"Journal #2: How does Ibsen use the motif of decay, disease, illness, etc and to
what effect? Use at least three quotes in the defense of you claim."
Ibsen uses the motif of decay, disease, and illness to portray how lies that are kept inside eat at a person's conscious until they do something about it. The effect is this feeling of guilt throughout the play. "But who bears the guilt for Mother's fatal weakness?" (135). "Well, he doesn't look any better" (141). "And then there's a doctor named Relling" (154). "MOLVIK (getting up). Pardon - I, I can't - got to go downstairs right - RELLING Drink soda water, man! MOLVIK (rushing out the hall door). Ugh - ugh!" (173)
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
WILD DUCK #1
"Option 2: Examine how characters perceive themselves or others. Who has false
conceptions of him/herself? Who has misconceptions of others? Who recognizes
the facades created by other characters? Does the character embrace the facade,
ignore it, or confront it?"Hedvig: She acts very mature and self-assured around her mother. However, when she is around her father, she acts just like a little five year old would. Hedvig embraces her facade in order to be daddy's little girl and get what she wants.
Gina: She is the mother of Hedvig, but Hjalmar is not the father, old Werle is. She never tells Hjalmar this. She acts like the perfect wife, mother, and housekeeper. Yet she has a devious lie underneath it all. She recognizes her own facade and embraces it while keeping Hjalmar ignorant of it. Old Mr. Werle knows about it, but keeps it to himself.
Old Mr. Werle: He percieves himself as being a wealthy man who can do no wrong, so he put the entire woodworking scandal on old Ekdal. Both of them embrace this facade and do nothing to help it.
Old Ekdal: He recognizes the facade put up by old Werle, but does nothing about it because old Werle is helping him out (in order to keep his mouth shut).
Gina: She is the mother of Hedvig, but Hjalmar is not the father, old Werle is. She never tells Hjalmar this. She acts like the perfect wife, mother, and housekeeper. Yet she has a devious lie underneath it all. She recognizes her own facade and embraces it while keeping Hjalmar ignorant of it. Old Mr. Werle knows about it, but keeps it to himself.
Old Mr. Werle: He percieves himself as being a wealthy man who can do no wrong, so he put the entire woodworking scandal on old Ekdal. Both of them embrace this facade and do nothing to help it.
Old Ekdal: He recognizes the facade put up by old Werle, but does nothing about it because old Werle is helping him out (in order to keep his mouth shut).
Sunday, April 8, 2012
1984 Journal #3
"O'Brien held up his left hand, its back toward Winston, with the thumb hidden and the four fingers extended.
"How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?"
"Four."
"And if the Party says that it is not four but five - then how many?"
"Four."
The word ended in a gasp of pain. ... O'Brien held up the fingers of his left hand, with the thumb concealed.
"There are five fingers here. Do you see five fingers?"
"Yes."
And he did see them, for a fleeting instant, before the scenery of his mind changed. He saw five fingers, and there was no deformity" (Orwell, 249; 258).
In this scene, we see Winston trying to retain control of his own mind. However, the Party wants to control that too. Eventually the Party does end up controlling people's minds. This is a reference to Communism and Totalitarianism as a system of government. For example, as many of us saw in North Korea only a little while ago, their leader died, but unlike the rest of the world that celebrated the death of this horrible man, they grieved. People were genuinely sad. This is a form of mind control. Through isolationism, control, and propaganda, the people's minds were controlled to think that their leader was a great man and a hero. However, what the rest of the world saw was just the opposite. Orwell is showing that lots of people are easily accepting and open to believing in something because it is easier to deny something else. He also shows us that these types of governments prey on these kinds of people.
The setting of this part of the book takes place mostly in the Ministry of Love. The Ministry of Love is a prison, with no windows, where people are sent to be tortured and eventually executed. The setting is ironic, considering the name. Torture = Love... not really. This is the point the author is trying to make: Society, in general has contradictions. Especially if you take into account men and women. There is almost always a double standard. Let me use the example I saw last night on ABC's What Would You Do?. They took a man and gave his car a flat tire. The man didn't know how to change a flat tire. Approximately 1 in every 3 people stopped to help the man because most of the people thought that he was a young man, he should know how to change a tire. However, when they gave a young woman a flat tire, and she didn't know how to change it, every single person stopped to help her. Some people even came from the other side of the street just to offer her help. Why is it okay for a young woman to not know how to change a tire, but it is unacceptable that a young man doesn't know how? Orwell is saying through the irony of the setting that society is full of contradictions and double standards, and that is not fair.
In this part of the book, the language toward Big Brother is much more positive. At the end, it says, "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (Orwell, 298). The positive attitude shows Winston's change in his views. The Party has finally controlled him. He is no longer an outcast or individual. Now he is a mindless cog in the machine, one with society. Orwell is warning people that if you become a part of society, you are susceptible to every one of society's standards and ways of living, bad or good, because you won't know any different. He is warning us that we must retain free thought and individuality inorder to know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and to be able to make the world better.
"How many fingers am I holding up, Winston?"
"Four."
"And if the Party says that it is not four but five - then how many?"
"Four."
The word ended in a gasp of pain. ... O'Brien held up the fingers of his left hand, with the thumb concealed.
"There are five fingers here. Do you see five fingers?"
"Yes."
And he did see them, for a fleeting instant, before the scenery of his mind changed. He saw five fingers, and there was no deformity" (Orwell, 249; 258).
In this scene, we see Winston trying to retain control of his own mind. However, the Party wants to control that too. Eventually the Party does end up controlling people's minds. This is a reference to Communism and Totalitarianism as a system of government. For example, as many of us saw in North Korea only a little while ago, their leader died, but unlike the rest of the world that celebrated the death of this horrible man, they grieved. People were genuinely sad. This is a form of mind control. Through isolationism, control, and propaganda, the people's minds were controlled to think that their leader was a great man and a hero. However, what the rest of the world saw was just the opposite. Orwell is showing that lots of people are easily accepting and open to believing in something because it is easier to deny something else. He also shows us that these types of governments prey on these kinds of people.
The setting of this part of the book takes place mostly in the Ministry of Love. The Ministry of Love is a prison, with no windows, where people are sent to be tortured and eventually executed. The setting is ironic, considering the name. Torture = Love... not really. This is the point the author is trying to make: Society, in general has contradictions. Especially if you take into account men and women. There is almost always a double standard. Let me use the example I saw last night on ABC's What Would You Do?. They took a man and gave his car a flat tire. The man didn't know how to change a flat tire. Approximately 1 in every 3 people stopped to help the man because most of the people thought that he was a young man, he should know how to change a tire. However, when they gave a young woman a flat tire, and she didn't know how to change it, every single person stopped to help her. Some people even came from the other side of the street just to offer her help. Why is it okay for a young woman to not know how to change a tire, but it is unacceptable that a young man doesn't know how? Orwell is saying through the irony of the setting that society is full of contradictions and double standards, and that is not fair.
In this part of the book, the language toward Big Brother is much more positive. At the end, it says, "He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (Orwell, 298). The positive attitude shows Winston's change in his views. The Party has finally controlled him. He is no longer an outcast or individual. Now he is a mindless cog in the machine, one with society. Orwell is warning people that if you become a part of society, you are susceptible to every one of society's standards and ways of living, bad or good, because you won't know any different. He is warning us that we must retain free thought and individuality inorder to know the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and to be able to make the world better.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
1984 Journal #2
Motifs: "Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's, You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St. Martins" "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, Here comes a chopper to chop off your head" (Orwell, 98). This motif sets the overall tone of the second third of the book. It comes up in the beginning, middle, and finally the end of the second third of the novel.
In the first part of the second third is represented by the first quote, "Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's, You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's"(Orwell, 98). In this part of the book, Winston and Julia are just trying to have fun. They think it is all fun and games, but they know it is illegal.
The second part of the second third of the novel is represented by Winston's inability to remember the second part of the rhyme. This represents the fact that danger is approaching, but they are unaware of it.
The third part of the second third of the novel is represented by the second quote, "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, Here comes a chopper to chop off your head" (Orwell, 98). In the last part of the second third of the book, Winston and Julia are enjoying each others' company. They go to bed. When they wake up, they are arrested for their Thoughtcrime. The motif represents the 3 building parts to the plot that are in this section of the book. It also relates back to WWII and how people would be out and about doing innocent things in the city of London, and suddenly, some planes and choppers would come and bomb the city. So it is a historical reference and used to drive the plot along. A lot of times in life we are also blindsided by something that happens out of the blue. So the song is a 3 in one! Wow, the number 3 is showing up a lot here... hmmm....
Setting: Room above Mr. Charrington's shop. Mr. Charrington's shop is an antique shop and it is in the proles section of town. The proles don't have telescreens. This is an important concept to remember because throughout the entire second third of the book, Julia and Winston use the room above the shop as a hide out. They don't think they will get caught because the proles don't have telescreens. This contributes to the overall feeling of comfort that the reader gets as they read this part of the book, making the ending of this part (where they get caught) shocking. This is how many of the Thought Criminals in the society felt when they were caught because they don't think they will get caught. So this puts the reader into Winston's place and draws the reader more and more in.
Language: "It was only an 'opeless fancy, It passed like an Ipril dye, But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred They 'ave stolen my 'eart awye!" (Orwell, 138). In this section of the book, we hear a lot of the proles singing and a lot of their talk. This contributes to the setting of the book.
In the first part of the second third is represented by the first quote, "Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's, You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's"(Orwell, 98). In this part of the book, Winston and Julia are just trying to have fun. They think it is all fun and games, but they know it is illegal.
The second part of the second third of the novel is represented by Winston's inability to remember the second part of the rhyme. This represents the fact that danger is approaching, but they are unaware of it.
The third part of the second third of the novel is represented by the second quote, "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, Here comes a chopper to chop off your head" (Orwell, 98). In the last part of the second third of the book, Winston and Julia are enjoying each others' company. They go to bed. When they wake up, they are arrested for their Thoughtcrime. The motif represents the 3 building parts to the plot that are in this section of the book. It also relates back to WWII and how people would be out and about doing innocent things in the city of London, and suddenly, some planes and choppers would come and bomb the city. So it is a historical reference and used to drive the plot along. A lot of times in life we are also blindsided by something that happens out of the blue. So the song is a 3 in one! Wow, the number 3 is showing up a lot here... hmmm....
Setting: Room above Mr. Charrington's shop. Mr. Charrington's shop is an antique shop and it is in the proles section of town. The proles don't have telescreens. This is an important concept to remember because throughout the entire second third of the book, Julia and Winston use the room above the shop as a hide out. They don't think they will get caught because the proles don't have telescreens. This contributes to the overall feeling of comfort that the reader gets as they read this part of the book, making the ending of this part (where they get caught) shocking. This is how many of the Thought Criminals in the society felt when they were caught because they don't think they will get caught. So this puts the reader into Winston's place and draws the reader more and more in.
Language: "It was only an 'opeless fancy, It passed like an Ipril dye, But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred They 'ave stolen my 'eart awye!" (Orwell, 138). In this section of the book, we hear a lot of the proles singing and a lot of their talk. This contributes to the setting of the book.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
1984 Journal #1
How do the motifs, setting, and language contribute to our understanding of the society? Address each area separately and in depth.
1. Motifs: There is a motif of "the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own" (2). In the beginning of the novel, Winston feels conflicted as to whether the dark eyes are comforting or whether they are worth hatred. In the middle of the book, he knows that they are worth hating. However, by the end of the book, he is weeping with comfort from the dark eyes. This contributes to the understanding of the society by making us understand that many people in the society either love or hate the life that they are living. Some love it, others hate it, others don't mind, and others are conflicted. Some have these feelings toward Big Brother, but not toward the society. While others have these feelings toward society and not Big Brother. Still some have these feelings toward both. It's a conflicting society that has no rules but yet expects unspoken rules to be followed, but no one actually knows what these rules are.
2. Setting: The setting is in 1984 and it is in London, England. It is set at a time when totalitarianism has taken over the world and there are only 3 countries. This makes understanding the society easier because we can all historically relate to Hitler's Communist Germany and World War II. So it makes it relatable.
3. Language. The language that is used makes it very clear that we are no longer in the world of plain english. We have entered a world of INGSOC and Doublethink. These ideas are controversial and strange to someone not living in that society. This suggests that the society is highly different from our own and that it is completely Alien to us. It makes the society feel less real but it keeps it feeling like it could happen someday.
1. Motifs: There is a motif of "the dark eyes looked deep into Winston's own" (2). In the beginning of the novel, Winston feels conflicted as to whether the dark eyes are comforting or whether they are worth hatred. In the middle of the book, he knows that they are worth hating. However, by the end of the book, he is weeping with comfort from the dark eyes. This contributes to the understanding of the society by making us understand that many people in the society either love or hate the life that they are living. Some love it, others hate it, others don't mind, and others are conflicted. Some have these feelings toward Big Brother, but not toward the society. While others have these feelings toward society and not Big Brother. Still some have these feelings toward both. It's a conflicting society that has no rules but yet expects unspoken rules to be followed, but no one actually knows what these rules are.
2. Setting: The setting is in 1984 and it is in London, England. It is set at a time when totalitarianism has taken over the world and there are only 3 countries. This makes understanding the society easier because we can all historically relate to Hitler's Communist Germany and World War II. So it makes it relatable.
3. Language. The language that is used makes it very clear that we are no longer in the world of plain english. We have entered a world of INGSOC and Doublethink. These ideas are controversial and strange to someone not living in that society. This suggests that the society is highly different from our own and that it is completely Alien to us. It makes the society feel less real but it keeps it feeling like it could happen someday.
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