Monday Book Talk Questions

Juan Pablo Coral

Block 2
1984


Through out the book we see that the entire society is controlled by the fear and
power of the famous Big Brother, a guy who seems as normal as the rest of
people, but his influence had change an entire society. In the book we find direct
and indirect characterization for this character, and in this particular case, each
type of characterization shows a different aspect of the character. First we have the
direct characterization, which shows that Big Brother is a man as common as the
rest, a clear example is the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black
mustache and ruggedly handsome features (Orwell, p. 1, 1977). As we can see
from the description, this character has nothing out of normal that a man doesnt
have. On the other hand, we have the indirect characterization, which shows the
rudeness and power that this character has on the society, which is so big that
people live afraid of him and follow everything he says even though is no logical.
A clear example of his influence and power on the society can be seen on the
amount of poster of himself that were everywhere The black-mustachiod face
gazed down from every commanding corner (Orwell, p. 2, 1977), and say, Big
Brother is watching you to gave the impression that he is aware of each of the
actions people do and this way they will not go out of the law. So as we could see
from each characterization, Big Brother is a character that even though is and
looks as all the other men, it carries a power that nobody else does.

A problem that has been very evident in the book thus far I have read is Character
vs. self, and is found on the main character Winston Smith. We can easily identify
this problem due that Winston is a guy who have ideas such as writing and liberty
that he wants to express but he knows he cant because he is not allowed to by the
society. Therefore he struggles himself find a way of doing this things even though
they are illegal, which end up putting him into stress of being arrested. But as the
book goes on, this problem turns into character vs. society, due that his desire for
doing this things over controls him and he start being notorious, becoming an
outcast of the society and being notice by the controllers.

Throughout the book, George Orwell uses thousands of different literary devices to
give the reading a texture of beauty and in some cases be self-explanatory. A clear
example of the use of these devices is the constant repetition of the motto War is
peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength (Orwell, p. 26, 1977), which is an
irony. Orwell uses this irony to give a description of how the society works. This
device is very helpful to describe, due that by looking that it is an irony we can
directly identify that the society is ruled under a extreme totalitarian movement,
which is so extreme that can get to the point of manipulation the obvious to make
it illogic and still pass it as truth for the people.

So far in the book, Winston continues writing in his little diary and he meets Julia, a
young girl from the party that becomes attractive to him since their first meeting at
the forest outside the city, where they had sex. From this point I think the future
will bring a strong but complicated relationship between these tow characters, for
this part, and for the other part I think Winston will be caught writing. My
predictions for the first part will go this way due that I think Winston is getting in
Monday Book Talk Questions
Juan Pablo Coral
Block 2
love of Julias beauty and youth more than anything else, while Julia does love him,
causing the relation to be complicated in the way that their intentions are
different, but strong in the way that still they want to be with each other. For the
second part, my predictions will go like that due that Winston is getting so
dependent and close to the book that in some point he will forget that he should
hide from the telescreen and he will just write in front of it.

The main theme of this book is the control over society by means of ruling classes.
This theme can be easily identify since the beginning of the book by looking at how
the society is completely under surveillance by different methods and devices,
which kept them with fear and obeying everything they said even though it
seemed stupid. For example, they control homes by the use of telescreens a
device that was inside each individual apartment and was used as a camera to
check their actions, The instrument (the telescreen, as it was called) could be
dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely (Orwell, p. 2, 1977).
This quote shows how the power was so dominating that people could not even
have private life cause it was not even possible. On the other hand, we see how
society was so influenced that even illogic things such as the mottos War is peace,
freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength (Orwell, p. 26, 1977), were a definite
factor that could not be questioned and still needed to be obeyed.

The protagonist of the book is Winston Smith, a guy who lives in this society under
ruling of a inner party that controls everything they say and do, and which forces
him to be an outcast due that he starts questioning why is the party the way it is,
and why the society is the way it is. As well this attitude of the protagonist towards
the party not only makes him an outcast, as well makes the inner party be the
antagonist of the book, due that they are in control and they want everything to be
done as they say no matter how good or logic that is. The main relation between
this two as was mentioned, is their desire for the truth, due that from the
protagonist side, he wants to find it out, while from the antagonist side they want
to hide it, and from this relation will come the encounters between this two.

The purpose of this book other than feed peoples literature was of writing a
response to the book Brave New World by Adolf Huxley, who was a bestseller as
soon as it came out and had an incredible impact on people do to its controversial
topic of a different futuristic world. The audience it was writing for is young adults
and adults, due that it handle some mature topics that require mature reasoning to
deal with; topics such as sex, and violence. For example, sex is a theme that is
shown as something insignificant, which is not, and violence as means of
controlling people, like when Winston is put into the electric chair as a
punishment, which as well is not the way it should be. The tone of the book is pale
and direct, due that it tells the reader how things are done in the society and in
many cases it doesnt give the explanation why is it like that, it just let the reader
find it out by the background, like the introduction of Big Brother to the book.

This text can be connected directly to the book Brave New World by Adolf
Huxley, that we read earlier this school year, not only because it was written as a
response to it, but because it gives the audience a different perspective of how the
world could be in the future, very different of what in those times they were living.
Monday Book Talk Questions
Juan Pablo Coral
Block 2
As well we can relate this text to the historical background of WWII, and Big
Brother with Adolf Hitler, due that it shows a society under the ruling power of a
inner party that looked for obedient people, such as Hitler was looking for to in his
Germany, to be the total ruler of the people an eventually the world, such as Big
Brother does in Air Strip One.

From reading this book, new thoughts and insights have come to my mind. The
first insight/thought that I had from this reading was; how would have been my
life if I had to be in Winston position right now and the society I live in was as Air
Strip One? From this thought, I came with the conclusion that since I had grow up, I
would have rebel against the inner party to get freedom, due that to have a
controlled life I prefer to die. Another insight I have from the reading is why the
guy from the store that was renting Winston and Julia the room, waited so long to
reveal the thought police their actions if he was a member of them? And finally my
last insight from the book is why George Orwell decided to write this book in
response of Brave New World by Adolf Huxley? Which aspect of that book had
impact Orwell so much that motivate him to write a hole book in response.

Even though the book is perfectly written, and counts with an immense literature
and variety of literary devices, there is one aspect I consider could have been
better, and is the exposition of the book. When I first start reading the book and
Winston was introduced as an old guy walking up the stairs, I was getting bored
really fast of reading it, due that I consider there was missing emotion to it. So in
my opinion I will say that if the book has a more exciting exposition such as big
war or event, the reader will be engaged and will want to continue reading it.