The Secret Sharer Part 2

The narrator has changed by spending time with the secret sharer because he becomes more like Leggatt. He is not fully focused on commanding the ship as the captain because he is constantly thinking about Leggatt. His attention is split because he feels like he is missing a part of himself when they are not together. The narrator solely confides in Leggatt and they whisper in his cabin about making decisions for the ship. The narrator becomes more assertive in giving strict orders to his crew, which expects to follow them without question. He acts with new authority partly because it is a quality which he assumes from Leggatt, but also because he does not want his secret sharer to be discovered by the crew. He takes direct action with little thought to its dangers when he orders the crew to change course towards land. He is not concerned about the difficulties of seeing the land in the night and getting the ship stuck on shore. Also, he gains Leggatt's short temper and is quickly agitated by the steward who tries to clean his room while he is hiding Leggatt. When a mate despairs that the ship is lost and unable to catch a wind so close to the land, the narrator firmly grips and shakes his arm. He shouts for him to be quiet and continues to violently shake him, which is similar to when Leggatt grabs the neck of the man who is being insolent. The narrator takes full control of his ship, which he prevents from hitting land, like when Laggatt saves the Sephora with the reefed foresail. The narrator gains the strength, which seems to be draining from Leggatt. When they are planning to maroon Leggatt, they switch roles because the narrator commands him to take the gold pieces and tells him when to leave, unlike when Leggatt gives the narrator orders as he first boards the ship. In the end, the narrator states that Leggatt is a free man with a new destiny, but since he is his second self, the narrator is also free. He is no longer tentative and has confidence to control his ship.

Metamorphosis Part II

After living as a cockroach for months, Gregor begins to lose his human personality. He yearns to hold on to his connection to human life, yet he more frequently finds himself thinking like a bug. On page 34, he describes that he has been living without "direct human communication" and the "monotonous life" in his family, but these conditions are similar to his past life. Although he is a salesman, people do not usually want to talk with him and his family life has always been dreary because he must work to support them. Thus, his life living conditions have not changed drastically since he became a cockroach, which makes it easier for him to slip into the thoughts of a bug. He does not want his room to become a cave, but he is excited about being able to freely crawl everywhere. The furniture, especially his picture of the woman in the fur coat, serve as his remaining ties to humanity, which he must keep in order to prevent his full transformation mentally into a cockroach. If his sister takes the picture, he will forget his sexual desire, which is a human emotion. Also, at first he has the urge to crawl around. Then, he chides himself for subconsciously wishing to remove all of the furniture from his room when he is reminded of being human by his mother's voice. He depends on the furniture to prevent him from succumbing to his new desires as a cockroach. He has conflicting opinions because he cannot live without the "beneficent effect of the furniture," but also he cannot help thinking of crawling as "no disadvantage, but a great asset." He quickly changes his opinion about crawling within the same sentence as he develops the perspective of a bug. He is beginning to lose control of his human mind, which is gradually transforming into that of a cockroach.

Poetry Out Loud: Mediation on a Grapefruit

I chose "Mediation on a Grapefruit" by Craig Arnold because I like his vivid description of peeling a grapefruit and the message behind it. He finds the beauty in such a seemingly trivial task, and appeals to all of the senses. Grapefruits are special to me because I usually do not have them as often as other fruits, since they take more time and work to eat. They are sweet as well as have a subtle bitterness. I appreciate the beginning of the poem, where Arnold states a universal truth that mornings are always a fresh start to the day. They are not yet marred by agitations or worries. He compares the grapefruit to a basketball, so the act of peeling it seems like a game. When I have eaten a grapefruit for breakfast, I do not realize I think about it, but his poem reminds me that I share many of his same considerations. I like the initial slight mist followed by the sweet scent when I peel open the grapefruit. It is also fun to carefully try to not pierce the delicate pulp when I break apart one of the fruit's sections. He describes the juice pooling into the bowl, which I did not used like. My mom would drink it for me, until I realized it is the same as the fruit. Arnold makes me view a grapefruit differently by using unlikely comparisons. When I think of a grapefruit, I am not reminded of pepper, but this description portrays the refreshing taste well. The simplicity of enjoying a grapefruit mimics the simplicity of the poem. It shows that one should take pleasure in the even the simplest acts in life. However, Arnold also gives the grapefruit deeper meaning about life, and I especially like his final lines. He acknowledges the fact that each year becomes more difficult to live and work, but it is worth it. The poem is pensive and creates a sense of calmness.

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.