Hard to Read

Ok, I'm gonna be honest here... I haven't read in like a week or something. Why? Well, it's not that my book is all that boring or too confusing to read, it's just... it kind of blows up in your face and then run away really fast. I'm not even joking.

For example, in one part of the book (I'm not leaving a quote because it's very inappropriate), you find out A LOT of stuff about Winston and his past. You find out some of the sketchy and nasty things that he's done. You read it and go, "WOW! I never would've expected that!" Now, normally, you expect the book to reveal more shocking and juicy secrets in the next few pages. But no. Not in this book.

Instead, we switch to a completely different, basically repetitive topic. As I'm reading, I'm thinking to myself, "...Ok... Soooo you just threw that bombshell at me, and now we're back to this? Really? You're not gonna elaborate on that at all?" The more frustrating thing though is that I don't event think anymore secrets are going to be revealed for a loooong time, which sucks as the reader.

I don't know, maybe I'm just impatient. I probably am, but hey, if something interesting doesn't happen for a while in a book, that's what happens. I just kind of check out.  This book seems like it has a lot of secrets to tell, but it seems it'll be forever before any of them come to light. To be honest, I don't want to read another 50 pages of just plain old text before more good interesting stuff happens.

The Flaws of 1984

I wrote a post earlier about the best things about the book 1984. Well, on the flip side of that, there are some not so good things about it. Even though I'm not too terribly far into it (still), I'm starting to notice some things that are kind of bothering me.

First of all, there are some pretty sketchy things that happen in this book. First of all, women are all stereotyped as being haughty and uptight. They all want the exact same things in life, and there really is no difference between any of them (except appearance). But, that isn't really all that sketchy... The REALLY sketchy things is- Wait... How do I put it... Well, I really didn't think this through, but all you need to know is that there are some *cough* *cough* inappropriate and illegal things that Winston does that just makes you cringe and barf in your mouth a little. You're all probably like, "I wanna know what it is! I wanna know what it is!" Well... Just read the book, ok? Or look it up. Google probably has the answer.

Anyways, the second thing that's not so great about this book is there are two INCREDIBLY long paragraphs of pure text (no dialogue) on each page for five pages; at least. It's almost painful to read through. I just look at the pages and groan, because I know a lot of stuff is going to be explained, but my brain will just be focused on the fact that there is still no dialogue, instead of digesting the important facts. I feel like dialogue is a crucial part of any story, and without it, you feel like something's completely missing. In my opinion, characters' interactions with one another tells the story all in itself.

Don't get me wrong, I still love this book overall, but seriously, can't there be just a smidge of dialogue every now and then?

Why 1984?

I feel like this is a topic that I should talk about, since it's a question I ask myself sometimes; why did I choose to read 1984? Out of all of the books on Amazon, in Barnes and Nobles and libraries, why this book?

Well, the first thing that caught my eye about this book is that it was on my Amazon recommended list. I thought it looked intriguing (after skimming the synopsis), and so I brought my Kindle over to my mom to ask if I could buy it. Since, you know, my mom likes to make sure that I don't spend money left and right on things she doesn't know about. She looked over it briefly, and then said, "Actually, I read this book when I was in high school! We might still have it here..." And sure enough, after looking through the old books we had, there it was; 1984, my mom's original copy. At first I thought, oh great... now I get to carry around an old, worn down book. But my mom insisted that it was great.

I don't know what it is, but something about the fact that it's an old book, and my mom (as well as many other people in her generation) have read that book. I was curious to see how dystopian style books were written back then. I wanted to see how the future looked from the eyes of someone in the '50s or '60s. Call me weird, but I think it's kind of cool.

I have an even stronger connection to it now that I know that my mom read it. I try to imagine what her and her classmates thought as they read it... Were they scared for the future? Did they just ignore the messages throughout? I don't know, because I've never asked her. But one thing her and my dad have both told me is that I should find it very interesting. "I think you'll be shocked when you read this book and see that many of the things predicted in this book are actually happening today."

Character Comparisons

In the book that I am currently reading, 1984, the main character is a skeptical government who works in a future-dystopian London named Winston Smith. To give you an idea of who he really is, the mere fact that he works for the government is puzzling. His ideas and small acts of rebellion make you wonder, why in the heck does he work for these people and do what he does? Wait, I should probably explain exactly what it is he does. That would be helpful, wouldn't it? Well, Winston essentially covers up the truth and comes up with his own version of what happened. But, there are guidelines as to what he's allowed to write. He has to come up with a story that makes Big Brother (the leader of his country) look like a saint, no matter what actually happened. While Winston still performs this task dutifully, he has a covert way of rebelling against the very people he works for. He has many thoughts of taking down Big Brother, thinks everyone else is just a bunch of mindless morons, and breaks a few laws along the way (one of which is writing a diary).You're probably thinking to yourself; why would Winston continue to work for the government if he hates them? That's what I thought originally, until it dawned on me that if Winston were to just stop working in the Ministry of Truth and got caught thinking and writing about rebellious things, he would essentially be "vaporized", or erased completely. "It seemed to him that he knew instinctively who would survive and who would perish, though just what it was that made for survival, it was not easy to say" (53-54 Orwell).

Now for the actual comparison (which I haven't gotten to yet, even though it's the title of this entire post). I'm comparing Winston to Guy Montag from Fahrenheit 451. I think they are both similar characters living in similar societies. They are both rebellious against the government, even if they aren't open about it. Well, Montag wasn't open about it in the beginning of the book. They are also similar because they both work for the government. More specifically, they help censor certain things from their own societies. They both also have wives who support their governments completely and follow the rules like the rest of their societies. Oh, and both wives leave Winston and Montag, showing that both men are such great husbands! Neither character has children either, but for two different reasons: Winston doesn't have a child because his wife couldn't have children, but Montag doesn't have children because Mildred didn't want any. Another difference between Montag and Winston is that their anger with their societies is aimed at different aspects of the government. Montag is mad at the mere fact that books are being burned and censored, while Winston is mad at the government as a whole.

Winston and Montag share a few differences, but for the most part, they are the same. They both share similar views of the future of their societies and they both want to make a difference. Oh, and they aren't very good with women.

Why George Orwell Wrote 1984

George Orwell, the author of 1984, brings up a lot of interesting and meaningful points throughout the book. But the big question is; why did he write it? I think this question comes down to one thing; what was society like during his time period? If we can answer that question, then I think it'll answer the first one.

George Orwell wrote this book in the 1950s or 1960s, a time where things weren't necessarily all that great. Granted, I didn't live in that time period (obviously), and neither did my parents (I'm pretty sure they're not THAT old). But things were starting to change a little bit. The government was becoming slightly more strict with its policies and the way it handled things. People started to become a little afraid and paranoid when it came to technology. People thought that technology might be used to spy on people, instead of being used for the greater good. In that time, technology was new, just coming onto the scene, just beginning to advance. To people back then, the sky was the limit. If you could put a moving picture on a screen in your living room, why couldn't you invent machines that could read your thoughts? Or tiny cameras? Or listening devices that could hear your every word? See what I mean?

To sum it up, I think that George Orwell wrote 1984 because he wanted to express how people back in his time felt about technology. He wanted to, in a way, warn people about the ways that it could be abused. He also wanted to warn against someone having too much control over technology. He wanted to show people that it could bring great things, but also very bad things. He wanted to warn people back then, and maybe even people in our time, not to let technology reach that point of being used to control us and monitor our actions and thoughts 24/7. I mean, think about it... What would happen if our society became that way?

1984 synopsis and analysis: http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/1984/

The most important line from a chapter is...

The most important line from the fourth chapter of the book that I am currently reading, 1984, is, "It struck him as curious that you could create dead men but not living ones" (Orwell 43). This line is important because it shows the true meaning of what is happening in Winston's society. It's showing how if a living person ever did something that defied the government, then any record of them ever existing had to be erased. But in the Ministry of Truth, you could make up a person who wasn't even real, but they would be passed off as a real person. It shows how society in the books has deteriorated so much that the government can erase anyone they want to and make up someone who was never actually real.

I mean, think about it: what if, one day, one of your friends just disappears from school. You'll probably sit there and wonder, "hm, I wonder where they are"? But if you ask the teacher where they are, they'll just say, "who"? There would be no records of your friend ever existing; pictures, attendance lists, IDs... NOTHING. They would just be gone and forgotten, just like that. That's what it's like in 1984. People would just be snatched up and executed over night, never to be seen again. No trace of them would be left behind. They would just be... gone.

The best thing about my book is...

The best thing about the book that I am currently reading, 1984, is that it reminds me of other dystopian books that I've read, but it also keeps it original. There are a lot of qualities in it that make it like a lot of dystopian novels, but there are also qualities that make it distinct from all the others. I also love how this book was made in the past (I'm sorry I keep bringing this up), but a lot of the events that occur are happening today. It's almost like George Orwell practically foresaw the future (except it's just a tad bit less extreme than what he thought). I can relate what is happening in the book to what's going on in our own country, and that's what I love about it.

The other thing I love about this book is that a lot of dystopian books tend to focus more on romance (*cough cough* Hunger Games *cough cough*) than the actual reason why it's a dystopian society. They also tend to focus on teenagers instead of adults. In most of the books, I wonder, why is it just the teens doing all the work? Why are they leading this huge revolution? In 1984, the focus is on the adults, and how the society affects them (and there's less romance). You get to see what a society like that is like from a different perspective, and that's what makes it interesting.

Text-to-Text, Text-to-Self, and Text-to-World

In just the first 27 pages of the book I am currently reading, 1984, I've already made a lot of connections to other things in life. So, I'm going to write a little bit about about each connection I've made.

For my text-to-text connection, I would have to say that this book kind of reminds me of Fahrenheit 451. The reason I say that is because of the dystopian way in which both novels are set up. They both show what can happen when society is censored/restricted by government. In Fahrenheit, books are restricted, while in 1984, pretty much everything is restricted, from television to magazines and the news, and so on and so on. The main characters in both books are also experiencing major changes in how they think of the way that things are. In Fahrenheit, Montag works for the fire department and helps burn books, but he soon learns that he doesn't want to burn the books, and even wants to read them. In 1984, Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, and helps to restrict the media and books and such, but he soon discovers his hatred for the government's policies and its leader, Big Brother. He doesn't want everything to be so restricted, and even wants the government to be overthrown. So, if you like Fahrenheit 451 (and it doesn't appear that many people do), then I would highly recommend 1984.

For my text-to-self connection, I think that I connect to this book in the way that I think kind of like Winston. He works for the government, but doesn't entirely believe in their ideology. I think that I'm kind of the same way. While I do like certain things, I feel sort of a resentment for them at times, and don't always agree with the way that they do things. For example, I like The Walking Dead, but sometimes the show get kind of meh, and I don't always agree with where the plot is going or how an episode unfolded. That's the way that Winston feels about the government. He hates the way that they restrict and control people, but yet he still continues to work for them.

Last but not least, it's time for my text-to-world connection, and I feel like there is so much in this book that connects to the world already. Although the book takes place in our past, the book was written to predict the future, and let me tell you, it shocks me how much of it is coming true. The book portrays the government as being overbearing and controlling, and that's kind of the way our government and other governments around the world are being. For instance, in North Korea, they censor the internet so that people can't access things from around the world. These things are done to keep people from learning too much and revolting against the government, like in 1984.

If you do end up reading this book, pay close attention to connections such as these, and make some of your own, because I think that's key to liking a book. If you connect to the book, then you like, but if you don't connect to the plot or the characters, then you don't like it very much.

1984

WAR IS PEACE

 

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

 

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

I am currently reading the book 1984 by George Orwell. When I first found this book on my Amazon recommended list, I thought to myself, why would I want to read a book about the past? But in reality, the book is intended to be about the future. You see, this book was written somewhere in the 1950s or 1960s. It's about the year 1984 (if you couldn't guess that from the title), which, back then, was the future. At first, I thought, well, most of this will be about something that has already happened. But so far, I'm dead wrong.

I'm only twenty pages into this book, and what I've read has shocked me. Most of the things that are written in this book are actually occurring today. This seems like an older version of a dystopian novel. It takes place in London where there is a very controlling (and somewhat confusing) government system. There's the Thought Police, who can read your thoughts 24/7 (which is totally not creepy) and arrest you if you think about anything rebellious, Big Brother, who is the head honcho of the whole thing, the screens that watch what everyone is doing every second of every day, and four different Ministries, each one controlling a certain aspect of people's lives. "They were the homes of the four Ministries between which the entire apparatus of government was divided: the Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news, entertainment, education, and the fine arts; the Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war; the Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order; and the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs" (Orwell 8).

Oh, whoops, I forgot the main character! Psh, well done Rachel... Anyways, the main character is Winston Smith, and he works for the Ministry of Truth. While you would expect him to be on the side of the government, I'm actually surprised to know that he hates the way the government controls everything. On just the eighteenth page (so don't worry, I'm not really spoiling anything if it happens right in the beginning of the book), he is subconsciously writing, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, over and over and over again. I finished reading where someone knocks on his door, and he's afraid that it might be the Thought Police. I'm so excited to find out what happens next! Anyways, I hope you all stay tuned for the next turn of events that might occur in the rebellious government employee's life in the next 225 pages.

Favorite Book From Last Trimester

 My favorite book from last trimester was White Fang by Jack London. I loved this book because of its intensity that was present throughout. The book follows the life of a half dog, half wolf, named White Fang. Almost immediately, the struggle for survival is present, which makes you want to knwo if White Fang does survive through his life. There is a lot of suspense and action that makes you want to turn the page over and over again. The plot and characters pull you in and make you invested in the story. It plays with all of your emotions one by one, making you feel happy in one paragraph, and then incredibly sad in the next. You never know what's going to happen next, and you can never truly know where the book is going, or how it's going to end.
 This book just keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat with every single word. The best part of it though is the fact that you can never predict what's goint to happen. You may think that you have an idea, but you have no idea what's really going to happen. Even when you do see what happens, you almost can't believe that it actually happened. From treacherous terrains to unexpected events, this book just leaves you stunned. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves books with intense action and extreme plot twists.

Dropping a Book

 I am seriously considering dropping a book here really soon. It's the book I am halfway through, but haven't read in weeks. It's called Technomancer, and I would not recomment it to anyone. It's so confusing, and I can almost predict what's going to happen. Also, the main character is a stereotypical player, which makes the book extremely boring to read, because the character is so predictable. The plot is just downright bizarre, and the other characters have almost no meaning (well, the few characters that there actually are).
 The main character is an arrogant, snobbish man who thinks he can just mouth off to anyone and thinks he know all the answers to everything. But he doesn't know anything! Also, he always does something incredibly stupid that causes him to get into a life or death situation, and he just acts like it's a game. Another thing is that the book tries to make it seem like something extremely terrible or suspenseful is about to happen, but in the end, the characters were in no danger at all. This makes it very disappointing and impossible to read. I would not recomment for anyone to read this book.

Vocabulary

 There is a lot of  interesting vocabulary in the book I am reading, Technomancer. There are some words that I have never heard of or seen before, but once I do what they mean, I am able to use them in my own writing. For the most part, there are words in the book that are very common, but also add more meaning to the book. They emphasize the modern context of the book and help to describe certain situations.
 The vocab that is used to describe certain scenes better helps to show the mood of the moment or conversation taking place. The new words that I find in the book make me more engaged in what I'm reading because it almost forces me to look up the meaning of the word in order to better understand what is happening. It engages me more in the book. Sometimes it makes me pay attention to pay attention to the context in order to fully understand the meaning of the word and what it adds to the sentence. It helps me to expand my vocabulary and helps me to use more elevated diction.

A Symbol for the Main Character

 In my book Technomancer, the main character is named Erin Draith. A symbol that I think really represents him well are is the sunglasses that he always carries around and utilizes throughout the book. It shows how he is always trying to hide his identity and doesn't want to be noticed. Also, since the sunglasses have the power to melt metal (I know, it's weird, even I can't really explain it), he often uses it to open doors that are locked. I think this represents how he liked to get involved in other peoples' business and doesn't want to focus on his own life.
 This symbol also represents his arrogance. He is often overly confident in himself. He thinks that can accomplish anything and hates to be proven wrong. He believes that he can do whatever he wants without consequence. He tried to act like he knows everything but gets very angry when he finds out that he doesn't know everything there is to know.

The Nature of Good and Evil

 In my book that I am currently reading called Technomancer: Unspeakable Things there is a lot of reflection about the nature of good and evil. Throughout the story, the line between these two is often blurred and confused for one another. When a character thinks that they are doing good, they are actually committing acts of evil, but they themselves are not aware of it. Killing other people is even a theme in the book that is often confused for good instead of evil. For example, a character named Jenna wants to take revenge against the hotel owners when her husband mysteriously disappears out of nowhere. She thinks that by killing them she will do good by avenging her husband's death.
  There are other sins that are confused as righteous in the novel. Some of these sins are greed and wrath, which are both thought by many characters to be truly good. Overall, this novel shows how it is not only in stories that we see the nature of good and evil appear. In real life, we can often do things that we think are good, when in the end, we have actually done something truly evil. Even when we are conscious that we are doing something evil, we can sometimes see it as good in the long run, or that it will benefit us, and we don't consider the consequences before making our decisions.

The Impact of Setting

 The setting of Technomancer is very important to the plot of the story. The setting is what ultimately helps propel the plot forward. The setting changes drastically throughout the story, going from a rundown old city to whole new worlds. This creates a lot of conflicts for the main characters as they try to understand the different dimensions and why portals to these worlds are being opened. This change in setting adds to the mystery of the story.
 Also, the setting also, in a way, becomes a character of its own. It changes drastically throughout the novel, it adds to the main events of the story, and it changes the characters' thought, actions, and perspective. Setting is very key because if you don't have sense of what the setting is like, it can change the way you think of the story, or the situations that the characters are going through. Even though the extreme change in setting may be confusing at time, it adds a lot of important pieces to the book. Without, the novel would be a lot more boring to read, and half of the plot wouldn't exist.