Wednesday, May 27, 2020
5/28/20
Mindy Chin
Blog #42
Period 7 Sophomores 2020
Aim: How does the setting of the novel contribute to the mood and tone of 1984?
Do Now: Turn & Talk
Consider your knowledge of Oceania thus far. What words, which provide “tone” might you use to describe Oceania (create a list)? Explain your word choices.
Gloomy, dark, dreary (depressing tone)
Oppressive, repressive (restricts individual thought)
Dystopian (imperfect, negative connotation is implied)
What is Tone and Mood? How do they differ?
Tone: demonstrates how the speaker feels
Mood: demonstrates how the reader feels
*Reminder: the speaker is not always the author; it can be a narrator
Class Discussion
How would you compare Winston’s tone to the reader’s mood?
Winston’s tone is bleak and conveys a negative connotation. He lives in constant fear of who will become the next to be vaporized. His life is very dull and mundane, with no purpose or aim for the future. As a reader, I feel sympathetic toward his situation in that I live in a federal republic that allows for freedom of speech, religion, press, etc. As a result, I know that repression of freedom in a totalitarian government strips all hope for the future away.
How does Winston’s tone compare to the rest of Oceania?
Unlike the rest of Oceania, Winston questions authority but continues with his work as he understands the consequences he will face if he rebels. Other citizens of Oceania are ignorant of a life outside their current living situation, which explains why they are so submissive to totalitarian rule. However, as a clerk working for the Ministry of Truth, Winston understands that his job rewriting historical documents is innately wrong and solely used to oblige to the Party.
What is Setting?
Setting: the time, place, physical details and circumstances in which a story occurs. Includes the background, atmosphere, or environment in which characters live and move, and usually include physical characteristics of the surroundings.
Class Discussion
1. Why is setting important?
Setting helps establish the mood/tone of the story, thereby affecting the way a character’s actions plays in the story. For instance, if it were not for the totalitarian government dictating all actions that could be made, Winston would be free to do whatever he wanted. However, thoughts of rebelling begin to arise as a result of the oppressive nature of the system of Oceania.
2. How does it contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?
Setting helps to set the mood, influence the way characters behave, foreshadow events, and reflect the society in which characters live in, etc. The setting provides a foundation for a character’s tale.
Vocabulary
Pal/imp/sest (N) (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.
*How does palimpsest impact the past (history) and how does the government benefit in the future due to its implementation?
As a worker under the Ministry of Truth, Winston eradicated Comrade Withers from history and replaced him with Comrade Ogilvy, an ideal follower of Big Brother in order to cover up Comrade Withers from being vaporized. In order to keep the government in control, the Ministry of Truth constantly changes documents from the past in order to prevent people from comparing their current lifestyle to the lifestyle they had in the past.
“The Eleventh Edition is the definitive edition, he said.” “We’re getting the language into
its final shape—the shape it’s going to have when nobody speaks anything else. When we’ve
finished with it, people like you will have to learn it all over again. You think, I dare say, that
our chief job is inventing new words. But not a bit of it! We’re destroying words—scores of
them, hundreds of them, every day. We’re cutting the language down to the bone. The Eleventh
Edition won’t contain a single word that will become obsolete before the year 2050.”
He bit hungrily into his bread and swallowed a couple of mouthfuls, then continued
speaking, with a sort of pedant’s passion. His thin dark face had become animated, his eyes had
lost their mocking expression and grown almost dreamy.
‘”It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”
Syme Discussion: What are your thoughts about him? What stands out? Literary Device(s)
associated with him?
Syme is a language expert who works at the Ministry of Truth on the new edition of the Newspeak dictionary. He enjoys eradicating words, as noted by “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.” I think this is quite ironic because Syme is quite smart and Big Brother does not fancy people who are too smart as they are a threat to the position of the government. This also foreshadows Syme’s vaporization because as someone as intelligent as Syme (who knew why he was creating the new edition of the Newspeak dictionary) he had the potential of overthrowing the government of Oceania. The Ministry’s slogan is Ignorance is Freedom, which completely opposes Syme’s level of intelligence.
The Dark–Haired Girl Discussion:
What are your thoughts about her?
Unlike Winston, I don’t think the dark-haired girl is a spy. Instead, I think that she will become Winston’s love interest as Winston adopts more individual thought over time.
How does Winston feel about her?
Although Winston is attracted to the dark-haired girl, he keeps his distance in fear that she is a political spy sent by the Thought Police watching his every move.
Quarantine Questions:
What is it like working from home?
Initially, I enjoyed working from home because I could create my own schedule instead of following our school’s strict regime (ex: dictating when we could have our lunch break). However, I’ve noticed that in lockdown I’ve developed cabin fever, in that I’ve become tired of seeing the same house environment everyday. As a high school student, I miss the normalcy of being driven to the bus stop to catch the s79 and have that human-to-human interaction with friends/teachers.
What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?
On Memorial Day, people across the nation spent their time at beaches and seaside arcades without wearing any masks. In Florida and Missouri, huge crowds gathered at the beaches, disregarding all social distancing precautions. President Trump refused to wear a mask when visiting the Arlington National Cemetery on that day for a wreath-laying ceremony even though the Center for Disease Control and Prevention urged all Americans to wear them when in public. In Europe, businesses have started to reopen. Germany, for example, reopened its hotels, swimming pools, and campgrounds in an attempt to revive the economy while Greece allowed cafes, restaurants, and bars to reopen as well as domestic ferry services.
Your own personal feelings about what’s happening now.
It’s crazy to think that I’m living through a pandemic right now. As a 16-year-old, I had never experienced anything absurd worldly matter like this one (as 9/11 occurred before I was born). Though it is quite devastating to see businesses going bankrupt and people dying everyday, this pandemic has really changed my perspective on taking things for granted. Before this occurrence, I felt unappreciative of having access to a close-knit community at school. This pandemic has really opened my eyes in that it has taught me to live in the moment and to be appreciative of all the blessings I’ve been given. I’ve also learned that a majority of the world/community solely thinks about their own enjoyment to have the guts to ignore these stay-at-home orders. For instance, many people are cognisant of how infectious COVID is yet they continue to live their lives like nothing ever happened. It’s ignorant and cruel to all the healthcare workers who are working tirelessly daily to save as many lives as they can.
See More: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/world/coronavirus-news-cases-deaths.html
Reflection:
During today’s lesson I learned about the importance of setting in establishing mood/tone. In 1984, the setting of the story is set in Oceania. As a result, Winston’s tone appears very pessimistic and bleak under totalitarian rule. As a reader witnessing the oppressive nature of the government on Winston, I am able to sympathize with his repressed freedom, affecting my mood of the story. Additionally, I learned that a character’s tone influences the reader’s mood. 1984 is entirely written under Winston’s perspective, so our mood as readers is influenced by his viewpoint. If it were another character that was the narrator, our mood as readers would completely change. Syme is the exact opposite of Winston, as he is a pure example of censorship to the extreme. We would then feel more uplifted if it were Syme as he quite enjoyed “destroying words” when creating the new edition of Newspeak. This is very important as it is applicable in the real world. Everything is subjective in the real world, as our own thoughts and actions are determined by what we have experienced in the past and what we are currently experiencing in the present day. I learned about this subconscious bias so I could be more objective when it comes to disparate ideas. To apply what I’ve learned during today’s lesson, I will be more open to differing opinions and try to uphold an impartial mind when learning about new things and hearing about peoples’ ideas. For instance, a majority of the people ignoring social distancing guidelines are Trump supporters from the more conservative backgrounds. As a NYC student who has learned to be non-judgemental, I will try to be objective if coming to terms with someone who may disagree with stay-at-home orders, but that does not mean that I am obligated to change my perspective.
Additional Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4i3YkIZ1Q (Part 1 Chapter 4 Analysis)
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