Reading Journals Journal #1: The main character of the book is named Winston Smith. The story starts with Winston coming home to his run down apartment in the year 1984. There is a poster in the apartment that says "big brother is watching you"�. Winston is a member of a "party"� of politics who researches the propaganda of the time. Winston sits to write in his journal and finds that all he has written is "down with big brother"� over and over again. He goes to help his neighbor out with her plumping problems and is tormented by the Junior Spies, a group of children who monitor adults who are disloyal to the party. Wilson often dreams a vivid dream in which a girl is running to him and this action destroys the party. It seems that the party of Big Brother is controlling everyone in the society that Winston lives in.
English: Big Brother is watching you! CCTV near Ch...
English: Grave of Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell...
Orwell's former home at 77 Parliament Hill, Hampst...Journal #2: In this reading Winston starts out by going to work. At his job he has the task of making certain things appear like what Big Brother wants them to be like. He changes many true events to meet the orders of Big Brother. Winston later has lunch with a man named Syme who works for the parties intelligence. Winston believes that Syme will be vaporized by the party for his intelligence. While at work Winston is stared at by a little girl who he feels is a party agent. When Winston writes in his journal that night he recalls his last sexual act and focuses on the parties hate for sex. I believe that this revelation shows how machine like the party is.
Journal #3: Winston writes in his diary that he hopes for a revolution against the party to come. He describes how the party has written history to make it look like a masterful force that built great cities. Winston laughs at this idea saying that London, the city he lives in, is a dump. Winston says, "in the end the party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it"�. Winston constantly speaks of a man he calls O'Brien. In this reading he contemplates writing his journals in the form of a letter like O'Brien so that he could perceive things how he wanted.
Journal #4: Winston goes on a walk desperately searching for the true history of the world. He realizes he is being followed by a little girl who he believes to be a party spy. He runs home and contemplates committing suicide explaining that it would be better then the Thought Police capturing him and torturing him before they killed him. To calm himself Winston thinks of O'Brien and stares at the picture of Big Brother on his coin.
Journal #5: At work the next day Winston sees the girl that had been following him. She falls and he helps her up. When Winston helps her up she hands him a note that says "I love you"�. Winston suddenly feels a desire to live even though his boss his giving him a speech in preparation for "Hate Week"�. He meets the girl in a crowed area one day and they decide to in the country. They make love after she takes off her "anti-sex league slash"�. Winston asks her how many times she has done this. When the girl answers many times Winston becomes happy knowing that meant that many party members had committed crimes. The next morning the two plan to return home. They meet afew times later during their everyday lives. Julia describes her thought of the party and how she is not interested in the wide rebellion but enjoys outsmarting party and just enjoying herself. Winston and Julia have a hard time meeting the next few days and Winston wishes they could just live a relaxed life liked a normal married couple without having to sneak around all the time.
Journal #6: The next morning the two plan to return home. They meet afew times later during their everyday lives. Julia describes her thought of the party and how she is not interested in the wide rebellion but enjoys outsmarting party and just enjoying herself. Winston and Julia have a hard time meeting the next few days and Winston wishes they could just live a relaxed life liked a normal married couple without having to sneak around all the time.
Journal #7: In this reading Winston learns that his predictions about Syme were correct. He describes the world he lives in during "Hate Week"� and wishes that his "wife"� would die so he could marry Julia. When he talks to Julia about the closeness he feels to O'Brien she does not listen. This makes Winston mad and he says she only fights the party from the waist down. Later that night Winston wakes up crying. His dream made him realize that he did not kill his mother like he had thought. Instead, when they were hiding out in underground shelters during the war he stole some chocolate from her and ran away. He describes his hate towards the party and how it surpresses his human feelings. Winston and Julia begin to worry about being captured. They make a daring journey to visit O'Brien who is a leader of "The Brotherhood"�, the anti-party rebellion. The two are sworn into the brotherhood.
Journal #8: In this reading Winston describes how tired he is after his ninety-hour work week. It is in the middle of Hate Week and the party has changed allies and enemies with a country. This makes Winston's work load double. Winston reads the book O'Brien gave him and learns that the party had developed after Russia had taken all of Europe. While reading Julia enters and they sleep together. In the morning the two walk out of the room and say that they are the doomed. They do not realize that a hidden camera is behind a sign. The two are seized by police and brutally beaten.
Journal #9: This reading was a very intense and entertaining one. It begins describing Winston in his cell with other prisoners and the torture they view. He hopes that the brotherhood will save him but then is horrified when O'Brien enters the cell and announces that he is a Love Policeman. O'Brien then tortures Winston making him believe in everything that the party stands for. He even makes Winston love him for torturing him. O'Brien explains that the party has mastered the technique that was used by the Soviets, Nazi's and Inquisition.
Journal #10: Winston is transferred to a more comfortable cell where the torture eases. He try's to make himself learn to love the party and practices writing its slogans but he can not surpres his hatred. When O'Brien comes in he can not but help yell that he hates big brother. O'Brien says that he must learn to love him and takes him to the worst torture room, room 101.
The last chapter of the novel is great. It opens with Winston drinking in a bar that all ex-party members go. His mind is fully controlled by the party now. He finds himself repressing happy memories and drawing 2 + 2 = 5 in the dirt. He sees Julia and thinks of any sexual act with her as repulsive. The book ends with Wilson looking at a picture of Big Brother staring at him and feeling comforted.
1984 is a great book. Probably one of the best I've read. George Orwell's theme against the communist ways of the Nazi's and Soviets is perfectly described. His glances into the deep realm of the human mind are intriguing and gave me a new perspective on life. Everyone should read 1984.
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