Stanley Yu Blogger #28 3/22/19

Aim: How does the setting of 1984 contribute to the mood and tone of the novel?

At the beginning of today’s class, students reviewed an exam about the book, Animal Farm and asked questions about any misunderstandings we had to Ms. Fusaro.

Students were paired up and asked to share their own description of Oceania with their partner. Some descriptions shared with the class was that Oceania would be very quiet and peaceful because tourists wouldnt be able to speak about ideas in their mind due to the government. Also, safety is guaranteed. The government in Oceania is always watching you, and they are always taking care of problems for you. 

We then discussed how setting is important in a book. The setting is important to the mood of the story, how it effects the motifs of the characters in the book. For example, in 1984, since the government is always watching people, it creates a dark and dreary mood. 

Next, we had an elaborate conversation on palimpsest. We discussed how rewriting history in order to keep it up to date, will change the past and the government will have complete control of the future. Since there is no definitive answer, people’s minds can by influenced easily. An example of an event that people can change was 9/11. Age influences the existence of an event. Since the students in the class were all borin in 2003, we weren’t able to experience or see the attack on the twin towers. Human flaw of sharing and interpreting an event creates a misunderstanding. Memory is malleable. 

Then, the class discussed a character named Syme in the book 1984. His job is to destroy words, which elimates thought crime. Words that can be eliminated was the word love, freedom, revenge, ad anger. Syme has a passion and is eager to destroy words. He is irony. The thoughts he is excited about would be erased after he finishes his job. He describes the destruction of words as being beautiful. 

Finally towards the end of the class, we watched a clip from 1984. We observed how people were acting and reacting towards Goldstein, their main enemy. Everyone in the crowd was yelling and screaming over him, not listening to what he was saying. These people were brainwashed. The sudden relieve in the crowd after Goldstein leaving the screen shows how brainwashed they are.  Also after one of the members in the crowd does their pledge, everyone follows along. We then discussed how Winston feels toward the dark haired girl. We believe that he is suspicious of her, thinking that she is a spy, and how he has very dark thoughts of what he is going to do to her.