Ian MacDonald

Ian MacDonald
1984
George Orwell
Fantasy/Sci-fi
98
Just Right

1. Right now in my book Winston is having more and more second thoughts about the government. He is very upset about the fact that if you speak out or try to be different you "disapear". All day while he is at home he writes in his diary about how he wants to be free and not be controlled by a dictator. One time he starts writing DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER all across the diary page before he even notices what he is doing. He realizes what he is doing is against the law and that if he gets caught he will be killed. Once he realizes that he is on his own and he has to fend for himself he becomes a little more daring.

2. I think this is a great book because you can see whats going on in this book in real life. In China this same thing is going on. It is very suprising at how many predictions he got right. Not only the ones about TV and helicopters but also about how life would be like in the world and how everyone would be against eachother. This is going on now in Iraq and Korea were everyone is threatening everyone else.


3. The theme I see most often in this book so far is manipulation. You see this so often, during the two minute hate period where the government tries to influence the thinking of the citizens. The government tries to get everyone to hate the same people they do. You also see the government trying to manipulate everyone when they put the big telescreen in everyone's room, and how it streams constant propaganda to everyone, and how you can't turn it off. The signs that say BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU is also a form of manipulation. It is influencing everyone not to do anything that big brother wouldn't like.

4.My favorite character is still Winston. I love his resolve and how he still thinks differently even after years of opression. I also like how he realizes that he is going to be killed by the government because of what he has already done so in his mind he is thinking what else do I have to lose and I really like that about him.

5. My least favorite character is sill Big Brother, too. Now I don't think he is a symbol of the government. I know think that he is just an evil dictator. I really dislike how he never feels safe and how he always feels like someone is out to get him and I think he takes this out on the poor citizens. I also don't like how he has microphones in everyone's house so he can listen to everyone's conversations to make sure no one is plotting against him. If he wasn't so mean nobody would want to devise a plan to bring him down.

6. My prediction for the rest of the book is that someone will give Winston up the the goverment. I think that this will force him to run and while he is running away he will meet a group of people that share his same views. I think that he along with the other group will think of a way to turn everyone against Big Brother and I think that someone from Winston's group will lead the party and Winston will be to humble and decline the offer to lead.