1984 #2

Winston is having a hard time buying in to what the State and Big Brother are selling because of the curiosity and yearning for something better that he feels. Even though he wouldn't know any better he can sense that there is something better out there, and he comes to the conclusion that the State and Big Brother are holding something back.
I would say that his small acts of defiance are protests yet, but they are the seeds for protests. I say this because they are only ideas and setup for protesting.
I compare Winston's "rebellion" to the Occupy movement. I recognize that they are different in size and magnitude, but I do believe they are very similar in the sense that they are not yet fully organized. Also, neither situation has details or set reasons, Winston is mostly speculation while Occupy protesters occassionally know the basics of what their protest is for. On another note, the government is not as effected by or involved in the Occupy movement as Big Brother and the State are in Winston's rebellion. This is because Winston is protesting directly against the government; while, the Occupy protesters are opposed to banks.

Aristotle Quote

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a though without accepting it." -Aristotle

I agree with this statement because after haveing socratic seminar, harkness discussions, and debates in 8th grade I know that in order to ever be able to persuade someone you must have a two sided argument. The ability to push a two sided argument is what Aristotle is talking about here.

Collectivism vs. Individalism

1. Collectivists believe in loyalty and honesty. Individualists belive in ambition and creativity.

2. Both schools of thought rely on status, but they define status differently. Collectivists think of status as how one can help the group while individualists think of status as being a measure of how one can improve their own life.

3. The teacher will be beaten down to the bottom of the totem pole because she isn't used to the competition of an individualist society. This happened because she wants to make the whole school better while all of the individualist teachers surrounding her only care about helping students that apply to them.

4. An aquaintance is a person you know ibut wouldn't apporach or hang out with unless required to do so.

2+2=5

1. This song is about how people in society are too caught up dreaming about themselves to pay attention and question why things are the way they are.

2. The music starts out soft and allows you to clearly hear each lyric and gives you time to think about what they mean. Then the music becoumes louder and faster and it pounds the messasge down into your head.

3. "2+2=5" symbolizes that people are blind enough to believe anything they hear even when the truth has obviously been bent.

1984 Reading Ch 1

The society in 1984 is a dystopia even though to the people inside it, it seems like a utopia. The reason why it is a dystopia is because of the constraints the government has put on the individual rights of the people. The main example of this from chapter one is that keeping a diary is an act punishable by death.This obviously to the reader is recognized as absurd but to the people within the society it is a completely normal understanding. This unanimous understanding that I'm talking about is also being used by the government to avoid conflict in religion and relationships as well because nobody knows any better. Then, the people who do find a head of their own are targeted by Big Brother who is a concept of the government being able to watch every action and hear every thought of each person in the society. Thus, because nobody knows what is good for them, they are also happy.

"Shame" Listening Journal

This song is about the shame that the speaker feels because of something he did.
The tone of this song is regretful and remorseful.

1.Please- the use of the word please make him almost sound desperate and it shows that he knows he messed up.
2.boatloads- shows he is in way over his head
3.strutted- shows that he was probably overconfident and arrogant and that he took what he had for granted.

"Young Life" by Bo Bartlett

Claim/Fact
1. They are struggling to get by./ They are driving a beat up old, rugged pickup that wouldn't be driven unless no other car could be afforded.
2.The child is neglected and is being poorly raised./ He is far away from his parents and he is using the stick as a crutch to raise himself up.
3. The father dislikes the boy and the mother is the glue of the family./ The father is a hunter while the boy is dressed nicely and isn't dirty at all while the father is rugged and dirty.

The family depicted in "Young Life," a 1996 painting by Bo Bartlett, is inexperienced and poor, the family's lack of sophistication and money makes it difficult for them to maintain a high quality of life. There are multiple factors that contribute to the ideology that it is hard for the family to get by. One factor is the rugged pickup truck that sits behind the family. This car is beat up and old; it is the type of car that is only driven when it absolutely has to be. The fact that they drive it shows that the family is poor and cannot afford a nicer vehicle. Also, the deer on top of the car symbolizes that they family cannot rely on their income alone to provide a healthy lifestyle for themselves.

"You Were Right" by Built to Spill

1. The song is about a breakup between the speaker and someone he loved very much. I think this because the tone of the song is sad.
2. The tempo of the music flowed well with the mood of the song.
3. The song conveyed the message it intended well. The words were figurative but the metaphors were clear and easy to understand.