1984

So Winston starts this section off with him once again being followed, but this time it is by O'Brien. O'Brien comes up to him and starts rambling on and on about a new dictionary and how Winston put a word in the Times that wasn't supposed to be there because in the new dictionary it is outlawed, but what Winston told him was that they have not recieved the new dictionary yet. This process is done right in front of a telescreen which makes O'Brien seem very suspicious. Why do this infront of a telescreen, unless he is trying to get caught...right. O'Brien is not who he seems to be. I think that O'Brien is maybe working for the wrong side, he is probably part of the Party, and possibly working to get Winston caught.

The other part of the book was talking a lot about Winston's mother. When Winston's father died Winston's mother 'lost her spirit'. She changed and was now raising Winston and his sick sister on her own. Winston was in some words a bratty child. He would scream and fight and throw temper tantrums in order to try and get food from his mother, and when she folded and gave him some it only made his want more. Even though he knew he was starving the only family he had left he still kept on doing it. I wonder if Winston's mother thought that if she didn't give him the food he would turn her in for something like thoughtcrime. She may have lost her will to feel compasionate towards him and only fear what was to come if he wasn't a satisfied child.

Winston woke up and found out that he really didn't kill his mother like he thought, this is what he got from a dream he had. Julia asks him what is wrong and he confides in her but she just blew it off. I wonder if it was just because she was half asleep, because he did just wake her up to tell her or if it was because her feelings for him aren't as emotional as they are physical because no matter how much they try their abilities towards feelings and everything are somewhat lost.

Later on in this section Winston takes Julia to O'Briens home to get the "dictionary" and Winston confides in O'Brien but we find out he is not who we thought he was.

1984

This weeks reading was pretty intense. There were many risks taken and many new findings. First we start off with Winston and Julia heading off to a secret place. Danger/courage is what they are going through right now, not knowing whether or not they'll get caught but taking that risk anyhow. At first Winston is a bit scared to get too close to her. I wonder, is he still afraid of whether or not she's a spy or if he's afraid he'll get caught or he's afraid of what might end up happening between them? But whatever the reason he is pulling away from her at first he ends up not caring at all because he pushes away all of his worries in order to get back the one thing he's been thinking of most of the book, to be close to someone, not just emotionally, but physically too. One thing that bothers me about those two is that at times they are way too honest. First he tells her he hated her at first and thought of killing her and so on and then she tells him she's slept with tons of guys and liked it because she wanted sex...um ok. I would get creeped out about that but they apparently don't seem to mind. Also in this chapter things between the two strenghthen but what is strange is that Winston compares Julia to a political matter. He talks about being with her wasn't so much for physical/emotional but was because he was in a way rebelling and making some political statement.

Later on in the book we learn a lot more about Julia, especially about how she completely despises the Party. She actually plays a big role in the party, being part of the Anti-Sex League and wearing the red sash. But really all of this is in order that she doesn't get caught or even suspisioned for who she really is. Julia is much younger than Winston is it surprised me that if she grew up with the only knowledge of the Party, why is she so against them???

1984

The chapter starts off with Winston missing, for the second time in three weeks, going to his comunity center. When he is thinking about this his ulcer starts to hurt and I think the reason for that is because he is stressing about what could happen whether he could get in trouble or whatever but he is getting agitated and that is why his ulcer is starting to hurt and itch. "If there is hope it lies in the proles." I think that this saying is important in the story because it makes me think that the proles are the only ones left with the memory of how used to be, they are not under as much control from the government and this makes them so important because they are the only ones left to bring them back to the way the world was before the revolutionary war. Winston believes that they are the only hope left and that is why he follows an old man into a pub and bothers him hoping he will tell him about his past. Once Winston realizes the old man has no recollection of the past Winston knows that the government has made much more damage even to those who have lived before Big Brother. This just gives him a feeling that there is no hope left and when that is in your head, what's the point of living?

While Winston was walking home the girl, Julia, was once again following and for a moment he thought of taking her in the alley and killing her. He already thought she was some sort of spy but now that he was holding something that could get him in trouble he is even more nervous. But he decides not to and goes home.

Julia has completely changed from who we thought she was in this chapter. She went from being a spy to actually just following her heart. In this chapter Julia makes a brave move. When she was walking by Winston she fell and Winston, surprisingly, helped her up and she gave him a note that said "I love you!" Winston of course is thinking the worst but he gets the courage to go and talk to her and they plan to meet. When they do meet everything doesn't go as planned but in the process they get to hold hands.

1984

In this section of the reading we learn more about what it is that Winston does. Winston gets messages and then needs to go back through the articles in the "Times" and rewrites history in the way that Big Brother wants him to write it. Winston says that his work is his "greatest pleasure"...what is that all about. Winston first says he hates his work because he doesn't agree with it and then he says it is his pleasure. It's quite confusing, but in a way I think that maybe it makes sense. Maybe he is trying to do what everyone else is doing by following Big Brother but when he is going against it maybe that is his way of staying sane with the way the world is supposed to be. He needs to be able to get away from what he is told and do what he thinks is right.

Syme, a writer of the Newspeak dictionary, is introduced to us. He eats lunch with Winston and in a way is his friend. Syme tells Winston of how the dictionary is getting smaller, and smaller. Big Brother is trying to limit the amount of words people are able to speak of so that they will no longer be able to have bad thoughts. I wonder, is everyone expected to read the dictionary in order to know of the certain words they are and are not able to speak or even think of?

At the end of the section Winston speaks of his wife. The first time that we hear of Winston having a wife, and he says that she was under their control. They were unable to have a child so she left. How is it possible to even think in that way. In a way this book kind of reminds me of the movie "The Truman Show" where Jim Carrey lives in a world and in a way, even though he doesn't know, is being controled. His wife doesn't actually love him, everyone is nice to him because they are on TV, and his world is not even an actual world. In a way the book just reminds me of this movie and how you never know who is out there watching...

1984

The book starts off talking of a man who is walking up the stairs to an apartment where there is another man who is listening to a telescreen and when he notices another person is around he turns it down even though Winston can still hear the words clearly. Then as he is walking down the steps he sees a poster that states: Big Brother is Watching You. This saying has much significance to the story as it goes on.

When Winston is back at his place he is trying to decifer whether or not to write in his journal. Finally he just starts jotting down the first thing that is in his head. When he pauses he is reminded of a story which is the reason he wants to write in his diary. The story takes place earlier that day when her was at work and a meeting or something was taking place and everyone was gathered around in a room with a telescreen and when it came on an enemy to this Big Brother named Goldstein came on and he talked of what he thought was wrong with Big Brother and everyone pretty much freaked out. They screamed and threw things at him, hitting the telescreen, and they shouted their hate towards him even though to him it meant nothing because he was not there to hear it. When Winston stood up he made eye contact with O'Brien and realized that there was someone else who thought the way he did...that Big Brother is not what it seems, it might just be much worse. But the one thing that bugged me is that this Goldstein is saying what he feels is right and using his freedom of speech and preaching to the world but even those who possibly agree with him do not have the guts to speak out themselves, instead they follow what the others are doing and yell about how wrong he is.

Winston goes off in a day dream and when he awakes from it he realizes he has written "Down with Big Brother" which is something that could get him killed but yet he keeps going writing things, bad things, about Big Brother. When there is a knock at the door Winston fears someone has seen what he has written down and he is scared, but he leaves it open anyway and I think it is a gesture toward what he believes in he wants people to know. He's scared but in a way he isn't . He wants to revolt but isn't sure how to. Mrs. Parsons is the one at the door and she needs help with her sink.

The story continues with Winstons day dreaming and I think that this has much importance because it goes into detail about what he believes in and what his thoughts and experiences are which all have much importance for what will happen in the rest of the story.

The Great Gatsby

Chapter nine starts off with Nick talking as he remembered that day and how he remembered Gatsby the last time he saw him. The way he looked as his lifeless body lay in the pool and the red blood coming out from under his body like lava. Just everything about that day is something Nick will never forget and he will never forget the last thing he said to his friend or the last thing that ran through his friends mind, the thought of Daisy no longer loving him and not choosing him, but choosing Tom over him. The thought that that is the last thing Gatsby remembered is really depressing. Nick is trying to reach others to tell them of Gatsby’s death and he cannot reach anyone, and when he does reach other people he finds out that they really were not friends of Gatsby, just acquaintances. The thought that he would be the only one to attend Gatsby’s funeral is bad enough, but when Gatsby’s dad arrives makes it even worse. His dad coming to the funeral is not the bad thing I mean the fact that Mr. Gatz has to see that his son, whom he thought is a great guy and who made a good life for himself, has no friends not even good enough ones who will attend his funeral. That is really sad. It is not something that a father should have to see or think. So Nick tries to get people to come to Gatsby’s funeral but even when he goes to New York to get Wolfshiem, he still won’t come. Apparently he has other things to do than get tangled up in something like that. Pa-lease! Nick spends his time reflecting on that and his experiences during that time and all of those who he new like, Jordan Baker who apparently is engaged to another. Awkward. All in all, the book was pretty good. There was a lot of hidden meanings that need to be looked for and a lot of illusion vs. reality. But the book teaches a lot of good lessons and makes you think of what was really going on back in those days.

The Great Gatsby

As Tom, Nick, and Jordan return from the scene of Myrtle’s death, Tom is pretty much freaking out from the thought that Gatsby, who supposedly is the one who ran her over, didn’t even stop to see if she was all right or to explain that it was an accident. Instead he just went home. But what Tom and the rest of them don’t know is that it was Daisy who was the one who was driving and by Gatsby’s description of her is that it didn’t seem to register of what she had just done. I don’t know if I just missed it but I don’t remember how Myrtle got out to run into the road where she could get hit by a car. It is said that when she ran out in front of the car she was trying to stop the car like she knew who was driving. Why? Well because when Tom was driving Gatsby’s car into New York and he stopped for gas Myrtle looked out of her window where she was locked away and saw Tom there. This yellow car is very unique so of course when she saw this car coming she thought Tom would stop and take her with him. That is also what Mr. Wilson thought as Tom arrived at the scene until Tom could explain that he just came from NY. As they are at Tom’s house Nick gets ready to go home in a taxi and as he is walking towards the end of the road to wait for the taxi he spots Gatsby in the bushes. Gatsby then comes out and explains all of this to Nick. Nick tries to get Gatsby to go home with him in his cab but Gatsby is too dedicated to Daisy to just abandon her and leave her with Tom in case Tom may get violent and be dangerous. When Gatsby returns home Nick hurries over to his house to once again talk about what had happened. That night what Gatsby had come to figure out is that Daisy chose Tom. Yet even though he knows this he still is not willing to admit it.
Then the chapter goes to back when Gatsby and Daisy were truly in love and he was leaving her to go to war. Gatsby wasn’t rich then and she loved him, but why can’t she still love him rather than keeping her social status with Tom. The chapter goes to George Wilson and he is looking for the man who killed his wife. He tells his friend Michaelis that he can find out who it was and when Michaelis is home sleeping George leaves and is walking all over talking to others to figure out who it was. As Gatsby is trying out his unused pool shots are fired. Nick goes running through the house to the back yard where he finds Gatsby in a pool surrounded by red blood where George Wilson had murdered him and then took his own life.