1984 Ending

The novel ended very differently than how I had expected. Winston's story ends leaving the reader with little hope for the future. It was disappointing that although Winston hates the party from the beginning, it finally defeats him because he loves Big Brother in the end. Throughout the novel, I was hoping for Winston to gain the courage to start a rebellion, but the party is watching him and anticipating his action the entire time. He seems to think carefully and secretly, but instead he falls directly into the party's trap. I was shocked to discover that O'Brien is a member of the Thought Police because I thought he would be an ally, like Julia. It is strange that Winston continues to revere O'Brien while he is torturing him. I like how Orwell ties in the one question Julia and Winston refuse to do, which is to separate and betray each other. Room 101 is where the worst thing in the world is located, which finally breaks people psychologically by defeating their last hope. Winston says he does not actually love Julia and he has already told the O'Brien everything about her. However, to finally accept the party, Winston has to want Julia to be punished in place of him. Now I understand why everyone follows the party, even though many people are discontent, after reading about Winston's experiences being tortured. I do not think that Big Brother or the Brotherhood exists, and they are both creations from the party to stay in control. When Winston asks about the existence of Big Brother, O'Brien avoids directly answering the question. He is a symbol used to unite people with common devotion to this figure. Also, the Brotherhood is a scheme invented by the party to enrage party supporters and find opposition. The party seems invincible and it has found a way to remain perpetually in power.

1984 The Book

After reading Chapter 3 about War is Peace of Goldstein's book, the party slogan makes more sense. At first it seems paradoxical that war could be equated with peace, but this refers to the peace within society, which is maintained by perpetual warfare. Since people are oppressed, they are dependent upon their government and do not think of rebelling. It is strange that the government wants to be fighting in permanent war and keep its citizens impoverished rather than trying to benefit the standard of living. They are destroying rather than improving society. It would seem more logical that they would want society to be content with their government because if they were dissatisfied, they would be more likely to protest. It is also difficult to understand that the the government considers a surplus of consumption goods to be negative. The party seems to be moving backwards because they are not inventing new technology. This system of oppression seems to work well for the party in controlling society because it gives the people a common purpose and uniting them against the enemy. It distracts them from their dismal living conditions and corrupt government. However, I do not agree with the party's methods of control because they are not truly at peace. The government is the main reason why society is not peaceful. The people are paranoid about being arrested by the Thought Police and constantly fear vaporization. Many have extremely violent thoughts because they cannot express their emotions, as shown by Winston, who wants smash Julia's head with a stone. Also, people seemingly loyal citizens despise the government, such as Winston and Julia, who are joining the Brotherhood in a secret rebellion. The party falsely believes that war creates a peaceful society, but submission to tyranny is not peace. I wonder if the other two superstates, Eurasia and Eastasia, have a government similar to Oceania, where their societies are experiencing the same problems, because they agree to follow the policy of continuous war.

"Lady Luncheon Club" Explication

Maya Angelou uses irony to criticize both the women who are self-absorbed and think about their own petty problems and men who stereotype women. The first line of the poem has a sarcastic tone because the ladies do not seem enthusiastic about the woman's counsel, which is merely accepted, or seem to listen to her advice frequently. The times are literally grave because the man speaks about murder and unemployment, but this could also mean the times are grave because the ladies are taking the woman's advice. They call their cash account petty and complain about the food, but their lives are significantly better than those in the man talk. Angelou uses irony of the situation because the women are paying the man to make them think during the lecture, but they are not paying attention to him. They would rather think about the dessert and when he will leave. The man himself is not interested in his own lecture. He must summon sincerity like calling a pet before he speaks, so he is acting rather than being truly passionate about the topic. It is ironic that the man says he understands females, which he likens to Eve who was tempted by the devil and Delilah who deceived Samson leading to his downfall. He believes in the stereotype that all women are dishonest and a bad influence on men. However, in this poem, the women at the luncheon are not very moral because while the man describes the horrible conditions and deaths, they are only concerned about themselves. They do not even react to hearing about the rape of a young girl. Since these women are having a luncheon, they are probably wealthy. They are selfish and only consider their own boredom, while there are people who are jobless and drunk in the streets. There is no relief for them in the mornings, unlike the women who are gathered together at the luncheon.

1984 2.1-3 First Impressions of Julia

Julia is clever and bold in defying the Party. She fears the Party much less than Winston, and uses a more direct approach to get what she wants. Rather than waiting for a revolt, she secretly breaks rules and does not use Newspeak, which are her own small acts of rebellion. She is well-organized and driven when she plans the meeting place for Winston. She has good self-control to hide her feelings of hatred because she convinces people that she is an extremely devoted and enthusiastic Party member. She demonstrates that the Party's system of control is flawed. Although she has little memory of life before the Revolution and grew up under the reign of Big Brother, being taught throughout her life to support the Party, she still rebels against them. Even though she is much younger than Winston, she seems to share his experiences. It is strange that she acts understanding and even amused when Winston reveals that he had wanted to violently rape and murder her before he met her. She shows the Party cannot control human instinct by completely extinguishing the sex drive. She has had love affairs many times before with any Party member who is against Big Brother. She automatically calls Winston dear and is willing to let him do anything with her. She does not form a truly loving emotional connection, partially because of the limited time and freedom of the situation, which is what Winston had desired in his relationship with Katherine. When she describes her first affair, she indifferently says it is good that the man committed suicide, so he would not have confessed her name. At first, Julia is the girl of Winston's dreams, who tears of her clothes in the Golden Country, freeing herself from the Party. Yet, she seems too good to be true. I think there will be some conflict between Julia and Winston because she lives with the hope of happiness, while he believes they are defeated.