Stella Vayner
Period 7
5/12/20
Sophomore 2020
Blog #32
Aim I: How can students be controlled?
Aim II: How is a man conflicted between both the desire to conform and the need to be an individual?
For the Due Now, we completed a google form survey of quotes from 1984 and sentiments integral to the book’s main idea and rated how much we agreed with each, from strongly disagree to strongly agree. These quotes included, "Ignorance is strength” and "War is peace", along with “You can change the past” and “Nothing exists except through human consciousness”. After submitting the survey, we had ample time to discuss our opinions with the class.
Next, we discussed freedom and what it meant to us in the context of our lives as students, children, citizens, and on. Independently, we wrote our own definition of freedom before sharing it in a class discussion that challenged our sense of what it truly meant. Was freedom the conquest of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Or was it more anarchical, a license to create chaos and destruction? In our discussion, we agreed the idea of total freedom was too dangerous and chaotic for a civilized society. We agreed on the practicality of laws that placed restrictions on people for their own benefit and the benefit of others. We also agreed that total equality was unattainable because there would always be someone to rule and make these laws. The hierarchical structure seemed to our class crucial to a society's function. Like every classroom needs a teacher to guide their students, every government needs a leader to guide their people.
After talking about governments and societies, we zeroed in on more familiar environments: schools and homes. We discussed whether the rules set in place by parents and teachers were reasonable. It began by calling out some of the regulations we have grown accustomed to, such as assigned seating and bathroom use. The opinions in the class were a mixed bag since some thought these were necessary precautions for our safety and others believed them to be trite and juvenile bindings. By focusing on familiar scenarios, it was easier for me to form a stronger opinion. I personally suggested the latter half of the discussion, since I believe students will never learn to exercise their freedoms if they aren’t afforded it in their natural environments. By binding teenagers to vapid rules, schools are programming them to be mindless citizens. It is an old and cautionary underlying in Orwell’s work: if you aren’t taught to question anything, you will obey everything.
Finally, we took another survey which included more phrases such as “Society would be safer if we had a video camera in public places to catch potential criminals” and “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety”. This allowed us to dig deeper into our perception of basic tenants such as national security vs civil liberties and government control. Most of the class had similar opinions, with the exception of some outliers. A point we debated upon was “Patriotism means supporting your government during times of war.” Most people agreed and concluded that patriotism meant being permanently proud of your country and supporting its decisions. However, I disagreed because I believe you can still be a patriot while challenging your country to be better. Patriotism is being proud of what your country stands for, for example, the United States with freedom, liberty, and equality. Nevertheless, governments don’t always honor those ideals. The example I had in mind was the Vietnam War. According to History.com, “The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The conflict was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War, and more than half of the dead were Vietnamese civilians. Opposition to the war in the United States bitterly divided Americans, even after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973.” The Vietnam war, in many Americans’ opinion, was a costly dig at the Soviet Union, fruitless in comparison to the sacrifice of American lives. “In October 1967, some 35,000 demonstrators staged a massive Vietnam War protest outside the Pentagon. Opponents of the war argued that civilians, not enemy combatants, were the primary victims and that the United States was supporting a corrupt dictatorship in Saigon.” The demonstrators felt that the United States wasn’t upholding its core tenants of justice and democracy in Vietnam. Thus, thousands exercised their civic right to assembly by patriotically holding their government accountable.
The class ended with a fable presentation by Brian Luo.
What is it like working from home?
Working from home has its ups and downs. Personally, I like the low-stress environment of my bedroom and desk. I get to finish my school work at my own pace and on my own time. It’s definitely made me become more independent and helped my time management skills. On the downside, it is harder to keep track of each individual assignment, especially since the workload has drastically increased. Since we aren’t in school anymore, every assignment we would complete in class is now added to our homework. Although I have all this free time now, basically the whole day, it’s easy to procrastinate and for that time to get away from you while the work just keeps piling on. However, it has helped me with compartmentalization and efficiency.
Write about your thoughts regarding the reading.
I loved reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. I read it before, in the seventh grade, independently but didn’t fully grasp the history and implications of the allegory. Now that I’ve taken two years of AP World History, I finally understand what Orwell was trying to depict. The parallels between the leaders and events in Soviet Russia are intentional and satisfying to catch. I’m glad for the class discussion as well where we break down phrases and vast ideas and discuss them in the context of our own lives and morals. I’m excited to read 1984.
Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
At this point, it’s been about two and a half months since schools shut down and social distancing began. The first month was extremely difficult because I had to quickly adapt to the situation and change my entire way of life. One day I was riding to school on a crowded S79 bus and hanging out with all of my friends, next I couldn’t leave my house let alone think about seeing anyone. It was a struggle to be apart from people I loved and talked to every day, added to the stress of there being a global pandemic. I don’t think I fully understood the gravity of the situation until I realized the risk possible infection could pose to my family members. From that point, it was clear to me quarantine wouldn’t end anytime soon. Eventually, I built a new routine, and instead of focusing on all the things I was missing I thought about how I could maximize my productivity. I began doing things I otherwise didn’t have time to, such as working out every day, reconnecting with my family, and reading. Now, two and a half months in, quarantine has become the new standard of normal. I’m no longer phased by the hoards of people wearing gloves and masks and have come to terms with online learning. Although this has been an extremely stressful transition, it has made me stronger and more resilient.
Reflection
During the course of the class, we discussed broad ideas including freedom, equality, and government control. We agreed about its role in our society and in our own lives. Most thought total freedom wasn’t practical for civilization and some measure of laws and restrictions should be implemented. Additionally, many held the same opinion for schools and homes. In our discussion, it was agreed rules were for the benefit of the children, however limiting. We discussed these themes in preparation to read 1984 by George Orwell. After talking about the major underlying concepts it will be easier to spot and analyze them in the novel. I will use what we learned in class to further understand and explore the political structures in the novel.
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