Richard Chin Blogger #31 3/27/19

Aim: How can we analyze the symbolism in Winston Smith’s name?

Do Now: Write a diary entry that describes your morning in explicitly detail. When you have completed it, give the diary entry to Ms. Fusaro.

After the do-now, our class as a whole began to investigate the meaning and reference behind the fictional protagonist’s name, Winston Smith, in the book 1984. As a start, we listened to Winston Churchill’s speech in order to achieve a better understanding of what kind of person Churchill was.

• Audio: https://1d4vws37vmp124vlehygoxxd-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/1938-10-16_BBC_Winston_Churchill_We_Must_Arm.mp3

Using the knowledge we obtained from Churchill’s “The Lights Are Going Out” speech, we compared Winston Churchill to Winston Smith, coming to the conclusion that George Orwell (the author of the book 1984) decided to name and model his protagonist after the famous leader and Prime Minister of Britain (Winston Churchill) for several reasons. Here are some of them:

1. Winston Churchill was seen as the “hope” of Britain, giving speeches to keep British spirits high during their struggle in World War II 
2. Churchill spent a lot of time warning his countrymen about the perils of German nationalism, acting as an idea of resistance and fighting back against an oppressive government (just like how Winston Smith was against the government under Big Brother)

Understanding more why George Orwell decided to name his character’s first name with “Winston”, our class headed on to the next part: why did he choose “Smith” as his protagonist’s last name and what is Orwell trying to tell the reader through the creation of the character Winston Smith? After discussing about these two questions above in our little groups, we came up with these solutions.

1. With “Smith” being a very common last name in the English language (the family name), it allows the readers to see Winston Smith as an ordinary man who finds the strength to attempt in making his circumstances better (as “Smith” represents the common person).
2. By creating Winston Smith this way, Orwell is telling the reader that individuality and the ability to take action are characteristics that every person should be able to have (“Question the world around you”).