Blog #67 - Tia Zheng - Period 3 - 06/13/20

Blog #67 - Tia Zheng - Period 3 - 06/13/2020

Tia Zheng, Blogger #67

Sophomore 2020, Period 3

6/13/2020

Aim: How do the historical allusions and connections in 1984 contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?

The lesson starts with a Do Now asking two questions as follows: 

1. “Why do new and different ideas often provoke fear?” 
2. “Is Julia good for Winston?”

After brainstorming for some time, the class shared their ideas and for the first question, we came to the conclusion that people fear new and different ideas because it is human nature to fear change and the unknown. When people have knowledge, they are powerful and confident in maintaining stability, while on the other hand, change causes uncertainty and untold consequences. Regarding the second question, most of us agreed that Winston has adopted a healthier lifestyle since meeting Julia by stopping his drinking and smoking. However, Winston is now more rebellious than when he was first introduced to us as he is now committing crimes against the Party and Big Brother.

Delving deeper into the lesson, we learned about Allusions which is “ a brief and indirect reference within literary work to a historical, literary, or biblical character, place or event, which is NOT explained.”  The author does not explain allusions because it is intended for the reader to make sense of it through their own experiences. By using allusions, the author can enhance his or her writing to provide a more concrete understanding of their text to the reader. In addition, allusions can help create a mood by using just a few words. To better understand allusions, we analyzed examples of allusions used in cartoons. 

The image above is an allusion by the Simpsons to the painting by Salvador as shown.

There are 4 types of allusions as shown in the image below:

Now that we have a thorough understanding of allusions, we move on to our Group Work part of the lesson where we studied the many allusions used in George Orwell’s 1984.Proles were alluded to by the working class in Soviet Russia (proletariat). Ingsoc’s social class system was similar to the class system of the Soviet Union. The Inner Party representing the small ruling class and the Outer Party representing the middle class who posed the most threat to the ruling class. The Proles representing the lower class (majority). Big Brother portrayed all mighty as Stalin was to Russia.  Big Brother uses means of propaganda and the Thought Police to minimize rebellion and potential threats. This is similar to Stalin since he showed no tolerance to opposing views and also utilized propaganda.Goldstein was an allusion to Trotsky as both were backstabbed by their own comrade to take over Oceania and Russia respectively.The Telescreens represent the use of propaganda in the Soviet Union as it keeps brainwashing the general population of Oceania as well as the Secret Police keeping an eye on the civilians.Junior Spies were the Oceania equivalent to Hitler Youth in which children are brainwashed and stay loyal to their respective leaders.Last but not least, the eradication of Jones, Aaronson, and Rutherford alludes to Stalin’s Great Purge where anyone suspicious would be put to death to prevent potential rebellions.

To conclude today’s lesson, we were assigned to find 4 examples of allusion and identify which type of allusions it is and how it contributes to the respective show/poem/song.

Reflection: 

 In today’s lesson, I learned about what allusions were and how they can impact a writing, song, or show. This lesson was really important because it helped point out details that I missed while reading George Orwell’s 1984. One allusion I didn’t see at first was the Junior Spies serving as Oceania’s Hitler Youth. Having listened to my peer’s thoughts and analysis, I am given a better understanding of the different elements in the text. Although some allusions seem exaggerated I am made aware that the book’s storyline could exist in our world today should we not be as well-learned as we are now. 

What is it like working from home?

Working from home is definitely the less desirable form of education. While we do have a more flexible schedule in completing assignments, attending class becomes more of a hassle as there are more distractions. The school environment and mood just feels different overall. One aspect of this would be the turn and talk activities which we cannot do as efficiently over the internet. On a happier note, we are now reaching the end of the school year thus we won’t be having assignments to keep track of completing on time.

Personal feelings

I hope our current situation will lighten up soon and eventually go away. Many people are still getting sick and dying (my condolences) from the virus and I hope those infected get better soon. Recently, I have gone outside for the first time since school ended and am glad to say for the most part people are wearing masks and practicing social distancing. On the other hand, the BLM movement is resurfacing through the George Floyd incident. I support the protestors, and at the same time hope they are able to stay safe by wearing masks and keeping clean.

Updates

The US cases of the Covid-19 continue to rise daily along with the rest of the world. We are at approximately 7.5 million cases right now with 420k deaths. Clovis-19 has affected 213 countries/territories around the world and many businesses are being delayed to reopen in fear of the virus in the US. On the other hand, the French government is lifting travel restrictions on international European borders on Monday (according to CNN World). This may lead to a possible rise in the number of cases as people commute from one area to another.