Thursday, February 3, 2011

Discussion Director Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Discussion Director:
2/2/11:

1. Do you think it's Suspicious that the old man in hte bar remembers only minute details from the past?

2. How do you think the government got everyone to forget about the past?

3. Why do you think Winston rented out the apartment if he already has his own apartment? do you think it's perhaps to get away from the telescreen and the thought police?

4. If the proles don't remember anything, how is ONE person going to convince them to rebel? And if he succeeds, how many people will be willing to rebel? 10? 20? millions?

2 comments:

  1. #1. I feel like the old man in the bar may only remember small details of the past because of the widespread brainwashing at the hands of the Party. The extent of their dominance may be so significant that the erasing of past documents in order to "change history" may actually taking effect.

    #2. I believe that the Party had done their best to exterminate everyone who existed in the past before the revolution in which the Party took power, through these "purges" Winston talks about earlier in this chapter. If any survivors were to exist, like the man in the pub, they likely either say absolutely nothing about the past for fear of execution or their minds have literally blocked it out as a defense measure to prolong their lives.

    #3. I think Winston rented out the apartment to have a secure location where he could go to think and plot against Big Brother without fear of being monitored by the Thought Police; somewhere he can use as his 'sanctuary'.

    #4. I feel this is the biggest problem Winston has to deal with. The extent of the Party's control is so deep that even the citizens don't realize that they are being oppressed, and if you don't realize you're being oppressed how are you going to be upset enough with the government to rebel?

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. I think that the old man couldn't remember because of the constant changes in history the party has made, along with the propaganda.

    2. I agree that the survivors have either blocked out past memory's, or maybe there memory got erased.

    3. Completely agree, I think he just wanted a safe and secure location.

    4. I agree that the citizen's are so brainwashed they wouldn't even think about rebelling, or even thinking what freedom would even be.

    ReplyDelete