Here is 1984.
Characters:
The main character in this Book is Winston Smith. He is a contrasting man in his ideals compared to the party and totalitarian system that runs his world. He knows of the constant watching that is done on him, and believes he will be caught no matter what. he is idealistic, looking for ways to bring down big brother and bring about social justice and change, yet has no real hope. no matter what, he knows he will be caught, and this creates an ironic twist in the fact that his hope is false.
Julia is stark contrast to Winston. THough she also hates the party and believes she will be caught for doing so, her intentions are a lot more basic and life affirming. she wants to enjoy the moment and enjoy the promiscuous sex she has. he affairs with multiple party members give her a desire to rebel through enjoyment of what you cant have in society.
O'Brein brings mystery into the novel through his character. Though He originally comes across as empathetic to WInston and his wish for rebellion, it is he who arrests and tortures winston into passive acceptence of the state. His character is enigmatic in the stance that not much is ever learned about him, and as the book progresses, you actually learn less about him and leave more confused. his own action is contradictory to what he ends up doing.
Plot Overview:
Winston is a low ranking member of the ruling party in london england. His own life is controlled in ever aspect by the state, and he is watched everywhere. in this distopyian society, your thoughts arent even your own, and massive propaganda serves to influence everything you think about. WInston soon starts a covert affair with julia, always on his toes for party spying. as their relationship progresses winston begins to hate the party more and more, and eventually is confronted by o' brien, who asks him to join the brotherhood; the group working against the party to bring it down. THough this brings happiness into winstons life it is soon dashed from him when he is caught by the thought police. it turns out that o brien was actually a party spy. after weeks and months of torture winston is let out into the world, completely accepting of the party and defeated in his attempt at individuality.
Setting:
The setting is in the year 1984, in a time period where social parties have given way to a hyper conservative group in england who have taken control and imposed strict regulation on everything, becoming a 100% totalitarian society.
Central Conflict:
The central conflict is explained through winstons character. his development as an individual conflicts witht the ideals of the state, and this causes his eventuall downfall.
theme:
The psychological, technological, physical, and social dangers of totalitarianism and political authority; the importance of language in shaping human thought.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Brave New World
As Such with Othello, here is my Brave New World one. I know these aren't as long because im doing them all the night before the test, but its the best i can do.
Important Characters:
John:
John is a very interesting character in the fact that he is purely an outsider, and upon his introduction, the author portrays him as innocent, intelligent, and blindly ambitious, much like that of a child. he is in love with shakespeare, and sees his humanitarian views as his own, giving him the hope he strives for. John is the perfect example of the renaisance man, but he is blind. when brought to the world state, he starts to see what has become of society and that its shallow happiness does not convey the same emotional feeling as shakespeare portrays his society. Brave new world, a phrase used to describe Johns reaction, becomes increasingly ironic and cynical, reflecting the changing mindset of John. by the time of his suicide, john's crushed faith reflects what a despot society can bring, and also gives warning to the ideas of instant gratification and lack of love. John is the real human, destroyed not by the savegery of the uncivilised where he is from, but by the savagery of the world state. a distopyian look on what our society is becoming.
John is probably the most important character in this book.
Quick Plot Overview. THe story begins in teh conditions facilty, where the system of growing embryos and conditioning them into pre determined class ranks is explained in full, giving us an overview of the state controlled society of brave new world. Bernard, an alpha whos conditioning mishapped is jealous of Henry watson and his relationship with lenina. Bernard and his friend helmholtz discuss their frustration with World State society, yet this is hypocritical becuase all bernard wishes is to be a part of this society and take pleasure in its instant gratification. He asks lenina to accompany him to the indian reservation. There they meet john. john is explained above. once back in the world state john becomes a celebrity, not because of his intellect or love for the arts, but becuase of his strange nature. he reads about things like love and happiness, yet in this society such things dont exist. Eventually he becomes fed up with this society, and leaves to cleanse himself, as he put it. the World state comes to watch him flog himself daily, and it becomes a spectacle. succumbing to the orgy that followed after lenina's witness to the event and succumbing to the world state sciety as a whole, john hangs himself.
setting:
The time is the future for a reason, to display the possibility of our world having a similar society eventually. The setting takes place in a time where happiness is a pill away, but true happiness does not exist. Classes are pre determined, and it is impossible for the working proletariat to rise up and rebel to create a greater society. religion is replaced by blind faith, where Ford is worshipped for his creation of the assembly line, because society has basically become an assembly line.
Central Conflict:
The Central Conflict in Brave new world is the clash of scoieties between johns humanitarian and renasiance societal logic, and the powerhouse of the world state.
Theme:
The use of technology to control society, the incompatibility of happiness and truth, the dangers of an all-powerful state
Important Characters:
John:
John is a very interesting character in the fact that he is purely an outsider, and upon his introduction, the author portrays him as innocent, intelligent, and blindly ambitious, much like that of a child. he is in love with shakespeare, and sees his humanitarian views as his own, giving him the hope he strives for. John is the perfect example of the renaisance man, but he is blind. when brought to the world state, he starts to see what has become of society and that its shallow happiness does not convey the same emotional feeling as shakespeare portrays his society. Brave new world, a phrase used to describe Johns reaction, becomes increasingly ironic and cynical, reflecting the changing mindset of John. by the time of his suicide, john's crushed faith reflects what a despot society can bring, and also gives warning to the ideas of instant gratification and lack of love. John is the real human, destroyed not by the savegery of the uncivilised where he is from, but by the savagery of the world state. a distopyian look on what our society is becoming.
John is probably the most important character in this book.
Quick Plot Overview. THe story begins in teh conditions facilty, where the system of growing embryos and conditioning them into pre determined class ranks is explained in full, giving us an overview of the state controlled society of brave new world. Bernard, an alpha whos conditioning mishapped is jealous of Henry watson and his relationship with lenina. Bernard and his friend helmholtz discuss their frustration with World State society, yet this is hypocritical becuase all bernard wishes is to be a part of this society and take pleasure in its instant gratification. He asks lenina to accompany him to the indian reservation. There they meet john. john is explained above. once back in the world state john becomes a celebrity, not because of his intellect or love for the arts, but becuase of his strange nature. he reads about things like love and happiness, yet in this society such things dont exist. Eventually he becomes fed up with this society, and leaves to cleanse himself, as he put it. the World state comes to watch him flog himself daily, and it becomes a spectacle. succumbing to the orgy that followed after lenina's witness to the event and succumbing to the world state sciety as a whole, john hangs himself.
setting:
The time is the future for a reason, to display the possibility of our world having a similar society eventually. The setting takes place in a time where happiness is a pill away, but true happiness does not exist. Classes are pre determined, and it is impossible for the working proletariat to rise up and rebel to create a greater society. religion is replaced by blind faith, where Ford is worshipped for his creation of the assembly line, because society has basically become an assembly line.
Central Conflict:
The Central Conflict in Brave new world is the clash of scoieties between johns humanitarian and renasiance societal logic, and the powerhouse of the world state.
Theme:
The use of technology to control society, the incompatibility of happiness and truth, the dangers of an all-powerful state
Monday, May 2, 2011
Othello Open Question
Since I really am just starting this blog mainly for AP Lit, if i ever wind up getting followers, then i hope you will appreciate the multitudes of Books i have decided to post up and here and hope you find new insight in them. My thought is very stream of conciousness so if you get confused, don't worry, all the info is there
First off is Othello, Here is just a bit about the play:
Characters:
Iago:
-Iago is a very interesting character and the first we really come into contact with in this play. The strangness of his character becomes apparent immedietely, as, instead of normally, shakespeare introduces the villain firsthand. he is an enigma in the sense that he sees himself as the bad guy and knows what he is doing is wrong, but has no concious sense of guilt in his actions. He is sociopathic and evil, yet his sense of social technique removes any sense of these traits to other characters. his speech is mainly in iambic pentameter, symbolising his snake-like personality. I like to think of him as the snake from the garden of eden. he entices your curiosity, even tho better judgement tells you its wrong. another thing about Iago is his homosexual tendencies he portrays towards othello, yet he also hates the man. this central tension is what gives Iago development and is what causes the story as a whole to progress. a modern example of him is the Joker from the Batman series. he is More or less just a man who wants to watch the world burn
Othello:
- The Character in which the play is named, othello is the single entity in which all that happens in this play revolves around. His character is one of complete trust, and this trait is what structures him as a tragic hero, a person who's one error of judgement eventually becomes their downfall, whether its their immense faith in the faithless, or moral guidline to protect those around him, etc. Othello himself is too trusting, and thus this manipulated and controlled by Iago towards the destruction of his own life and that of the the loved ones around him.
Desdemona:
-She is the love interest of Othello, But also, desdemona plays a significant role in influencing the decisions of both othello and cassio. Desdemona is strange in the way that she shows more love and affection and aggressive passion towards Othello than he does in return, giving a strange tension between the two that foreshadows the climax and devestation both see later on. Desdemona contradicts her personality on occasion, showing both an independent strong willed women and also a faithful submissive wife, especially in the scene of her accepting her fate. she is insightful in the fact that she seems to know of her impending doom, asking emilia bury her in her wedding sheets, the ones she is murdered in, symbolically representing her being smothered by the demands of her marriage.
Essential Plot Elements:
basically the way the story works
Introduction: the intro mainly revolves around placing the reader/audience directly into a story. in medias res is the proper term. THe first scene involves a conversation around iago and roderigo, giving immediete insight into both of the characters personality and moral standards, where Iago represents himself as the manipulating advisor in the shadows, and roderigo as the love lorn vengeful sucker.
Rising Action: Shakespeare displays a sense of tension within venice, where Othello and Desdemona have come under attack from Brabantio because of his belief that Othello Bewitched his daughter, and then immedietely changes the scene to Cyprus, lulling the audience and the characters into a false sense of security and meaningless. throughout the play they are just waiting around, doiong nothing in progress around the world.
Climax:
The climax comes witb the final loss of trust Othello has for Desdemona, showiwng Iago's success at manipulating a lax environment and controlling all aspects of Othello and his loved ones. Othello then Goes on to kill his wife, symbolically smothering her.
Falling action:
The falling action is Othellos realization of his crime, and of Iagos trechery. with this, he wounds Iago before kiling himself, showing his true remorse and love for his wife. after his death, Iago is Taken for execution.
Setting:
THe setting plays the key element of shift in the play. in venice, othello and desdemona are swept up in the politics of the city and it gives the reader insight on a location they know, but then shakespeare switches to cyprus, depicitng a tense environment. in Cyprus, the lack of turkish attack relays a sense of uneasienss and strangeness on a colony that is under no real threat. this environment masks the threat of Iago and his plotting.
Central Conflicts:
The Central Conflict in Othello is primarly the conflict between othello's trust in desdemona, and his trust in iago. Iago portrays himself as helpful and loyal to Othello, yet every decision he makes contradicts the trust othello gives him. Desdemona is devoted to othello and is in love with not him, but what he represents. the ideas he brings about when you see and hear him. Yet othello does not give her his trust like he does with Iago. This is ironic because othello does find himself to be honorable and trusting, yet he cannot trust anyone but the untrustworthy.
Major theme:
There is a major theme of race in this play. In the time period, othello is not a common looking man. His black skin, large build and lack of christian faith play him off as the exact opposite to what society looks like. and people in this book only play off this strangeness. Othello himself finds self consciousness in the fact that he is not of the right society, and this underlying lack of faith in himself may be the reason for his quick distrust of Desdemona when presented with "truth". in fact, i could go as far to say that Othello could've actually been looking for a reason to distrust her, becuase of his uncomfortabilty in situations involving her.
Desdemona:
-She is the love interest of Othello, But also, desdemona plays a significant role in influencing the decisions of both othello and cassio. Desdemona is strange in the way that she shows more love and affection and aggressive passion towards Othello than he does in return, giving a strange tension between the two that foreshadows the climax and devestation both see later on. Desdemona contradicts her personality on occasion, showing both an independent strong willed women and also a faithful submissive wife, especially in the scene of her accepting her fate. she is insightful in the fact that she seems to know of her impending doom, asking emilia bury her in her wedding sheets, the ones she is murdered in, symbolically representing her being smothered by the demands of her marriage.
Essential Plot Elements:
basically the way the story works
Introduction: the intro mainly revolves around placing the reader/audience directly into a story. in medias res is the proper term. THe first scene involves a conversation around iago and roderigo, giving immediete insight into both of the characters personality and moral standards, where Iago represents himself as the manipulating advisor in the shadows, and roderigo as the love lorn vengeful sucker.
Rising Action: Shakespeare displays a sense of tension within venice, where Othello and Desdemona have come under attack from Brabantio because of his belief that Othello Bewitched his daughter, and then immedietely changes the scene to Cyprus, lulling the audience and the characters into a false sense of security and meaningless. throughout the play they are just waiting around, doiong nothing in progress around the world.
Climax:
The climax comes witb the final loss of trust Othello has for Desdemona, showiwng Iago's success at manipulating a lax environment and controlling all aspects of Othello and his loved ones. Othello then Goes on to kill his wife, symbolically smothering her.
Falling action:
The falling action is Othellos realization of his crime, and of Iagos trechery. with this, he wounds Iago before kiling himself, showing his true remorse and love for his wife. after his death, Iago is Taken for execution.
Setting:
THe setting plays the key element of shift in the play. in venice, othello and desdemona are swept up in the politics of the city and it gives the reader insight on a location they know, but then shakespeare switches to cyprus, depicitng a tense environment. in Cyprus, the lack of turkish attack relays a sense of uneasienss and strangeness on a colony that is under no real threat. this environment masks the threat of Iago and his plotting.
Central Conflicts:
The Central Conflict in Othello is primarly the conflict between othello's trust in desdemona, and his trust in iago. Iago portrays himself as helpful and loyal to Othello, yet every decision he makes contradicts the trust othello gives him. Desdemona is devoted to othello and is in love with not him, but what he represents. the ideas he brings about when you see and hear him. Yet othello does not give her his trust like he does with Iago. This is ironic because othello does find himself to be honorable and trusting, yet he cannot trust anyone but the untrustworthy.
Major theme:
There is a major theme of race in this play. In the time period, othello is not a common looking man. His black skin, large build and lack of christian faith play him off as the exact opposite to what society looks like. and people in this book only play off this strangeness. Othello himself finds self consciousness in the fact that he is not of the right society, and this underlying lack of faith in himself may be the reason for his quick distrust of Desdemona when presented with "truth". in fact, i could go as far to say that Othello could've actually been looking for a reason to distrust her, becuase of his uncomfortabilty in situations involving her.
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