Blog #31 - Sarah Vafiadis - Period 9 - 5/8/2020

Blog #31 - Sarah Vafiadis - Period 9 - 5/8/2020

Blog #31

Sarah Vafiadis

Period 9

May 8th, 2020

Sophomore 2020

Aim I: How can students be controlled?

Do Now: We started the lesson with a survey asking for our opinion on and introducing some concepts referenced in 1984. We had to rate how much we agree or disagree with phrases like “Ignorance is bliss” or “You can control people's actions, but not their thoughts.” We discussed how the questions asked about the degree to which a society can control people, and how many of the phrases were short and extreme.

An image from the movie 1984 showing some of the phrases that were present on the survey.

Aim II: How is man conflicted between both the desire to ​conform and the need to be an individual?

We then debated the meaning of the word freedom. We talked about how it means that we have the right to make our own decisions. Another possible definition is the right to do what we want as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s freedoms. Angie mentioned that freedom is conditional. An example of this is how some of our freedoms are limited during the current pandemic. Another example is the rules that are present in school and are used to teach us to make the right decisions as adults.

A word cloud based on the word freedom.

We discussed the rules that are present in our homes and our opinions on those. Some parents have different rules for different children and that they tend to be more lax towards younger children. We also discussed how parenting should be like a cone, with many rules present as a young child but less and less as you get older and have the capability and experience to make good decisions. We also discussed the rules present in the classroom and how some teachers are stricter than others. In elementary school, rules are much more rigid than in high school.

We completed a second survey and discussed our opinions on the questions. We discussed how in a society where the government spies on you, freedom cannot exist because you’re being watched without your knowledge. We defined patriotism and how it means supporting your country and taking pride in it, but it doesn’t necessarily mean supporting the government during times of war. We discussed how torture is a cruel way to protect our country when someone is a threat to the government, and it may not even be effective. The definition of a threat can change over time, so people who are considered a “threat” to the government shouldn’t always be imprisoned indefinitely. Having cameras in public places can protect us to some degree before they become invasive. We discussed the extent to which free speech can exist, and how reporters should be able to publish without government approval. 

WWII propaganda relating to the definition of patriotism, and whether it means supporting your government in a war.

We had one final presentation by Eric Lin. A magician gave a beggar a gold coin and offered to duplicate the coin if the beggar chose the right one. If the beggar failed, he would lose all the money. The beggar lost his money when he became greedy.

What is it like working from home?

I have found that working from home was much more difficult in the beginning than it is now. I save a lot of time in the morning because I don’t have to commute anymore, so I can wake up later. Surprisingly, I do miss commuting because taking the bus and walking around helped me wake up in the morning. I’ve found that the most difficult part of remote learning has been finding the motivation to do work. Having live classes definitely helps me get more work done, but I find myself procrastinating homework a lot more than usual. However, I’m making an effort to change that.

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

I’m a lot less nervous about the virus than before. The hospitalizations and deaths in NYC have been declining rapidly, and there seems to be less tension in the air overall. I’ve been trying to go on daily walks since the weather has been so nice lately. Even though the pause order is still in effect, there are a lot more people outside. People are keeping their distance and wearing masks, but it still feels a lot closer to normal than it did in the beginning of quarantine. That may be because we have had the chance to get used to our “new normal.”

Student Reflection

In today’s lesson I heard various opinions on individuality and the level of control that a state can have over its citizens. I also learned how our class felt about freedom and what rights should be given to members of a society. I learned this because the topics that we covered today are important ideas in 1984. The novel deals with the concept of maintaining individuality in a rigid and heavily policed society. This lesson was a way for us to develop our opinions on liberty and other concepts that are important in 1984, so that we can better understand the themes of the novel. I will use what I learned today to gain a deeper understanding of 1984 when we start reading it. I will also compare our opinions today to what actually happens in the novel.

How Would You Define Freedom? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VElX2nl8S18