We then discussed 056-072 in 1984, and you can find those notes here. I gave you the last third of the class to start on the reading for tomorrow: up through page 103.
HOMEWORK:
Read through page 103 of 1984. Come fully prepared to discuss at least three of the questions below (flagged evidence, thoughtful reflections, etc.).
Questions for tomorrow:
- Who is bombing the proles and why?
- Why does Winston approach the old man with such uncharacteristic openness and determination?
- Why does he find the answers from the old man at the bar annoying but the similar quality of answer from Mr. Charrington interesting?
- Does Winston have courage?
- Why does the dark haired girl write that particular message when she has never spoken to Winston? Does she mean it?
- Why does he want to see her?
- We end Book One in this reading assignment. Such sections of books are generally unified sections, distinct from one another. What are some of the unifying themes of Book One? Just from the first chapter, can you tell if Book Two is going to focus on something different?
- Should Winston trust the dark haired girl? Do you?
- Just from the way the dark-haired girl goes about shadowing him, then attracting Winston’s attention, learning about him and then arranging a meeting with him, what can we tell about her? (see pages 8, 10, 12, 27, 54, 55, 89, 93-4, 98-103)
- Why does everyone rush to see the prisoners? What can we tell from their expressions?
This is driving me nuts. The old man complains that the bartender won't pour him a pint. He claims that a pint is just the amount he wants, and that a half-liter (the amount the bartender gave him) doesn't satisfy, implying that it is not enough and thus, less than a pint, and that a liter is too much. While a liter is indeed more than a pint, a half liter is not less than a pint. Thus a half-liter, if anything, should be too much as well. A pint is half a quart. A quart is less than a liter (approx. 1.06 quarts for every 1 liter) thus its about 1.03 pints per every half liter. Unless liters are different measurements in Oceania, George Orwell did the right thing by sticking with writing.
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