|
Post by sgalle on May 17, 2010 11:03:05 GMT -5
As you read, you may find some quotes that seem particularly disturbing, insightful, interesting, or amusing. Here's the place to comment on them.
Include the quote, the page number(s), and your response to this quote.
|
|
|
Post by juanjpinto on Aug 20, 2010 17:15:39 GMT -5
“It's the one thing they can't do. They can make you say anything - anything - but they can't make you believe it. They can't get inside you."pg. 174, Chapter 7.
I strongly believe in the meaning of this quote, which is why it was so hard for me to understand the pillars and rules that the Oceania government established. I, like Winston, understood how, but somehow just couldn’t understand why. The Thought Police and other organizations that formed part of this daily massacre where basically brain washed to believe everything they were told, and convinced to perform brutal tasks against those that would believe something else or doubt. As a basic example shown would be Winston’s job, altering Big Brother predictions on opinions if they were wrong. Therefore, this quote is just a meaningless passage to the book because in the end they could get inside you maybe by only a few minutes, enough time for one to betray one’s believes emotions, and principles. They could make one agree to believe in something truly unbelievable or even desire death and torture to someone loved. They could reach a level where people could be so transformed, they did actions that no one could imagine doing.
Juan Jose Pinto
|
|
samia
New Member
Posts: 5
|
Post by samia on Aug 22, 2010 23:51:24 GMT -5
"As he watched the eyeless face with the jaw moving rapidly up and down, Winston had a curious feeling that this was not a real human being but some kind of dummy" (pg. 54) As I read this quote many thoughts came to my mind. I realized how the world Winston lived in was a total fake. People were brainwashed by Big Brother and many of them no longer thinked for themselves. Society had put so much pressure in the people it had forced them to say things they didn´t believe. Some people in the society, such as Syme, had been completely brain washed and had become a puppet manipulated by Big Brother. I thought about the hardship Winston had to endure every day. He had to eb careful not to show any emotions or gestures that might lead him to be vaporized. He lived in a world in which he could not even think as an individual and this must be very frustrating. The children were a threat since by indocrination they had become spies of the government. The past was altered and so nobody could learn from the mistakes in the past to have a better future. People in this distopia were kept as ignorants and controled so harshly to prevent any uprisings. It causes a great impact to read this quote since by this I could realize how terrible manipulation can be and how strong the impact can hit. I could feel as if I was in side the book feeling the same frustration as Winston by not being able to speak up and bring his friend back to sense. Samia Cabezas
|
|
|
Post by christianluna on Aug 28, 2010 12:36:23 GMT -5
-In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you had to belive it- pg. 80
|
|
|
Post by christianluna on Aug 28, 2010 12:45:32 GMT -5
In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you had to belive it- pg. 80 I think this quote explains alot how the Party manipulates the truth and how Winston thinks about it. I think that the quote says that the Party under the command of Big Brother controls the media, the newspappers, in the end the truth. He cant be wrong, we always has to be right even if he knows he is wrong. As Winston said the lie became truth because the Party writes down only what they want, and obligates the citizens of Oceania to believe it. As it says in the quote 2+2 will equal five which is not true but the Party would make you believe it. This quote explains how strong the phsycological manipulation is towards the people. Is like the Party controls the peopels mind, Big Brother makes the people believe what he wants them to believe, and if some one dosent agree with him, he is likely to disappear.
|
|
|
Post by jonnykling on Aug 28, 2010 13:28:18 GMT -5
War is Peace Freedom is slavery Ignorance is Strength (pg 16) I think this quote is amusimg for because the words are very wrong and they are both (in each line) opposites. Like how is war, peace? or how is Fredom, slavery? The only one that make sort of sence is the last one Ignorance is Strength, because if you refuse some thing or an idea it makes you over pass it and giving you more strengh or will power. Jonathan Kling
|
|
|
Post by mponce on Aug 28, 2010 18:06:57 GMT -5
“WAR IS PEACE FREEDIM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” pg. 16, chapter 1 This quote is very important since is one of the official slogans of the party. In the book Winston analyzes this quote many times and it’s always thinking about it. He clearly shows that he is against the party of Big Brother. I like this quote because it shows how the totalitarian government is. Since people live in an environment that is surrounded by propaganda and fear, the party is able to control every aspect of society. They can do whatever they want; they are able to change the past by creating history books which are altered by the party. They can convince everyone that war keeps them together so its peace. Freedom is slavery since the party says that if you are free your destiny is to fail. Ignorance would be strength because people live with lies and fear all the time so the party is able to have all the power needed. Showing us how tricky and horrible a totalitarian government can be. Maria Mercedes Ponce
|
|
|
Post by Bernardo Missura on Aug 28, 2010 22:25:31 GMT -5
"It was terribly dangerous to let your thoughts wander when you were in any public place or within range of a telescreen. The smallest thing could give you away. A nervous tic, an unconscious look of anxiety, a habit of muttering to yourself- anything that carried with it the suggestion of abnormality, of having something to hide" Part 1, Chapter 5 and page 62.
This quote means that, you must control yourself at every time, specially in public places and around the telescreen, you can't laugh at some moments and you can't smile at other moments or the Thought Police will find you and torture you, so you can make a confession. As I kept thinking about this quote, I realized that it must have been really difficult to block your feelings, for example you are against Big Brother and the Party, and you hear something negative about Big Brother, and your smile because you are glad that something was wrong with Big Brother, the telescreen might see that and they would take you, and punish you. Winston also said that even when you are sleeping you are exposed to danger because you can't control yourself, while you sleep. Bernardo Missura
|
|
|
Post by juansebastian on Aug 28, 2010 23:05:24 GMT -5
War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength page. 26
I think this part of the book is really important because is not just a quote said by one character. No, is the escence of the book, meaning is how the Oceania gov. runs the population and their lives. War is Peace, they first star with an encouragin frase that makes the people believe that if they help with the war and colaborate they eventually will get peace. Then Freedon is Slavery: Freedom is exactly what people dont have in this government, and slavery is what runs their lives. To mention this exact opposites is making them confuse and dont want freedom and make people's minds understand this, like laws. At last Ignorance is Strength: ignorance is something that somwhat makes anybody weak. While Strength is strength. The main idea of this slogan is to confuse and create in the peoples minds whatevere they want.
And what way of knowing that the dominion of the party will not endure forever? like an answer the three slogans on the face of the ministry of truth came back at him.
War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength
Juan Sebastian Perez
|
|
canda
New Member
Posts: 4
|
Post by canda on Aug 29, 2010 2:43:03 GMT -5
“‘Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past,’” (248). This is one of the slogans of the Party and here it shows the Party’s technique of manipulating the past as a psychological weapon upon people. It is clear all around the book that the history has been manipulated and this happens because the Party wants to control future. If the Party says that the past was a misery, with slavery, with starvation and with economical differences between Capitalists and the rest of the population then the Party could claim that they were the ones who set free people and who made difference, and to continue with change they should do what the Party says. So, by controlling the past, they control the future and by consequence if they control the past they control the present.
Camila Anda
|
|
|
Post by Micaela Andrade on Aug 29, 2010 15:36:03 GMT -5
“Have you done this before?” “Of course. Hundreds of times¬---well, scores of times, anyway” (Orwell pg.125).
This quote appears in the book when Winston and Julia were going to have sex for the first time. Winston was very nervous of thinking he was going to commit a crime. Julia was already naked and anxious of starting but before they start, Winston asked the first part of the quote and Julia answered him the second part of it. After hearing her response, Winston did it without being nervous and happy to know that she wasn’t as pure as the Party wants people to be. This quote is very revealing because the reader can realize that many members of the party didn’t follow the rule of not having sexual relationships at least to have children for the Party service. Winston reacts happily because he understands that he was not the only one who was betraying the party by committing this crime. And it fills him with hope that if someday he decides to form a counterrevolution group against the Party, he would have lots of support. Finally, the reader can see that the members of the party are phony and it is difficult to trust in someone. Micaela Andrade
|
|
|
Post by majosetorres on Aug 29, 2010 20:00:36 GMT -5
”Some Eurasian prisoners, guilty of war crimes, were to be hanged in the Park that evening, Winston remembered. This happened about once a month, and was a popular spectacle.” Pg. 24 I think this quote is really important because it shows how the society in that time was. When I read this quote I started thinking that people which live under a totalitarian state might lose their feelings and emotions because mostly everything is prohibited or controlled. This quote demonstrates that Party members don’t feel mercy for people who don’t belong to their community. It was really impressive to see that people were even excited to see these kind of cruelty and feel no compassion. Maria Jose Torres
|
|
|
Post by xaviponz on Aug 29, 2010 22:07:55 GMT -5
Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death." - George Orwell, 1984, Book 1, Chapter 2 The quote express in the novel is true, the society they live in is almost dead because they aren’t able to express or to act upon any decision it’s made in the government. The society the live is a controlled society where it doesn’t matter if the people are dead or alive; the only thing it matters is what the government says and how they control society. Thought crime won’t entail death if the society they live in would be so tragic and the government would have more freedom of speech. Like when Winston writes his diary about Big Brother, he has to do it secretly and his thought are dead.
Xavier Ponce
|
|
|
Post by camilauribe on Aug 29, 2010 22:56:57 GMT -5
' “Thoughtcrime!” said Parsons, almost blubbering. ' pg. 192 This quote makes me think immediately about lack of freedom. People, as human beings have the right to be free and think for themselves. In Oceania, thinking against the government is a crime. I think that this law is against people’s nature, everyone is different that is why we think different as well, but in Oceania everyone has to think alike and people are not unique anymore. i think that a person, meaning Big Brother, doesn't have the right to tell other what to think or not. This aspect of the story impressed me a lot.
Camila Uribe
|
|
|
Post by ariana on Aug 29, 2010 23:30:44 GMT -5
"'They do get so noisy,' she said. 'They are disappointed because they couldn't go to see the hanging, that's what it is. I'm too busy to take them, and Tom won't be back from work in time.'" (pg.23, Orwell).
This quote impacted me at the instant that I read it, because is unnatural to watch a person die and enjoy it. This is something that should scare people not something to entertain them. People encouraged violence, even the children were excited about the hangings! Children are nurtured and manipulated by the government to believe that such acts are not bad. The party can be extremely influential in the society. A whole community had been brainwashed, nobody felt an impact nor shock by watching a hanging, they enjoyed it.
Ariana Guerra
|
|