Poetry and Social Change

This is a response to the question 1) Do you agree with the editors of your textbook that Blake's poetry had the power to enact social change by appealing to the imagination of the reader?
I do agree with the editors when they say that Blake had the power to enact social change by appealing to the imagination of the reader. This is only because while reading I was able to see a starving child in the streets. I was able to feel the child's pain because Blake wrote in first person. So it was like hearing the child tell of their problems. In the "Chimney Sweeper" The Songs of Innocence Blake has children discussing their troubles, and one little boy make the situation a test of God. By telling his friend that they are suffering in life in order to be happy in Heaven when they die. This can enact change by people reading this text and feeling sympathetic for the children, so they take action and go help little children in need. If it was a parent of one of the children that this story relates to, the parent might start to feel bad for putting their child in that situation. Since they feel bad they might have their children stop. Another way this might enact social change is by people who have these children sweeping chimneys probably would try to make the situation easier for the child to deal with.
In “The Chimney Sweeper” The Songs of Experience Blake appeals to the reader by having a child explain how their parents are praying for him, when they put him in that situation. Reading the text you see a little boy in the street with a dusty face, crying that he’s hungry. He starts to tell his story of how he ended up where he is, and it makes you sad. The boy is sad because he misses his parents. He’s starving and has no food. He’s forced to work as a Chimney Sweeper because his parents need money. Reading this version of The Chimney Sweeper you feel a sense of anger, because the boy has been in this situation for a while, and no longer tries to understand why he is suffering. He just knows that he’s there and has to deal with his situation. People reading this will want to take the child and help him to feel better. They will want to try to help the child get out of such a terrible situation. Also want to help him not be bitter towards his parents and life.

Teacher Group Journal

Working in the Teachers group was a unique experience that helped us students to understand how if feels to be a Teacher. We were basically forced to think outside of the box that students tend to stay in. We had to think of others interpretations rather than just our own. Doing that was difficult because we had to ask questions that would lead to a discussion rather than one-word answers. Being a Teacher is hard work; I understand that now because they have to think of how we would interpret a certain text. It was difficult but my group worked together to get a better understanding of the text. So that all of the different questions we all had could be used as a broad example of how others may respond to the text. Working with the teacher group made the experiment easier to handle. It took a lot of the pressure off of the individuals and helped us to all get a broader idea of how the text would be understood.
The bad thing about working in the teacher group was that ideas that you may have been adamant about would probably be shut down if the others didn’t agree. Also if you work better alone then you have to adjust to being a member of a group and having your work criticized. Also in working in groups you tend to get carried away. If you work with your friends then you are more likely to talk about things than what you are supposed to. Then the room tends to get louder than it needs to be, and sometimes work can’t be done.
Overall working in groups can be useful but it could also be used a free time. You get others input that can help enhance your understanding of the topic. You could also be distracted and not get much done, which will leave you behind. The teacher group was a unique way for us as students to understand what our teachers have to go through on a daily basis to make lesson plans, and to help us to enhance our education.

1984 Final Response

O'brien proclaims that Winston failed in humility and self discipline because of all the things that he did in the past that went against the way of the party. Winston was in fact the only sane one because he followed what he knew, and felt was right instead of being insane and following what the Party was planting in everyone else's mind. O'brien told Winston that he was by himself but he was just the only to get caught. Winston gave himself away by leaving evidence of his deceitfulness. But he has the right as a person to be himself, he has the right to be a leader instead of a follower. He has the right to use his brain, and not just follow the trend because someone else thinks that their way is better and that everyone has to follow them. Winston was told that reality is what is in the human mind, not in an individuals mind. But reality is your perception of what you see and know to be real. Winston knew that the things that the Party was feeding to everyone was a fraud so he didn't follow. I believe that as a human being Winston was right for doing what he did. He was stupid for being caught but he was right for sticking to his beliefs and not letting people continue to dictate his behavior and thoughts.
O'brien told Winston that whatever the party says is true is the truth. Winston was under the impression that the things that he remembered were true instead. He was brainwashed by the party to believe what they told him was the truth and what he second guessed himself about. Winston knew that the war they were in was for a totally different reason that the Party led everyone else to believe. Winston was smart to believe in himself, and to get fed up with the Party putting things into his mind that he knew were false. Winston didn’t believe the Party so he followed his instincts. O'brien told Winston that his only way of survival was to follow the rulles that were set for him to follow. He is to follow the Party and support it, or else he is a traitor and is an enemy to the party. If Winston doesn't follow the Party he will be erased. O’brien wants Winston to follow suit because if he doesn’t then the way of the Party would be in jeopardy. The Party is doing the things they are doing to look out for the people, supposedly. And if Winston continues to be the one who is constantly against them then there’s no point to the rules if they make an exception.

Response to Orwell

In 1984 the thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the people seemed to be brainwashed. This was really strange to me because of the fact that they would second guess the things they were told about everything that they knew. Winston, for example, would think about a different time when people weren't forced to be married to someone that they weren't physically attracted to. He seemed to hate the way that society was controlled but he was scared that he would be erased so he followed everything that he knew was wrong. How does brain washing people help them to live better lives? If they know that some of the things that Big Brother is telling them is false, but are too scared to comment on it, wouldn't that harm them in the end?
Winston was scared to write in his journal, but he decided to write in it as an act of rebellion. It seems as though his journal is his only escape from a day of second guessing himself. All day everyday he would be thinking about people who may or may not be feeling the same way as he was. But there was no way to know unless he asked which he can't do because he is constantly being watched. The fact that these people are being watched 24/7 can be tiring, but Big Brother sees it as a way of protecting the people, when in the long run it is setting the people up for distruction.