I like Winston because he does what he thinks is right and is a rebel against the government. He is unique and thinks a lot. I don’t really like Julia because she is getting Winston to be an easier target to kill but I like that she inspired him to join the Brotherhood. Julia is a very good liar and does many things to cover up her lie of being a rebel. She sounds a bit too good to be true. I think that she is using Winston because all they like to do is make love and she doesn’t seem to care about getting any further with rebellion like Winston. Winston has violent reactions and seems bipolar. You can’t have goals in a society that doesn’t allow you the freedom. He is sometimes heroic because he wants to destroy the government for the people and not just for himself. Winston and Julia are different when they are apart and together. It is strange how they are not very likeable when they are apart and alone. Why make Winston so average? He is average to us but different for them. There might be people like him, also hiding just like Winston. They can’t communicate with each other. He will do anything even to kill to join the brotherhood. This seems no different then Afghanistan. I like Winston the best he doesn’t just care about one thing like Julia does but he actually has thoughts about the rebellion. Evidence from the book is when Winston tells Julia about what he found out from O’Brien’s book and she didn’t even really care. --from the class discussion, key points: These two characters resemble different morals on how to survive in this country. -Bobby Julia is there to keep Winston alive.-Bryson Julia changed Winston’s view on women.-Noah S All she is there is to have sex.-Noah F I think Julia is a tool to help evolve Winston’s character along in this society. She is just there to help Winston with his problems. He has thoughts.-Matt F He is heroic because he fights for future generations.-Kris He is a tool to help the rebellion.-Bryson He is hero but doesn’t do everything to stand up to the government. He could do more.-IP Realist character because he is an average guy that stands up.-Ethan I think being a hero in this book is someone is able to have there own thoughts like Winston. I think if everyone in the society was able to have there own thoughts then they would be able to overthrow big brother. Even though its something really small it’s still a heroic act. I think Winston has heroic acts but is not a hero because he can’t compound those acts into one big one and stand up to big brother. Julia: Julia is better at getting around, her rebellions are more self centred She changed Winston’s view of women Julia is basically just a tool She’s smart because she knew how to make people believe that she won’t rebel against them Winston Winston is less self centred, he wants to help the future generation Not a leader He’s like a normal guy I think in 1984, a hero would be anyone who is willing to speak their mind and do anything to stand up for what they believe in, except kill. I don’t think that killing people would benefit anyone because if you think about it, it’ll just create more drama which probably means more killings. Therefore, I don’t think that Winston is a hero if he kills because it’s just causing like a chain reaction of never ending badness. Like, of course if someone does something really bad like try to murder him then he would have to eliminate him first. But if its just for rebelling against them then that’s really stupid because technically, he’s the rebellion and… It’s like rebelling the rebellion… (I think I just confused myself). But overall, I don’t think Winston is a hero I think that I do like both of them because of what they are doing. They are both rebelling from the government that’s gone wrong, and they seem to resemble two different sides of one rebellion. Julia made many small rebellions of her own by sleeping with other members of her work place, and makes them a little more self centered, but she also resembles surviving, since she has been doing well with getting around, and staying under the radar. Winston has an immense hatred for big brother, and is bent on bringing the government as they know it down, how ever even thought he is a little more selfless and wants to bring down big brother for the future generation he wouldn’t be as successful if it hadn’t been for Julia in not being caught. They feature two parts of a rebellion, each relying on each other to be successful, and that is why I think I like them, not just what they are physically doing, but also what they stand for in their rebellion. | Well, to sum things up in a couple of words is, how couldn’t you. Well since we come from a biased society where sex is kind of normal when you get to older ages, we think its fine. Some people don’t like it, and to each his own, however, they have the ability too. Not like in their time period, everything they do is controlled. They are rebelling for something we already have so we don’t see him as bad we see him as normal. In a way so is Julia, except she had intercourse at a young age and that would’ve been bad for our generation. Especially to do it with a 60 year old. Gross! Anyway I don’t like or dislike them, they are both somewhat normal ( for us anyway ). They both can somewhat remember things that other people do not. Many people are corrupt in the system and remove things they should not be in power of. This changes them both into secret people. Winston was a kind of shy person that becomes angry later on, this made me think he was strange. I don’t dislike strange but I don’t find like it either. Julia is a very secret person and so I don’t know much about her so I don’t really know about her. I think that what Trevor said was really good when he said that you couldn’t have goals in a society where your not allowed to have goals. April the 4th, 1984. To the past, or to the future. To an age when thought is free. From the Age of Big Brother, from the Age of the Thought Police, from a dead man… greetings I like winston because he knows what he is doing right even though he has a high chance of dying. This quote is from one of the first diary entires he puts. Winston Smith: Look, I hate purity. Hate goodness. I don’t want virtue to exist anywhere. I want everyone corrupt. Julia: Well, I ought to suit you, then. I’m corrupt to the core. Winston Smith: Do you like doing this? I don’t mean just me… Julia:I adore it I think the reason for Julia was to keep Winston going. This is why I like her. She gives winston a reason to keep going on his path of rebellion. She mostly is just a tool that the author uses to make the story longer and make Winston’s life more complex. When I think about it a real hero in this society would be a person who follows what they believe in. I’m not saying the government is good because I think that they’re just corrupted and they are the villain. Winston as a rebel or even Julia would be heroes because they know what’s wrong with the society and they try to fix it. I don’t like Winston because he doesn’t appeal to me as a hero and in any story I read, I want a hero. When we read the Iliad even though he was a jerk, I personally liked Achilles. Because I just like a hero, someone to fix whatever problem there is in the story. Winston isn’t that type of person; I mean sure he is trying to start a rebellion and fix what wrong has been done, but I think he isn’t out in the normal heroic light that we normally see. How does Orwell depict Winston? First, his appearance is against the traditionally heroic mode: he is a small, frail, twig with a varicose ulcer above his right ankle. he is physically unfit, and he has to pause several times as he ascends the stairs.His actions are what turns me off on him ultimately. His job is to erase the history that happened and make it more to the favor of the government and big brother. He does this job very well and he seems to kind of enjoy it as well. But what is really weird to me is that he doesn’t try to make a record of these, he tries to remember it all by memory while it would be more efficient and ultimately would benefit them in the future for say dirt on them for lack of a better word. He does though on the other side of the coin display heroic qualities. Such as he denies the fake facts and keeps trying to “fight the power”. It would be way easier to just lay down and let big brother win because he wouldn’t risk himself and it would relieve stress. Take the weight of the world off his shoulders. Julia I think that Julia is just a tool for Winston to get him sane I guess in this messed up world. She is like Sam in lord of the rings. I don’t really know the whole story, but from what I comprehend he is his best friend that accompanied him on this journey and all along it would be frodo to destroy the ring. Frodo would be the hero of the story. Sam was ther for comfort, to protect him from smeagol, to carry the burden. To be a hero, I think you need to do everything in your power for the greater good. Even if it means you suffer, even if it means you don’t gain from it. You do it if others benefit. With great power come great responsibility. If you have the power, the opportunity, the cahones to do the right thing. You do it. Because it is the right thing to do. That is what defines a hero in my book. Darth vader is a hero in my book. He gave up his life to save the whole galaxy because in the end he defeated the emporer and the whole galaxy would benefit from it. |