Anything, anything but THAT!! (186-245)

Everyone imprisoned at the Ministry of Love dreads being taken to room 101. Imagine a room with the worse thing in the world in it. What would that be for you? How long do you think you could hold out before giving in to the demands of your captors?

Seeing with brand new eyes..... (186- 245)

Reread and re rate (agree/ disagree) the statements on the anticipation guide from the beginning of the unit. Choose a statement where your response has changed. Tell why your opinion of the statement has changed using information from the novel.

This and that- the choice is yours... (113- 185)

Post any comments or questions you have about the events to date.  You can make predictions about what you think will happen to Winston and Julia or share your opinions about the characters and events.  You can reflect upon the contents and ideas in the book. If there is something you don't understand, ask the other bloggers for clarification. You can write about the themes of the novel such as betrayal, love, greed and individualism.   Whatever you choose to write about, remember your post MUST have some tie in or reference to the novel.

Feelings... nothing more than feelings.... (113- 185)

Winston thinks, "They [the Party] could not alter your feelings; for that matter, you could not alter them yourself, even if you wanted to".  Can you alter your own feelings by force of will? Can some else alter another person's innermost feelings?

Julia and Winston sittin' in a tree...... (55-113)

Do you think that Julia and Winston are a good match? What characteristics about their personalities mesh? What characteristics about their personality may cause a problem later?  Predict whether you think their relationship will last or fizzle out before the book ends.

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! It's off to work I go! (5- 55)

What is your opinion of Winston's primary task at work? Is his job necessary for the smooth operation of Oceania? What purpose does his job serve? (see #17)

Ahhhhh..... bliss! (5- 55)

A utopia is defined as "a place of ideal perfection, especially in laws, government and social conditions".  Describe your personal utopia with this definition in mind.  What would your 'ideal world be like?

My "Ownlife" (55-113)

One  of the activities that I regularly engage in that would be considered 'ownlife' would be reading, which many people find strange.  As an English teacher, I READ everything, all day, all the time: senior project research papers, testing data, classwork, tests, memos and letters, emails, scoring guides... the list goes on and on.  These are things I have to read because it is a part of my job- it is what I must do (and sometimes even that can be interesting and entertaining).  But I always have my stash of books that I read when I get home- mysteries and love stories and historical fiction.  I almost feel like I have to read- it is my palette cleanser- it washes away the all the madness, drama, frustration and stress that I inevitably bring home from work.  If I can read a book from the stash for just an  hour or so, I feel like I'm ready to get back to real life.
I suppose what makes my "ownlife" of reading different from Winston's in 1984 is that I can read what I want, when I want and how I want.  It is mentioned that most of the literature is Party literature and the other types of fictional readings, such novels,  were only allowed to be read by the proles.  Even the historical fiction that I enjoy so much would be different in 1984 since history is constantly being rewritten by the Ministry of Truth.

For an idea to exist we must have words to express it.... (pre reading)

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly.  An idea unexpressed is only a thought and often times, thoughts are fleeting.  Ideas are simply thoughts which have been expressed and acted upon, good or bad.  Some of the greatest ideas have become reality once they are expressed, acted upon AND accepted (or at least thought about) by others. And if by chance this thought-idea- reality is of the negative sort, it takes  the expression of other ideas to counteract it or fix it.  Unless you are a mind reader, is there any other way?
As an English teacher, I recognize the initial importance of words. Words have the power to draw immediate emotional responses... anger, sadness, sympathy, love, kinship, the list goes on and on.  Words can inflame or supress. Words can spur people to action and a shared belief or they can shatter a dream and break a heart.