Sarah Afif Sophomore Blog 4.4.19

In today’s lesson, we questioned our reality and how truth can be manipulated. Our Aim was: How does Orwell craft the theme of “manipulation of truth” in 1984?

We began the lesson with a Do Now in which we discussed what we believed the definition of truth to be. Some responses included:

• something objectively correct
• something that can be backed by facts
• anything that is backed up by facts and evidence
• authenticity; facts
• holds different meanings for different people
• the factual progression of events as seen from an outside, objective point of view 

We then spoke about "fake news" and if it was a problem in society. The class concluded that "fake news" was deliberately fabricated to be false and inaccurate. "Fake news", we then concluded, was a societal problem because it manipulates the truth so that people can't differentiate between what's real and not real. 

This quote is said by O'brian in part three chapter two. Our class discusses that he is really saying only what the party creates is true and immortally true; they don’t make mistakes. This, thus, makes us question the reality that we live in. The excerpt seems to represent Orwell's didactic literature, as it makes us question our reality; how are we sure that what we know is the truth. This quote goes to show that we aren't sure, and that truth itself is a paradox. 

We also discussed how truth has ELEVEN definitions, yet each definition contained the word "true" in it; adding on to how the word truth is a paradox in itself. Who defines what the truth is? Those who disagree with the vast majority of what we believe to be true are known as outliers, and seen as outcasts, just as Winston was in the novel. 

Some symbols discussed in class today were:

• the glass paperweight 
• the glass paperweight represents the pasts and greatly aids in the development of Winston's character. the small piece of coral in the center of it represents the fragile nature of human relationships, in this case between Winston and Julia, which is destroyed by O'Brian. It is ultimately, a symbol for Winston's attempts to discover the past 
• the picture of St. Clement's Church
• the picture of Saint Clement's church also represents the past. However, it also foreshadows the future. The song Winston associates with the picture ends with "Here comes the chopper to chop off your head!," alluding to the ultimate capture of Winston by the thought police and the brainwashing and manipulation of him by O'Brian. 
• the red-armed prole
• the red-armed prole woman represents the hope invoked in Winston for the future. He hopes that one day the proles will rebel against and overthrow the party. She also represents reproductive capacity, as he envisions her giving birth to the future generations of proles that will uproot the Party

After going over the symbols in the book, we had a whole class discussion in which we asked questions we were still confused on. Some included: 

1. When Winston says "They already got me" does this indicate he has previously had rebellious thoughts and has been brainwashed by the party?

Yes, we can infer that O'Brian has posed a danger to the party from this line, but the Party has now manipulated him and altered his reality so that he lives to serve them. 

2. Was the use of the antique store specifically meant to identify people who may pose a threat to the party?

Yes, the antique store goes directly against the ideals of the party, as it contains items    from the past, giving hints as to what the past may have been like. Therefore, the only people likely to go into the antique store are those that may pose a threat to the party.