Working backwards;
I think the reason Winston's transformation is so unsettling is because of the third-person limited viewpoint Orwell uses - We only see things from his perspective, and so in watching him "become sane" as O'Brien would put it, we're watching him do exactly as his captor told him he would do on the road to rehabilitation - right before they shot him in the head. So its also like watching him unknowingly walk the plank.
Of course we don't find out till the end that in all their diabolicality (believe that's a word), the Party doesn't even bestow the mercy of making good on their promise to blow his "fixed" brains out.
Meanwhile, my mind has been sufficiently blown.
Thinking back, I don't think I've ever read a book that employs so many symbols throughout -
Big Brother
Telescreens
Memory Holes
the Coral Paperweight
the Churchbell Nursery Rhyme
Winston's Varicose Ulcer
The "Prole" Woman
Julia's Red Sash
The Book (crucially italicized)
And there are a bunch more that are either used only briefly, or are too subtle for my dull mind.
Admittedly, the second-act Info-Dump that was The Book was a little tedious, partially because, as even the characters recognized, it didn't say anything anybody didn't already know. I'm not sure I would have made the choice of submitting my readers to that - a lesson I've learned the hard way is that acknowledging a flaw in your work, and flaunting it in the audience's face does not, in fact, make it a legitimate artistic choice.
On the other hand, it does make a couple moments of O'Brien's "Malevolent Mastermind Monologue" a little more powerful, as it made me feel as though I were the one strapped to the table.
On the other hand, the only reason that was possible was because the characters are so flat and lifeless that they can easily be imposed upon. I mean, Winston Smith? Honestly? I still prefer Protagonist McGenericname.
So while I liked the way the third act was navigated, and a certain stretch bookended by Winston receiving two important documents (namely Julia's "I Love You" note and The Book), everything else was...uneventful. Up until he gets the note its nothing but him thinking heretical thoughts and occasionally journalling while going about his every day routine, and the rest is literally him reading a book. In the book.
Nobody wants to read about somebody reading. I still can't get over the choices that made that particular sequence of exposition so clumsy...especially as it was a hefty bit of exposition.
In the end though, there's a lot to be said about the book, and I feel unable to say any of it right now. Hopefully my thoughts will be consolidated by tomorrow morning.
Showing posts with label reflections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reflections. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Academic Literacy
Do Entering Students Reflect Such Habits of Mind?
bullet summary:
- Students are more diligent now, and less curious.
- students lack vital skills (seeking help, communication, etc.)
- Critical thinking is a crucial skill
Reflection: I believe these are symptoms of the newly competitive nature of the American education system. As colleges become more and more difficult to gain admission to, and a higher bar is set for grades (especially with AP testing and the possibility it grants for the vaunted "4.2 GPA"), a greater emphasis is put on discipline and the objective success it supposedly brings. By making education a game to be won, we have focused the attentions of most students towards becoming better players rather than better learners.
What is meant by "Critical Thinking"?
summary:
- Critical thinking is a set of cognitive habits, which are crucial for all academic disciplines
- Critical thinking ability has declined in recent years
- a 'sound byte' mentality has taken hold. This attitude is not applicable to academic thought.
Reflections: If anything, this proves that education is not restricted to schools alone. It is an ongoing process that takes all outside factors into account in the influence and development of the thought process of any given student. The 'Sound-byte' mentality of our society effects the academic sphere because the academic sphere is much wider than we allow ourselves to believe. In these formative years, the net count of our experiences are our education, not our schooling alone. Schooling is merely a structured method to expose students to one standard set of experiences in addition to the things they experience in the 'real world'. In actuality, the 'real world' experiences will have just as much, if not more, influence on our education as the prescribed 'academic experience' does.
Therefore, if critical thought is divorced from our real-world experiences by society, it may be too much to expect a penchant for said cognitive habits to develop in the classroom alone. If critical thought is not encouraged outside of schools, it stands to reason that it will not thrive within them. The academic sphere and the social sphere are one and the same - one is not separate from the other.
bullet summary:
- Students are more diligent now, and less curious.
- students lack vital skills (seeking help, communication, etc.)
- Critical thinking is a crucial skill
Reflection: I believe these are symptoms of the newly competitive nature of the American education system. As colleges become more and more difficult to gain admission to, and a higher bar is set for grades (especially with AP testing and the possibility it grants for the vaunted "4.2 GPA"), a greater emphasis is put on discipline and the objective success it supposedly brings. By making education a game to be won, we have focused the attentions of most students towards becoming better players rather than better learners.
What is meant by "Critical Thinking"?
summary:
- Critical thinking is a set of cognitive habits, which are crucial for all academic disciplines
- Critical thinking ability has declined in recent years
- a 'sound byte' mentality has taken hold. This attitude is not applicable to academic thought.
Reflections: If anything, this proves that education is not restricted to schools alone. It is an ongoing process that takes all outside factors into account in the influence and development of the thought process of any given student. The 'Sound-byte' mentality of our society effects the academic sphere because the academic sphere is much wider than we allow ourselves to believe. In these formative years, the net count of our experiences are our education, not our schooling alone. Schooling is merely a structured method to expose students to one standard set of experiences in addition to the things they experience in the 'real world'. In actuality, the 'real world' experiences will have just as much, if not more, influence on our education as the prescribed 'academic experience' does.
Therefore, if critical thought is divorced from our real-world experiences by society, it may be too much to expect a penchant for said cognitive habits to develop in the classroom alone. If critical thought is not encouraged outside of schools, it stands to reason that it will not thrive within them. The academic sphere and the social sphere are one and the same - one is not separate from the other.
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