Jason Jiang- Blog #46- Period 2- 5/28/20

Aim: How is the theme,"the importance of having knowledge about the past

in order to understand the future" exemplified/elucidated Through  Winston’s time in the Prole District?

Do Now:  

What are some of the “lies/stories” parents tell their children?

Some of the “lies and stories” parents tell their children include 

• Problems and their every day struggles 
• Easter Bunny 
• Santa Claus, Tooth 

Why do you believe they tell these stories, rather than the truth?

• They tell these stories rather than to tell the truth because they do not want their children to know things. Parents might think that their children are too small and little for adult life, therefore, they do not want their kids to know about their problems. 
• Parents sometimes also tell children stories about Santa Claus and tooth fairy to make them happy and comfortable so that they are easier to control and manipulate. 

What might be a history “lie/story” a school has taught/told you?

• One history lie and story that a school has taught us is the story of thanksgiving and the story of Christopher Columbus. The arrival of the people for thanksgiving killed many Native Americans as the Europeans brought many diseases to Virginia. As for Christopher Columbus, people forgot that he killed and conquered a lot of Native Americans while he settled in America. 

Today we began the actual lesson by reading “The First Thanksgiving: 

After reading we answered the question 

How was history manipulate in this story 

• History was manipulated in this story because we all grew up to believe that the first thanksgiving was a good time of unity and diversity while the actual thanksgiving caused many deaths. 

How does this correlate to 1984

Everything was depicted as the past being horrible and the present being prosperous in 1984. This is similar to Thanksgiving as we all grew up to believe that the first thanksgiving was a time of happiness and fun. 

Then we proceeded to do the discussion

“In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.”

Analyze Winston’s statement above. How do you explain his example? What are your thoughts on the matter?

• This means that the people are forced to believe everything that the government says. Therefore, causing the people to be brainwashed. I think that the society is really corrupt as it shows that only one specific group of people, the government, has a lot of power and is able to manipulate the people in the story.

What do you think the author’s intention or purpose is for the reader to have as a takeaway about the world you/we live in?

• The author wants us to question the authority in the world that we are living by. He doesn’t want us to go about our day blinded 

Group Work: 

Winston is clearly on a quest for the truth from the past. He states, “If there’s hope, it lies in the proles” (Winston,pg. 69).

• Work together to assess if Winston is correct. Consider the different age groups.
• If he is/isn’t explaining how things would unfold for successor failure to occur. Consider the government’s role in all of this as well.
• Are there specific actions or events that need to occur to guarantee success/failure? If so, what?

I think that it is uncertain in believing that if there is hope for a better society, then it lies in the proles because the proles are the only people who weren't brainwashed by society. Therefore, they still have common sense into believing what is wrong and what is right. However, considering that they are not as intelligent, they will need a long time to rebel. I think that the old people in the proles will have a better chance helping Winston considering that they still might have remembered the experience before the rise of the society. Despite this, many of the old people do not want to interfere with the government because they do not care. One specific action that needs to occur to guarantee success is a riot or revolution. A revolution will open the people's eyes because it shows that the government is not as strong and powerful as they seem. 

WHOLE CLASS DISCUSSION

What do you make of Winston (unconsciously) finding himself back at the very junk shop where  he bought the Diary?

• The junk shop shows a sense of symbolism to Winston  

Why does he appear to be so drawn to the paperweight?

• The paperweight is something that connects to the time before the past causing a connection to Winston’s search for information to the past. 

What are your opinions of the room, which has no telescreen?

• The room with no telescreen shows that some people still have conscience. Additionally, the room with no telescreen shows a sign of freedom as it shows protection from Big Brother and the society. 

 Why do you suppose he decides he will continue to return to the shop, despite the risks? Foreshadowing?

• I think that he will continue to return to the shop because it shows that he seeks this idea of freedom. He finds himself unconscious and lured into going into the room, showing that he still has this desire to have freedom. It shows foreshadowing as it shows that the government might arrest the main character considering his guilty quest and actions and this repetition of going to the junk store that consists of an illegally no camera room. 

Blogger Content

• Write about your thoughts regarding the reading.

While reading the passage, I feel sympathy towards the people living in the society because they are controlled by the government who have absolute control over their people, while manipulating and overpowering them. Specifically, I feel sympathy towards Wilson because it feels as if the could do nothing regarding the government despite his efforts to seek information. 

• What is it like working from home?

Working at home has been an ease. I get ot finish work earlier and I do not worry about hte time I go to bed considering that I dont have to wak up at 6 am every morning to get on a bus and travel to school. 

• Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.
• I think that what is happening right now acts as an eyeopener ot the world. It shows us that we could not ignore the signs and significance of little things because how we handle these messages will affect the overall future. If we had handled the outbreak of the coronavirus in the US properly, there wouldn’t have been so much negativity. If we had precautions and laws regarding distancing and if we have shut down public gatherings as soon as corona hit the U.S., we could have still been at school right now. 

Reflection:

In this lesson, I learned the importance of the idea of knowing what is exactly going on in the world and in the nation that we are living in. As opposed to the society in which the main character in 1984 lived in, we have the ability to question authority because we have the right shtat prevent the government from having too much power over their people. We are reading 1984 and learning about this topic because by doing this it enables us to always keep our eyes open for the government as we work to prevent the government from being too powerful. We could use this in our everyday lives because we will always keep our eyes and minds open for any possible signs of superiority from the government. Additionally, by learning this encourages us to exercise our rights of speech as we could advocate the things that we do not believe in such as racism.