Blog #43 - Melanie Gates - Period 9 - 6/1/2020

Blog #43

6/1/2020

Melanie Gates

Period 9

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: Think/Pair/Share

Include the main/key ideas/details for each!

1. What are some of the “lies/stories” parents tell their children?
1. Some answers my peers responded with were:
1. The Tooth Fairy
2. Leaving the light on in the car when you are driving is illegal
3. One of my peers explained that his mom told him that chewing on his nails would make his hair turn green
2. Why do you believe they tell these stories, rather than the truth?
1. Some answers my peers responded with were:
1. When you are a kid you are gullible, and sometimes making up a fake “rule” or “law” makes it easier for your parents to discipline you, as a child is much less likely to question a rule that comes from a higher power or authority than their own parents
2. As a child, making up characters such as the tooth fairy or santa claus allows for your imagination to run wild, and encourages you to believe
3. What might be a history “lie/story” a school has taught/told you? 
1. Some answers my peers responded with were:
1. In school we are taught that after the Emancipation Proclamation was passed, POC in the US were free and equal, and there was no stratification between racial groups. We are taught that slavery and unfair slave labor was completely abolished, and that all the slaves were able to find freedom and solace in the North, when this is not the case. 
1. Another classmate elaborated on this point saying: 
1. Furthermore, we are taught that after the Civil Rights Movement, everyone was equal and that racism is an issue of the past. However, we can clearly see, especially in the current climate, that this is not the case and racism is still an incredibly prevalent issue in this country. 
2. Also, we are taught that Martin Luther King Jr. was a loved figure throughout the US, when this was not the case. During the Civil rights movement MLK was one of the most hated figures in America, eventually resulting in his assasination. 

Class Notes:

• After our Do Now discussion, Ms. Peterson told us the true story of the First Thanksgiving, explaining that the Pilgrims effectively wiped out the Indigenous population with diseases some years before, and chose Cape Cod because they knew the indigenous population was very low there, leaving fertile farming lands perfectly open for the taking. They would fight with the few indigenous people remaining and steal their food and tools. 
• Group Discussion:
• Ms. Peterson asked us to analyze, explain and express our thoughts on Winston’s statement “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it”. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• This means that whatever the party and Big Brother says is final, and there is no way to disprove it. This circles back to Animal Farm “Comrade Napoleon is always right”, showing a pattern in Orwell’s works as he emphasizes the control our power systems have on us, and how by starving the people of the truth, education and, knowledge, the government can keep complete control.
• This shows that in 1984 the party and Big Brother are filtering everything that reaches the proles, making sure that there is no information capable of inducing a movement and rebellion. No conflicting information means no rising up.
• Ms. Peterson then asked us what Orwell's intention and purpose was in showing the party’s ultimate control. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• Orwell is trying to make us question the power structures around us, and question how much we do not know. He wants us to be suspicious of our governments and to always be on a quest for the truth. 
• Ms. Peterson then connected this to our own lives, as she explained that the reason Tech gives us HOS grades is for us to realize the power of using your voice and participation, and to actively question our teachers to learn more. She then told us about how when she was our age she would see Barbra Walters on the television interviewing people, and that Walters was ruthless. Ms. Peterson said this is in contrast to journalism today, because interviewers provide their questions beforehand, and therefore are inhibited from asking the tough questions, which are the questions we need answers to.
• Group Work:
• Ms. Peterson gave us the quote “If there’s hope, it lies in the proles” and asked us to analyze whether Winston was correct, and the different age groups' roles in this. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• Winston is correct because only the power of the people can cause a revolution. Because the proles make up the majority of the population, they have a chance of overthrowing their government, simply due to their numbers. 
• Image of social structure in 1984
• Younger people in 1984 are completely brainwashed and have no memory of the world before Big Brother, so the older generation would have to teach them and explain to them that the world before was better, which would be an increasingly hard task as the children are incredibly quick to report anybody they suspect of thought crime, and it would be hard to convince them that anything could be better than the world they live in. 
• Ms. Peterson then asked us how things would need to be done for success/failure to occur, and if there were any specific actions or events needed to guarantee success/failure. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• The proles would need to be properly organized, and educated to have a chance of properly revolting. They would easily be defeated if they didn’t have a plan, or if no one was educated enough in the first place to realize the need for revolution. 
• There needs to be a specific event or instance to be the “straw that broke the camel's back” for the proles to inspire a revolution and an uprising. 
• Whole Class Discussion:
• Ms. Peterson asked us what we thought of Winston unconsciously finding himself back at the very junk shop where he bought the diary. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• Winston being back at the junk shop shows that he is actively thinking about rebellion and betraying the government. Furthermore, the “junk” in the junk shop is more likely antiques from before the Big Brother regime, showing that Winston wants to remember his past and remember the world he was born into. 
• Ms. Peterson then asked us why Winston was so drawn to the paperweight. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• The paperweight is so beautiful and it symbolizes every opposite of the world Winston is living in. The paperweight both symbolizes the past where Winston believes the world was a better place and a future where Winston thinks the world will be a better place. 
• This is an interpretation of the paperweight I found online. 
• Then Ms. Peterson asked us our opinions of the room which has no telescreen. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• The room with no telescreen acts as a safe haven for Winston, as the telescreen can sense everything Winston does or thinks, including his heart rate. The room without the telescreen is itself an act of rebellion and allows Winston to betray the party in a very small but dangerous way. 
• Finally, Ms. Peterson asked us why we think Winston decides he will return to the shop despite the risks. My classmate's responses were as follows:
• He will return to the shop because not only does it remind him of his past and allow him to connect with it, but by doing so he is committing an act of rebellion, and the room without the telescreen gives him a safe haven where he can be free of the government's control. 

Reflection:

• Today I learned how the importance of knowledge of the past to create change in the future is elucidated through Winston’s time in the Prole District. I also learned about the importance of education and organization to create a movement. I learned this by discussing various questions with my class, which led me to the conclusion that, in both 1984 and real life, it is necessary for the people to be properly educated before any real change can happen. For example, in 1984, the proles are 85% of the population, but because the government has restricted so much information from them, and the majority of them have no curiosity to learn more, they are incapable of creating change. Through the discussions we had in class, I also realized that in the current climate, we are only rising up now because only now are people truly starting to become both educated and organized. Through the rise of media, and with the combination of being in quarantine and engaging in this media, even more, people have become more and more aware of the BLM movement and the racist systems ingrained in our country. Because of this, it is only now that we are starting to see incredible resistance that will hopefully lead to a nationwide change. 
• I think we learned about this to further deepen our understanding of both the novel and the real world. In this lesson we were able to get a deeper insight into Winston and his desires, and why he wants to rebel. We then connected this to our world and various acts of rebellion throughout history and began to realize Orwell’s purpose in writing these types of novels, for us to question everything we have been told. I think the main reason we learned this lesson was to become more curious individuals who question until they find out the truth. 
• I will use what I learned in real life, as I will start to question things that I blatantly believe are true and ask for evidence and proof. I will actively try to educate myself more on various issues so that I can be part of the solution that helps to perpetuate change. I will take this lesson and apply it critically as I read 1984, keeping in mind Winston's past, and how the Prole's lack of curiosity will impact Winston as he continues to rebel. I am excited to read more and apply what I have learned to the further reading of this book, and also the further change I would like to see in my own life. 

Video on the symbolism of the paperweight (spoilers!!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiuK5334H_A