Book 1 of 1984

1.Read the biography of George Orwell at the following link: http://www.george-orwell.org/l_biography.htmlOnce you have done so, read the semi-biographical Orwell short story "Shooting an Elephant" at the following link: http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/When you have completed these two readings, you will begin to understand the political backdrop for Orwell's writing.Write a 300+ word response to the two readings linking them to your first impressions of 1984.
George Orwell may not have had a long life but I feel that he accomplished many things. In the life that he lived, he experienced many different ways of life and truly got to see the world up close. HE was very bright which gave him many advantages and took him to many different places where he studied. He saw firsthand many different systems of government, and the effects that they brought. He lived through and overcame great hardships in his writing during the times such as The Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Great Depression. With him living through this and still managing, you can see how the complexity of his life ties into some of his deeper novels such as 1984.As his many characters convey, I feel that George Orwell is a brave and strong powered guy. There were many points in his life when he was in poverty or even homeless, but through it all he stayed strong and continued writing the truth. It wasn’t until his novel Animal Farm that George Orwell became financially stable in his writings. In his short story Shooting an Elephant, his character is far from happy about having to kill such a creature as an elephant. Yet he knows that he has to do it because it’s what the people want. In 1984, the main character Winston is constricted and not able to think freely, yet he stays strong in his opinions and writes the truth in his diary. I feel that all in all George Orwell is a man of rebellion and in his many writings, his characters are unhappy with the government and the state that they are in. Winston is unhappy with the party and feels the need to go against it. In Shooting an Elephant, the character hates his job and what the government stands for. I think that this roots back to George Orwells many different governments and his unsatisfaction in them.
2. How is the name of Winston's apartment ironic? How might it indicate that things are not always what they seem in Oceania?
Winston lives in Victory Mansions, although the name leads on, Winston's apartment is far from luxurious. Its in bad condition with a terrible odor, paint peeling from the walls with posters tacked from them. This is a prime example of how things in Oceania aren't always what they seem.
1. Describe the opening setting.
The story begins on a bright, cold day in April. Winston hurries into Victory Mansions trying to escape the dusty wind. Upon entering, the hallways smell like boiled cabbage and old rug mats. Everywhere he looked the eyes of Big Brother seemed to be following him from the posters.
2. Privacy is something that seems to be missing from the opening of the novel. Why is privacy so important to the human existence? Do you have privacy in your life?
In the novel, Winston is always watched by telescreens and the Thought Police. The book says, “Asleep or awake, working or eating, indoors or out of doors, in the bath or in bed---no escape. Nothing was your own except the few cubic meters inside your skull.” Humans need privacy. People need to have their own possessions and thoughts. Without them, you have no purpose or feeling and you might as well not exist. Thankfully, I do have privacy in my life. I have my own room, my own things, and I can think freely and share or choose not to share my thoughts whenever I want.
3. What does Winston Smith do that is illegal?
Winston unconciously scribbles, "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER", repeatedly in his book, and officially committed a thought crime. Any malice towards the government is considered punishable by jail or worse. But because of the layout of his room and telescreen, he avoids the thought police.
4. What does his room look like?
His room is very empty, and quite bleak. It doesn’t seem welcoming what so ever, definitely not a place you would hangout in your spare time. It’s very small, and his telescreen is placed in an awkward place. The position the telescreen is in allows Winston to sit beside it, and not be seen.
5. What does Winston write in his diary? Why is this problematic?
Winston writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” repeatedly. He also writes down things that are punishable by death. He commits thought crime by saying things that are against the government. Thought crimes are punishable by death.
6. What are some ways in which the party controls the people in the story?
They put telescreens in peoples house to limit all of the privacy they then change all of the past in the ministry of truth to there likings and if anyone goes against them they vaporize them where they erase them like they where never born.
7. Who is Big Brother?
Big Brother is the government as a whole.
8. What does one do during 2 minutes of hate?
Enters a room with a giant telescreen, there the rebel leader is demonized making the people present grow very angry at him. Eventually one is consumed by unrelenting rage and begins to shout and throw thing at the telescreen.
9. What does it mean to be vaporized?
Erasing all forms of existence within you. You forget everything and nobody remembers you.
10. Who are the following? Describe them in detail:
a. O'Brien-
A member of the inner party, a member who’s post was so high and discreet Winston new very little about it. He is a large, charming man with a big burly face and glasses. Winston thinks highly of O’Brien, even hoping that maybe, just maybe he too questions the power of Big Brother.
b. Parson Family-
The Parson family is a small family who reside in the flat down the hall from Winston. Mrs. Parson is described in the book as a woman of about 30, who appears much older than she is. It is even rumored that dust can be found in the creases that line her face. She seems to be frail and have no control over her children. Mr. Parson, though he is not present when the family is first introduced in the novel, is described as a large, ignorant man who is very good with his hands. A great repair man.
c. dark-haired girl-
Mentioned in the story worked in the fiction department of the ministry of truth. Winston had an instant hatred against her, because he thought that she was a member from the thought police. He also thought that she was following him, and kept her eye on him. He believed that she was trying to get him to mess up.
d. Comrade Withers-
A former inner party member. He was found guilty of going against Big Brother, so he was vaporized for his so called crime.
11. Who is Katherine? What happened to her?
Katherine was Winston wife. They were together for 11 months
12. Define the following:
a. Double Think-
Holding to contradictory beliefs about something.
b. Newspeak-
The official language of Oceania
c. Duck Speak-
To speak or act without thinking before doing so.
d. Thought Crime-
A thought that consists of a crime, and by crime it means anything that could be issued as a threat to Big Brother.
13. What is Winston Smith's job? What exactly does he do?
Winston works at the Ministry of Truth's Record Department where he is a Propaganda Officer. He works with a machine that destroys documents. He than updates them with Big Brothers orders and Party records to match the new developments.
14. In what context is the Chestnut Tree Cafe mentioned?
The Chestnut Tree Café is mentioned in the context of a song lyric. The lyric would be played in between the bulletins the party gives out.
15. What are the slogans of the party?
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
16. What is the antique shop and why is it unique?
The old antique shop was called a secondhand store. This is where Winston bought his diary and bought a clear glass paperweight with a pink coral center from Mr. Charrington, the proprietor. This is where he leads Winston up to a room with no telelscreen and shows him a print of the St. Clement’s Church looks down from the wall, saying the old rhyme: “Oranges and lemons, say the bell of St. Clement’s. You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St. Martin’s.
17. Describe Winston Smith's encounter with the prostitute. Why is this relevant to the story?
The Party has very harsh hatred against sex, so one must just fantasize about it. So, Winston gets a prostitute and has sex with her. Winston says that the prole prostitute was old and ugly, but he went through the sex act anyways. This is relevant to the story because he is going against the Party, which means that he is threatening himself to get vaporized.
18. What are proles? Inner Party? Outer Party?
Proles are the common people, they are not considered Party members.
The inner party is the upper class.
The outer-party is the middle class.
19. Describe your reaction to the novel after reading the first Book.
It makes me realize how great it is to be an american and have freedom. I now value even the smaller things like being able to think what you want without being vaporized. I also Am able to value more the privileges of privacy and democracy. I think that Gorge Orwell has written a great book. He is very insightful about how power can corrupt peoples hearts. I would never want to imagine a world like the one in George Orwells book.