So I guess it's safe to assume that the Winston/Julia, brother/sister theory has been debunked. As icky as it would be for Orwell to go that route, it got you thinking and paying attention to details in the text that could serve as foreshadowing. Even though the theory didn't pan out, you were making some good predictions. Well done you!
Now for some final thoughts....we had a great discussion today in class (Wednesday) and if there were any other comments that needed to be shared, please comment on this post. I've been trying to get to more people more quickly as they raise their hands to contribute and though we've had a few outbursts without hand raising, I think the class is becoming more conscientious.
Here's some food for thought: Has Winston truly accepted the Party? He nearly commits thought crime and is able to crimestop before he strays too far. The last line says he loves Big Brother, but do you feel he truly does? Why or why not?
I think, for the sake of Orwell making a point about how he felt about the future, that Winston finally gave totally in and accepted the Party through every vein in his body. In the end, the Man (or Big Brother) will always win. I don't think the book would have been as powerful if Winston prevailed in the end.
ReplyDeleteI think that Winston truly does love Big Brother, but I don't think that this decision was made based on his beliefs. He was brainwashed so much and he can no longer be the same person that he used to be. At the end of the book we're not reading about Winston Smith, we're reading about Winston Smith the "robot" of the Party. So this isn't based upon who he used to be, it's based on who he has become thanks to the persuasion of the Party.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe Winston neccessarily loves Big Brother, more along the lines of accepting the only option. Winston has been beaten down to an emotionless shell, yet he cries. Maybe in time, Winston may heal, maybe not. If Winston thinks he loves Big Brother, it is not a feeling, only thought. There may still be hope. O'Brian told Winston he has great potential. If there is a second time around, Winston will be stronger and smarter. He now knows what the Ministry of Love consists of, he may conquer fear....Just trying to think a bit more outside the box...
ReplyDeleteI personally believe... that Winston truly loves Big Brother because that's what they MADE him think in the jail. He was, as Britt said, brainwashed. O'Brien shared the Party's beliefs with him and through that he turned into a follower. If he had never been caught, he would still be against the Party, but his ideas were changed when he got caught.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I caught that "I personally believe" and laughed heartily. I am sad you did not say "such as."
ReplyDeleteAs far as 1984 is concerned, I was outraged when Winston realized he loved Big Brother. I remain defiant, however. The tears of gin, to me, were not tears of joy. I don't think that Winston's deep emotions and opinions would be joyful about loving Big Brother. These gin-scented tears signify Winston's involuntary, silent expression of himself. He can no longer think about what he feels, and this is his only way of expressing his sorrow for mankind.
I think that Winston has not accepted the Party. He thinks that he is supposed to love Big Brother, but the only true emotion that party members feel is hatred. Winston's mind has been severely damaged by the brain-washing that occurred at the Ministry of Love, but in the end I think that he is still in there somewhere. He will not be careless enough to show it in any way shape or form. But by saying that he loves Big Brother, I think it is safe to infer, that he is merely acting the part of a Party member. Another thing that just occurred to me is that he could be using the gin to dumb down his emotions, thoughts, and expressions making it less likely for them to be discovered. And as Winston said "He knew it as though instinctively that they now took almost no interest in his doing" he doesn't think that the Party will be watching him closely.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'm not sure if Winston truly accepted the party or not. I think that maybe he did, but he was ashamed of himself for falling into the trap. Maybe he did believe in Big Brother, but remembered when he didn't and wished that he still felt that way.
ReplyDeleteI believe Winston has no true feelings or thoughts at the end of this book. He has been forced to forget what he was and what he knew and is therefore totally lost. If he loves Big Brother its the party changing his thoughts and since he has no thoughts of his own he can't not love Big Brother...I hope that makes sense, it does in my head but i don't know if it does here ha-ha.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe that Winston has truly accepted the party. Winston looks like he’s a faithful party member by shaking off the memories of his mother and not letting himself think of the cruelties he was subject to in the Ministry of Love, but when someone bottles up the emotions that come along with those memories, they will eventually become impossible to hold inside anymore, and who knows what will happen.
ReplyDeleteHowever, simply avoiding these emotions isn’t the same as accepting them- it’s actually the opposite. The only way Winston can truly “Love” Big Brother is if he faces (and accepts) his past.
I'm not so sure that Winston has accepted the party. It is my feeling that accepting the Party would mean the death of Winston either physically, mentally or as an individual. Personally, I don't think he would allow that even if he was brainwashed. It’s just embedded in his psyche to fight back in any shape or form. I think him at the end "having" to come to realization that he loves Big Brother is one of his last resistances against the Party. I know that may sound weird but I think if you were brainwashed into following the Party that loving BB would come naturally to you when you got out. I think its Orwell's way of saying he is still alive in his mind but he will never be allowed to win.
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