Works Cited:
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/326354
Image:
http://www.glogster.com/media/2/11/33/9/11330998.jpg
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The Handmaid's Tale 16
"He doesn't mind this, I thought. He doesn't mind it at all. Maybe he even likes it. We are not each other's, anymore. Instead, I am his." (182)
Atwood's alternate reality seems harsh and utterly unbelievable, but the thing that is the most unbelievable is the fact that aspects of this society are actually occurring in the world to this day. In places like Afghanistan and Iraq are still threatened just by going outside, and many women are illiterate. This makes it almost impossible to get a job, and to actually live a normal self-sufficient life. This also means that women cannot send their daughters to school for fear of rape or abduction. Domestic abuse is so common in those areas, reinforcing the idea that women are treated as property and can have no possessions.
Works Cited:
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/326354
Image:
http://www.glogster.com/media/2/11/33/9/11330998.jpg
Works Cited:
http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/326354
Image:
http://www.glogster.com/media/2/11/33/9/11330998.jpg
The Handmaid's Tale 15
"'Here,' the Commander says. He slips around my wrist a tag, purple, on an elastic band, like the tags for airport luggage. 'If anyone asks you, say you're an evening rental,' he says." (233)
In this sexual safe-zone of sorts, the Commander tells Offred to pretend she's an "evening rental" - meaning a prostitute. Atwood pulls out all the stops on this bar and hotel, describing it to be everything that Offred never sees in daily life. The shock that hits the reader at this environmental change is reinforced with the realization that prostitutes still exist in an environment that doesn't even seem to be illegal. Prostitution is illegal in today's society where women have the right to do practically whatever they want, but there can be a whole club that isn't even underground or under the radar without even having legal issues?
Image:
http://www.gambling911.com/files/publisher/
Image:
http://www.gambling911.com/files/publisher/
The Handmaid's Tale 14
"Then they burn you up with the garbage, like an Unwoman." (216)
Atwood feels it necessary to include the term "unwoman" in this sentence, because it shows just how brutally women punish other women just for refusing to become an object. Despite the fact that it is the laws that essentially makes the women have to be so emotionless and anti-sex, it's the other women that are in support of all of these movements that make it so much worse. They're the ones that enforce the removal of all womanly qualities and unsexualizing. Throughout the book, Atwood makes a point of having very little law enforcement - it's all other women. Women in general have a tendency to feel the need to fix anything that doesn't please them, which makes sense that Atwood would create a society in which women blame men on the extremist society, when it is really the women that are making it that much worse.
Works Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unwoman
Atwood feels it necessary to include the term "unwoman" in this sentence, because it shows just how brutally women punish other women just for refusing to become an object. Despite the fact that it is the laws that essentially makes the women have to be so emotionless and anti-sex, it's the other women that are in support of all of these movements that make it so much worse. They're the ones that enforce the removal of all womanly qualities and unsexualizing. Throughout the book, Atwood makes a point of having very little law enforcement - it's all other women. Women in general have a tendency to feel the need to fix anything that doesn't please them, which makes sense that Atwood would create a society in which women blame men on the extremist society, when it is really the women that are making it that much worse.
Works Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/unwoman
The Handmaid's Tale 13
"I look around me again. The men are not homogeneous, as I first thought." (236)
Offred went into the bar with the Commander expecting all of the men to be white and homogeneous. When she went in, however, she realized that there were many different races, all dressed differently, all mingling. Atwood must have done this to show the reader that despite the fact that it was highly illegal at that time for Offred to be there, sexuality was still prominent more or less in underground societies, and that it wasn't a wrong thing to do. The Commander was taking a huge risk by bringing Offred there, but he was willing to do it because he was aware that you can't just extinguish sexuality in human beings, and that it's completely normal.
Works Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homogeneous
Image:
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?strucID=699869&imageID=816991
Works Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homogeneous
Image:
http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?strucID=699869&imageID=816991
The Handmaid's Tale 12
"Her fault, her fault, her fault, we chant in unison. Who led them on? Aunt Helena beams, pleased with us. She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson." (72)
This scene in the book was an interestingly relevant one, as victim blaming in rape cases are at an incredibly controversial point right now. People have started putting on things called "Slut Walks", where women and men parade down streets, mainly dressed in very skimpy clothing, protesting the point that just because a woman is dressed a certain way doesn't mean that she deserved to be raped. It began when a police officer was lecturing students on safety, and told them that the way to prevent being raped was to "avoid dressing like sluts" (Stampler, "Slutwalks Sweep the Nation"). However, in this alternate reality that Atwood creates, women have no rights and are essentially objects, and anything bad that happens to them is entirely their own fault. Atwood uses this extreme to emphasize the unfairness of how women are treating other women. Since Janine was raped, she most likely deserved it.
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_blaming
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/slutwalk-united-states-city_n_851725.html
Image:
http://jmsupercuteinkorea.blogspot.com/2011/07/slut-walk-protest-held-in-seoul.html
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_blaming
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/slutwalk-united-states-city_n_851725.html
Image:
http://jmsupercuteinkorea.blogspot.com/2011/07/slut-walk-protest-held-in-seoul.html
The Handmaid's Tale 11
"I used to tease him about being pedantic." (11)
This says a lot about who Luke was, and what his personality was like. Atwood never went into specifics about what Luke was like, but with the use of the word pedantic, readers know that he was intelligent and wasn't afraid to flaunt it. He also didn't seem to intentionally be pedantic, however, because if Offred used to tease him about hit, he obviously didn't enjoy the accusations. Throughout the text we get subtle hints like this from Atwood, but never anything specific. A reader can pick up that that is Atwood's general writing style, as there really are very few specifics about anything in the whole text.
Works Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedantic
This says a lot about who Luke was, and what his personality was like. Atwood never went into specifics about what Luke was like, but with the use of the word pedantic, readers know that he was intelligent and wasn't afraid to flaunt it. He also didn't seem to intentionally be pedantic, however, because if Offred used to tease him about hit, he obviously didn't enjoy the accusations. Throughout the text we get subtle hints like this from Atwood, but never anything specific. A reader can pick up that that is Atwood's general writing style, as there really are very few specifics about anything in the whole text.
Works Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pedantic
The Handmaid's Tale 10
"'She hanged herself,' she says. 'After the Salvaging. She saw the van coming for her. It was better.'" (285)
The shock that hits the reader when Ofglen is replaced with a "new" Ofglen is sudden and unexpected. The reader also comes to dislike new Ofglen, as she's much more cautious than Offred is. The reader also begins to feel a sense of panic during some of new Ofglen and Offred's dialogue, as she's being sterile and even scolds Offred at one point. Atwood leads readers to believe that she's gone too far, and has been caught being foolish. This brief line, however, at the end of the chapter, changes everything about the scene. Not only is it a hint to the reader that a similar situation may be headed for Offred, but it also proves just how threatening something like a distinctive van can be.
The shock that hits the reader when Ofglen is replaced with a "new" Ofglen is sudden and unexpected. The reader also comes to dislike new Ofglen, as she's much more cautious than Offred is. The reader also begins to feel a sense of panic during some of new Ofglen and Offred's dialogue, as she's being sterile and even scolds Offred at one point. Atwood leads readers to believe that she's gone too far, and has been caught being foolish. This brief line, however, at the end of the chapter, changes everything about the scene. Not only is it a hint to the reader that a similar situation may be headed for Offred, but it also proves just how threatening something like a distinctive van can be.
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Handmaid's Tale 9
"We've given them more than we've taken away, said the commander. Think of the trouble they had before. Don't you remember the singles' bars, the indignity of high school blind dates? The meat market. Don't you remember the terrible gap between the ones who could get a man easily and the ones who couldn't? Some of them were desperate, they starved themselves thin or pumped their breasts full of silicone, had their noses cut off. Think of the human misery." (219)
Just because they've "removed" the pains of growing up and dating, they immediately have the right to treat women as possessions rather than equal human beings. Atwood must have either been a feminist and was completely mocking every strange male viewpoint on women, or she was shocked by the blatant sexuality that had come to be in teenagers. Either way would make sense, as she could have written this to open people's eyes that they were being unfair towards these women, or she could have written it to show how completely irresponsible the youth was being.
Just because they've "removed" the pains of growing up and dating, they immediately have the right to treat women as possessions rather than equal human beings. Atwood must have either been a feminist and was completely mocking every strange male viewpoint on women, or she was shocked by the blatant sexuality that had come to be in teenagers. Either way would make sense, as she could have written this to open people's eyes that they were being unfair towards these women, or she could have written it to show how completely irresponsible the youth was being.
The Handmaid's Tale 8
"Women can't hold property anymore, she said. It's a new law. Turned on the TV today?" (178)
Atwood creates this war against women's rights that serves as the basis for the happenings in this text. Women aren't allowed to have money anymore, or to buy things. Everything they had went to their husband or closest male next-of-kin. Women can't even have control of their own bodies enough to procreate on their own without some sort of scheduled routine. Once people start making laws like the one Moira tells Offred about, life for all women just starts on a steady downhill. Atwood's point in making this ultimately contrasting society could either be a result of her displeasure with the increasing sexuality of society, or could be an exaggerated expose of the remaining misogyny.
Atwood creates this war against women's rights that serves as the basis for the happenings in this text. Women aren't allowed to have money anymore, or to buy things. Everything they had went to their husband or closest male next-of-kin. Women can't even have control of their own bodies enough to procreate on their own without some sort of scheduled routine. Once people start making laws like the one Moira tells Offred about, life for all women just starts on a steady downhill. Atwood's point in making this ultimately contrasting society could either be a result of her displeasure with the increasing sexuality of society, or could be an exaggerated expose of the remaining misogyny.
The Handmaid's Tale 7
"But nothing happened. Moira didn't reappear. She hasn't yet." (133)
Atwood tells the reader of Offred and Moira's friendship before this part in the book, but the reader is also still unaware of what happened to Moira, and where she went. This part stuck out as foreshadowing, due to the second part of the sentence - "She hasn't yet." - as there wouldn't have been a real reason to say something like that if Moira wasn't a part of the plot later on in the book. When she does come in later on in the text, it's not a shock, and during some of the dialogue between her and Offred, the reader finds out what happened to her.
Atwood tells the reader of Offred and Moira's friendship before this part in the book, but the reader is also still unaware of what happened to Moira, and where she went. This part stuck out as foreshadowing, due to the second part of the sentence - "She hasn't yet." - as there wouldn't have been a real reason to say something like that if Moira wasn't a part of the plot later on in the book. When she does come in later on in the text, it's not a shock, and during some of the dialogue between her and Offred, the reader finds out what happened to her.
The Handmaid's Tale 6
"Though at that time men and women tried each other on, casually, like suits, rejecting whatever did not fit." (51)
Atwood makes this sentence - a common practice in the past and today - sound so bizarre and wrong. It must seem like a horrible thought to all of the women, too, as they're so used to not even talking to others. As it said somewhere in the text, they are the transitional generation, so it is the hardest for them, as they know how free life was before all of this. Not only can they not engage with others sexually, but they can't even have conversations or make eye contact with anyone else. Atwood creates a sort of free imprisonment for all of the women.
Atwood makes this sentence - a common practice in the past and today - sound so bizarre and wrong. It must seem like a horrible thought to all of the women, too, as they're so used to not even talking to others. As it said somewhere in the text, they are the transitional generation, so it is the hardest for them, as they know how free life was before all of this. Not only can they not engage with others sexually, but they can't even have conversations or make eye contact with anyone else. Atwood creates a sort of free imprisonment for all of the women.
The Handmaid's Tale 5
"I threw the magazine into the flames. It riffled open in the wind of its burning; big flakes of paper came loose, sailed into the air, still on fire, parts of women's bodies, turning to black ash, in the air, before my eyes." (39)
During Offred's childhood, her mother pushes her into the sort of desexualization of society. The way Atwood writes it, it almost seems like the sexual revolution of the 1960s, but a complete opposite. That was the beginning of changes, when the idea of sexuality was still prominent in younger people, but the older generations were supporting the idea of women not having any rights at all. Once women like Offred began having to wear the uniforms of red clothing and the white eye guards, things had completely changed in a way that is almost impossible to reverse.
During Offred's childhood, her mother pushes her into the sort of desexualization of society. The way Atwood writes it, it almost seems like the sexual revolution of the 1960s, but a complete opposite. That was the beginning of changes, when the idea of sexuality was still prominent in younger people, but the older generations were supporting the idea of women not having any rights at all. Once women like Offred began having to wear the uniforms of red clothing and the white eye guards, things had completely changed in a way that is almost impossible to reverse.
The Handmaid's Tale 4
"Even men used to say, I'd like to get laid. Though sometimes they said, I'd like to lay her. All this is pure speculation. I don't really know what men used to say. I only had their words for it." (37)
Throughout the book, Atwood writes in subtle and not-so-subtle references to how sexual the world used to be before things changed and women had no rights to contrast from current society in the text. It would have been around the 1970s-80s when this took place, so not far from the sexual revolution of the 1960s. The women who now have to wear head to toe coverings would have grown up in such a sexual environment that they wouldn't have known anything different, which would make living in such a sterile and hostile environment that much more difficult and painful.
Throughout the book, Atwood writes in subtle and not-so-subtle references to how sexual the world used to be before things changed and women had no rights to contrast from current society in the text. It would have been around the 1970s-80s when this took place, so not far from the sexual revolution of the 1960s. The women who now have to wear head to toe coverings would have grown up in such a sexual environment that they wouldn't have known anything different, which would make living in such a sterile and hostile environment that much more difficult and painful.
The Handmaid's Tale 3
"What I feel towards them is blankness. What I feel is that I must not feel. What I feel is partly relief, because none of these men is Luke. Luke wasn't a doctor. Isn't." (33)
In the changing of tense from wasn't to isn't in this sentence, a reader learns a lot about Luke and who he was in Offred's life. Offred seems to still believe that Luke is alive, somewhere, but she also has the reality embedded in her mind that he might - probably is - dead. In her dreamlike thoughts she always thinks of Luke, but as soon as reality sets back in, she goes back to realizing that she's probably never going to see him again, dead or alive. Orwell seems to keep the whole idea of Luke in the dark throughout the text, and even at the conclusion, the reader still doesn't know a lot about him, who he was in relation to Offred, or where he ends up.
In the changing of tense from wasn't to isn't in this sentence, a reader learns a lot about Luke and who he was in Offred's life. Offred seems to still believe that Luke is alive, somewhere, but she also has the reality embedded in her mind that he might - probably is - dead. In her dreamlike thoughts she always thinks of Luke, but as soon as reality sets back in, she goes back to realizing that she's probably never going to see him again, dead or alive. Orwell seems to keep the whole idea of Luke in the dark throughout the text, and even at the conclusion, the reader still doesn't know a lot about him, who he was in relation to Offred, or where he ends up.
The Handmaid's Tale 2
"I hunger to commit the act of touch." (11)
Atwood uses this short line to foreshadow what is to come in Offred's life. She so desires just to touch someone, but then later, when she has the opportunity for contact with the Commander and Nick, she doesn't enjoy it as much as she thinks she will. With the Commander it's more of a friendly relationship in her mind, whereas he begins to think of her as a prostitute, essentially. With Nick, though, she wishes it was more. He sees it as a duty, and Offred desires romance and real intimacy. She hasn't been with anyone since Luke, and at this point, the reader doesn't even know who Luke is.
Atwood uses this short line to foreshadow what is to come in Offred's life. She so desires just to touch someone, but then later, when she has the opportunity for contact with the Commander and Nick, she doesn't enjoy it as much as she thinks she will. With the Commander it's more of a friendly relationship in her mind, whereas he begins to think of her as a prostitute, essentially. With Nick, though, she wishes it was more. He sees it as a duty, and Offred desires romance and real intimacy. She hasn't been with anyone since Luke, and at this point, the reader doesn't even know who Luke is.
The Handmaid's Tale 1
"It isn't running away they're afraid of. We wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge." (8)
Atwood early on signifies just how horrible it is to be a woman in this alternate reality. This quote emphasizes the fact that it's easier and less painful to commit suicide than to keep living the way that the girls in the text have to. Atwood even describes what they do just to prevent suicide - shatterproof glass, removing anything that could be used as a noose, and any other sharp objects for obvious reasons. They need to stay alive, for the sole reason of procreation. Any escape from that would be unfair to the men in the society.
Atwood early on signifies just how horrible it is to be a woman in this alternate reality. This quote emphasizes the fact that it's easier and less painful to commit suicide than to keep living the way that the girls in the text have to. Atwood even describes what they do just to prevent suicide - shatterproof glass, removing anything that could be used as a noose, and any other sharp objects for obvious reasons. They need to stay alive, for the sole reason of procreation. Any escape from that would be unfair to the men in the society.
1984 16
The study that O'Brien is talking about in this sentence is a branch of philosophy. It deals with thinking in an extremely vague way, and answers are not always clear and defined. It focuses mainly on existence, the definition of possibility and object, among other things. O'Brien is saying this to Winston to make him consider the fact that maybe he hasn't thought about as much as he thinks he has, in an attempt to break his spirit. Winston hadn't thought about how memories don't exist in places farther than the human mind. If the Party controls the records and the mind, then the Party controls all history.
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics
Image:
http://liberallifestyles.com/?p=4133
1984 15
Goldstein's book opens with this quote, and says it to show that essentially since the beginning of societal mankind, there has always been different classes and levels of people. These levels have always created conflict, differences, and told people what they could and could not do. The Neolithic age that is referencing was the turn of history when mankind stopped being solely about survival, and started becoming about society. Animals were being domesticated, crop cultivation was being developed, and nomadism was beginning to end. With less need for immediate survival, humans could settle down and begin creating villages, and classes - the high, middle, and lower classes that are mentioned in the quote.
Works Cited:
http://www.worldmuseumofman.org/neolithic.php
Image:
http://staff.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/~cwalton/walton/SOLPics/lascaux.jpg
1984 14
A lot of the actions committed by Big Brother and the Party are visibly similar to the Nazis and Hitler in World War II. Orwell even admits to this via bits of dialogue throughout the text. The difference between the two are clarified in this quote, and in the next few lines- "Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship." (263) - shows that the mindset is completely different. The Party has the master race idea completely figured out. Their idea of a master race, however, is more of a mindless, emotionless, conforming human being, and less of a physically perfect person. The Party's methods are far more thought out.
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_race
Image:
http://i.cdn.turner.com/v5cache/TCM/Images/Dynamic/i46/MasterRace1944_TR_188x141_070620061031.jpg
1984 13
When Winston is given the book, he's thinking that it will be more of a manual or a guide to how he should act as a follower of Goldstein. Instead, Orwell uses the content in that book to reveal some historical elements that hadn't been previously revealed. For example, he goes into detail about the danger that is the atomic bomb, and how the inventors of it still don't know anything about the long term risks for the people affected by them. The inventors of the atomic bomb don't realize that the long term health risks far outweigh the short-term effects of the blast until far later. This is an interesting conclusion to come to on Orwell's part, as the atomic bomb had just been used for the first time in 1945, and 1984 was written in 1949. The cancerous and other long term risks were not discovered until later.
Works Cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon
Image:
http://calitreview.com/images/atomic_bomb_cameramen_grable.jpg
Sunday, September 4, 2011
1984 12
This and an accompanying rhyme - "Here comes a candle to light you to bed. Here comes a chopper to chop off your head." - are used throughout the book, but most importantly at the moment when Julia and Winston are caught in their secret room above the shop. The voice from the hidden mic behind the picture shouts out the helicopter part of the rhyme, and a helicopter swoops in to arrest the two lovers. The rhyme is significant because of its connections with the actual happenings in the plot.
Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oranges_and_Lemons
Image:
http://spitalfieldslife.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/oranges-and-lemons4.jpg
Saturday, September 3, 2011
1984 11
"Winston shrank back upon the bed. Whatever he said, the swift answer crushed him like a bludgeon. And ye he knew, he knew, that he was in the right. The belief that nothing exists outside your own mind - surely there must be some way of demonstrating that it was false. Had it not been exposed long ago as a fallacy?" (266)
This is the first sign that what O'Brien is dictating to Winston is actually making an impression on him. The idea that nothing exists in memory and that history isn't real is a hard idea for Winston to grasp, and he even tries to remember the word for such actions, but he can't. It's a sign that his memories are slipping, and that he doesn't believe in what he originally believed in anymore. Orwell cleverly writes Winston's gradual slip into submission. From here on in the rest of the book, things just get worse and less believable for Winston, and in the end, he believes everything O'Brien has told him.
This is the first sign that what O'Brien is dictating to Winston is actually making an impression on him. The idea that nothing exists in memory and that history isn't real is a hard idea for Winston to grasp, and he even tries to remember the word for such actions, but he can't. It's a sign that his memories are slipping, and that he doesn't believe in what he originally believed in anymore. Orwell cleverly writes Winston's gradual slip into submission. From here on in the rest of the book, things just get worse and less believable for Winston, and in the end, he believes everything O'Brien has told him.
1984 10
"'The rat,' said O'Brien, still addressing his invisible audience, "although rodent, is carnivorous. You are aware of that. You will have heard of the things that happen in the poor quarters of this town. In some streets a woman dare not leave her baby alone in the house, even for five minutes. The rats are certain to attack it. Within quite a small time they will strip it to the bones. They also attack sick or dying people. They show astonishing intelligence in knowing when a human being is helpless.'" (285)
Orwell uses the rat - Winston's biggest fear - as a symbol for fear and weakness multiple times in the book. Perhaps the most symbolic use of the rat was when Winston and Julia were in their "secret" room, and a rat appeared in the corner. At the time of reading that, a reader will simply dismiss it as a fear of Winston's. Everyone has a fear, right? But upon finishing the book, a reader will look back upon that moment of weakness and think that the use of the rat at that moment shows the first sign of dishevelment in Winston and Julia's relationship. The fact that the rat appears in that room, too, is foreshadowing for the horrible demise of their relationship.
Orwell uses the rat - Winston's biggest fear - as a symbol for fear and weakness multiple times in the book. Perhaps the most symbolic use of the rat was when Winston and Julia were in their "secret" room, and a rat appeared in the corner. At the time of reading that, a reader will simply dismiss it as a fear of Winston's. Everyone has a fear, right? But upon finishing the book, a reader will look back upon that moment of weakness and think that the use of the rat at that moment shows the first sign of dishevelment in Winston and Julia's relationship. The fact that the rat appears in that room, too, is foreshadowing for the horrible demise of their relationship.
1984 9
"'You are a flaw in the pattern, Winston. You are a stain that must be wiped out. Did I not tell you just now that we are different from the persecutors of the past?'" (255)
So many of the events at the Ministry of Love can be easily interpreted as really similar to Hitler's ideas of a perfect society. Orwell uses this moment to show the differences between the Party and Hitler and the Nazis. O'Brien even admits that they're quite unlike persecutors of the past, and that rather than killing every "flaw in the pattern", they essentially brainwash it to make them sane and normal. The idea of the brainwashing wouldn't seem as new as it does to the reader if Orwell hadn't made the clear difference between the actions of the Party and similar actions done in the past.
So many of the events at the Ministry of Love can be easily interpreted as really similar to Hitler's ideas of a perfect society. Orwell uses this moment to show the differences between the Party and Hitler and the Nazis. O'Brien even admits that they're quite unlike persecutors of the past, and that rather than killing every "flaw in the pattern", they essentially brainwash it to make them sane and normal. The idea of the brainwashing wouldn't seem as new as it does to the reader if Orwell hadn't made the clear difference between the actions of the Party and similar actions done in the past.
1984 8
"Shall I tell you why we have brought you here? To cure you! To make you sane! Will you understand, Winston, that no one whom we bring to this place ever leaves our hands uncured? We are not interested in those stupid crimes that you have committed. The Party is not interested in the over act: the thought is all we care about. We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them." (253)
Up until this point, the reader had more of a violent image of the Ministry of Love and everything that goes on there. Orwell, however, uses this short piece of dialogue from O'Brien to show that it's really mostly psychological harm. They just contradict everything that the "patient" says and believes in, so that they no longer have any memory or reality to grasp, and they're forced to completely succumb to whatever O'Brien says. From the outside perspective, citizens are made to believe that people who commit crimes are immediately killed, but in reality they are taken to the Ministry of Love and psychologically tortured until they become "sane".
Up until this point, the reader had more of a violent image of the Ministry of Love and everything that goes on there. Orwell, however, uses this short piece of dialogue from O'Brien to show that it's really mostly psychological harm. They just contradict everything that the "patient" says and believes in, so that they no longer have any memory or reality to grasp, and they're forced to completely succumb to whatever O'Brien says. From the outside perspective, citizens are made to believe that people who commit crimes are immediately killed, but in reality they are taken to the Ministry of Love and psychologically tortured until they become "sane".
1984 7
"'How can I help it? he blubbered. 'How can I help seeing what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four.' 'Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.'" (251)
These two short sentences show many things about how the Party works, and how Winston doesn't understand how people can make people act in such a brainwashed way. It also served as a turning point for Winston, as this was the first time he was really told how he needs to think. Orwell will often give his biggest hints and most important plot twists in dialogue, which he does in this quote. He uses these lines from O'Brien and Winston to show the reader that nothing to do with the Party relies on traditional logic. Every revelation after this moment for the rest of the book is all somehow tied back to the 2+2=5 comment. O'Brien is trying to "cure" Winston of his free thoughts, and at this moment, the reader is still convinced that it will not break his spirit and that he will never betray Julia. In the end, however, it is ultimately this moment that provides the first inkling of betrayal to Julia in Winston's mind.
These two short sentences show many things about how the Party works, and how Winston doesn't understand how people can make people act in such a brainwashed way. It also served as a turning point for Winston, as this was the first time he was really told how he needs to think. Orwell will often give his biggest hints and most important plot twists in dialogue, which he does in this quote. He uses these lines from O'Brien and Winston to show the reader that nothing to do with the Party relies on traditional logic. Every revelation after this moment for the rest of the book is all somehow tied back to the 2+2=5 comment. O'Brien is trying to "cure" Winston of his free thoughts, and at this moment, the reader is still convinced that it will not break his spirit and that he will never betray Julia. In the end, however, it is ultimately this moment that provides the first inkling of betrayal to Julia in Winston's mind.
1984 6
"'We are the dead,' he said." (135)
Orwell made this moment of dialogue between Winston and Julia stand out by making it so brief and concise, because it was really one of the first moments in which the reader notices a difference of opinion in the two lovers. Julia, being quite a bit younger than Winston, was clearly much more afraid of death than he was. Orwell uses this to lead the reader to think that Julia may betray Winston if they were to be cHe'd also clearly been thinking of his willingness to sacrifice himself for Goldstein. In the sentence before this, orwell writes, "that from the moment of declaring war on the Party it was better to think of yourself as a corpse." This prompts the reader to believe that Julia may not have been as much in favor of rebelling against the Party as she may have led on, and that she did what she did just because she loved Winston.
Orwell made this moment of dialogue between Winston and Julia stand out by making it so brief and concise, because it was really one of the first moments in which the reader notices a difference of opinion in the two lovers. Julia, being quite a bit younger than Winston, was clearly much more afraid of death than he was. Orwell uses this to lead the reader to think that Julia may betray Winston if they were to be cHe'd also clearly been thinking of his willingness to sacrifice himself for Goldstein. In the sentence before this, orwell writes, "that from the moment of declaring war on the Party it was better to think of yourself as a corpse." This prompts the reader to believe that Julia may not have been as much in favor of rebelling against the Party as she may have led on, and that she did what she did just because she loved Winston.
1984 5
"The soft, rainwatery glass was not like any glass that he had ever seen. The thing was doubly attractive because of its apparent uselessness, though he could guess that it must once have been intended as a paperweight." (95)
Orwell used the paperweight as a sort of symbol to represent Winston and Julia's love. Winston found it when he went into the shop and ended up discovering the room where he and Julia could (supposedly) be alone without Big Brother's supervision. Winston keeps it in his pocket or nearby for the rest of the time that he and Julia are together. When they are caught in the room above the shop due to the hidden mic, the paperweight is shattered, and that is the last time that Julia and Winston see each other with the feeling of love.
Orwell used the paperweight as a sort of symbol to represent Winston and Julia's love. Winston found it when he went into the shop and ended up discovering the room where he and Julia could (supposedly) be alone without Big Brother's supervision. Winston keeps it in his pocket or nearby for the rest of the time that he and Julia are together. When they are caught in the room above the shop due to the hidden mic, the paperweight is shattered, and that is the last time that Julia and Winston see each other with the feeling of love.
1984 4
"What overwhelmed him in that instant was admiration for the gesture with which she had thrown her clothes aside. With its grace and carelessness it seemed to annihilate a whole culture, a whole system of thought, as though Big Brother and the Party and the Thought Police could all be swept into nothingness by a single splendid movement of the arm." (31)
Orwell cleverly uses Winston's dream of Julia as a sort of motive for Winston to actually do something to rebel against Big Brother. Julia had been on his mind since he first saw her, but was too cautious to actually do anything about it. However, after this dream, Winston was convinced enough that he needed to act out, no matter what the cost was to himself. Orwell also uses this moment to foreshadow what was to come, when Julia and Winston meet in the woods for the first time. He even references back to this moment when Julia commits a similar action. This was a character turning point for Winston.
Orwell cleverly uses Winston's dream of Julia as a sort of motive for Winston to actually do something to rebel against Big Brother. Julia had been on his mind since he first saw her, but was too cautious to actually do anything about it. However, after this dream, Winston was convinced enough that he needed to act out, no matter what the cost was to himself. Orwell also uses this moment to foreshadow what was to come, when Julia and Winston meet in the woods for the first time. He even references back to this moment when Julia commits a similar action. This was a character turning point for Winston.
1984 3
"He must, he thought, have been ten or eleven years old when his mother had disappeared." (29)
Winston's awful childhood and the disappearance of his mother must have contributed to his unwillingness to succumb to the laws and rules of Big Brother. Generally someone's childhood and their relationship with their parents forms or at least heavily influences their character later on in life. Perhaps Orwell included this in Winston's history to justify his stubbornness. Since Winston's mother's disappearance was ultimately credited to Big Brother, it would have instilled a subconscious hatred for everything associated with that, at a very young age. Winston has feelings about his childhood, even though he doesn't claim to remember it.
Winston's awful childhood and the disappearance of his mother must have contributed to his unwillingness to succumb to the laws and rules of Big Brother. Generally someone's childhood and their relationship with their parents forms or at least heavily influences their character later on in life. Perhaps Orwell included this in Winston's history to justify his stubbornness. Since Winston's mother's disappearance was ultimately credited to Big Brother, it would have instilled a subconscious hatred for everything associated with that, at a very young age. Winston has feelings about his childhood, even though he doesn't claim to remember it.
1984 2
"It was a place impossible to enter except on official business, and then only by penetrating through a maze of barbed-wire entanglements, steel doors, and hidden machine-gun nests." (5)
At some points in 1984, Orwell clearly foreshadows bigger parts of the book. Orwell wants to make the Ministry of Love seem like the scariest place in all of Oceania, and he also is just beginning to describe Oceania as a whole. He wants to show it as the worst nightmare of essentially everyone. This is tied in later on in the book when Julia and Winston are caught and both taken to Miniluv, and Winston's experiences in room 101. The irony of the name of the ministry is also an interesting aspect, as that is the place where Winston and Julia's love ultimately died.
At some points in 1984, Orwell clearly foreshadows bigger parts of the book. Orwell wants to make the Ministry of Love seem like the scariest place in all of Oceania, and he also is just beginning to describe Oceania as a whole. He wants to show it as the worst nightmare of essentially everyone. This is tied in later on in the book when Julia and Winston are caught and both taken to Miniluv, and Winston's experiences in room 101. The irony of the name of the ministry is also an interesting aspect, as that is the place where Winston and Julia's love ultimately died.
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