Is Blogging Helpful?

I enjoy blogging alot. It is the most helpful thing I have done in school all year. I love that you can post your thoughts and feelings about assignments. I was really excited when I found out that we were going to be able to have our own blogs. I loved the Wiki page, which was similar, but I wish we made our own blogs in the beginning of the year. Then I would have had all of my work or thoughts blogged since House on Mango Street. I think this blog would have helped alot when I was reading Frankenstein as well. I love that I can connect thoughts with other students in other classes who are reading the same book. When you read what other people have to say, it opens up your mind and makes you expand your thinking. I get pushed to take my thoughts farther with blogs. They have only benefited me in every aspect of learning more about how I write and what my opinions are. I can point out every theme in a book and find all of the symbolic meaning, however I have noticed with blogs that I tend to see more of one specific theme or symbol and write alot about that. Blogs help my organize what I notice in a book. They help me organize my thoughts about what I have read and they make me more interested in the book I am reading. I really hope I continue to work on blogs next year as well.

Parallels in the World of 1984 to Our World Today.

Propaganda between the book and our world today is a big issue in my opinon. Propaganda brought out by Hollywood or Gossip Magazines is corrupting the younger generations minds. If People Magazine says that Thin is the new Chubby or Pink is the new Orange, then thier readers listen. Girls starve to look like Paris Hilton and spend ridiculous amounts of money on a t-shirt to match Lindsay Lohan. It gets very out of hand and can only get worse from here. When teens watch after parties of the MTV Awards and see Diddy drunk having a great time with all the ladies, they are going to want to be just like him. The only thing celebrities encourage now-a-days is underage drinking and cocaine abuse. Rappers rap lyrics about being locked up for murder, being released, and becoming 50 Cent or Akon. Our propaganda is sending out terrible messages to younger kids and this generation is our future. Everything our society is doing is making more warnings for our future. However no one is going to stop it because people are becoming millionaires. It is all about the money. You catch a picture of Nicole Richie buying a Prada bag and Prada sells six million of the same bag the next day. As long as money is being made, no one sees a problem. In 1984 the propaganda of Big Brother and the propaganda of Goldstein only creates hate and fear. When people walk down the streets of Oceania, they are constantly reminded that they are being watched. Girls are always reminded that there appearance is constantly being watched as well. It makes you feel trapped. No matter what you do or say, Big Brother is always going to find out and torture you. In 1984, the society is also convinced to hate Emmanuel Goldstein. They always see propaganda of the man who betrayed them. If Us Weekly tells you to hate Brad Pitt for cheating on Jennifer Anniston with Angelina Jolie, chances are Brad Pitt's next movie sales will decrease. People love to be told what to do and who to hate and how to think. No one wants to think for themselves anymore. It is so much easier to be part of the crowd. The society in Orwell's novel knows this and does exactly what people do now, they feed into the ignorance.

Warnings From 1984 That George Orwell Was Trying to Get Across.

There was a series of warnings that I noticed throughout 1984. Some of them haven't become a problem in our current society, but can become a problem very soon. One of the first warnings that I noticed was the technology that was discovered. Telescreens made it possible for The Party to know everything from what you ate for breakfast to the conversation you had with one of your kids before bedtime. They were like robotic spies that could reveal your hatred for the government at any time. There were also hidden microphones. This covered the places where telescreens could not be put. These microphones couldn't be seen and were convienient for catching enemies who thought they were safe somewhere far from Airstrip One. In our current society, our government can tap into private phones. Whether this priviledge is going to be abused by our government, we will soon find out. In 1984, there is also Newspeak. This is a way to make the people talk and think less. If The Party is minimizing the amount of words that exist, then people arent going to be able to explain themselves or thier feelings. The new generation of teens have something very similar to Newspeak. When we text or IM eachother, we abbreviate everything. Laugh out loud is LOL, be right back is BRB, talk to you later is TTYL, and nothing much, how about you? is NMHBU. Some people actually take this language out of thier cellphones and computers and use it when they are talking to friends or parents. It is a little worrying to me. I dont want my kids to abbreivate everything by nature! On every street corner, wall, and house, there was posters saying BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. This is propaganda to fear people into not disobeying the law. Propaganda is everywhere in our current society. Hollywood can make girls become aneorexic, commericals with Anna Nicole Smith can make diet pills look great, and movies or Ads can make underage drinking and drugs look fun. Propaganda plays a huge role in the way new generations are growing up. You are only cool if you have the newest iPod, cell phone, digital camera, or laptop. If you don't have a pair of Uggs or a Coach bag then don't bother trying to be popular. There were plenty of warnings that Orwell brought up. I think it is amazing that everything he predicted in 1948 about 1984 is happening in 2007.Our society has so many similarities it is scary. It makes me worried for my furture or my children's future.

Not Living.

When I put myself into the position of living in Oceania, I get almost upset. I can't imagine living in that much fear all the time. I am a very loud, opinionated person and if I was living somewhere where I wasn't allowed to express myself, I would feel very trapped. I'm sure there are tons of people living in Oceania who feel the same. It makes me feel terrible for these kind of people, even though it is just a book. =]

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Fear of Technology

The technology in this book is frightening. It makes me worried of our future and is a perfect example of how George Orwell warns our society of our possible outcome. In 1984 there are telescreens and hidden microphones. This is one of the worst ways that technology can end up. I would hate to have no privacy at all. I can't stand that there are even security cameras in some places or that the government can tap into people's phones. In Orwell's novel, The Party makes the telescreens and the hidden microphones seem like they are protecting the people from the war or Goldstein. I want to be safe living in my society but there are lines that you can cross. This society definetley has crossed these lines by tricking people into fearing how they live. Once you have feared living a certain way for so long, you stop living all together.

Julia's Rebellion

I think Julia is a facinating character. She has all the right ideas on how to live in this dystopia. She joins all of the goverments clubs and expresses the most hate during Two Minutes Hate. She appears ignorant and loyal to the government. In reality, she knows how wrong her government is. She says to Winston that if she keeps the little rules, then she can break the big ones. The government isnt going to suspect someone who appears loyal and is in the Junior Anti-Sex League, to run away to a rented room with some guy six times a month. If you appear loyal on the surface, then the goverment has nothing to suspect you of. I think Julia knows that people give the government too much power. She knows that they arent as powerful as they say. She can get away with these things because she is smart at "betraying" The Party. I think Winston feels this way too. I think they are going to be the first ones to stop this corrupt government. Either that, or they are going to be killed.

How Do They Not Know?

The government in 1984 goes through a lot of trouble to make sure that this society stays ignorant. In my opinion, there is no such thing as Emmanuel Goldstein, Big Brother, Eastasia or Eurasia, and The Party. The person or persons running this corrupt government is making these things up. This way the society has a hero and leader to look up to and obey like Big Brother. They also have enemies to take the hate and anger out on. The government keeps a war going at all times so that "Big Brother" can save them and be a hero and a protector. They make up Goldstein so that society can live in fear of him and want Big Brother around to protect them. They also take the bad things that happen in Airstrip One out on war and Goldstein. If you are told the same thing over and over since you were born, then you believe it. What evidence does this society have that says there is no Big Brother or Party or War? If they are told that there was no such person as Syme, who is there with evidence proving the government wrong? They keep the past earased and edited to prevent any rebellion. They can control the minds of the proles by doing all of this. These people are not questioning how they live because of the fear that they could be killed for it. If you are told that there are thought police running around knowing what you are thinking, then you are going to stop thinking all together. It makes more sense to people to just agree with what they are told and to keep ignorant because it is the only way to survive. Im sure most of the people in this society do know what is really going on, but who wants to be the guinea pig? Who wants to be the first to stand up and question the government and be killed? It is survival of the fitess. You keep your mouth shut and appear as ignorant as possible and you live. In the end, the last people standing are going to be the ones like Parsons. They are the kind of ignorant people that will never question the government, but instead protect and stay by the government's side.

Part One Continued...

Something that struck me as odd in this book was the way that people watched hangings. When Winston is talking to Syme, Syme mentions that he went to the hanging earlier. He describes it as a good hanging and mentions that he hates when they tie feet together because he cant see them kicking. He also enjoys when the blue toungue sticks out. This is very strange. I also noticed that The Parsons children were excited to see a hanging earlier in the book. This could have something to do with ignorance. Maybe this society dosent realize how inhumane hanging is, and it is watched as a sport or as a form of entertainment. I think it is discusting that even the kids are happy about going to see someone killed. This is just one example of how Big Brother and the Party have Winston and the rest of these people brainwashed.
I also noticed how things are controlled. Every day, facts are destroyed and re-made. The government has the power to control the past, present, and the future. These people are listening to anything they are told, and there are no facts about the past to support that these facts are lies. The society seems to be comfortable with not thinking and with being ignorant. The government can do all of thier thinking for them. What the society dosen't know, won't hurt them. They are okay with being ignorant because they have nothing to worry about that way. If they just go along with what they are being told, then what can go wrong? I do not think Winston feels this way. I think he is uncomfortable with feeling like everything is erased and made up. He wants to know the truth and this is going to get him in trouble. Once someone gains any bit on knowledge and stops being ignorant and wants answers to questions, Big Brother gets rid of them. This way his society stays corrupted.

As Syme continues his convorsation with Winston, he mentions this dictionary he is working on. He says that soon, people won't even be able to understand how Winston and Syme are speaking to eachother. He says that Newspeak will be so advances, that every concept ever will be expressed by only one word. This way, there is no need for thought police because people wont be thinking anymore. People will have no thoughts. This proves how the government has corupted people. They are advancing everything to make sure that soon, thier society will be walking around oblivious and they can do the thinking for everyone.

Winston knows this and he wants it to end. He wants the proles to rebel and boycott and save this society. I like how Winston calls he brainwashing being unconcious. He says that these people will only be concious once they have rebelled. People will only realize how corrupted and brainwashed they are when they start going against Big Brother and finding out the truth.

Response to Blog Saftey.

I love doing blog assignments. It is really helpful to read other's thoughts and ideas. However, I do agree with saftey rules. It is a little scary that millions of random strangers can read my thoughts. I think that blogs used in school should be used only for school work. If a teacher is letting his/her students use a blog in class, then there should be restrictions. You should'nt be able to post full names or e-mail addresses or any personal information. It also should not be treated like AIM. You should'nt be talking to your friends about who Joe dumped at lunch on your 1984 blog. If the students dont abuse the priviledge of using a blog and if the teacher checks his/her student's blogs regularly to make sure the restrictions are being obeyed, then I dont see how using blogs could be a bad thing. I think they are exremely helpful and fun to work with. I like posting new ideas on my blog. It helps me get my thoughts together and figure out more. If there is bullying being written back and forth or obsene language being used, it should be noticed. These are potential dangers, along with exposing too much information about your personal life and saying racial or hurtful things about other people. I think if the students are warned about the dangers of blogging and if they are taught how to use them properly then there should'nt be any problems. I like how Mr.Hunt had the handbook for his class. It just restates the rules for his students. These rules should also apply to any other students using thier blogs for class work. You can't control what kids are doing at home from thier computers on thier personal blogs, but in school the blogs should be watched closely and kept school related.
I don't think our class would have a problem with misusing the blog postings but our rules should be similar to Mr. Hunt's. This way there are restrictions on what you can and can not say and how much personal information you post.

George Orwell 1984.

I was interested in getting started with 1984. I had knew about the background of the book and loved books with a similar plot like 1984. My first impressions were satisfying. I really enjoyed the first 30-40 pages. There is alot that pops out as strange and alot that you want to find out. I love books that make you question and books that make you want to read more for answers. This is one of those books. I have good expectations for the rest of the book and I have a feeling im not going to be able to put it down. I loved that the first 20 or so pages werent terrible. I hate that and I usually stop reading the book.
I can already relate to Winston's feelings and ideas. He has already brought up characters that make you question who they are and if they are good or bad. I have been able to form alot of opinons about Emmanuel Golstein as well. I think he was catching on to the corrupted government. I think he wanted to tell this society the truth and start letting the people think for themselves. Big Brother obviously did'nt like this. It would have ruined his dystopia and caused riots. Big Brother and the Party's way of keeping Goldstein's threat of exposure away from the public was to make Emmanuel the enemy. That is what the Two Minutes of Hate is. It is a way of letting the people release thier anger and keep the idea of hate against Emmanuel. This way no one starts to question. Big Brother has to stay seeming like the heroic leader. I also have a feeling that O'Brien is on the same page as Winston. I think he will come up alot more in the book. The thought police also made me question. Can these police get into your head somehow and know if you are starting to question the government?
The way the children in this society are used is shocking. It has a connection to the children in Africa, just not as intense. Children in Darfur are trained as soldiers in the Rebel army as young as 5 years old. They are trained to kill anyone who does not satisfy them. The children in this book are being brainwashed at very young ages as well. Thier own parents live in fear of them because these kids are "Spies." I think these children are brainwashed and talked to alot in order for them to turn thier parents in. They have to be bribed or assured that if they turn thier parents in something amazing will happen. It dosent take alot to corrupt a young mind. This government obviously plans on staying this way for a long time if they are creating generations of Spies to become Thought Police or become part of the Party. I dont think they want the threat of another Emmanuel Goldstein.
I wonder why this society is always at war? Why is the Eurasian army so terrible? If they are backing up Emmanuel Goldstein, then maybe they are the good guys. They are involved in the Two Minutes of Hate as well, so in my opinion these can be the good guys who are going to save the people in this dystopia who are living in fear.