earth may have been formed billions of years ago, but the concept of earth to us is only as old as we are. We are only conscious of the earth we've seen or head of. Earth, in this sense, doesn't exist outside our own consciousness. Earth is as we see it.
Vitriol-[Noun] 1. Chemistry Any of certain metallic surfaces of glassy appearance, as copper sulfate or blue vitriol, iron sulfate or green vitriol, zinc sulfate or white vitriol, etc. 2. Oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid. Something highly caustic or severe in effect, as criticism.
Emaciation-[Noun] 1. Abnormal thinness caused by lack of nutrition or by disease. 2. The process of emaciating.
This quote is significant because it relates back to the concept and theme of reality in 1984. Though simply read over, this quote doesn't make sense. Evidence has been shown that says the earth has been here since the dawn of time, before even. If you think about it, it does, however, make sense. It all has to do with our own reality. Everything we know of earth we know because we've experienced it. Before we were born, we knew nothing of earth, therefore it did not exist to us and is as old as we are. The geographical entity that is earth may have been formed billions of years ago, but the concept of earth to us is only as old as we are. We are only conscious of the earth we've seen or head of. Earth, in this sense, doesn't exist outside our own consciousness. Earth is as we see it.
Vitriol-[Noun] 1. Chemistry Any of certain metallic surfaces of glassy appearance, as copper sulfate or blue vitriol, iron sulfate or green vitriol, zinc sulfate or white vitriol, etc. 2. Oil of vitriol; sulfuric acid. Something highly caustic or severe in effect, as criticism.
Emaciation-[Noun] 1. Abnormal thinness caused by lack of nutrition or by disease. 2. The process of emaciating.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
1984 Quote Significance 3.2-3/11
"There were times when it went on and on until the cruel, wicked, unforgivable thing seemed to him not that the guards continued to beat him but that he could not force himself into losing consciousness" (240).
I really like this quote, simply because it is a paradox. I find them really interesting and I love explaining them. So here I go: Usually it would seem that the beating would be the cruelest thing, but no. By slipping into unconsciousness, the pain would be gone. Therefore, the pain is not the cruelest thing, but the fact Winston couldn't, and possibly wasn't physically able, to leave his consciousness. Also, to contribute to the quote's significance, I think the Party uses this to their advantage. Maybe not just the Party, but it is the subconscious knowledge of any torturer in history. They all know that they are inflicting pain, but they know you cannot willfully escape it and are forced to be subjected to it until they make you unconscious.
Prevaricate-[Verb(used w/o object] To speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect; lie.
Despotism-[Noun] 1. The rule of a despot; the exercise of absolute authority. 2. Absolute power or control; tyranny. 3. An absolute or autocratic government. 4. A country ruled by a despot.
I really like this quote, simply because it is a paradox. I find them really interesting and I love explaining them. So here I go: Usually it would seem that the beating would be the cruelest thing, but no. By slipping into unconsciousness, the pain would be gone. Therefore, the pain is not the cruelest thing, but the fact Winston couldn't, and possibly wasn't physically able, to leave his consciousness. Also, to contribute to the quote's significance, I think the Party uses this to their advantage. Maybe not just the Party, but it is the subconscious knowledge of any torturer in history. They all know that they are inflicting pain, but they know you cannot willfully escape it and are forced to be subjected to it until they make you unconscious.
Prevaricate-[Verb(used w/o object] To speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect; lie.
Despotism-[Noun] 1. The rule of a despot; the exercise of absolute authority. 2. Absolute power or control; tyranny. 3. An absolute or autocratic government. 4. A country ruled by a despot.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
1984 Quote Significance 2.10, 3.1-3/9
"Never, for any reason on earth, could you wish for an increase of pain. Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes..." (239).
I chose this quote because I think it offers some insight into the concept of pain. As to nothing being worse than physical pain, it strikes me as odd. I would've thought emotional pain was worse than physical. Physical wounds can heal over time and the pain eventually goes away, but emotional pain stays with you. While that may be true, I believe there is still truth to nothing being worse than physical pain. Physical pain, as it did to Winston, takes you over. It fully consumes you to such a degree where you can't bear it, wishing for it to stop. This, I believe is where the no heroes part comes into play. In many stories, movie, and TV shows, you can often see a character wishing more pain on themselves if it would save another from pain. Here, Winston is disclaiming that. Real world pain isn't like that, and I believe that's what Winston means when he thinks there are no heroes in the face of pain.
Solar Plexus-[Noun] 1. Also called Celiac Plexus [Anatomy] A network of nerves situated at the upper part of the abdomen, behind the stomach and in front of the aorta. 2. A point on the stomach wall, just below the sternum, where a blow will affect this nerve center.
Cockney-[Adjective] Of or pertaining to a native or inhabitant of the East End district of London, England or their dialect.
I chose this quote because I think it offers some insight into the concept of pain. As to nothing being worse than physical pain, it strikes me as odd. I would've thought emotional pain was worse than physical. Physical wounds can heal over time and the pain eventually goes away, but emotional pain stays with you. While that may be true, I believe there is still truth to nothing being worse than physical pain. Physical pain, as it did to Winston, takes you over. It fully consumes you to such a degree where you can't bear it, wishing for it to stop. This, I believe is where the no heroes part comes into play. In many stories, movie, and TV shows, you can often see a character wishing more pain on themselves if it would save another from pain. Here, Winston is disclaiming that. Real world pain isn't like that, and I believe that's what Winston means when he thinks there are no heroes in the face of pain.
Solar Plexus-[Noun] 1. Also called Celiac Plexus [Anatomy] A network of nerves situated at the upper part of the abdomen, behind the stomach and in front of the aorta. 2. A point on the stomach wall, just below the sternum, where a blow will affect this nerve center.
Cockney-[Adjective] Of or pertaining to a native or inhabitant of the East End district of London, England or their dialect.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
1984 Quote Significance Ignorance is Strength-3/5
"...blackwhite...Applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts. Applied to a Party member, it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands it...also the ability to believe that black is white, and more, to know that black is white, and to forget that one has ever believed the contrary" (212).
Here is another newspeak word introduced with a paradox. When an insult, it means you're ignoring the facts, when a compliment, it means you are loyal to the party. I understand the paradox, but it doesn't make sense(a befitting paradox in itself). The Party is essentially blackwhite itself, but in the negative connotation. It purposely ignores the facts to get what it wants or needs, as is stated with the phrase 2+2=5. So, when a Party member is blackwhite with the good connotation, they're the following the bad part of it as well. Either way, the facts are ignored, and the Party reinforces that, as the people in the good connotation of blackwhite believe that black is white. There can be no bad side, as the good side entails it, and there can be no good, as it is basically the bad.
Tenet-[Noun] any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., esp. one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement.
Vilify-[Verb used w/o object] 1. To speak ill of; defame; slander 2. [Obsolete] to make vile.
Here is another newspeak word introduced with a paradox. When an insult, it means you're ignoring the facts, when a compliment, it means you are loyal to the party. I understand the paradox, but it doesn't make sense(a befitting paradox in itself). The Party is essentially blackwhite itself, but in the negative connotation. It purposely ignores the facts to get what it wants or needs, as is stated with the phrase 2+2=5. So, when a Party member is blackwhite with the good connotation, they're the following the bad part of it as well. Either way, the facts are ignored, and the Party reinforces that, as the people in the good connotation of blackwhite believe that black is white. There can be no bad side, as the good side entails it, and there can be no good, as it is basically the bad.
Tenet-[Noun] any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., esp. one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement.
Vilify-[Verb used w/o object] 1. To speak ill of; defame; slander 2. [Obsolete] to make vile.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
1984 Quote Significance-War is Peace-3/4
"For is leisure and security were enjoyed by all alike, the great mass of human beings who are normally stupefied by poverty would become literate and would learn to think for themselves; and when once they had done this, they would sooner or later realize that the privileged minority had no unction, and they would sweep it away" (190).
I think this qote is significant because it relates back to the quote dealing with the Proles becoming conscious and rebelling. Here, we see an alternate solution to the paradox. By distributing the wealth around, The Party would have made the Proles the essentially the same as the Inner Party, the only difference being their mindset. Their mindset also would most likely have made them the only of the two with some common sense. That would them to wipe out the Party and rebel. The Party knows this would happen, and so it purposely keeps the wealth confined to itself, and wages a possibly non-existent war to keep the Proles in line. If the Proles believe the war is so bad, they will not worry about wealth; the immediate presence of the war will keep them from their wealth problem.
Inimical-[Adjective] 1. Adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful 2. Unfriendly; Hostile
Execrate-[Verb] 1. To detest utterly; abhor; abominate 2. To curse; imprecate evil upon; damn; denounce
I think this qote is significant because it relates back to the quote dealing with the Proles becoming conscious and rebelling. Here, we see an alternate solution to the paradox. By distributing the wealth around, The Party would have made the Proles the essentially the same as the Inner Party, the only difference being their mindset. Their mindset also would most likely have made them the only of the two with some common sense. That would them to wipe out the Party and rebel. The Party knows this would happen, and so it purposely keeps the wealth confined to itself, and wages a possibly non-existent war to keep the Proles in line. If the Proles believe the war is so bad, they will not worry about wealth; the immediate presence of the war will keep them from their wealth problem.
Inimical-[Adjective] 1. Adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful 2. Unfriendly; Hostile
Execrate-[Verb] 1. To detest utterly; abhor; abominate 2. To curse; imprecate evil upon; damn; denounce
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