Blog #42 - Mila Karimov - Period 3 - 05/25/2020

Blog #42

Mila Karimov

05/25/2020

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

Do Now: Turn and Talk

Consider your knowledge of Oceania thus far.

What words, which provide “tone” might you use to describe Oceania

• Oppressive 
• Dystopia
• Brutal
• Faschist
• War 
• Police

What is Tone and Mood? How do they differ?

Tone- demonstrates how the speaker feels

Mood- demonstrates how the reader feels

Class Discussion:

How would you compare Winston’s tone to the reader’s mood?

• Winston’s tone is very similar to the reader’s, because Winston starts to notice the negatives of society, such as the children becoming mini thought police and running around with sticks. The reader also sees the pitfalls of this society, and can agree with Winston’s point of view. 

How does his tone compare to the rest of Oceania?

• While Winston can see the faults of the society that they live in, the majority of the population is oblivious to the horror of this government and how their every move is being controlled. While they are all content with being ignorant to their suppression, Winston has been “enlightened”, in a sense. 

What is setting?

• Setting is the time, place, physical details and circumstances in which a story occurs. They include the background, atmosphere, or environment in which characters live and move, and usu. include physical characteristics of the surroundings.

Why is Setting important? How does it contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?

• Setting allows for the reader to visualize the society that the characters live in. Setting is where the entire story is built. For example, if this story took place in a unicorn lollipop palace, nobody would take it seriously. However, the setting is an enclosed environment with no escape. Not only can you not emotionally wander, but your body can’t either. It can hold a sinister value, as this book shows, but it can also hold a light value, through which it may not contribute so much of an impact on the story.

Vocabulary

Palimpsest (the p after the m is silent): A manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.

What did I learn?

• I learned about how the setting, tone and mood affect a story, and how they are incorporated into novels. Setting is the place that the story takes place, and it affects the way that the reader may respond to the location and to some information presented. The tone is what the speaker or the narrator feels, and it presents the story from the point of view of the character, which may contrast or complement what the audience feels, which is the mood. 

Why did I learn it?

• I learned this information, because all of these elements are vital to the comprehension of the novel, and in order to further understand what is happening. All of these features are key in helping the reader create the scene in their head, and to imagine what was actually happening during this time period. 

How will I use what I learned? 

• I will be able to apply it to other readings, not only this one. I will also have the ability to distinguish between tone and mood. Sometimes the author will invoke a certain mood for the reader to feel, and it will work. Other times, the author will focus primarily on the tone for the reader. The setting will be distinguished for myself more clearly, and it will play a bigger effect into what I am reading. I love to read, though. 

What is it like to work from home? 

• Working from home is difficult, at times, but I feel as if it is more productive, because I am able to grow and retain more information when I have more time to understand it. Specifically, when teachers post the lessons, I devote more effort into understanding them and making sure that I comprehend the material. It is also difficult, however, because it’s much more different than it is during class. During class, a teacher guides you through the lessons, while during online learning, either you understand the material, or you don't. 

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

• I am learning that a lot of people are selfish and believe that it is all right to go outside the second that the weather becomes nicer. I also am observing that the government isn’t always correct, and that sometimes, it is difficult to weed out the truth from the lies and the propaganda that is seen on the internet. For example, there was a point during the beginning of quarantine that the government told the citizens not to wear masks, and that they have no potential of helping an individual. That was not true, and now masks are mandatory if you want to enter certain establishments. Further, there are researches showing that if the lockdown had started even a week earlier, 36,000 lives could have been saved. 

Your own personal feelings and thought about what is happening right now

• I believe that what is happening is horrifying, and so many people are dying who have gone through so much in life. However, there have been progressively less cases, which is something positive in this whole mess. I wish that more people were aware of what is true and what is fake in the media, as there are so many lies spreading and causing panic. A lot of people are using this virus to spread propaganda and creating false information that misleads people and just causes alarm in people.