Lit. Analysis #2 Responses

1. The plot of 1984 by George Orwell is how the main character, Winston Smith, struggles with the dystopian society. The Party, which is the government in the novel, is constantly watching you. You don't really have any freedom. Winston goes through some adventures. For example, he meets this girl Julia and together they have a secret relationship. In the end, Winston and Julia are captured by the government and tortured. The Party tortures people until they confess to something so they can die. Winston gives up and gives in to what he is sentenced for

2. I think the main theme of the novel is how who ever controls the past holds a valuable weapon in their hands. By rewriting the past, one can manipulate how people act in the present. I think the author chose to write about this because it's an idea most people don't think about. We people think that controlling  the past isn't as scary as a gun but if you think about it, the outcome is very scary.

3. The protagonist is dynamic because in the end he does give in. Winston in the beginning hates the Party and breaks the law by writing in a diary and having a forbidden relationship. In the end though, O'Brien doesn't just make him give in but also makes him understand and accept that Winston has done something wrong. I think Winston is a flat character. Throughout the novel he doesn't really show many different characteristics.

4. One significant symbol in the book is the posters that are everywhere. The poster has a picture of a man whose eyes follow you. There's a caption underneath the picture that talks about how the government sees you. This ties in to the work as a whole because this dystopian society works through people constantly watched by helicopters and tele screens. The symbol of the poster incorporates to the plot of the novel.

5. I chose this book because I was reading summaries of the books on the AP Reading list and this one caught my attention. I've seen this book in Jr. High and I never got the chance to read it. Many people told me that it was good and as soon as I saw that it was about a dystopian society I ordered it. I like books like The Hunger Games and Divergent so that's why I chose this book.

6. In the book, there is constantly people disappearing. They're wiped away and their existence is taken away from the government. I feel as though many people have disappeared from me throughout these past couple of years. Old friends that I used to have in elementary and Jr. High are practically now strangers. I know that this is High School and that you meet new people but I find it sad how easily people can leave from your life and "cease to exist."

7. One idea from this book that I expect to remember for a long time is how important the past is. The past determines what kind of person you are. For example, let's say I had a horrifying experience like being raped. That event would cause me to be very distant and closed to people. In the novel, the government changes the past to make the people very emotionless and lifeless. When I read this book, I pictured everything to be black and white without any color everywhere. The past is something very important. That's why I try to make the present as happy and fun as can be so that when it does become the past, I can say that I lived life to the fullest.