AllisonContillo

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In Book One of 1984, I felt that Oceania was a society that wasn't everything most of its citizens thought it was. It was a dusty, dull city that was basically falling apart before one's eyes. Due to Big Brother, however, the citizens thought that everything was perfect. My initial thoughts were that this was not a city I would want to live in, whether or not I was oblivious to the awful conditions. I knew that Winston was going to be different from the other Party members when he picked up the diary for the first time. No other citizen would have even gone into the area with the proles; they made it clear that they were the superior class, and the lower people were not to be messed with. I enjoy the things Winston thinks; for example, in one part of the novel he says, " Why should one feel it to be intolerable unless one had some kind of ancestral memory that things had once been different?" Basically, Winston is reflecting on his past, and is realizing that things must have been better beforehand or else he wouldn't be remembering other times. He would be like the rest of society; perfectly content in the city as a loyal Party member with a life free of thought crime. Instead, he is mentally preparing himself for vaporization due to his various anti-Party thoughts and actions. Big Brother isn't fooling Winston with his fake statistics; Smith has been catching on to the government's way of brainwashing the people through making them believe that things are always improving. He even found an article that, if he hadn't slipped into a memory hole, would have proven the government as liars. Winston isn't being fooled like the rest of the characters. I think 1984 is interesting me the most because their society is so different from the one I live in. While we have social classes, there isn't nearly as big of a distinction as there is between the Party and the Proles. Our definition of "peace" is not being bombed, being in control of a war, nor being forever prepared for combat. "Ignorance", rather than a strength, is seen as a weakness in society. Education gets you a career, which gets you money, which them generally determines your status. In 1984, everyone is given the same; this is the main aspect of the society that would make me the angriest. You could work all of your life, and all it would amount to the same as a person who slacked off the whole time. One thing I am really enjoying about the book is the subtle messages the author hides in the novel. For example, in Chapter 7 with Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford and the song that plays while they were in the Chestnut Tree Cafe. The song implies their impending doom; that the party knows exactly where they are, that the three men are outsiders and separated from the Party, and that they will soon be vaporized. I like that the author is slipping in clues on things that have happened, or are going to happen. The story so far is complex, and is making me think. One thing I don't like about 1984 is the use of telescreens, and the Two Minutes Hate. It's scary to me that the government is watching everything you do; your words, movements, even expressions, and analyzing all of it for signs of thought crime. The Two Minutes Hate scared me due to the passion behind the citizens rage when seeing Goldstein. Rather that listening to his words, the citizens curse a man they don't even know, simply because the government told them that he was the enemy. A big question I have is whether or not the girl with the dark hair is like Winston. I'm starting to feel like they share the same thoughts, because if she had been a spy (like Winston believes), she would have reported him after noticing him acting strange during his lunch in Chapter 4. She wouldn't have bothered following him into the Proles' area either; most of the inner Party members look down on that part of society, and would have said something to the Thought Police rather than follow a suspicious person on foot. Rather than being suspicious of Winston, however, she almost seems fascinated; as if she is looking into Winston because the two are similar in some way. I also am wondering if Winston is going to rent the room of the store or not. Part of me thinks he will, because he seemed to enjoy the company of the older man, and had a strong interest in the stuff in the room. On the other hand, if caught, he would probably get vaporized immediately, because it would be obvious to the Party that Winston was dangerous.