Blog #58
Ethan Parilla
Period 7
6/13/20
Sophomores 2020
Aim: How are the readers of 1984 warned about the power of manipulation?
Notes/Discussion for the day
Class started out with a quote from Winston, where he thinks, “They could not alter your feelings; for that matter, you could not alter them yourself, even if you wanted to.” We then had to think about and discuss the nature of feelings and emotions. After that, we had to answer two questions.
Can you alter your own feelings by force of will? Why/Why Not?
The class had different answers in regards to this question. I believe that people can change their feelings through force of will alone, however it is not very often that people do this. Your feelings are slowly molded throughout your life through your experiences, so to override this is possible, however it is very hard. Some others in the class said that it is impossible to fully change your feelings by force of will, as those people can only suppress the feelings they have and can never fully change them.
Can someone else alter another person’s innermost feelings?
The class differed on this question as well. People are included in the experiences that shape and change our feelings, so they could also change our innermost feelings. If someone keeps telling another person about their ideas, or pressures them enough then that person may change their feelings entirely to fit what the other person was saying and doing. The opposing side also had the same idea as the previous question, as people can never truly have their innermost feelings changed, only suppressed or hidden away.
The next activity we had was to come up with three questions as a team and see if the other teams could answer them. One question my group came up with was, “Why is history altered and erased and what significance does this bear to the story?” The answer we came up with was that history is altered because it helps maintain the party’s ideals and keep events it doesn’t want the people to know destroyed. The significance it has is that people are more easily influenced and controlled by the party since their history seems clean. A question from another group is, “Is thoughtcrime just a scare tactic by the thoughtpolice? If not, how do they detect thoughtcrime?” Answers differed, as some stated that it was just a scare tactic meant to scare the citizens into total mental obedience to Big Brother. Others said that it was a scare tactic and that could actually detect it through suspicious actions and words from someone.
The next activity was to answer these three questions regarding Julia and Winston:
Evaluate the characters of Julia and Winston.
Record Characteristics unique to each, then record characteristics that are
shared.
How is the author warning the readers about manipulation through the
characters?
The class described Julia as vibrant and carefree, and only being concerned with the present and her current life. On a negative side, they also described her as promiscuous, self centered, and more realistic than WInston. The class described Winston as serious, intellectual, contemplative, and a radical thinker. We all agreed that he had a lot of concern for humanity and the effect of Big Brother on the past and future. Characteristics they shared were said to be their disdain for Big Brother and their lustful nature. The author warns about manipulation through these characters because he is showing that manipulation can be easy, and that forgetting leads to manipulation.
Our next activity was a quick write, where we recorded what we did last Friday. I, as well as many others, had difficulty remembering exactly what we did then. Most people answered with very vague answers, and many of them were simply just student’s daily routines with no specific details. Next we had to answer three questions based on this discussion.
Why was there such difficulty recording what happened?
There was such difficulty recording what happened because that day was just like any other, and what we would consider to be insignificant. Because of this, we didn’t bother taking note of what we had done and could only remember our usual routine and cycle.
Why is it so easy to forget what transpired, even though only a couple of days had passed?
It is so easy to forget what transpired because it was just like another day for most students. We all just got out of bed, ate breakfast, and did our school work like any other day. The monotony of the day easily blended with every other day that week, so we could barely remember what happened then.
How can forgetting leave people vulnerable?
Forgetting can leave people vulnerable because they become more susceptible to what others may say happened in the past. Forgetting allows people to more easily dictate what happened in the past and gaslight whoever they’re trying to convince. If the person manipulating the past has bad intentions, like manipulation, this helps them because past events do have great effect on future events.
Enrichment-
1984 | Book 2 | Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis | George Orwell
1984 | Book 2 | Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis | George Orwell
For next class, we had to read chapter 6-8 of 1984.
Blog Content
What is it like working from home?
Working from home is now something I’m accustomed to. Earlier on, it was still a big difference from regular school, but now it is quite hard to imagine going back to normal. However, like many others, there is a bit of a lack of motivation to do work, one that is not helped by the numerous distractions around us. Especially since the workload isn’t too terrible, some of us don’t feel an urge to go do it immediately. This problem is still one that I am trying to fix, however since online learning is ending soon may only help for the next couple weeks.
What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?
Regarding the virus, many states and countries have started to slowly open back up, such as allowing small gatherings again and allowing more businesses to open back up. Thankfully, there hasn’t been a drastic increase in cases or deaths anymore, so it seems as though this is slowly going away, but not yet.
Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
Right now, with all the impacts of the virus still being felt, and now the protests going on, we are in a very chaotic state right now. I believe the protests are for a good cause and what they are fighting for should’ve been fixed a long time ago, but I am still worried for them considering the virus is still going around. These protests are vital if America is to be a great nation, and these protests will definitely incite change and be recorded in history as one of the most important events of modern times.
Reflection
Throughout this book and lesson, I have learned about the dangerous power of manipulation and forgetting. During the lesson, ways in which people are manipulated were shown and this served as a warning to us, the reader. We were repeatedly reminded of how easy it is for our own memories to fail us and to be manipulated by others through this failure. This type of manipulation can be seen in today’s society, so 1984 serves as a good reminder and warning of the signs of manipulation. We are able to reflect on the characters and people shown in 1984 and learn from them. We must use this knowledge given to us to help prevent manipulation, however small.
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