Blog #37 - Nicole Cavalieri - Period 9 - 5/18/2020

5/18/2020                             Nicole Cavalieri, Pd. 9      

Aim: How and why does Winston manage to resist the manipulative power of language and mob mentality?

Do Now:  

“Comrades” you have been selected for re-education by the party. To begin I want you to observe 3 citizens and write everything they do and what you believe they are thinking.

My notes:

Selina: looking at her screen typing. Occasionally looking at her screen. Blank face. Seems to be thinking about what the others are doing.

Gabe: Typing and rubbing his eyes. Hand propping himself up. Seems to be thinking he is tired. Yawning. Possibly slightly bored.Beginning to smile to himself. Amused by something 

Theresa: typing and playing with her hair. Keeps looking into the camera and adjusting her hair. Seems to be thinking about looking presentable. Smiling to herself. Seems to be thinking that this exercise is amusing. 

Accusations: 

We were then told to accuse people of things for  Big Brother something they thought their subject was doing.

People observed things like looking at cameras, smiling. It added to paranoia and turning mundane things into a possible conspiracy . Reporting negative behavior was rewarded. And you yourself seem less suspicious. Consequences and punishment for bad behavior.

Big Brother and 1984

• Biased and Unfair
• Punishments/ Rewards to manipulate 
• False assumptions, putting words in other people’s mouths
• Use of fear to control

INGSOC: Newspeak word for “English Socialism” 

Doublethink: the use of contradictory words and phrases to negate thought. Knowing the truth and the fabricated truth, believing in both and being at peace with it.

Activity:  Imagine you’re the mayor for NYC. Create 3 slogans/mottos for NYC, which you believe exemplify doublethink

• POVERTY IS WEALTH
• DIVERSITY IS HOMOGENY
• DISSENT IS ASSENT

Class Discussion/Takeaway:

• Just because you know the truth exists doesn’t mean you can reach or advocate it 
• People can be easily manipulated by authority, easy to go along with it
• Take advantage of divided people, when you can’t gather or communicate you can’t form resistance or new ideas
• “2 Minutes of Hate”, mob mentality 
• Winston can slightly remember the time before 
• It’s easy for people to turn against each other when offered a reward (ex: the kids in the apartment)

Reflection: 

    Because Winston is able to retain memories from the time before the party took over, he can remember  Oldspeak has memories of the time before, he is able to resist the mob mentality of the party. He can still access some of the more complex words and knows about the tragedy that befell his family. And he is constantly checking himself to maintain that he is not caught up in the Party. He tries to not get invested in the hate rituals and writes his feelings in a journal so they are real. It is also I feel important to recognize George Orwell’s personal biases. This book was written decades ago and Orwell has an antiquated view of women. He says they are more likely to follow the Party and blames it in on something fundamental to them as women. Winston also views the oppressive nature of the Party as somehow the woman’s fault. He sees the dark haired woman as a sexual object and she is “teasing him” because he can not have her. I feel it is wrong to blame the victims of the Party more than other. He only sees men like O’Brien as possible people of resistance so it is important to note these biases when reading the novel.