Blog #56
Isabella Ng
Period 09
June 11, 2020
Aim: How are the readers of 1984 warned about the power of manipulation?
George Orwell warns the readers of 1984 about the power of manipulation by emphasizing its connection to memory. When a society lacks strong infrastructure in institutions such as education and public libraries, it becomes more vulnerable to manipulation because there exists no individual thinking or permanent history. Without the ability to learn and interpret information, a society cannot oppose government propaganda. Additionally, without an enduring history, civilians cannot be sure of whether or not their memories are reliable, and they are more prone to forgetting. In a place like Oceania, the populous is powerless in defending their own memory. Consequently, manipulation persists.
Classwork & What We Learned:
For our “Do Now” activity, our class evaluated the extent to which individuals can control feelings and emotions. I think it’s possible to control how we think/feel—isn’t that what we’ve been taught to do since we were babies?—because we can learn to effectively process our emotions and practice healthy responses. Although it might be possible to alter surface-level emotions, I believe that there will always be an intrinsic, biological response to certain events. From the dawn of time, humans have recognized the difference between things that feel “bad” and things that feel “good.” I suppose this is what Winston refers to when he ponders, “They could not alter your feelings; for that matter, you could not alter them yourself, even if you wanted to.” We also discussed the extent to which someone could alter another person’s innermost feelings. I believe it’s extremely possible for an outside force to strongly influence how an individual thinks—this is true for education and morals, which we learned about in Animal Farm when Napoleon raised his guard dogs to be tough and violent—but everyone has a “gut instinct.”
Next, we shared a few questions about the novel and bounced answers around the class to spark meaningful discussions. We talked about whether or not the Thought Police actually has the ability to read minds, as suggested by Winston’s internal dialogue. Many students agreed that the ability to mindread is just a scare tactic employed by the government to enforce obedience. It’s heavily implied that the Thought Police simply choose who to vaporize based on more tangible oddities—actions. The second question we discussed was about the significance of the prole woman at the beginning of the chapter. Our class believed that the woman symbolizes Winston’s belief in the proles as the leaders of the rebellion; Winston describes the prole woman’s actions as mundane and not that important, juxtaposing the prole woman’s reality with his dream of revolution. Finally, we came to the conclusion that Big Brother is not a real person but instead a romanticized political figure that the government uses to evoke a sense of nationalism and pride in the people.
For our Group Work, we evaluated the characteristics of Julia and Winston, noting their differences and similarities. Both characters are revolutionaries and members of the outer party. However, Winston is more of a dreamer—he believes that Oceania could actually achieve true reform. Winston intellectually and seriously contemplates the existence of humanity, and he wants to redesign the infrastructure of their society. On the other hand, Julia’s interests are more individualistic. Furthermore, Julia displays more vibrancy and youthfulness compared to Winston, who is older and more pessimistic. Winston also seems to remember a lot more about Oceania’s origins and the political situation, whereas Julia doesn’t even remember who they are at war with. Consequently, their age gaps and their characteristics indicate that younger members of society are more vulnerable to manipulation since they tend to have cloudier memories as a result of their reformed education.
We furthered our understanding of the importance of memory by having a discussion about whether or not we can trust our own memories. Everyone in the class tried to remember what happened last Friday, but many students could not think up exactly what happened. This proves that our own memories are not always reliable, especially when it comes to remembering routines; since every day feels like the last, there’s no stark difference between what happened last Friday and what happened yesterday. It all feels the same. Finally, “forgetting” makes us vulnerable to manipulation because there is no longer an individual account of what truly happened. As a result, we are more susceptible to believing whatever we are told.
Current Events: Our Community/Society & My Personal Feelings
After three months of working from home, it still feels odd. I like that I can choose my own schedule and plan out when I want to do work, but I feel like I haven’t really learned a lot at home. I do grieve the classroom environment—I think it’s more interesting to learn with peers, and it makes the lessons more meaningful when we can have discussions about them. I also miss a lot of school activities.
I think it’s great that things in America are finally changing. Nothing is perfect yet, but we are just getting started. It’s great to see how Staten Island is participating, too. Although 2020 has been strange and uncomfortable, I believe that in hindsight we will understand that this was a necessary year. It’s important for us to face our country’s failures and pitfalls in order to really grow. It’s good that there’s a more open conversation about privilege and silence because I think it’s important for everyone to speak up. Although all four officers involved in George Floyd’s tragic and infuriating murder have been arrested—it’s not over yet. This is not just about George Floyd. This is about every black person in America. Racism has existed in our world for far too long, and it’s time for us to do everything we can to abolish it. If it means participating in protests and marches and actively demanding reform, then that is how we will do it.
Reflection:
Today, I learned about how easy it is for others to manipulate the memories of others. I like to think that I have a good memory (I remember a lot of strange details, especially about the interactions I have with others) but I never noticed how I seem to have trouble remembering the things that get blurred into my daily routine. I also realized how important my memory is to who I am. My entire lifetime exists within my memories, and it’s what shapes me into who I am. I also connected this to our other lessons about memory and manipulation—in Animal Farm and in Twelve Angry Men. Understanding the importance of memory and individual thought is what protects everyone from manipulation. It also places a great significance in history and in our studies of the world. Documentation and journalism is everything. It reminds me a lot about what everyone is saying, now—”Racism is not getting worse, it is getting recorded.”
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