1984 Blog 4

When the author begins to describe the meeting in the cafeteria he uses very short and concise sentences. This might be to simulate the nerve and stress levels between Julia and Winston. By creating a beat with the sentence structures and pauses in-between it keeps the reader reading and creates a heart-like thud. The author also uses very intense descriptive words. Using such descriptive words really allows for us as readers to fall into the text and bring it to life. It creates a suspenseful-ness in the cafeteria and slowly speeds up the pace of reading. The setting being a cafeteria is quite strange. How common is a cafeteria? It is the most obnoxious place to meet up with someone, but also the most ingenious because of how drowned out voices and words are. The simplicity of the cafeteria is such a breakthrough for Julia and Winston to think of, that they have already began to revolt against “Big Brother” even without realizing it. The reader is quickly hooked into the “meeting”.

When Winston actually makes it past the man who “fell” he is more nervous than ever before. We as readers are now a little more relaxed. At this point Winston is slowly unpacking his meal and going through a regular routine. By using an array of punctuation the author absolutely has the readers’ minds fixed. The reader’s mind can’t stray from the text. He or she must keep reading and stay just as nervous and fixated upon the cafeteria as the couple.

Not until Winston and Julia begin to talk does the reader begin to relax and realize that this should be no big deal. People talk. That is the reality. In 1984 it is exactly opposite. People don’t talk. This tends to be a very strange subject. The thought of not being able to speak, act, or do what we as humans want is absolutely unimaginable. The text between the two interlocutor’s conversation is very short and stagnant. Julia and Winston can’t let anyone know that they are speaking to one another. Even more important, they can’t let anyone on to their plan of meeting up with each other.

            Meeting in Victory Square tends to be quite ironic. The fact that the meeting destination is VICTORY square is in fact a victory. It isn’t often that two people can enjoy conversation or even meeting outside of the ordinary work spaces. Winston spots Julia and stands beside her. She says nothing until what seems to be a parade starts. This proves to be quite interesting. How does Julia know that this will happen? Is she a larger authority figure?

            During the conversation Julia, once again, gives Winston directions to a meeting place. It is obvious that they long to see one another because they go through so much work. At this point it becomes easy to trust Julia and accept her to be in a relationship with Winston. Not until afterward does Winston start questioning himself about the subject. Relationships. How does a person who has been programmed to shut out any emotional feelings actually feel something for another? What does Winston see in Julia? Considering that Winston can’t even remember what color Julia’s hair and eyes are, it seems that he has a liking for what Julia is thinking and/or what is going through her mind.

Blog 2- Antiques

The antique shop in this chapter has huge allegorical meaning behind it. For one, the entire meaning behind having an antique shop is bewildering. The thought of having a shop full of memories and items from the past is going 100% against Big Brother. Big Brother is trying to abolish everything that cannot be controlled. By having an antique means that you have something from the past, a world that doesn’t even exist according to Big Brother. When people purchase an item from the black market or from the store it shows that they would like to, in the utmost sense, rebel against big brother. Big Brother controls everything and by preserving something that the government says doesn’t exist is a serious matter. When Winston goes into the store he doesn’t know what he might buy. So after a while he decides to buy a paperweight. A PAPERWEIGHT. He paid more than enough for it as well. The paperweight, to Winston, means that he is trying to keep something from the past, the past that once existed. He is trying to recover his memories of it. Is he even going to use it as a paperweight? Probably not. He just wants it as a memory and as something that can keep him grounded to what society used to be. Another thing Winston sees in the room and has interest in would be a portrait of Saint Clement’s Church. Why is that such a noted deal? What will come from it? “The oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's” is the poem that is affiliated with the portrait. Why? What is this foreshadowing? Morgan, my classmate, said something was behind it. A safe? Too obvious. I think it is a form of communication with Big Brother. Something is strange with that entire room upstairs. There has to be some sort of a watch from Big Brother. 

1984- Distopia