Julia

So what do you guys think of Julia as the only well developed female character in the entire book? Is she a strong character? A "good" example of the female gender? Or is she a bit flaky and selfish perhaps? I couldn't help noticing that every time Winston tries to talk about something meaningful or "serious" like politics she goes to sleep...but then again, she IS opposing the party, in her own way...I don't know. What do you guys think?

Who controls the future?

The other day I was listening to my ipod and came across a song I haven't heard since I was probably in the same grade as you guys are now. The song was by Rage Against the Machine. As I was repeating the lyrics in my head I realized that the chorus for the song was a direct quote from 1984! The singer says "Who controls the present now, controls the furure. Who controls the present now, controls the past."

Now, the singer from Rage Against the Machine is talking about the United States and its supposed control over the general population. But, what do you think this quote means in the book? I couldn't help but think about the way in which the party (Big Brother) disposes of any form of history, especially records of the deceased. Doesn't it seem crazy that a government can do this without people knowing? And don't you think that someone would have done something about it? I think the quote I mentioned earlier might have something to say about all of this. Let me know what you guys think.

Big Brother

After reading the first fifty pages of the novel, I was a little curious about the "Big Brother" notion. It seems that everyone in the novel, especially Winston, fears this man. Do you guys feel that there is a "Big Brother", or do you think that "Big Brother" is a front for a larger political sceme? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Open Post

This post is for any of you who have questions, comments, or ideas about the text that we didn't ask about. Feel free to share those thoughts here.

Thoughtcrime and the Thought Police

So what do you guys think about this idea of Thoughtcrime and the Thought Police? Is thinking about committing a crime the same thing as committing one? The book calls it "the essential crime" (pg 19). What's up with that? (Hehe...watch out for the the Thought Police!)