For my summer reading book I chose 1984, by George Orwell. The story takes place in an oppressive, totalitarian future world in the country of Oceania. Readers follow Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party, a sub-group of the the Party itself, as he begins to rebel against what is deemed acceptable. Winston’s actions, along with his love affair with Julia, lead to his capture by the party and eventual torture and brainwashing at the climax of the story. 1984 is a grim, pessimistic view of the future that Orwell put forth in fear of totalitarian rule.
I chose to read 1984 after receiving the suggestion to read it from my father. I learned the premise of the book and decided that it was an ideal book to read for my summer reading. It deals with a society that is much like our own but applies an oppressive regime upon it and creates a grim atmosphere of control and uniformity. Then it introduces a character that dares to be different and wishes to rebel against and contradict that which the Party desires and commands. This sets up the perfect character for the reader to rally behind and connect with. These characteristics are very similar to two of my favorite books, Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. So with these characteristics paralleling books that already greatly appeal to me, 1984 was set up to be very compatible with me.
1984 features great story telling throughout the novel. Winston is a character that is deeply emotional, easy to connect to, and easy to support. His character is that of the rebel. This alone is enough to demand an instant liking from the reader, as people naturally want to associate with and support someone who dares to defy the norm. When Winston is subjected to torture and brainwashing by O’Brien, excellent story telling is very evident, specifically in the character department. In this scene Winston’s greatest fear, something eluded to many times throughout the story, is forced upon him with the hopes of it being enough to fully change him. In the end it is enough, and O’Brien succeeds in forcing Winston to betray his lover, Julia, in order to save himself. Winston is reintegrated into society with no feelings left for Julia and complete belief and support of Big Brother and the Party. The book does not end happily, but rather with the up-riser being crushed by the ever powerful, oppressive Big Brother. This was in order to show the world that in a totalitarian rule the people who do not conform to the established norm will be beaten into place and forced into conformity. Through Winston’s ordeal, a clear message of warning and fear is portrayed through a compelling story. This fusion is evidence of truly great story telling.
1984 is a great example of good story telling. It is a politically focused book that aimed to expose the horrors of totalitarian rule would have upon the world, all while utilizing well thought out characters and plot. Emotion runs rampant through the pages and a deep connection is established with the protagonist, Winston. With this as a base for the novel it succeeds greatly in becoming a truly great story. It has been a great pleasure to read 1984 for my summer reading book.
Hello there Maxwell. There are a few problems that I thought should be expressed towards your blog entry. First, there are absolutely no quotes to support your claims. You make some truly remarkable and insightful points regarding the nature of the totalitarian and futuristic society of Oceania; furthermore, because I myself have read 1984, I can further appreciate your insights. Second, there are a few grammatical issues and issues with word choice. For example, I don't think you can start off a sentence with 1984. In addition, when you say elude in the 2nd to last paragraph, you actually mean allude. Furthermore, there really isn't any clear or main point to your writing. Your passion towards the novel is apparent, but a good thesis statement to combine all of the information that you present may be helpful. Overall, great work sir. I am thrilled to see how your final draft turns out, buddy.
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Yes, Jehan, you can start a sentence with '1984.' It's the title of the book..?
Anyway.
I feel like we as an audience don't truly get to the meat of your thesis until the last two paragraphs, which seem to allude to the concept that Orwell's novel ultimately succeeds as a noteworthy piece of literature due to his exceptional story-telling. It seems like you didn't go into the paper with a sense of what you wanted to write about, which is why a fair amount of the paper relies on summary, but you found it towards the end, and for your next draft, I would try to focus more on that and cut all the fluff about how awesome and exciting and life-changing summer reading is. Thrill us with poignant analysis instead of enthusiasm for enthusiasm's sake.
Max,
ReplyDeleteGood job bud :). I agree with Clare that your main idea becomes slightly more apparent towards the end of your paper, and that you would benefit from clearly stating your purpose in the beginning. You've provided a lot of examples from the book, though a few directs quotes would probably be good. I would have liked to see a little more elaboration about why the examples you chose constitute a good story. Your passion and enthusiasm about the book was clearly expressed through your writing style, and while I appreciate your elaboration on the reasons why you chose the book and what it means to you, a little more expansion on why its a example of good story telling would be good.