Week 11- Africa

Africa

Thus she had lain
sugercane sweet
deserts her hair
golden her feet
mountains her breasts
two Niles her tears.
Thus she has lain
Black through the years.
Over the white seas
rime white and cold
brigands ungentled
icicle bold
took her young daughters
sold her strong sons
churched her with Jesus
bled her with guns.
Thus she has lain.

Now she is rising
remember her pain
remember the losses
her screams loud and vain
remember her riches
her history slain
now she is striding
although she has lain.

Written by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou speaks of her country abused. She speaks and perceives the tribulations and hardships of Africa and its brutal history. Not only has Africa been historically tormented, but several countries as well. Behind every country, there is a series for brutality and oppression that only the soil of the country can recollect. The soil, the land has its abundance of secrets and harsh truth. Just like a wall has seen many unspoken matters, so has the land of a country, struggling or striving. To try to persevere and preserve a broken culture and shattered generation is a difficult and strenuous task but it is possible. Throughout history, several cultures and countries have received demeaning oppression, but because a culture has been broken does not mean it cannot be mended. There are millions still paying for the consequences of history, but they are not eternally shattered. Hope and optimism still lives in them. Belief in a better day, keeps several individuals to not give up. Yes, there is a lot of bad still in this world, but there is still a lot of good left and replenishing within this world.

Week 10- 1984 Galore

Character Analysis- Part 3 Ch. 2-3- Winston

Throughout the second and third chapters of part 3 Winston is brutally interrogated and tortured. Although Winston was physically, mentally, and emotionally tormented harshly and was drained of his determination to persevere, Winston still had an ounce of courage still within him. Throughout Winston’s interrogation where he confessed to several “real and imaginary crimes” that he did not commit, Winston told himself “I will confess, but not yet. I must hold out till the pain becomes unbearable. Three more kicks, two more kicks, and then I will tell them what they want.” Winston’s statement reveals his persistence and perseverance even when there is physical pain. His statement shows his willingness not to fight back but to show he still has some “fight” left in him, no matter the damage. As O’Brien strives to make a point of power being the overall goal of the Party and revealing the importance of control of mental intake and capacity, Winston denies the motives of the controlling party by a statement of “It is impossible to found civilization on fear and hatred and cruelty. It would never endure.”  “Moreover he was in dread that if he persisted in his disagreement O'Brien would twist the dial again. And yet he could not keep silent.” Winston denials emphasize acts of defiance and rebellion against the Party and Big Brother implicitly meaning that Winston has fortitude in determination and willpower within intellectually and mentally. Through continuous torment, Winston still had conviction of bravery which revealed independent mentality, despite Big Brother’s power for intellect bondage.

Week 9- Character Analysis

Character Analysis – Part 3, Chapter VI- Julia

Julia portrays Winston’s rebellious love interest. Throughout the story of 1984, Julia revealed being defiant in her risky ways was an act of nonconformity towards the Party and Big Brother. But in Part 3, Chapter 6 Julia surrenders her defiant methods to secure her own safety and not Winston’s implicitly revealing Julia’s detached and selfish character.  Julia’s cruel hardship revealed her dark character. Julia states “You think there's no other way of saving yourself, and you're quite ready to save yourself that way. You want it to happen to the other person. You don't give a damn what they suffer. All you care about is yourself.” Julia’s statement emphasizes indirectly her lack of sacrifice to save her own will above others. Within her lines Julia reveals her threatening character of “true colors”. “She made no response whatever to the clasp of his arm; she did not even try to disengage herself. He knew now what had changed in her. Her face was sallower, and there was a long scar, partly hidden by the hair, across her forehead and temple; but that was not the change… She did not actually try to shake him off, but walked at just such a speed as to prevent his keeping abreast of her.” Julia’s brutal torment and misery uncovered a sense of emotional detachment; a detachment away from Winston. Julia’s characterization emphasizes torment can refine a person negatively.

Week 8- 1984

“It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words. Of course the great wastage is in the verbs and adjectives, but there are hundreds of nouns that can be got rid of as well. It isn't only the synonyms; there are also the antonyms….Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten. Already, in the Eleventh Edition, we're not far from that point. But the process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and fewer words and the range of consciousness always a little smaller. Even now, of course, there's no reason or excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It's merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won't be any need even for that. The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect. Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak,' he added with a sort of mystical satisfaction. 'Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?”

              The passage reveals an indignant effect of the beauty of various words and their meaning as numerous words lead to the expansion of mental individuality.  Syme insists “It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words… the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought… Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word.” Although Syme’s persuasion shows the narrowing of words reveals the narrowing of thought and mental effort, his persuasion also implicitly emphasizes that vocabulary expansion manifests consciousness of thought and reason. This is shown through Syme’s argument of “Every year fewer and fewer words and the range of consciousness always a little smaller.” Though the tone of Syme’s argument is aimed to belittle the vast variety of words, his argument creates a reversal effect of manifesting a realization that words generate mental sensibility.