Jessica Gart
Blog #42
Period 9
Sophomores 2020
5/29/2020
Aim: How does the setting of the novel contribute to the mood and tone of 1984?
Do now: Consider your knowledge of Oceania thus far. What words, which provide “tone” might
you use to describe Oceania (create a list)? Explain your word choices.
❖ dark → the writer constantly describes Oceania as a colorless and dreary place
❖ mysterious → the writer often leaves the reader with unanswered questions
❖ critical → the writer establishes a feeling of caution and carefulness
Mood vs. Tone
Class Discussion:
How would you compare Winston’s tone to the reader’s mood?
Early on in the book, Winston establishes a tone of paranoia and fright. Throughout the story,
Winston is constantly worried about being caught “thinking” or doing something that will end up
in a punishment. Similarly, the mood the author creates also contains a negative connotation.
The reader feels the heaviness and the tenseness of the plot just like Winston feels as he is
experiencing the story unravel.
How does his tone compare to the rest of Oceania?
Winston's tone is very different from the rest of Oceania. While Winston is constantly worrying
about his actions and thoughts, the rest of Oceania does not seem to care. Most of these
people have been brainwashed by the government and ultimately do not seem to express the
paranoia that Winston constantly feels throughout the book.
Setting- Is the time, place, physical details and circumstances in which a story occurs. They
include the background, atmosphere, or environment in which characters live and move, and
usually include physical characteristics of the surroundings.
Why is setting important?
Setting establishes the place in which a story takes place. Besides this, the setting helps create
the mood/tone of the story because the characters’ surroundings influence the atmosphere in
which a book is written. Overall, the setting is the framework for a story. No setting=no story!
How does it contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?
Where a story takes place ultimately influences the effectiveness of how the story is being told.
For example, if you are telling a story that aims to establish pity for a character that broke
his/her foot, a setting at an orphanage vs. a setting at a friends house successfully adds to the
sense of pity the author is trying to create. Due to this, the setting contributes to the message of
the work as a whole.
Palimpsest- a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been
effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.
How does palimpsest impact the past (history) and how does the government benefit in the
future due to its implementation?
The ability to control and change the past allows for the government to manipulate its citizens
into believing what the leaders (in this case, Big Brother) want to believe. This ends up
benefiting the government in the future because it is a way for these leaders to censor
information without getting caught by citizens.
“The Eleventh Edition is the definitive edition, he said.” “We’re getting the language into
its final shape—the shape it’s going to have when nobody speaks anything else. When we’ve
finished with it, people like you will have to learn it all over again. You think, I dare say, that our
chief job is inventing new words. But not a bit of it! We’re destroying words—scores of
them, hundreds of them, every day. We’re cutting the language down to the bone. The Eleventh
Edition won’t contain a single word that will become obsolete before the year 2050.”
He bit hungrily into his bread and swallowed a couple of mouthfuls, then continued
speaking, with a sort of pedant’s passion. His thin dark face had become animated, his eyes
had lost their mocking expression and grown almost dreamy.
‘”It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
Syme Discussion: What are your thoughts about him? What stands out? Literary Device(s)
associated with him?
I felt that Syme is an odd character who is very naïve for someone who is so intelligent. He is
completely brainwashed by everything that Big Brother says. For someone that is of his level of
intelligence, you would expect for him to notice the corruption of the government he works for.
Instead, once he becomes considered dangerous he will simply be vaporized and replaced by
someone else. Syme symbolizes the bulk of the society that is clueless about the government’s
manipulation.
The Dark-Haired Girl Discussion:
What are your thoughts about her?
When this character was first mentioned I thought the opposite of what Winston thought. Rather
than her being a spy for the government, I thought she was someone like Winston who also
noticed the corruption in the society she lives in. In fact, I think they will end up somehow
discussing with each other the unfair brainwashing tactics of Big Brother.
How does Winston feel about her?
Winston is cautious when it comes to the dark-haired girl because he is afraid that she is a spy
for the government. However, I feel that he is also attracted to her due to the fact that he always
notices her and thinks about her.
Quarantine Questions:
Write about your thoughts regarding the reading.
Often when I hear people discussing the book 1984, there is a big negative connotation
behind it. Most of my peers tend to strongly dislike my book. As an avid reader, I of course
decided not to begin reading this book with a negative mindset. Turns out this was the correct
decision. I personally love this book. It is not only extremely interesting and drawing, but it is
also different from most of the other dystopian books I have read. There are so many
unbelievable events in the text (ex. public executions, telescreen videos of graphic war events,
etc.) that shock me and make me want to know what’s going to happen next. I am excited to
continue reading and find out what is going to happen to Winston and all of the other characters.
What is it like working from home?
Working from home is not what I expected. One thing I am glad about is the fact that I
am able to get much more sleep than I did when school was open. Additionally, I can more
easily manage my time because I am always at home. Therefore, I can make an effective
schedule for myself throughout the day depending on how much work I have. Unfortunately, this
doesn’t mean that I am able to avoid procrastinating. Since I am at home, I periodically get
distracted with activities that seem more compelling to spend time on. As a result, making a
schedule is easy, but pursuing it is not. I think remote learning has been effective, however,
because teachers are able to get in contact with students via zoom, email, etc. Through this,
students are able to gain the knowledge they would’ve gotten during school, ask questions, and
interact with teachers/each other. For some students, it might be difficult because for all our
lives we have been used to attending a constantly interactive environment associated with
education. To add on, students might not have a great internet connection, thus not having the
ability to grasp the main ideas of each virtual lesson. I have also been getting significantly more
work than I would in school, however I have been learning to manage this work efficiently in
order to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Overall, working from home has several pros and cons,
but it isn’t ideal when compared to the educational environment we are used to as students.
Therefore, I prefer attending school in person.
DOE Letter on Coronavirus:
https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/health-and-wellness/coronavirus-update
Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
The current situation regarding COVID-19 is terrifying. People are panicking and I myself
am worried, especially since my family has been directly affected by the virus. One of my
grandparents, who was in a nursing home when the virus began to spread, has passed away
due to the virus and I am trying to be extra careful to not infect my other grandparent, who lives
with me. The circumstances have been, and still are, very difficult to deal and cope with. What
worries me the most is that New York cannot go back to the way it used to be before the virus
for a very long time. A vaccine needs to be discovered very soon or else there will be a second
wave. I find it shocking and crazy that a pandemic has dominated the world in 2020. Businesses
are suffering, the streets are empty, and everyone wears a mask. After two months in
quarantine, I am forgetting what it was like when no one wore masks and they were considered
unnecessary. Personally, I just want the world to go back to normal and I want to return to
school. Unfortunately, that might not happen for a long time. I am worried for my family and the
people of the world because this pandemic is a very serious and deathly situation that everyone
has to focus on preventing. Ultimately, the situation has shown me how thankful I should be for
how blessed we all were for being able to perform daily activities without having to fear
contracting a deadly virus. Hopefully we can all go back to the way things were sometime soon.
Global Coronavirus Count: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Reflection:
During the lesson, we discussed a lot about the mood and tone of the book that we are
reading, 1984. These two elements are vital to any text that is being read because it establishes
how the character, reader and author are feeling. In 1984, both the mood and tone were heavy
due to the setting, a dystopian and corrupt society. This in turn ties into the importance of the
setting of a story and how it relates to the mood/tone that is being created. On top of this, we
also discussed the significance of various characters. This included Syme, an innocent
brainwashed character whose intelligence will end in his vaporization. Despite Syme’s total
dedication to Big Brother, his knowledge will end in his death due to the government’s want for
control, further demonstrating how fraudulent the government really is. We also discussed the
dark-haired girl’s significance. She seems to be constantly catching Winston’s attention, and
although he thinks she is a spy, I think that she is going to end up in some sort of positive
acquaintance with him. In other words, I think they have more in common in terms of thoughts
than what is originally displayed. Overall, I can apply what I learned to all books that I plan on
reading in the future. By analyzing the mood, tone and setting of future books, I may be able to
uncover secret messages the author is trying to share. On top of this a lesson that I learned
specifically from the characters was to not hide my thoughts and ideas. Not only are Winston’s
secrets slowly eating away at his sanity, but being able to let out the ideas (through his diary)
seems to be the only thing that is keeping him together. Fortunately for me, I live in a society
that is lucky enough to have freedom of speech, press, etc. so I do not have to live in constant
fear of my thoughts getting out.
Other:
Images of NYC completely empty due to the COVID-19 Outbreak:
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-pictures-of-new-york-city-empty-streets-2020-3#apedestrian-walks-on-wall-st-as-concerns-about-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-keep-more-people
-at-home-in-front-of-the-new-york-stock-exchange-nyse-in-new-york-us-march-18-2020-2
Part 1 Chapter 4 Analysis of 1984:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4i3YkIZ1Q
Part 1 Chapter 5 Analysis of 1984:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGVGAXE20FM
1984 Vocabulary (in chronological order of occurrence):
https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/236361
