Literary Analysis #1

1984, by George Orwell

1.) 1984 centered around the life of a man named Winston Smith, who has spent his life living in a fascist regime that hides behind communism and many other titles to hide the facts about itself.  Winston is constantly personally questioning the regime about why it operates how it does, why it only cares about the middle and upper classes, and why it deletes much of the data and facts from the history of the human race.  Winston starts small, but progressively begins to disobey the government of Oceania (the state where he lives, comprised of England, and what was included in the british empire at its full extent, including all of the new world), starting with small things, like thinking poorly of the government, and writing his views down in a book.  As time passes, his offenses get worse and worse, as he starts making love for pleasure, falling in love, and trying to find out the truth about the world, especially the pre-Oceanian world.  His job, and many other experiences in his life, such as his vague memories of his childhood, deception by the thought police, Julia (his girlfriend), and - worst of all - his job, in which he is required to change records and literature from history to fit the regime’s needs.  He eventually builds up the courage to talk to O’Brian, a government official who he feels is on his side to help him in overthrowing big brother.  This plan backfires on him, when O’Brian takes Winston and Julia into custody, because his is really a member of the thought police, and pretended to be a radical to deceive Winston and Julia.  Julia and Winston are separated from each other and torchered profusely to get them to believe in the deceptions of Big Brother.  Winston is there for a long time, and eventually, he is threatened with death by rats, but when he finally betrays Julia by asking if they will torcher her instead, he is let free, as Julia symbolized all the anti-regime inside him.  This point in the story is the anti-climax, as he has given up all that he worked for, and effectively lost his battle against the regime, dying would have been the only way to win.  After he is set free, he no longer questions, like everybody else in society, he too has become a mindless vegetable, incapable of reason.  

2.) The theme of 1984 is that truth is only what one perceives, as things can be changed, and be just as true.  It depends on what you believe, based on the information around you, just as in the theory of relativity, and the perception theory of theoretical physics.  Another theme is that humans can, with much pressure, be reduced to the level of non sentient life, and George Orwell intended that this book mad man fight the facism and communism that he experienced in World War two, when he fought alongside Stalin’s troops, and spent much time in the USSR and Natzi Germany.

3.) Orwell wanted to give readers the sense of the deceptive government, and Winston’s struggle to to escape it; so he gave the book a dark, suspenseful tone.  This darkness is seen in the doom stricken first pages of the book, where we see the oppression in Oceania, to the point where Winston must hide in his own house to just write.  The darkness is also seen when we see that the government is hiding the truth from its patrons, and using its patrons to hide the truth themselves in a variety of ways, such as creating “new speak,” and altering the literature of the past, so that it agrees with the motives of the party. .  The darkness is most blatantly seen in the horrific torcher scenes, which depict a nation physically punishing its own patrons, simply to “club them into dank submission.”

4.) 1984 was packed with oxymorons to show the motives of the party, such as “war is peace.”  Pathos is used throughout to get us to feel for Winston, and is shown in the betrayal of Julia, and O’Brian’s betrayal, and in a different sense in Winston’s love for Julia and his quest for the truth.  Many anecdotes strewn the pages of the book, such as the anecdotes of the memories of Winston’s childhood, which inform us why Winston is the way he is.  Symbolism is used throughout, such as Julia symbolizing Winston’s rebellious spirit, and the paperweight symbolizing Winston’s want for the truth.  Metaphors and contradictions give us a better sense of what Orwell was trying to portray in his novel.  Imagery, especially in the opening of the book set the scene by explaining a gray, rundown London that lost its splendor and culture many years before.  Orwell used repetition in the parts of hate week to show the true bovinity of the humans living in this society.  Plot twists were used to keep the book interesting, and also to show that in this society that nobody, including lovers and people who promise to be with you, like O’Brian, are really against you.  The use of common themes, like “new speak” drill in each theme’s importance, and how it pertains to an anti-progressive society.  Logos was also used throughout the novel to logically show the problems with the totalitarian state.

All Of The Above

Sadly, I have misplaced my answers to the test, and I will look for them.  If I am not able to find them, I will retake the test.  When I have answers, I will be able to finish this assignment.  From what I remember, though, I missed about half of the problems, which met my expectations, because I am horrible at figuring out the meaning of poetry, and I am not really good at AP English style questions.

Television Show of the Week #2

Doctor Who

        Originally intended to be a historical education show for children, this classic british science fiction show has been cherished by people around the world for the last five decades.  This show is one of the most important and influential british shows, ranking

Beowulf Essay

Modern Hero

Throughout history, civilizations have defined themselves through their culture: through their songs, art and poetry.  Heroes, especially, in cultural myths and stories, tell us much about cultural values, as they show us what a culture values in its heroes, but also what the culture despises, in the various foes of the hero.  Even modern cultures have heroes, even though they may not be part of modern mythology, the English speaking world has many, from super heroes in comic books, to the epic heroes of books and movies, such as Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in J. R. R. Tolkien’s books.  One well known hero from modern times is Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars series.  Although he is a current hero, his story is comparable to ancient hero stories, such as the old germanic hero, Beowulf.

Characterization, and other parts of the literature, show us how Star Wars is just as much a heroic epic as Beowulf.  Luke, like Beowulf is one man, who is able to take down a dark and looming evil.  Luke’s version of Beowulf’s Grendel is the Empire, physically represented by the Death Star.  Luke and Beowulf are the only people to take down the evil in their worlds, although many others have tried and failed to take down the evil.  With both Luke and Beowulf, their evil returns for a second time, shown in Star Wars by the Empire rebuilding the Death Star, which mirrors the attack from Grendel’s mother in Beowulf.  In both stories, the heroes are shown as humans, as being able to to fail, but eventually overcome their failure.  In Beowulf, this happens when Beowulf loses in his first battle with the dragon, and in Star Wars, this takes place when Luke looses his arm at the end of The Empire Strikes Back.  Finally, the use of help from companions is an aspect in both stories.  The two heroes are able to fight by themselves, but it is shown that they can be more successful with comrades, such as Beowulf’s Wiglaf and Luke’s various friends, such as Han Solo, and R2-D2.  

The techniques used throughout the two stories are also indicators that Star Wars is a heroic epic.  In both stories, the heroes represent the ideals of their culture.  Beowulf is a muscular man who Is the epitome of bravery, chivalry and honor, which are the three most important personal traits of the ancient germanic tribes.  Luke, on the other hand is the underdog, a youthful child who is imaginative and thrust into his heroic journey, and is successful in it.  This represents the ideals of our culture, as we tend to side with underdogs, and we love to see the weak win, most likely due to our fear of higher powers, such as governments or evils we contrive in our own minds.  The imaginative and youthful aspects of Luke are currently viewed as a positive aspect of people, as it is an indicator of purity.  This concept was created by the romantic hero from romantic literature, and explored in Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye.The traditional hero’s journey is also found in both stories.  The threshold is represented in Star Wars when Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are murdered, giving Luck no way to return home, and in Beowulf by Beowulf’s journey to Denmark.  The return in the two stories happens multiple times, due to the multitude of battles.  The most definite return in Star Wars occurs at the end of A New Hope, when Luke returns to Yavin 4; and the most definite in Beowulf is when Beowulf returns, victorious to Geatland.  Finally, both stories use pathos to draw interest from their audiences by having the heroes’ parents/guardians killed.  This makes the audience pity the hero, and connect them with their own lives.  This connection is what makes these stories so meaningful, because it allows their audience to understand that they can overcome great feats, just like the hero.

In modern times, the ancient art of heroic epic stories and poems is still alive, just portrayed in a less serious manner.  Our modern epics are almost identical to the ancient ones, such as Heracles and Gilgamesh.  We use these stories to represent our people as a culture, we put into them our hopes and ideals in people and society, and use them to teach others about these.  

Album of the Day #6

In Search of the Lost Chord 

by The Moody Blues

        This 1968 album is the second concept and progressive album, and the third album over all, of the first truly progressive band, The Moody Blues.  The highly psychedelic album explores themes of life,

Vocabulary #4

accolade- a gift or privilege granted as a high honor.  The student's accolade for doing extremely well in high school was getting to go to MIT for college.
acerbity- sharp speech, or a sour taste (technical meaning).  The man exclaimed out with acerbity, "wow, thats sour!" when he bit into and unripe, acerbic orange.
attrition- the act of weakening through constant bombardment.  The castle wall went through so much attrition through the viking siege, that it collapsed.
bromide- a hackneyed comment intended to sooth, or the monoatomic ion Br-.  The man said bromides to cheer up his friend.
chauvinist- somebody who displays fanatical devotion to something like a race, gender or country.  The male chauvinist attacked feminism with loose, non-logical arguments.
chronic- never ending, or constantly occurring.  Personally, I have chronic nosebleeds, and have been cauterized three times.
expound- to present and explain an idea or theory.  My grandfather expounded his studies in the area of nuclear physics in his doctoral thesis.
factionalism- the act of breaking into factions.  On a Minecraft server I used to play on, factionalism was prevalent, and the sever politics was lead by two large factions and their leaders.
immaculate- perfectly clean.  I like my room immaculate, but my backpack is a different story.
imprecation- a spoken curse.  Witches in colonial and european folklore often conduct their hexes and charms through imprecations.
ineluctable- unable to be escaped or avoided.  Tractor beams in science fiction stories, like Star Wars are often ineluctable.
mercurial- a person with sudden changes in mood or mind.  Mercutio from Romeo and Juliet is very mercurial.
palliate- to make palatable.  Bill Cosby said that he palliated his children's food with brown sugar.
protocol- official procedure.  It is protocol in Red Dwarf to place crew members who were exposed to alien viruses to be placed in three months quarantine, with one bunk per registered crew member, according to Space Corp Directive 595.
resplendent- attractive through rich colors.  People often find the dress of Brazilian Carnival resplendent, but Karl Pilkington from An Idiot Abroad does not.
stigmatize- to brand or stereotype somebody.  In The Inbetweeners, Will is immediately stigmatized as a nerd in his new school.

sub rosa- done in a clandestine manner.  Many of Edmund Blackadders cunning plans in Blackadder are sub rosa.
vainglory- excessive vanity.  In the United States, we tend to rattle off about out country with vainglory, even though we are not the best behaved country in the world.
vestige- the trace of something that is extinct.  Vestiges of our ancestors can tell us the functions of our vestigial organs, such as our appendix. 
volition- the power of using ones will.  In The Mighty Boosh, death tells Howard Moon that he can pick up a cup with his own volition in a hunting.

Album of the Day #5

Music Inspired by The Snow Goose

by Camel

        This album 1975 is a large part of my childhood, and one of the three albums I remember from a very young age (the others being The Beatle's A Hard Day's Night and Gryphon's Raindance).  For their third album, Camel wanted to write a conceptual album about a book.