https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop Discuss one major theme you see Orwell threading through this novel. Tell WHY you believe this to be a major theme AND how we can see this as applicable to our society/world today. Use textual evidence to support your claims. en-us 2017-07-19 19:38:12 UTC 2026-02-12 02:02:28 UTC hello@padlet.com tfritz2 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/179065254 Read & follow the directions on the G.C. page.]]> 2017-07-19 19:40:42 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/179065254 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/179198970 In 1984, one major theme that Orwell threads throughout the novel is the theme of free will and choice. During the course of the novel, this theme is heavily emphasized in each of the three parts of the book, but it is looked at from three different angles in each of the three parts. The first part of the book is about the idea of being able to have the free will to make the choices that Winston wants, and the effects of breaking away from the iron grip of the Party. At the beginning of the book, Winston mentions that he had a "tremor [go] through his bowels" as he about to write in the journal for the first time (Orwell 7). This is an example of the fist free choice Winston has truly made in the book as he was doing something that was not endorsed by the Party. This was a gateway for the rest of his actions in the rest of the book. As for the first part of the book though, he later went on to make more free choices such as the time when he "missed an evening at the community center," and he goes on to say that this is a "rash act, since [he] could be sure that the number of [his] attendances were carefully checked" (Orwell 86). Winston begins to really appreciate the act of free will and choice even though he does not directly say it. He begins to take more risks as he even stands "outside the junk shop where he had bought the diary" (Orwell 93). He then enters the store and talks to the owner, and he considers renting his room upstairs, a choice that would eventually punish him later despite its appeal. The second part of the book is expands on the idea of free will and choice, but it is from the perspective of making choices along the lines of human instinct. The first instinct that the second part covers is the natural human attraction that can exist between two people. This is demonstrated when Julia pretends to fall so that she can slip a note into his hands that says "I Love You" (Orwell 108). This caused Winston to lose focus because he felt that a "fire was burning in his belly" and eating lunch was "torment" (Orwell 108). During this time, the suppressed emotion of love emerges from years of mental repression, and Winston has a hard time not thinking about Julia as natural instinct of wanting to spend time with a loved one becomes present to him. This leads Winston to give into his "animal instinct" and sleep with Julia (Orwell 126). As the affair continued and as he spent more time with Julia, Winston suggests that they go see O'Brien, so they could see if O'Brien is on their side. This relates to the natural human instinct of trust, and they make the choice to go see O'Brien where they learn O'Brien supports them. O'Brien then asks such questions such as "you are prepared to give your lives...prepared to commit murder...to commit acts of sabotage which may cause the death of hundreds of innocent people" (Orwell 172). Winston knowingly makes the choice to say yes to all these questions and is initiated into the Brotherhood. This last shortly as the consequences of Winston and Julia's choices cause them to be caught in Charrington's room, and they are separated while the second part comes to a close. As the story enters into the third part, the theme of free will and choice makes a full 180 as the perspective switches to the suppression of free will and choice, so that only a mindless servant of the Party remains. While O'Brien is torturing Winston, Winston fights back against O'Brien with no success, and O'Brien tells Winston that "[w]hen you finally surrender to us, it must be of your own free will" (Orwell 255). By having Winston submit of his own free will, it will cause Winston to lose any aspect of choice as he is giving into the Party and its wishes, and it will leave Winston as shell of who he formally was. When he did finally walk out the torture and time had passed, he was so broken that he could not think with true freedom, and everything he did was in the name of Big Brother because "[h]e loved Big Brother" (Orwell 298). As far as how the theme is applicable to society today, Free will and making choice is a large source of conflict in the world. In many parts of the world, people can not choose what religion to practice, middle eastern women can't make any choice by themselves without the consent of their husbands, and being slaves are only a few issues of free will and choice that resides in the world today. Everyone should be able to make their own choices and should not be held back by anyone or anything; however, that is not always the case. Today, North Korea is the perfect representation of the 1984 society. The people have next to no rights of their own while there is a clear distinct upper class and a clear lower class. The North Korean government monitors its people closely, and the people are so indoctrinated that they believe that Kim Jong-Un is a god. While the world suffers with issue of free will and choice for all, Hopefully one day the world will exist in a state where all people have the right to live life as they choose without interference.]]> 2017-07-21 16:59:26 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/179198970 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180519626 One major theme I see throughout the book is trusting your instincts. This is significant because the story takes place in a place where that is illegal and you could be killed for even having any thought that wasn't about the good of the party. This theme is revealed from the very beginning of the book when, "he dipped the pen into the ink and then..in small clumsy letters...wrote" (Orwell 7). It took a lot of courage for to even think of doing this and the fact that even it was only a, "stream of rubbish" (Orwell 9). The simple act of writing in his journal sets the stage for the rest of the story. He later even seeks out an older individual to find out what life was like before the revolution. He had been taught that the world before the revolution was wrong and irrelevant that's why they never talked about it but Winston's instincts told him that there was a past that needed to be remembered. He wanted to know why this revolution happened and why the world before was so bad. He follows his instincts with more confidence in the second section of the book when he meets Julia. When, "a curious emotion stirred in Winston's heart" (Orwell 105) that he didn't recognize as love, he acted upon it. He went up and helped Julia when it would've been just as easy to ignore her. When he read her note that said, "I love you" (Orwell 108), he didn't immediately run and tell someone. He let it sink in and gave her a chance. He followed his gut and met with her even though he knew they could be caught and arrested. He showed love to her and confided in her just like a husband and wife would and he knew this was the way that this relationship should feel even if, "The aim of the Party was...to prevent and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control" (Orwell 65).  When Winston discovers that Julia feels the same way about the party this gives him the confidence to act up on his thought that the reason he was writing in the diary was for O'Brien and meet with him and join the brotherhood even if that meant, "[losing] [his] identity and [living] out the rest of [his] life as a a waiter or a dock worker" (Orwell 172). Even after he is arrested and sitting in a cell for months he doesn't lose hope. He believes everything will work out for the brotherhood and that he will see and end to the party. Even when discovers that he has been betrayed by O'Brien and he is trying to get Winston to believe something he knows isn't true he fought even if he, "[feared] that his was backbone was about to snap" (Orwell 245) from the torture device that he was in. Even after they wiped his memory and made him, what they thought was a thoughtless human, he still had thoughts in the back of his mind that made him unique and comforted him. This applies in our society because from a very early age, we are taught what is right and what is wrong. In our own homes we have rules and when we get into school we have different rules and as we get older we learn about rules that apply to our state and country.  We have very good understanding of what is right however, we all fall into an situation that maybe there isn't a rule for and you just have to go with what your mind and heart are telling you to do. We are all born with this ability to do good even before we are taught an single rule. Our instincts can determine our character if we choose to act on them. ]]> 2017-08-09 19:13:28 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180519626 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180528650 I think we had similar understanding of the book and we just called it different things. I believe some of the points we made about the themes were different and our themes were even different but I believe that we both understand Winston's want to change his life by acting upon his instincts and take advantage of his free will.]]> 2017-08-09 20:47:41 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180528650 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180600029 I really enjoyed reading your answer as I thought that your explanation of your theme of trusting your instincts is explained really well. Also, I see what you mean by how both of our answers, while different, came together to both prove the same point that Winston wanted to change his life and seize the moment. It was cool seeing another angle come to the same conclusion, which goes to prove that there are limitless interpretations of the book. The thing I liked the most about your answer was that you traced your theme throughout the three parts of the story and gave textual evidence to support it, and I thought that really helped tie the theme throughout the book. I would like to think that our themes tie together really closely.  I would agree trusting your instincts is a huge theme because of how heavily it is stressed in the book. Winston holds to his morals and acts upon them greatly throughout the book, whether it be writing the diary in order to ask the questions he would not dare repeat outside his home, meeting up with Julia after the note she gave to him in order to create a relationship, or holding out hope that he would not break under torture. Even though Winston did break and lose all trust and morals, he held out for as long as he could with his ideals, and it reflected in how long it took for him to break and be reintegrated into society. Then, your answer to how is the theme applicable to society is fantastic. I like how you mention that we are all taught at a young age how to think, but at one point we begin to think for ourselves as we reach morally grey areas where following your heart is the only true right answer. I would like to think that every person has a relative understanding of what is right and wrong, but that is not the case. Every person has their definition of good and bad, but then the boundaries of good and bad vary greatly leaving a multitude of interpretations of good and evil present in the world. In today's society, most people have a morally grey interpretation about everything since good and evil are redefined constantly. This leaves people in this zone because they may think something is right, but can be looked at as both good and evil by different people. I would think that this explains why people do what they do as they think it is right even if it appears wrong, and I think you mention this point wonderfully. Your statement really makes a person think about the world around him/her, and makes one wonder if what an individual is doing is right for him/her. ]]> 2017-08-10 13:02:23 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180600029 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180788383 The major theme throughout this book would be oppression because of the crushing weight of the intense scrutiny of the thought police. The unjust treatment of the people of Oceania became the core purpose of the rebellion slowly forming throughout the plot. The strict regiment of the Party served to incite ideas of misconduct within the citizens of Oceania. Citizens of Oceania such as Winston and Julia regularly find insane and complex ways to avoid the sight of the thought police such as Julia's detailed directions to the countryside that "was as though she had a map inside her head" (Orwell 115). This is the main point plot because throughout the three main parts of the novel the idea of rebellion against the intrusive Party is restated in the couple's actions such as "on the walk from the station he had made sure by cautious backwards glances that he was not being followed" (Orwell 117). In America today, there is also a high level of surveillance albeit lower in quality than in the fictional world of Oceania. There are cameras on seemingly every building and armed officers providing security and a watchful idea over most public events.]]> 2017-08-12 00:02:46 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180788383 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180985316 Not a lot of people choose a theme that is negative but this is the book, the story, the theme: know your place and be careful of your decisions. Maintaining this idea through the story line, a person in such a society can never be too careful. Showing your true colours in a bleak world is a dangerous situation to be in. You will be monitored when they notice, which is sooner than you do, like in the first part of the book. You are proven guilty and "erased out of existence" just like how Winston explains in his monologue through the second part. Winston and Julia are sure that revilting against the party is the best decision. The party even recorded their coversation when the two of them were caught! If you become out of alignment, you will be changed by the re-molding of your brain, beliefs and soul. In todays world, the older generations are the ones who know their place abd try to enforce this. Aong with the general generation there are corprate companies that would agree and stick to the mentality of you are placed in a role and your decisions affect your role. ]]> 2017-08-14 20:49:16 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180985316 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180998003 How does the Thought Police have much to do with the real world police? Maybe in the real world they would be higher up in authority(like the FBI)but not basic police. In the sense of roles, the two both enforce law and order, whether that is by monitoring or by force, but not with brutal force without any rights.]]> 2017-08-14 23:00:23 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180998003 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180998515 The form if Instinct that you are refering to could also mean "to be different"  or "stand out" .Not often enough a person is right about something that you could really feel. Even when it comes down to turning against everyone else but one other person you are moving towards. ]]> 2017-08-14 23:07:21 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/180998515 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181031567 I like the theme you chose to wrote about because it is the epitome of what the Party believes in. If one section of the Party fails, such as the Inner Party, the Thought Police, or even the telescreens, then the oppression the Party maintains would also fail. This is important because, while the Party may seem infallible, I believe that it is more feeble than what meets the eye. ]]> 2017-08-15 04:38:20 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181031567 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181032588 I love the real-world application you discussed about trusting your instincts because it relates to every single person. We have always been told to trust our gut instincts, but sometimes it's not always so black and white. We are put in precarious situations and the path to the answer may seem murky. This directly relates back to the book: Winston must decide, in more than one situation, if everything is worth the risk. It wasn't so clear for him, and the internal battle is sometimes evident in Winston, but he eventually decides the risk is worth the love and hope. While this choice did bring Winston his downfall, can one still say that it was the wrong choice? ]]> 2017-08-15 04:49:53 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181032588 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181034095
One major theme Orwell threads throughout 1984 is the assertion of psychological control over the citizens of Oceania. This theme is crucial to the story because it is the cause for Winston’s unhappiness and realization that everything could be better, his absolute abhorrence towards the Party and Big Brother, and his ultimate downfall. The psychological control is most evident in the three slogans that are the embodiment of the Party: "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" (Orwell 17). It is through these three statements that Winston finds the defects of the Party. Winston feels alone in his thinking because he believes that everyone is brainwashed, but he doesn't give up hope that there is a possibility that maybe just one other person feels the way he does. Winston begins to seek answers to why things are the way they are. Once Julia enters his life, Winston becomes more confident in his feelings. But it is here where Winston is becoming controlled by the Party. Mr. Charrington is a great example of how the Party asserts psychological control. Winston knew that Mr. Charrington was aware of his and Julia's love affair, but Winston thought Mr. Charrington was just being nice. He had absolutely no idea who Mr. Charrington actually was. The psychological manipulation here is so cruel because Winston and Julia felt that "so as long as they were actually in [the] room... no harm could come to them" (Orwell 125). But it is in exactly that "sanctuary" where they would learn to realize that Mr. Charrington, the man who seemed a saint to them, was the man who contributed to their capture (Orwell 125). Another character who exploited the trust of Winston is O'Brien. From the beginning Winston deemed O'Brien as a trustworthy person, even though he didn't know him at all. Winston "felt deeply drawn to him" and wistfully hoped that his " political orthodoxy was not perfect" (Orwell 13). Throughout the second part of the book, O'Brien manages to get Winston to engage his attention in him. Winston, because of his interest in anything that is against the Party, is convinced O'Brien is on his side. This is exemplified when Winston had thought O'Brien said "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness" (Orwell 87). Little did Winston know that the place where there is no darkness is the place where he loses himself to Big Brother because of the torture he receives from O'Brien. The Party succeeds immensely at psychological control because they plant people like Mr. Charrington and O'Brien in the lives of upcoming rebels in order to get them completely defeated and reformed. Psychological control is a reality in the lives of the people in North Korea. The people there are conditioned into thinking that their leader, Kim Jong-Un, is their savior. They are utterly blind to the control he has over their lives, and that most of their misfortune and suffering is either caused or ignored by their precious leader. It seems that Orwell was not far off from his vision of the future.]]> 2017-08-15 05:05:23 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181034095 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181152886 I like how you chose the theme of oppression because it really takes an angle that most would not think about. I like how you said that the main purpose of the Party was the cause of the Brotherhood. The thing I find funny about this statement is how Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience can be applied here. The Brotherhood is disobeying the will of the party as they are trying to prove that the iron grip of the party is morally wrong. While the rebellion has had little success, its the idea of standing up for what is right that allows the idea of rebellion to live, and this ties back to Civil Obedience and its main premise of doing what one thinks is right. It is this idea that causes some citizens to act on it like Winston and Julia. I like how you mentioned that America is very surveillance heavy with guards and cameras everywhere. The NSA reminds me of the Party, to an extent, with its telescreens as the NSA has come under fire for privacy invasion in the past for watching or listening to people's private lives. It's events like the NSA privacy invasion that 1984 is trying to prevent while making the point that people are entitled to live their lives without interference by any government.]]> 2017-08-15 20:23:44 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181152886 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181154419 I find it interesting that you compared an "older generation" and a "general generation." I agree with your statement about the different mindsets and how you tied it in with the book. Today's society is definitely more lenient, and tolerate free will more than the older generations do/did.]]> 2017-08-15 20:36:58 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181154419 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181155965 I like how you mentioned that it is ironic that trusting your instincts is huge factor in the book when it is basically illegal to do so. Writing in his journal, falling in love, trying to join the brotherhood and even being tortured, Winston follows his instinct and continues to have individual thoughts till the last page of the book. Very well stated.]]> 2017-08-15 20:54:02 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181155965 https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181163908 I like your inclusion of "knowing your place." I believe that the citizens were brainwashed to not challenge authority but there is still but even still I believe the telescreens imply that mentality and send out that warning message. The ominous "Big Brother" figure that is always watching them I believe puts them in their place. I think it gives off a mentality of "I don't want to make that guy angry" therefore no one challenges or questions the Party. ]]> 2017-08-15 22:34:05 UTC https://padlet.com/tfritz2/1b6hfs6ufwop/wish/181163908