Blog #50 - Brian Lum - Period 3 - 06/05/2020

Aim: How is connotation, denotation, and paradox explicated though Orwell’s “doublethink”?

Do Now: Analyze the images below. Record the feelings you have/associate/identify with each of the “6” images.

1. Dullness, Boredom
2. Dullness, Boredom
3. Comfort, Warmth
4. Happiness, Joy, Interest
5. Happiness, Pride
6. Mysteriousness, spookiness

Connotation:

• Thin and slender has a much more positive connotation as opposed to skinny, beanpole, and gaunt. The same goes for unattractive and plain as opposed to dull and ugly. Additionally, illiterate and uneducated has a more positive and considerate connotation than stupid, ignorant, and foolish.

Paradoxes:

• Statements such as “war is peace” and “freedom is slavery” are paradoxes because the statement easily contradicts itself.

Class Discussion - Doublethink:

• George Orwell would not have thought that we are crazy for focusing on the topic of doublethink because such a concept is everywhere and that it always manipulates people, whether it be in the media, news, advertisements, or propaganda. 

Winston Churchill and Winston from 1984:

• There are a lot of parallels drawn: both drink and smoke a lot. Churchill was a symbol of victory during WW2, and Winston Smith is a symbol of victory in 1984.

Group Work:

1. The first name “Winston” is a symbol of defiance and victory. Last name “Smith” is a very common name, but Orwell intended it to demonstrate that a common man is rising up against a system.
2. Orwell’s message is that people that stand up against a system are usually unremarkable in terms of looks or status. They are typically commoners.