1984 Reading Response Journal #2

what they are fighting for, who they are rebelling against, the way their protests seen by the government, the way their protests are seen by the masses.  Ultimately, the purpose of this blog is to examine how Orwellian we have become.


Winston is having a hard time buying into what Big Brother and the State are selling because not only does he remember a time before society became like this, he also has a (destroyed) piece of evidence that the Party is twisting the truth into lies. His job, which takes place in the Ministry of Truth, adds to this latter issue, due to the fact that he is directly involved in altering the truth and making everything fit in to what the Party is currently preaching. 


I don't think that his acts of questioning are necessarily protest. They are certainly defiance, since they go against what the Party wants him to be thinking, but in my opinion, protest involves actively doing something to oppose a different view. Winston is not making it obvious that he has these differing thoughts, he is not marching in the streets carrying a sign as in a traditional protest. He is protesting in his mind, but only through acts of defiance against the Party. He is most definitely rebelling, just not in any sort of overtly apparent way. After all, if he were to make it public that he's part of the Brotherhood, he would be killed instantly. 


As I mentioned before, the defiance Winston is exhibiting and the protests of our society, such as those by people who support Occupy Wall Street, are very different. While people in our society are marching in the streets with signs, Winston is simply performing small acts of rebellion that are not directly in the public eye. Obviously, these are like apples and oranges. Those taking part in Occupy Wall Street are essentially asking for changes in policies that they oppose. Winston just wants to live in a society where your every move and thought aren't monitored and controlled through fear and lies. Winston is fighting against Big Brother and the Party's doctrines and control while Occupy Wall Street is fighting against rich businessmen. Those taking part in Occupy Wall Street are seen to be exercising one of the basic freedoms of being American. As Americans, we are allowed to protest against things that we feel are unjust, we are allowed to assemble and petition and express our thoughts, no matter how opposed they may be. Also, practically everybody has heard of these protests, while Winston, Julia, and O'Brien are the only ones to know about Winston's acts of rebellion. Winston is not doing these things in public, his actions are not being broadcast. Our society is definitely not Orwellian, for if it was, we would be much more closely monitored and a protest such as Occupy Wall Street would be shot down in an instant.