DUE BY MIDNIGHT THURSDAY, MARCH 12
Read the next 50 to 100 pages of your book. (You should be past page 150.)
In the comment box.
Write your name and last initial.
Write the title and author of the book you are reading.
Write the page number (this is new) you have read up to.
Write the following "RAFT":
Role: You are a playwright adapting a passage between page 125 and page 175 into a scene in a play.
Audience: The audience for the play script will be the other readers of the blog.
Format: A play script: include stage directions adapted from the novel and include dialog adapted from the novel. At the end of the script write the page number of the scene you've adapted and write a few sentences about why you chose the scene. The script should look something like this but perhaps a bit longer:
John comes to the hotel in Malpais, New Mexico in which Lenina is sleeping. Her sleep is a deep soma-induced sleep. Bernard, Lenina's co-worker, has left for the day.
JOHN. Bernard! Bernard! Where are you?
John looks sad. He thinks Bernard and Lenina have left. He begins to cry. But before he loses himself in tears he has an idea. He looks in through the window of the hotel room and sees a green suitcase with Lenina Crowne's initials, L.C. He picks up a rock and throws it through the glass window. He knocks out the rest of the glass and enters the room. Once in the room he opens Lenina's suitcase and goes through her clothes.
JOHN (whispering). Lenina. Lenina.
He then enters the room in which Lenina is sleeping. Seeing her he recalls several passages from Romeo and Juliet (which he read in the collection of Shakespeare's plays which Pope gave to him).
JOHN (murmuring). On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand, may seize
And steal the immortal blessing from her lips,
Who, even in pure and vestal modesty,
Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin.
He gazes on Lenina and sees her beauty. He thinks about kissing her and feels shame. He leaves the room red-faced and in a panic as Bernard arrives back at the hotel.
BERNARD (off-stage). Who's in there?
John jumps back out through the window.
END OF SCENE.
page 142-144
Topic: The topic is whatever is going on in the passage you choose.
DUE BY MIDNIGHT THURSDAY, MARCH 5
Read the next 50 to 100 pages of your book.
In the comment box.
Write your name and last initial.
Write the title and author of the book you are reading.
Write the page number (this is new) you have read up to.
Write the following "RAFT":
Role: Imagine yourself (as you are now: a teen living in Gloucester in 2009) visiting the dystopia you are reading about. (You may invent the circumstances of the visit if you wish.)
Audience: Write to your classmates in E-block English.
Format: Write an informal letter (with the date, salutation, and closing) with three paragraphs: in the first paragraph you will present at least three details about the dystopia and your opinion about the dystopia, in the second paragraph you will describe an event that has occurred in the book as if you witnessed it in person, and in the third paragraph you will discuss what your classmates might learn from your experience in the dystopia. To exceed expectations use five words from your book that you didn't know or didn't know well before looking; or use five words from the class vocab board at the back of the class.
Topic: A description of your visit to the dystopia. (Read "format" for details.)
DUE BY MIDNIGHT MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23
Read the first 50 to 100 pages of your book.
In the comment box:
Write your first name and last initial.
Write the title and author of the book you are reading.
Answer the following questions.
1. Open Response: How is the setting of your novel dystopian? Explain how specific details about the society within which the novel is set could be considered dystopian. Underline at least three of the specific details.
2. Open Response: How do characters in the book respond to the dystopia? Do they seem to go along with the way society is? Does any character resist inwardly -- in her or his own mind -- or rebel outwardly? Refer to specific behavior and choices. Also, be specific about the characters. Talk about specific characters not "them".
3. Open Response: Dystopian novels (and films) are usually based on the author's (or the director's) fears or concerns about the society in which they live. The author (or director) then invents a future world in which the worrisome aspect of current society has grown (and in some sense) taken over. The dystopian novel (or film) can then be read as a warning about what could happen in the future. What fear or concern about modern society seems to be at the core of the dystopian society in the book you are reading and how might the book be a warning about the future?
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45 comments:
Your comments should look like something like this:
James C
*Oryx and Crake* by Margaret Atwood
1. [Response to the first prompt.]
2. [Response to the second prompt.]
3. [Response to the third prompt.]
Amber S
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
1. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel because everyone chooses to live their lives differently. The firefighters believe that books and literature ruin life and is a load of garbage. They think they make people miserable. They go from house to house and burn all the books. The problem is some people enjoy books. An old lady committed suicide because they ruined her books and belongings. It is believed that firefighters prevent fires and not start them. That’s not the case in this book.
2. If the firefighters don’t go along with the boss’s way of thinking they could be killed. Montag, the main character becomes curious as to what is so wrong with books. They have no choice but to go along with this belief. They have to be careful with their actions. Especially Montag, since he’s dragging his wife into it as well. Books could possibly help him with his problems and questions. He has to find out on his own if books are really just foolishness.
3. I think that sometimes books could possibly take over the world someday. If people just believe in what they read and not what they truly think then it could rule their lives. Books sometimes just draw our attention and sometimes it is foolishness. It is believed that we need books for a good education when that’s not the case. I think that eventually our intelligence with depend on our understanding of novels or literature which isn’t really fair. When some people aren’t strong on that subject.
Jared W
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1. The setting in the beginning of the book takes place in some sort of breeding facility. Here they breed humans and genetically modify them to do work in certain climates or areas around the world. They breed humans faster here in order to release them into their assigned work field.
2. Late in chapter one a new character is revealed. Her name is Lenina. She was born to be a “World Controller” or someone who works in the Directors of Hatcheries. She works in the Hatchery, injecting vaccinations to embryos working in tropical regions. Her, the Director and Henry exchange a few words about Lenina and Henry’s date together. She seems to go along with this new society.
3. A fear or concern about modern society that this book could be warning us about is the lack of employees. In this hatchery they seem to be breeding humans that have certain qualities to do certain things. For example, the rocket engineers have been modified to be more comfortable upside down than right side up. Also people that have been issued jobs in tropical regions are adapted to hotter weather. This form of breeding leaves no one to be different or excel in any one subject. And with cloning being possible these days it is certainly a fear that should not be forgotten.
Manuela O
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1.) Brave New world is a dystopian novel. This is because the novel has some sort of factory that creates humans by machines rather than naturally. This creates humans faster and in plentiful amounts. Later the humans are sent out to work wherever they are needed.
2.) Throughout the first pages of the novel, the characters seem to go along and support the new system of reproduction. All the characters such as Mr. Foster are very interested and amazed on how many people can be produced. Also the way that they are made. All the characters are willing to go through with the new way of reproduction and are even willing to inject vaccinations to the embryos such as Lenina.
3.) The fear and concern of modern society is that people can be made by technology rather than naturally. Also that they can be made so simply and in numerous amounts. The book also shows a fear in the lack of workers with necessary qualities for certain jobs. Also, a fear is the possibility of cloning people. This novel has many fears that people may have in modern society.
Ryan F
Brave New World
1] The setting of this book is the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. This setting fits a dystopian setting because the hatchery workers now make all the world's babies and control their genes and fertilize the eggs. The workers make the babies look identical so people do not start arguing about who is better looking and so they all felt equal. The problem with this utopia the hatchery workers try and create is that the babies get divided into different categories in which causes a lot of rivalrys between the different types of people. The different types of people are the Betas who are supposedly the most normal to us, the Gammas who are quite dumb, the Alpha group who are the hard workers. The child continues to tell us how the Eplisons are the worse group of all.
2] There is no distinct character that has much meaning in first couple of chapters except for Lenina. The D.H.C. says that she will one day be a very influential person in the hatchery.Other than her no one really steps out of line in this book because the people know they have no control over what is going on.
3] This novel is trying to show us how if we continue to try and clone people no good will come from it. We will lose all of our individuality and become just one of many identical human beings. This novel is trying to show us how science can raise a human with little human interaction.
Oryx And Crake
Margaret Atwood
Chris F.
1. Oryx and Crake starts off in the future, following the main protagonist, Snowman. He sees children, not human children, swimming at a lake. Future reading will reveal that these children are Crakers, creatures created by Snowman’s childhood friend Crake. This is where the dystopian part of the novel first kicks in. This is not revealed in the first chapter, but Crake created a replacement for the human race and that species is the dominant race of Earth. This is dystopian because Snowman is a remaining human and is not happy with the Crakers. He longs for a human companion, a real human companion and notes that the craker children don’t know about technology.
2. Snowman does not like the dystopia of this future. He is a remaining human, and he longs for another human. As I’ve not read too far ahead, it seems as if there aren’t too many humans left. When Snowman remembers the past, it shows elements of the dystopia to be. His dad lives and works at and OrganInc Farms. They created creatures called pigoons. These creatures are pigs and baboon genetic hybrids that can be harvested for organs. The organs also grow back. People aren’t pleased with the idea of eating these creatures, but when meat is in short supply, they start to not care about it as much. They start to accept what is happening.
3. This dystopian novel seems to be based off the fear of genetic experiments and transformations. The pigoons show that people start to become lenient about the idea of playing God by creating life. It also shows some fears of morals becoming less strict. This is shown where Jimmy (Snowman as a child) would go home high after watching child pornography where his parents wouldn’t even notice. Of course, some of this may be comical at times and might not reflect the fears of Margaret Atwood. She might have just wanted to write about this.
Christian T
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
1. Oryx and Crake is a dystopia because the book takes place in a post-apocalyptic time in which there is only one human left on earth named snowman. Snowman is very unhappy and has become more and more disinclined to better his existence. The only company that snowman has is a few hybrid animals and some human-like creatures that he refers to as crakers. Snowman has been physically altered and is now very sensitive to the suns rays and does not often go in the sunlight.
2. The only human in existence is snowman and he is very unhappy. Snowman sometimes finds joy in simple things expressed by short bursts of happiness. Apart from the crakers (who don’t understand him) Snowman does not have anyone to talk to and often has flashbacks to his past revealing childhood memories. In one of snowman’s memories we learn that his parents worked for a company that bread the animals that he is now surrounded by; snowman is affiliated in this way to his present situation.
3. The novel Oryx and Crake is very concerned with recent scientific and technological advancements. Technology has recently become so advanced that we are trying to harvest organs so that if one ever needs an organ transplant then there will be on organ that not only did not have to be taken from someone else but will be customized to their body type. This would obviously be a great thing for everyone but Margaret Atwood seems to be afraid of the extent to which we will go in order to achieve this.
Ben M
1984 by George Orwell
1. The setting of 1984 takes place in London in the year 1984. London is part of airstrip one who is currently at war with Eurasia. London’s government is controlled by Big Brother who watches everyone at all times in the city. In every house there is a tv in the wall that you cannot turn off and controls the lives of the people.
2. Every character so far in this book goes along with what the government is telling them to do. The main character Winston follows the commands of society but resists inside. He has a hard time remembering his past and does not know where his parents or sister end up. He begins to dislike the Big Brother and writes about his hatred in his journal. All of the other characters have not played a role yet but Winston seems to think that one person named O’Brien agrees with him yet he still has never spoken to him.
3. The main fear 1984 conveys is a fear of a government of power taking over every aspect of our lives. This book might be a warning that we need to stay individual and have the right to chose what we want. Also a fear is that another large scale war could outbreak and causes everybody to panic and put all of our trust in to one power.
Shawn Hull
*1984* By George Orwell
1. *1984* starts off immediately introducing its characters and settings. During the first chapter you learn the basic details of Winston's Dystopian society. Winston is constantly hassled with Propaganda. He is part of a ruling class but is still vulnerable to the Thought Police, which are exactly what you think they would be. No Rebellious or negative thoughts about the totalitarian government are allowed.
Winston also lives in a world of irony. Some examples are the ministries, where the Ministry of peace creates war, the Ministry of Plenty plans economic downturn etc... On page one, a quote says "Big Brother is Watching You." Then, On page six there is a quote from the Ministry of Truth which says:
"WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"
This further explains Winston's world of irony and dystrophy.
2. Specifically, early on, Winston begins writing in his diary about the "Big Brother is Watching You" caption he read. He thinks about it and looks down only to see he has written "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER" over and over again. He feels he will be arrested by the Thought Police.
This behavior clearly indicates that he is against what society has become. This also leads the reader to feel that Winston is the protagonist in the story and that the government is the antagonist.
3. The concerning issue in *1894* seems to be the effects of a totalitarian government. People are oppressed both physically and mentally. Propaganda is prominent and physical force is used as punishment for crimes. I don't know if it is some kind of warning about the future, but, it could help people get an idea of potential extreme situations due to consequences of their own actions when placed in a powerful position in society.
1. Brave New World takes place in a society where humans are born in factories. The babies are divided into classes, which are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon. They are raised to do there job in the "World State". Some of the fetuses that the babies are in are heated so they when grow up they are suited to work in hot conditions. Pg 16 “Hot tunnels alternated with cool tunnels.” “Coolness was wedded to discomfort” “By the time they were decanted the embryos had a horror of cold.” “They were predestined to emigrate to the tropics, to be miners and acetate silk spinners and steel workers.” The babies were raised to like and dislike certain things, one example was the babies were shown books and flowers and when they got happy and started to crawl to the objects they received an electric shock because they wanted the babies to hate the flowers and books because they didn’t want the objects to interfere with their careers when they grow up. Pg 22 “They’ll grow up with what psychologists used to call an instinctive hatred of books and flowers” “They’ll be safe from books and botany all their lives.” The World State abolished the love of nature and replaced it with the desire of use for transportation. The people in higher class get to live like normal people like the controllers of the factories.
2. Mustapha Mond is the controller of the factory and is obviously all for this society because it creates stability within civilization and civilization cannot exist without stability because instability was a world in which they used to live in and it caused war, disease, and all sorts of emotion that created many social problems. Lenina is a worker at the factory and seems to agree with this society as she doesn’t say she disagreed with it. She seems to be the target of two men John and Bernard as they are both interested in her. Bernard is a specialist on hypnopaedia who has and attitude and seems to not be afraid of speaking his mind.
3. The fear about this dystopian society is that if world peace doesn’t happen then something will have to be done to create equality among people. The world will be an unstable place if we don’t do something and stop wars, violence, and disease. The world should be a place where everyone has jobs and a purpose in society. If this doesn’t happen people will be forced to do things like jobs to create a stable society.
In Brave New World, the setting is clearly a dystopian society. One specific detail that jumps out at me is the fact that there are different segments of people. Delta’s, Beta’s and such and they play recordings under the pillows of young children. At the top of the social classes is Alpha’s, under the Alpha children’s pillows they play recordings telling them that all the children under the Alpha’s are useless and that they shouldn’t hang out with them. Another way I can tell it’s dystopian is because when Lenina is talking to her friend, her friend tells her that she shouldn’t stay with Henry. She says this because the Director doesn’t like intense long lasting things, which shows the Director dictates much of peoples lives. Another way I can tell its dystopian is because the book tells the reader that to keep the human race happy they eliminated families. When in all reality families keep people happy, this shows a Utopia failing.
So far in Brave New World I feel that everyone just goes along with the way life is. I mean for a room full of adolescence to sit there and watch babies get electrocuted and not really be phased, I don’t think they have too many complaints about life. But as for Lenina and Henry, and the Director, they all seem to enjoy their life. Considering they are probably all Alpha’s, I haven’t seen life through a Delta, or an Epsilon yet so I’m guessing they are not very happy with the way their life is. Henry actually loves talking about his job. As for all the figures and numbers that come with it, Henry loves it all. The Director loves his life also, I mean its hard not to when your in a high ranking spot in society.
The fear of my dystopia is cloning of sorts, breading and giving birth in general. Basically how people are made and what they are made for. The author was obviously scared of genetic research going crazy and taking over. They take ovaries and make them reproduce like crazy and have hundreds of identical babies come out and make them into different members of society. The book was probably a warning so that scientists didn’t mess around too much with cloning because it could lead to some discoveries that could shake man kind to its core. Personally I think that cloning is a wonderful thing that should be studied more, but obviously Aldous Huxley does not agree with me.
Jason L
Brave New world by Aldous Huxley
1.this book is a dystopia in the fact that these humans are just pretty much hypnotized into being content with their miserable lives of becoming what the "controlers" program to them be. Its almost as if the humans are becoming the machines themselves. They are told what to do, what to think they are even given repeating recordings when they are sleeping repeated 100's of times(called sleep teaching) with pharses such as "Alpha children wear grey. they work much harder than we do becasue they are so frightfully brilliant" and " ending is better then mending. ending is better then mending...." this sleep teaching among other acts of controling these humans makes humans ignorant to the fact that life is misearable for them. It seems that in an attempt to make life easier on people all humans lost their indivisuality ( for example when people are always saying "everyone belongs to everyone else") the thing is they dont even relize it becasue they are not grown into familys they are born into clumps of people, by machines, who are all the same as you and were ment to do the same hting as you. The dystopian aspect of A brave New world is in an attempt to make life easier, you lose all indiviuality.
2.The charecters in this story dont react as you would suspect to this dystopian society, insted of loathing the thought of living without a family with no personality and being told what your going to do, They seem to think its best for them and actually hate the thought of having a family, a mother, and father when the great mustapha mond (the resident controler of western europe) explains to a group of students what life use to be like before our ford's day. As he explained what a home ws one of the boys became pale, and as he went on about mothers and fathers it scared and discusted the students. leina crowe seems to react slightly diffrent than these students and her friend fanny as they talk she says she has only henery foster and fanny convinces her to " have seomone else after all everyone belongs to everyone else" and how henrey has a lot of other girls so she decides to go after bernard marx. fanny then begins to explain how he will ruin her reputation and how he is ugly(this seems to be the result of the sleep teachings of rank) but she says she deosnt care( she seems unaffected by these inductions as she seems to not want to go out with any one else and when she does she picks a perculiar choice). This strange choice seems unaffected to these inductions as well as he overhears henrey talking tothe director about how he hadent had leina,this infuriates Marx as he says he would like to punch both of them and how their treating her asa piece of meat which goes againt the,what seems law of "everyone belongs to everyone else". Marx also seems very depresed most of the time which is not supposed to happen in this "utopia". While mostley everyone else seems content with life Leiana and Marx seem to have diffrent views and seem to be unique from the others which is something this world has seemed to be eliminated in most people.
3. The fear that aldous Huxley may have is how society is given so much that it will eventually just cave in and want the govermant to make all decisions for them. Becasue life is eaier that way there is no stress no effort you just have decisons made for you. This would eventually lead to loss of your indiviuality and making of any decisions at all. Also, people dont want any emotinal strain in their lives, but in wishin for this your wishing for no emotions at all. An example in Brave new world is how there is no serious relationsships or familys this could have been caused becasue of a fear of commitment or emotinal strain on a person.
Jon H.
*Player Piano* by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
1. Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano has many dystopian qualities about it.
-For one, there is a superiority of machinery over manual labor. While this may seem like a societal change for the better, many of the common people who are not educationally qualified to run the machines feel left out, betrayed, useless, and sometimes angry. Some of the older folks have come to accept it, but a majority of the middle-aged population holds a grudge. This leads to my…
-Second point; Newer generations are left without real jobs. Since any job that could be done better by a programmed machine than by a human has been “taken over” by said machines, only a few jobs (such as bartending, barbering, and a select few others) still require manual labor. There are only two life-paths left for the common man; join either the army or the Reconstruction and Reclamation, or the “Reeks and Wrecks.”
-Finally, there appears to be either a foreshadowing of events or a point given to the reader to look at the big picture of what could go wrong, and how quickly. The protagonist, Dr. Paul Proteus, takes a quick visit down to a piece of equipment that is outdated and beginning to malfunction, and makes the decision to scrap it, as it is beyond repair.
2. As I described earlier, there are mixed feelings about the society that the characters are living in. The older generations of common folks don’t feel perturbed in the least bit, taking into consideration the availability of everything that they need to survive, and then some. The middle-aged group as a whole feels disgruntled toward the more intelligent folks who have a chance to actually do something productive with their lives. Young adults are pressured heavily by their studies. The :National General Classification Tests” literally determine what they will do for the rest of their lives, and, in one particular instance, only 27 students would be chosen for higher education out of roughly 600 taking the tests. The upper echelon of citizens (college-educated folks, most typically doctors or those working immediately beneath them) are fine with how life is, much the same way the old folks are. Dr. Proteus is the only one who seems to be concerned about the common man, the only one who seems to feel any sympathy toward these people. He feels responsible for the rules that have been set long before him regarding who is and is not allowed to progress to his niche in society.
3. Vonnegut does not seem to want the reader to fear the technology (as advanced as it is) in his book, but perhaps wants more of the reader. He wants the person reading to see that the machines are great, but they are casting a corrosive shadow over the society, advancing to a point where eventually there will be no way to do the jobs that have been left to the machines. The common men do not want to accept that they are not good enough, but have nothing else to do but that. It is seen as useless to learn the jobs of a machine that can work at significantly higher than any man’s rate of production. Also, several characters such as Mrs. Proteus (the doctor’s wife) and several of the other higher-ups mention a phrase that recurs almost verbatim between them. Mrs. Proteus in particular, after Dr. Proteus touches on his concerns for those who are not able to progress as far as he has in life, “Is he starving?.. And he has a place to live and warm clothes. He has what he’s have is he was running a stupid machine, swearing at it, making mistakes, striking every year, fighting with the foreman, coming in with hangovers.” This is the sentiment most particularly and constantly brought up when discussing those less fortunate and less educated. Vonnegut himself was quoted as saying, as his inspiration for the book, “the idea of doing that [having a computer-operated milling machine cut the blades for jet turbines or gas engines], you know, made sense, perfect sense… but it was too bad for the human beings who got their dignity from their jobs.”
Angela R.
"1984" by George Orwell
1) In "1984" the way the society is set up makes it a dystopian. For instance the posters that are on the wall that says "Big Brother Is Watching You". The Party has a Police Patrol that flies helicopters and they spy on people by looking in their windows. They also have another power called the Thought Police who can plug into wires and by doing this they know what is going on in that area and can hear and see everything. Another thing that makes "1984" a dystopian is the telescreens. The telescreens watch and listen to everybody’s move. For instance when Winston had to do an exercise which was to touch his toes and was doing it. Then the instructor from the telescreen yelled "Smith!" (Winston's last name). Then the instructor had said to Winston "6079 Smith W! Yes, you! Bend lower please! You can do better than that. You're not trying. Lower, please! That's better comrade. Now stand at ease, the whole squad, and watch me." The people are being watched were ever they go.
2) The people seem to go along with the dystopian society. A character named Winston goes along with the society but in reality he resists it inwardly. He does this by writing in a dairy that he is not supposed to have it because it was on the free market. In the dairy he had wrote "Down with Big Brother" which is bad because if caught then he could be executed. He realizes what is going on in the society. For instance Mrs. Parsons when she asked Winston to unclog a drain and she called him comrade. In this society everybody has to call each other comrades. Then there are her children who go along with the society because they are in with the whole spy thing and the executions. Then at Winston's work there is a telescreen and the workers have to watch the telescreen for the Two Minute Hate period. Winston has realized the difference in the society when someone is against the party. For instance when they show Goldstein pictures (this person is against the party) and everybody gets angry and starts yelling at the picture. Winston had realized that it is hard to resist the anger because everybody else is doing it. People seem to go along with society because they do not want to take a risk and get in trouble.
3) The concern of the future in "1984" is communism. The time that the book is written was after World War Two and communism was abroad. The novel is trying to warn not to let communism rule the world or everything would be strict. Another thing is that the people seem to be watched very carefully. That bad things can happen when ruled under one dictator that they are power hungry. Another thing that George Orwell seems worried about is the technology. For instance the speakwrite which just writes what ever the person says and the worry is that not being able to write. Winston at first had trouble writing in the dairy because he had not written anything in a long time. The fears of the future can help in the present to try and not to make those mistakes.
Savannah A.
*1984* by George Orwell
1. 1984 is about Totarianism. Totarianism is a government in which a dictator or a small group of leaders control all aspects of peoples lives. 1984 is set in London in the year 1984. This story is about a man named Winston Smith. The people of London are controlled by a “Big Brother” who is watching everyone in London at all times, through televisions set up in each persons home. The televisions cannot be turned off and watch your every move, to keep you in check, and from acting against the Big Brother. Winston Smith doesn’t agree with the government, and Big Brother though he works in one of the four ministries of London, the Ministry of truth. Along with the Big Brother, there is a thought police, who of course, punish any thoughts against the government. Winston struggles to keep his composure in this world he doesn’t agree with, worrying about every move he makes, for its being watched.
2. Winston Smith is being watched by the government 24-7 making his every move carefully panned out. Everyone in London goes along with this way of life. Winston doesn’t agree with his government ways, but is also afraid of acting against them. Any thoughts against London’s government bring forth the “Thought Police”. Winston does in fact think against the Big Brother government and writes about his thoughts secretly, in a diary and then worries after about the Thought Police. Winston also questions the people around him, whether they feel the way he does or not. In a world like this who can you talk to? Winston feels a man at his work O’Brien is on the same page as him, against the government, but has yet to reveal that.
3. 1984 as a dystopian, is based on the fear of Totalitarianism. The fear of the governments power becoming to expanded that it takes over every aspect of our lives. Without our own say and choices, we’d all have to abide by one way of life. Who’s to say that that one way of life is right, that what the government wants or thinks is right, truly is? Everyone has a different opinion and has different beliefs. If we as people had every aspect of our lives depend on the governments approval, that could lead to something as crazy as being monitored 24-7 like this story. It could also lead to rebellion and would take away our freedom.
Donny P.
"Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood
1."Oryx and Crake" setting appears to take place in the futur were something has gone wrong, there is junk every were and a lack of civilazation. The main character is Jimmy aka snowman who appears to look differnt to the other few humans he comes in contact with. This novel is dystopain becouse there was an idea to use animals which were bread to grow multiple human organs for example the pigoons a large pig which could hold multiple lungs hearts ...ect, and since there is a lack of civalazation then some thing must have gone wrong causing this to be a dystopian novel.
2.Jimmy does not like this dystopia at all. what he dislikes most is the fact that he can not find a female compainon. all so he has to look for food in a wilderness of hybrid animals, and survive wild rain storms almost daily. also jimmy hates being in the sun i think this might sugjust that there are stronger than average uv rays or more of them are getting through the ozon if there is one.
3.In "Oryx and Crake" i think that Margret Atwood is worried about coloning, genetic enginering, and doing this with out a lot of resaerch on animals. for i'm only i the mid 50's its a little dificult to figure out why this is a bad thing, or if she's worried about anything else
David O
1984 by George Orwell
1. 1984 setting is in London England.This book starts out as you learn about Winston's Dystopian. You learn that Winston is constantly hassled. Also you learn that in 1984 Totarianism is a government in which a dictator of leaders control all aspects of peoples lives.Just like a directorship
2. So far every character is going along with what the government says. Winston goes along with the society but in reality he resists it because of the rules that are set by the dystopian. He begins to dislike the Big Brother and writes about his hatred in his journal.In the journal he writes "DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER" over and over again.
3.The main fear in 1984 is a fear of a government of power taking over every aspect of the peoples lives. The novel is trying to warn people not to let communism rule the world or everything would be strict and everyone in the world will be the good little kid.
Ryan F
"Brave New World" By Aldous Huxley
This book is considered a dystopia because of the way it has characterized peope as reproductive machines. People are too complex to be stuck in a shop being told what their lives have in store for them. The people from the future think that we are here to mate and be placed anywhere willingly.
Walking towards a dark alley one night, I noticed this shining object that was glowing brightly that it ahd caught my eye. This object ended up being a nugget of gold, that had been cursed by a gypsy to travel time for eternity. All a person needed to do to travel back and forth in time was hold the glowing nugget of gold for more than three minutes. I picked up the strange object and looked preplexed at the nugget. I felt this sensation flow through my body and next thing I know I'm slowly vanishing into thin air. I woke in a strange alley in London behind some sort of "Hatchery" and before I could even think I knew somethign wierd happened. As I regained consciousness i began to hear a strange noise coming from a Reservation down the road. I heard drums and people yelling and I was confused on what was happening. I got up and began to walk towards the noise and the next thing I saw put me in a state of complete terror. I saw a young man being whipped until there was bloodshed, i watched the young man shreik, wince, and cuss out his abuser. After he was done being abused for being an outsider, I decided to speak with him about why he got that whipping. He told me that "It was because he is different, He has biological parents." i didn't understand what the big deal was with that. He went into greater detail with me and told me about how being a human-birth is a major threat in this new world. Violators can be whipped and or killed upon their intelligence. This scared me into finding the golden nugget and getting out of that crazy time.
From this experience I think I've learned that being different will not fly in this new world. The world we live in now is nothing like the one out there in the future. Being different could be a death wish. knowing this makes me realize how lucky i am not be getting whipped by intolerant people.
*Oryx and Crake* by Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake is a dystopia because snowman (jimmy) is living in a world where he is barly able to suvive his flashbacks reveal that the world wasnt always like this
he used to live in the medical and scientific compound of organ. inc and then helthwyzer these two companys were seperated from a hostile outside world by towwering
walls and armed gaurds they were reaserching and developing ways to improve the human life with genetic engineering.
In the early stages of the book during one of snowmans flashbacks jimmys dad used to take him to the place were he worked to see a geneticly engineered pig for havesting
organs called a pigoon he thought they were funny looking and he joked about wanting to poke them with a stick.
the lesson that can be taken from the book isnt clear yet i ave a sneeking suspition that the lesson is dont play god or somthing unnatural and bad may happen.
charlene p
oryx and crake by margaret Atwood:
1. In oryx and crake the world is a distopia because the snowman(jimmy) Is living in a new world where everyone is unaware of the how the world used to be. Nobody knows what the world was like before.
2. In the beginning of the book, besides the snowman the characters seem to respond just find to the distopian world because they dont know how the world used to be, so they think that barriers, guards, and ridiculous laws are normal.
3. I'm not far enough into the book to tell, but i would guess that the snowman is concerned because once he is gone, the old world will be completely forgotten and nobody would know it ever existed and this new distopia would be the world for the rest of time.
Amber S. March 5, 2009
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Up to page 110
Dear E block English,
I have taken a submarine and I am now in a place that is full of crazy people and book haters. There are loads of firefighters here and there’s something wrong about them. Every time there is a fire in a house it gets worse and they end up burning down. I don’t think they do their job the way they should. I think that there is something other than water in their hoses. I’ve been in the firehouse, there are no books and they have a mechanical dog that doesn’t like anyone. There’s something not right and I’m going to find out what.
I witnessed something that was very horrifying to see. There was this poor old lady and her house was on fire. She had a huge collection of books that she loved and she expressed that to the fireman. Her saying that he took the books and set them ablaze causing the fire to become worse. She was very upset and offended by his actions. He asked her to come with him so her life could be spared. Her anger overpowered her judgment and refused to go with the fireman. He didn’t want to leave the lady to die but he had no choice in the sake of his own life. He left the old lady to burn and die in her own house. I’ve never seen anything like it.
My class might learn that the people you thought you could trust may be the complete opposite. Fireman are supposed to save people’s lives and put out fires. They shouldn’t be making fires worse and setting books ablaze. People use books to get an education or to just plainly amuse themselves. Like the old lady, she absolutely adored her books. She took her life just because they set ablaze her book collection. We can’t afford to lose the numbers of people who are willing to take their lives over such a silly matter. This class could also learn that people can overreact over such silly things. The firemen believe that books are a load of garbage just because they can’t understand what they read. They may not understand it but other people do. Or there are people like the old lady who takes their lives just because someone ruined their book collection. They can just learn that this place is just full of trouble and not to visit it.
Sincerely,
Amber Sears
Bri. G
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bardbury
1)I believe that fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel because everyone seems to have their own individuality which sets them aside from their differences.
In the novel 451 you would figure that the firefighters were believed to put out fires and prevent them from happening, but unfortuneatly
in this book you kinda see the oppostie, one man inparticular, guy montag is a fireman in charge of the book, his choice is to burn books in the grim because he thinks their worthless and have no point, in other words they believ that books and literature destroy lives and interfers with everyday tasks so they think burning them with help prevent this.
2)Characters in the novel respond to this issue by going along with whatever their told because their fearful that the boss himself could in fact kill them and so they think that maybe if they side with him, they'll be okay. on the other hang montag one of the main characters is so distant to whats going on and she doesint really understand why books are so wrong. Montag believes that the books have reason and explanation behind them and that their is a meaning but noone cares because they want to be on the boss's good side.
3)The fear and concern about modern society seems to be at the core of the dystopian society in the book im reading i think that it might be a warning about the furture because to some people such like the boss, he thinks that books are worthless and unhuman but little does he know that books do in fact change our aspect and outlook on society and how persive the world as it is. To me i think that books have so much understanding & adventure that it becomes real in our minds. you see the thing is our imagionation runs wild & we need something to capture our attetion and back up questions we have & books help transpire and prove to us whats out there and what we make of it.
Jared W
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Page 52
Dear Mr. Cook’s E Block English class,
It’s awfully strange over here. I mean, genetically breeding human beings? It’s ridiculous. They even have a system to modify their embryos to suite their future areas of work and life. Even after birth they still modify their babies to eat, sleep, and breathe their future work. It’s rather scary. It just seems too organized. Life is what you make of it, not some controlling way of life similar to that of a robot.
What got me the most wasn’t the modifying of the embryos with aseptic fluids or the starving of oxygen, but the pejorative idea of electrocuting babies at such a young age. After the first electrocution I noticed the babies approach the books and flowers they were taught to hate, with wonkish behavior. The babies were uneasy towards these objects but a second shock took care of that. After that I’d be lying if I told you it was a specious sight. The babies cried and whaled until their departure. After leaving that awful room with the electric charged floor I felt like an abject loser for watching such a horrific event.
I just want to be home in the normal world I know. Where life isn’t as cruel and structured as the future may hold. If anything can be learned from this cruel world it is to never question the thought of genetically breeding humans. What an evil act. What a cruel concept. I can’t imagine how it all started. I hope it never comes to this.
Manuela O
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
March 5, 2009
Dear E Block English Class,
You wouldn’t be able to imagine where I have been in the last few days. I have come to London to learn and visit new cultures. Little did I know, the people of London live in a complete different world. This place is mind boggling.
Everything is controlled and structured very strictly. They even control the way they reproduce human beings. I couldn’t believe my eyes, children were being born in factories by fertilized ovaries incubated in bottles. They ran the embryos through machines in a factory like they were making shoes or clothing, I was completely astonished. This whole experience seemed so abnormal to me.
Once I started understanding their reasoning behind their factory, I started to be more understanding towards them. This was until I walked to the garden. At first, I thought I saw a whole bunch of toddlers running around having fun until I got a little closer. I noticed all the children were running around naked. There were huge complex machines all around the children. When the clock struck four, all the children would stop and the shift would change. It was like they were not even children, like they were some sort of robots. When I noticed one child off to the side crying, they simply sent him to a psychologist because they thought it was abnormal for him to feel uncomfortable. All I could think was how could you not feel uncomfortable. I felt awful looking at these kids be completely controlled with no sense of privacy or sense of a real childhood.
I can’t wait to be back in class where everything is back to normal. Where reproduction is a natural. Where people are special and not just another thing made by factories. I am so thankful that I live in Gloucester where nothing bad could even compare. The structure, control and the behavior of the people is just so abnormal. I could never imagine life that way. I am glad to say I will be home soon.
Sincerely,
Manuela O
Page 95
Chris F raft
I’ve read up to chapter 5
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
March 5, 2009
Salutations Classmates,
I took a magical catapult ride to the very near future. Even though it is close to us in time, it is becoming drastically different. There are all types of biological genetic changes in all types of creatures. In the future, we have rakunks (racoon and skunk hybrids) and pigoons (pig and baboon hybrids). There are more creatures, but not enough time to write about them. I asked my new friend Jimmy, and he says his dad works at a lab that does this. They created pigoons harvest organs, and it seems like nobody even cares about it. While staying at my new friend’s place, he told me about where he lives. His family lives at OrganInc. Farms and so do other families. In fact, tons of people live at their work places. It seems that the companies can afford this is because the world is completely controlled by commercialism. If you don’t have a higher paying job, you live with the plebs, there is no room at companies for people without jobs. Hmm, the genetic experiments and the fact that corporations basically control the world seems like it would be a good idea for a dystopian novel. It’s weird, after Jimmy moved I came with him and we met a boy named Glenn. He is nice, but he gave off a vibe as though he would be the death of us all though.
I was hanging out with Glenn and Jimmy at school, and we decided to go to Glenn’s house. Glenn told me about these awesome websites he has been to. When we went to the house, he booted up the websites to show us something disturbing. There are all types of horrible, painful things to watch on websites that would never be accepted back in 2009. This is another difficult thing about the future, things like torture and suicide and even child pornography is more tolerated then it was way back when. He showed us these dirty websites, where the girls looked like they were eight years old! While doing this, we stole some of Glenn’s brother’s weed and took a couple hits. Afterwards, Jimmy and I went back to his house, still high, and weren’t even noticed by his parents. But that one girl, Oryx, remained in his head, and he told me that he felt something when he saw her.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get back, but I must tell you something very important. DO NOT, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT TRY TO PLAY GOD. I’ve been having premonitions in my sleep ever since the run in with the magic catapult to the future, and I know what’s going to happen. A man nicknamed Crake is going to destroy every human, and you won’t be able to reason with him. Also, genetic experimentations are good, but if you take it too far, something horrible might happen. Also, corporations are going to become so influential, that there will be incredibly large gaps between middle and poor class.
So the main message here is: Don’t play God, don’t take things too far, and be kind to less fortunate.
Thank you for your time, and good luck.
Love,
Chris Frontiero
Chris F raft
I’ve read up to chapter 5
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
March 5, 2009
Salutations Classmates,
I took a magical catapult ride to the very near future. Even though it is close to us in time, it is becoming drastically different. There are all types of biological genetic changes in all types of creatures. In the future, we have rakunks (racoon and skunk hybrids) and pigoons (pig and baboon hybrids). There are more creatures, but not enough time to write about them. I asked my new friend Jimmy, and he says his dad works at a lab that does this. They created pigoons harvest organs, and it seems like nobody even cares about it. While staying at my new friend’s place, he told me about where he lives. His family lives at OrganInc. Farms and so do other families. In fact, tons of people live at their work places. It seems that the companies can afford this is because the world is completely controlled by commercialism. If you don’t have a higher paying job, you live with the plebs, there is no room at companies for people without jobs. Hmm, the genetic experiments and the fact that corporations basically control the world seems like it would be a good idea for a dystopian novel. It’s weird, after Jimmy moved I came with him and we met a boy named Glenn. He is nice, but he gave off a vibe as though he would be the death of us all though.
I was hanging out with Glenn and Jimmy at school, and we decided to go to Glenn’s house. Glenn told me about these awesome websites he has been to. When we went to the house, he booted up the websites to show us something disturbing. There are all types of horrible, painful things to watch on websites that would never be accepted back in 2009. This is another difficult thing about the future, things like torture and suicide and even child pornography is more tolerated then it was way back when. He showed us these dirty websites, where the girls looked like they were eight years old! While doing this, we stole some of Glenn’s brother’s weed and took a couple hits. Afterwards, Jimmy and I went back to his house, still high, and weren’t even noticed by his parents. But that one girl, Oryx, remained in his head, and he told me that he felt something when he saw her.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get back, but I must tell you something very important. DO NOT, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT TRY TO PLAY GOD. I’ve been having premonitions in my sleep ever since the run in with the magic catapult to the future, and I know what’s going to happen. A man nicknamed Crake is going to destroy every human, and you won’t be able to reason with him. Also, genetic experimentations are good, but if you take it too far, something horrible might happen. Also, corporations are going to become so influential, that there will be incredibly large gaps between middle and poor class.
So the main message here is: Don’t play God, don’t take things too far, and be kind to less fortunate.
Thank you for your time, and good luck.
Love,
Chris Frontiero
Jason L
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
pg.96
March, 11, 2009
Dear Class,
I have just returned from the Brave New World and it was very strange there. Everyone seemed like they were the same person, I mean acting the same way, talking the same way and even thinking the same way. I couldn’t believe it when I found out that people were made in test tubes here. So, it’s no wonder they were acting so strange. It was like they were robots, When I talked to them it seems like they already had something to say and they said it emdiently For example I said “Are you guys happy with being born in test tubes” the 2 people I asked said the same thing “yes, Everyone is happy now”. It’s as if they are actually machines. They told me I was looking glum and told me to try this drug called soma. So, when I tried it as very strange suddenly felt happy a little too happy. It was like nothing could get me down. I also went to other activities around the town and it
seemed like the people running the event told everyone what to do and they did exactly that. It was like I was living in a world of machines
This one time, there was a gathering of about 12 people all aligned in boy girl order passing around a cup of soma and as they drank they sang and said I drink to the greater being. While they were drinking this drug I noticed one man who seemed just dreadful and awful he was a skinny man I think his name was Bernard Marx, before the soma when he arrived (nearly late when another man who arrived later saved him) he just seemed so much different then the rest he was just so sad all the time, you could tell he did not believe the words he was reciting as he was hesitant to say them. But the soma even affected him as he danced and sang. They were singing about how they all 12 made one person for a job. They were so high on soma they didn’t even notice me doing my taxes in the background at my desk. If you go to this world you'll certiatly learn alot about where this world could possibly be headed. into a loss of indivisuality for the whole world.
If you take anything from this trip take this never let people tell you what you want to do always do what you want to do, wheither it be a small decision as what to eat or a huge decision such as deciding your future career. This book is saying evetually the govermet will be telling us what to do with
everything in our lives (such as carrers ad even what you feel your emotions) if we dont put a stop to this.
Angela R March 5, 2009
Up to page 153
Dear Mr. Cook E Block English,
I had taken a plane trip Airstrip One (which is London, England). This place seems so gloomy. I absolutely despise how gloomy it seems here. The people here seem very orthodox about following the rules of the Party. For instance they are all wearing overalls and when ever addressing someone they call that person comrade. Pretty much where ever you go there are telescreen and hidden microphones every where so they can monitor the people here. I went to an office and there was a two minute hate session and the telescreen had a proclamation on Emmanuel Goldstein on why to hate him. I have been contemplating for a while now whether or not I like it here but it turns out I don’t.
I had gotten hungry so I had decided to go to the canteen for some lunch then something interesting had happened. I saw this girl sitting at a table almost all by her self her name is Julia. Then I saw this guy named Winston he was coming over with a tray of food and there was a small guy in front of him and the guy in front of him had fallen down so the guy gave Winston a dirty look. Then Winston went and sat down with Julia but as he was walking towards the table it looked like he was compiling his thoughts together. When they were sitting at the table they looked somewhat like they had a secret. When I was sitting further down the table I herd that they were going to meet at Victory Square at the monument. They had to whisper it because of the telescreen which could pick up things. Then after they would leave each other and go back to work.
The merit of the situation is that it is possible to hold secrets when under strict control by the police. The thing is that when in an environment like this you have to be very careful what you do and what you say or you can be arrested and possibly executed. For instance Julia and Winston are keeping a secrete by meeting each other. When meeting each other though they have to be careful for any wrong move that suggest that they are together the police could take them away. These people here in Airstrip One are watched way too much I believe that it is a lot better in Gloucester. If I had to choose I would choose Gloucester any day.
Sincerely,
Angela Rallo
Ben M
1984 by George Orwell
p. 115
March 5, 2009
Dear my fellow English students,
I have traveled to the year 1984 where a war is going on and London is under a totalitarian government. I want to see how people in these times function so I have decided to secretly follow a man named Winston through all points of his day. For Winston and every other member of the Party they live by strict rules of the Big Brother and if they act or think of negative actions toward the authority then they will be executed and they will be erased from the society’s memory. It seems that there is another person spying on Winston but with more intentions of turning him in or harming him. Winston looks as if he is catching on to this mysterious woman’s presence and is a little nervous. One night after Winston finished work at the ministry I followed him while he walked through slum filled with proles towards a bar which he talked to an old man for a while about the past then to an antique store where he purchased a picture and coral. I think it’s quite odd in this dystopia that the government is trying to erase the past and create a worse past to make the present look better.
One event that I witnessed was when Winston made his way into an antique store late at night in the slums. This antique store was where he bought his pen and notebook that he secretly writes in to try to remember his past and express what he is feeling. Winston becomes friends with the store keeper and buys a coral and contemplates buying a picture of an old church which is now in ruins. While looking at the picture Winston remembers a song involving this church from his childhood. Although he doesn’t know the whole song it brings back some memories from the past and gets him wondering about what it was like before the war.
When I get home from this journey I will tell my classmates all about the crazy times in 1984 and how it was following a member of the society. I think my class mates will learn that totalitarianism is a crazy way of life and it should never happen. If people see this they will realize how bad it is and do everything to prevent totalitarianism control.
Sincerely,
Ben Mosse
Dear Class,
I’m here in the future where my book takes place, I’m at the World State which is the most modern and important place on the planet. This place is very modern, very clean, and has a futuristic look about it because it’s different. Everything is very precise like the buildings look like their in place where there supposed to be. The shapes of the buildings are all square and tall like sky scrapers, but everything is square like the buildings, signs, places to sit, just everything and everywhere, nothing is round. Mostly everything made a out of cement and there’s some glass. The area is completely treeless, no plant life anywhere, it’s a place of machinery and work. People walking don’t talk, just walk silently and go to where they need to be as if there programed. To me, this place is lifeless and has no emotion in the landscape and in the people.
I experienced a very weird event during my time here. I went to a community get together at a community center, which seemed pretty normal, to see what the majority of the population was really like. When I first walked in there was a good size crowd of men and women all sitting down at tables and there was one man at one end of the room sitting by himself as he was directing it. Everyone was sitting at the table very quietly not saying a word and there was a bowl of ice-cream and a bowl of pills. The man at the front of the room then played instrumental music and everyone passed the ice-cream around the table everyone getting a fare share, it looked like, and the same with the pills. Moments later everyone started to loosen up and started to talk to each, like small talk, and smiling at each other. The people started to act if they were on drugs or drunk, mumbling things to each other and just smiling. The next thing you know is everyone started to hook up with each other very sexually and it turned started to get very pornographic. It was very awkward and gross, it was out of control. The man at the front of the room just put his head done and ignored it. I walked out in awe.
My experience to this place was some what, what I expected of the place from what I have read so far. The place is very structured and orderly as everyone has a set schedule and knows exactly what they have to do. It seems as everyone has a purpose in this world. But there is very little social contact, and it gives me the idea that ordinary working people have boring and set-up lives. While I was there I felt like a ghost, no one noticed me and no one spoke to me, not one word. I would like to see something that affects these peoples lives to see how they react. So basically everyone knows what they have to do and they just do it, there isn’t a lot of drama.
Christian T
Oryx and crake by Margaret Atwood
Pg. 88
Dear fellow classmates,
It has been some time since I can remember where I am or how I got to this point in time. I have come to believe that I am one of the last to humans on earth. I am told that the extinction of humans was a result of some science experiments gone awry, in which animals were genetically altered in order to make hybrid animals to harvest organs from. I have not been here for long, a few days, maybe a week. Jimmy has been here far longer than I have and it has become evident by his appearance. Jimmy often tells me stories of his childhood experiences; his memories are the only thing that keeps him sane. It is a frightening world that we live in being the only two people left but what I find most scary is the inevitable insanity that is soon to come.
While Jimmy and I were talking he told me of his childhood and mentioned that his father was in the business of genetic advancements that lead to the extinction of humans. He also told me of times when his mother left because of ethical disagreements with his fathers profession. His mother had been depressed and very despondent for some time before his parents split up. This seemed to damage Jimmy’s psyche quite profoundly. He even had a routine that he used to make fun of his parents with in grade school and would impersonate his parents only to feel remorse about shortly after.
Now that I have told you my story I feel somewhat obligated to warn you of what I have found. Do not ever lose sight of your morals when experimenting. Although it may seem like a good idea because the reward is so great, it may be too big of a risk to take. From what Jimmy has told me it was due to science that we are all alone in this sad existence and all because of some questionable experiments from people with good intentions.
Montag is in his house worried about what is going to happen next. His wife has called in about him having books in the house. But he doesn’t know it yet. His wife comes down the stairs with a suitcase in hand. Going out the door where a cab is waiting.
MONTAG. “Mildred!”
She ran past with her body stiff, her face floured with powder, her mouth gone, without lipstick.
MONTAG. Mildred you didn’t put in the alarm!
She put the valise in the waiting beetle, climbed in, and sat.
MILDRED. (Mumbling) Poor family, poor family, oh everything gone, everything, everything gone now…
Beatty grabbed Montag’s shoulder as the beetle blasted away and hit seventy miles an hour, far down the street, gone. Montag drifted about as if still another incomprehensible storm had turned him, to see Stoneman and Black wielding axes, shattering windowpanes to provide cross ventilation.
FABER. Montag this is Faber. Do you hear me? What’s happening?
MONTAG. This is happening to me.
BEATTY. What a dreadful surprise. For everyone knows, absolutely is certain, that nothing will ever happen to me. Others die, I go on. There are no consequences and no responsibilities. Except that there are. But let’s not talk about them, eh? By the time the consequences catch up with you, it’s too late isn’t it Montag?
FABER. Montag can you get away, run?
Montag walked but didn’t feel his feet touch the cement and then the night grasses. Beatty flicked his igniter nearby and the small orange flame drew his fascinated gaze.
BEATTY. What is there about fire that’s so lovely? No matter what age we are, what draws us to it?
Beatty blew out the flame and lit it again.
BEATTY. It’s perpetual motion; the thing man wanted to invent but never did. Or almost perpetual motion. If you let it go on, it’d burn our lifetimes out. What is fire? It’s a mystery. Scientists give us gobbledegook about friction and molecules. But they don’t really know. Its real beauty is that it destroys responsibility and consequences. A problem gets too burdensome, then into the furnace with it. Now, Montag you’re a burden. And fire will lift you off my shoulders, clean, quick, sure; nothing to rot later. Antibiotic, aesthetic, practical. I want you to do this job all by your lonesome, Montag. Not with kerosene and a match, but piecework, with a flame thrower: Your house, your clean up.
FABER. Montag can’t you run get away.
MONTAG. (Helplessly) No! The hound! Because of the hound!
Faber heard and so did Beatty thinking it was for him.
BEATTY. Yes the Hound’s somewhere about the neighborhood, so don’t try anything. Ready?
MONTAG. Ready
Montag snapped the safety catch on the flame thrower.
MONTAG. Fire!
Montag burned his house down along with killing Beatty and Faber with the flame thrower. He ended up being all over the news and decided to run away.
End of Scene
Pg. 125-128
Jared W
On page 128
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Page 129-130
Scene opens with a couple boys standing next to a pile of rocks looking at Linda. The boys tease her and call her names. John throws rocks at them. John is hit by one of their rocks and is bleeding.
Flashback in the mind of JOHN: (his mother draws pictures with words referring to them. He learns the English language easily. His mother reaches into her wooden chest.)
LINDA: when you’re bigger, you can read it.
LINDA: I’m afraid you won’t find it very exciting, but it’s the only thing I have. (She sighs) If only you could see the lovely reading machines we used to have in London!
JOHN: (picks up a book and begins to read the sentences, the chemical and bacteriological conditioning of the embryo. Practical instructions for beta embryo store workers.) (After a long pause from reading the sentence John throws the book on the floor in a fit of rage.)
JOHN: (Angry and frustrated) Beastly, beastly book!
JOHN: (begins to cry after a slight pause)
Scene from top reopens. The boys continue to torment Linda as well as John’s ragged apparel.
JOHN: (screaming at the boys in his head) but I can read and they can’t. They don’t even know what reading is. (John asks Linda for the book)
The boys yell louder and louder at Linda. John’s focus on the book increases.
Flashback to John asking Linda a question
JOHN: what are chemicals?
LINDA: oh stuff like magnesium slats, and alcohol for keeping the deltas and epsilons small and backward and calcium carbonate for bones and all that sort of thing.
JOHN: but how do you make chemicals? Where do they come from?
LINDA: Well I don’t know. You get them out of bottles. And when the bottles are empty you send up to the chemical store for more. It’s the chemical store people who make them; I suppose. (Rolling her eyes into her head as if to see the answer somewhere in her brain) or else they send to the factories for them. (Flabbergasted) I don’t know. I never did any chemistry. My job was always with the embryos.
John was frustrated by Linda’s lack of knowledge. A look of disappointment appears on John’s face. John remembers back to the old wise pueblo men with all the answers.
Chapter 11, Page: 169, 170, 171
Lenina had just took John, “the savage”, to see a film and John thought it was awful because he wasn’t used to seeing things like this film.
Lenina and John walking threw the crowd onto lifts to get to the taxicopter.
John: “I don’t think you ought to see things like that”, saying this with an anger of weirdness.
Lenina in a confused state of mind: “Things like what, John?”
John speaking as shocked because he didn’t understand why she didn’t understand him: “Like this horrible film.”
Lenina also shocked: “Horrible? But I thought it was lovely.”
John with a strong attitude of dislike of the film: “It was base, it was ignoble.”
Lenina confused of why he didn’t like the movie: “I don’t know what you mean?” and to herself in her head “Why was he so queer? Why didn’t he go out of his way to spoil things?”
Lenina and John enter the taxicopter, Lenina with a shocked confused look on her face and John with a serious look. The scene ends.
The scene opens back up to the cab on Lenina’s roof.
Lenina thinking to herself “at last” and stepped out of the cab and took out a pocket size mirror to look at herself, trying to look good as she thought John would come with her and they would have sex. “ He’s terribly good looking and there’s no reason for him to be shy” she thought to herself.
John standing outside the cab and behind her said: “Good-night, Good-night, Lenina”
Lenina with a strange look again saying: “But, John......I thought you were.....I mean, aren’t you?” saying this because she doesn’t know why he doesn’t want to come with her.
John shuts the door and enters the stage.
Lenina left on her roof alone with a sad shocked expression calling John’s name.
The scene ends.
I chose this scene because it showed a lot of diversity between the two people which wasn’t what they were used to. They both experienced new things that they haven’t seen before and this could open up a new world to them
Nick T
A Brave New World: Aldous Huxley
178
Lenina Crowne comes walking into the Changing room. She is rather upbeat, and singing a light tune to herself. Fanny, taking notice of her friends happiness, poses her with a few questions.
FANNY: You seem very pleased with yourself.
LENINA: I am pleased.
Lenina zips down her pants fly and gets out of her work clothes.
LENINA: Bernard rang up half an hour ago. He has an expected engagement.
LENINA: He asked me if I’d take the Savage to the feelies this evening. I must fly.
Lenina scurries towards the bathroom door.
FANNY(to herself): She’s a lucky girl.
Fanny was not envious of Lenina, she was more happy. Fanny thought of all the good fortune that had recently come Lenina’s way. To become so famous in such short amount of time. The new friends she had made. The new doors that were opening for her. She spent much time with very high end people such as the Resident World Controller’s Secretary.
LENINA: It’s wonderful, of course. And yet in a way, I feel as though I were getting some thing on false pretences. Because, of course, the first thing they all want to know is what it’s like to make love to a Savage. And I have to say I don’t know.
Lenina shakes her head in somewhat of dissapointment.
LENINA: Most of the men don’t believe me, or course. But it’s true. I wish it weren’t
Lenina sadly sighs
LENINA: He’s terribly good looking; don’t you think?
FANNY: But doesn’t he like you?
LENINA: Some times I think he does and sometimes I think he doesn’t. He always does his best to avoid me; goes out of the room when I come in; won’t touch me; won’t even look at me. But sometimes if I turn round suddenly, I catch him staring; and then-well, you know how men look when they like you.
Fanny nods her head in agreement
LENINA: I can’t make it out
Lenina became rather upset over this notion
LENINA: Because, you see, Fanny I like him.
Lenina thinks about the Savage and dabs herself with some perfume as she enters out of the bath. She starts to sing in happiness
LENINA (singing): Hug me till you drug me, honey; Kiss me till I’m in a coma: Hug me, honey, snuggly bunny; Love’s as good as soma.
End of scene
Pages 165-166
Angela R
1984 by George Orwell
On page 200
The scene opens with Winston walking down a long corridor at the Ministry of Truth. O’Brien who is an Inner Party member is walking behind Winston. He is larger than Winston. O’Brien gives a slight cough to convert conversation. Winston turns around and sees that it is O’Brien. O’Brien walks at the same past to catch up to Winston and when O’Brien reaches Winston lays a friendly hand on Winston’s arm for a couple of seconds. They would then continue on walking side by side. O’Brien starts talking to Winston and he speaks to Winston with courtesy. Majority of the Inner Party members do not speak with courtesy.
O’Brien: (while walking slowly) I had been hoping for an opportunity of talking to you. I was reading one of your Newspeak articles in the Times the other day. You take a scholarly interest in Newspeak, I believe?
Winston: (Nervous and intimidated) Hardly scholarly, I’m only an amateur. It’s not my subject. I have never had anything to do with the actual construction of the language.
O’Brien: But you write it very elegantly. (talking casually) That is not only my own opinion. I was talking recently to a friend of yours who is certainly an expert. His name has slipped my memory for the moment.
Winston gets nervous and is pondering who it is. Realizes who it is and wonders if O’Brien and is giving a hint or a code to him. They still move down the corridor very slowly. Then O’Brien comes to a halt and then with a friendliness gesture had resettled his spectacles on his nose.
O’Brien: What I had really intended to say was that in your article I noticed you had used two words which have become obsolete. But they have only become so very recently. Have you seen the tenth edition of the Newspeak dictionary?
Winston: No, I didn’t think it had been issued yet. We are still using the ninth in the Records Department.
O’Brien: The tenth edition is not due to appear for some months, I believe. But a few advance copies have been circulated. I have one myself. It might interest you to look at it, perhaps?
Winston: Very much so.
O’Brien: Some of the new developments are most ingenious. The reduction in the number of verbs-that is the point that will appeal to you, I think. Let me see, shall I send a messenger to you with the dictionary? But I am afraid I invariably forget anything of that kind. Perhaps you could pick it up at my flat at some time that suited you? Wait. Let me give you my address.
Standing in front of the telescreen. O’Brien pulls out a small leather-covered notebook and a gold ink pencil and writes down his address. Then when standing under the telescreen O’Brien tares out the piece of paper with the address and gives it to Winston.
O’Brien: I am usually at home in the evenings. If not, my servant will give you the dictionary.
Then O’Brien would leave and Winston was holding the paper. Winston memorizes the paper for a couple of hours and then dropped it in the memory hole along with other papers.
End of Scene
Pages 171-173
I had chosen this passage because it seems to foreshadow that Winston would be going to O’Brien’s home. I also believe that O’Brien is being nice now because later he might become mean. I think that O’Brien is really trying to lour Winston into is house.
Courtney R
on page 190
1984-George Orwell
pg132
Opening scene takes place on with Winston and Julia laying side by side. They start talking about Winston's past wife Katherine.
JULIA: "What was your wife like?"
WINSTON: "She was--- do you know the Newspeak word goodthinkful? Meaning naturally othordox, incapable of thinking a bad thought?"
JULIA: "No, I didn't know the word, but I know the kind of person, right enough."
WINSTON: (kind of upset sadden voice) " I could have stood it if it hadn't been for one thing"
He talked about a ceremony Katherine used to drag him to.
WINSTON: (now angered) "She hated it, but nothing would make her stop doing it. She used to call it---- but you'll never guess."
JULIA:"Our duty to the party"
WINSTON:(in a shocked voice) "How did you know that?"
JULIA: "I've been at school too, dear. Sex talks once a month for the over-sixteens. And in the Youth Movement. They rub it into you for years. Dare I say it works in a lot of cases. But of course you can never tell; people are such hypocrites"
End scene.
I chose this passage because it showed the sensitive side of both of these characters. Leading up to this point they didn't appear all that sensitive and open, they didn't talk about much that brought out this type of emotion. We learn a kind of in depth story about Winston and his past wife, it shows us why he might not be so willing to get emotionally close to Julia until this conversation took place between them. We are starting to see something new about the relationship between the two.
Christian Towler
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Pg 135
Crakers walking in a group, torches in hand, the only sounds audible are their footsteps and voices. The women carry a fish, grilled to snowman’s liking. They bring forward the fish and place it on the ground in front of snowman.
ABRAHAM: Here is your fish, oh snowman.
WOMAN: This is the one fish chosen for you tonight.
People avert their eyes as Snowman crams fistfuls of fish into his mouth. When snowman finishes, the crakers gather around anticipating Snowman to shed some wisdom in return for the fish.
MAN: Snowman, tell us please about the deeds of crake.
Snowman pauses, hopeful that he can conjure some believable nonsense.
SNOWMAN: What part would you like to hear tonight?
MAN: In the beginning.
Snowman had expected them to say that, because he had told the story before.
SNOWMAN: In the beginning there was chaos.
MAN: What is chaos? Show us a picture of chaos.
CRAKERS: (urgently) yes! yes! a picture of chaos.
Snowman presents a plastic pail.
SNOWMAN: Bring some water.
A few of the crakers take the pail and scramble to get some water.
SNOWMAN: In chaos everything was mixed together. The people were all mixed up with the dirt.
The pail returns filled with water. Snowman then picks up a handful of dirt and puts it in the water and mixes it with a stick.
SNOWMAN: There. Chaos. You can’t drink it, you can’t eat it, and you can’t swim in it or stand on it.
The crakers enthralled looking at snowman as if they had memorized every word were excited about the next part of the story because it is their favorite part.
SNOWMAN: The people were full of chaos and were killing other people all the time. People were disobeying Oryx and Crake everyday, so Crake decided to take away the chaos.
Snowman dumps out the pail
SNOWMAN: So that is how Crake did it. How he took away the chaos. He cleared away the dirt, he cleared room for…
CRAKER: (one of the crakers interrupts) For his children! For the children of Crake!
SNOWMAN: Right and for…
CRAKER: (intrusively) And for the children of Oryx, as well!
SNOWMAN: (uncomfortably) Right.
Snowman thinks about his inventions. He feels ashamed of his lies.
WOMEN: For us! For us! Oh good, kind Crake!
SNOWMAN: (trying not to be bitter) Good, kind Crake.
Snowman twists his mouth into what he hopes is a benevolent smile.
End of scene
Pg. 100-103
I chose this excerpt because I found it interesting to watch snowman be worshiped like a prophet. The crakers are the only people that he can talk to and that will talk to him in return. Snowman feels emotionless toward the crakers and treats their conversations as a joke and is unaware of the consequences of what he tells them.
Jason L
Brave new world by Aldous Huxley
Pgs. 149-152
Director: (folding arms) can you tell me why I should not execute the judgement passed upon you
Bernard: (loudly) yes I can
Director: Then show it
Bernard: certainty, but its in passage. One moment. [Bernard opens the door]
Linda enter the room, young girl screams, Linda smiles
Bernard: there he is (pointing to director)
Linda: Did you think I didn't recognize him? (Turns to director) Of course I knew you; Tomakin, I should have known you anywhere, among a thousand. But perhaps you've forgotten me. Don't you remember? Don't you remember, Tomakin? Your Linda?(still smiling) Don't you remember, Tomakin? (She holds out her arms) Tomakin!
Director: What's the meaning of this monstrous ..
Linda: Tomakin!
She runs toward him and throws arms around him. He hides face in her chest. Crowd laughs.
Linda: But I'm Linda, I'm Linda (she clung).(she screams)You made me have a baby(director stares at her) Yes, a baby–and I was its mother.(she breaks away from him and starts sobbing) It wasn't my fault, Tomakin. Because I always did my drill, didn't I? Didn't I? Always … I don't know how … If you knew how awful, Tomakin … But he was a comfort to me, all the same.(turns to the door, yells) John! John!
John hesitantly enters, Goes on his knees toward director
John: my Farther!
The crowd breaks out in relentless laughter. The director puts his hands on his head and ran out of the room.
I chose this passage because it is an important event in the storey. This is when two different types of people meet john and the director, one with conditioning another without. And it’s the first time the director has to deal with his shameful past of and having to deal with the embarrassment of having a family.
Manuela O
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Page 199
Lenina and John are talking together in a room. They have just confessed their feelings towards each other. Tensions have rose because of Lenina’s actions towards John.
LENINA (in a sleepy murmur):Kiss me
LENINA: Kiss me until I’m in a coma. Hug me, honey, snuggly..
John get angry and grabs Lenina by her wrist, tore her hands from her own shoulders.
LENINA: Ow, you’re hurting me, you’re…oh!
Lenina went silent.
LENINA(whispers): But what is it John?
John does not answer. He breathes heavily and irregularly, and also is grinding his teeth.
Lenina is pushed against her own will up against a wall.
LENINA(screams):what is it?
John got Lenina by her shoulders and shook her
JOHN (shouting): whore!
JOHN: Whore! Impudent strumpet!
LENINA(in a shaken voice): oh don’t do-on’t
JOHN: Whore!
LENIA: Ple-ease
JOHN: Damned Whore
LENINA: A gra-amme is be-etter
John pushes Lenina away from him and she staggered and fell.
JOHN(shouts):Go!
JONH: Get out of my sight or I’ll kill you.
John makes a fist and Lenina covers her face with her arms.
LENINA: No, please don’t John..
End Of Scene
Page 194
I chose this scene because I found it interesting and suspenseful to read. Lenina and John start the scene by telling each other their love for one another and then the scene turns to violence. I also chose this scene because I found it more entertaining than the others for the play. It has feelings and drama that people could relate too. These are the reason that I decided to choose this scene for my play script.
Ryan F
"Brave New World"
131
[John enters Stage Right. He looks around until he spots a very old, dusty, unfamilar book. He picks up the book and inspects it.]
John: [Picking up the book] I've never seen this before. I wonder how it got here?
[Linda turns over in her bed to answer]
Linda: [In a Deep Voice] Pope bought it awhile back. It was lying in one of the chests of the Antelope Kiva. I think someone told me its over hundreds of years old. Most of it is true from what I looked at, it all seems like a bunch of nonsense, but still good enough for you to practice your reading with.
[John examines the book even closer to notcie the rat bites and wipes the dust off the cover of the book revealing its name.]
John: [Surprised] The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. People told me that these books have been gone from existence for over 50 years! [Excited] This is a historical find Linda!
Linda: (Nonchalant] It is still a bunch of nonsense to me. No matter what you say John.
[John shoots a nasty glare to Linda. She falls back asleep and John opens the book and begins to read.]
John: (Struggling] Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stew'd in corruption, honeying and making love over a nasty sty...
[The words went through his head and began to make sense and form beautiful thoughts. John recites an expression that is unable to be understood by the audience.]
John: [Angry] I hate that Pope guy, with Linda its all about her and Pope or Pope and her. I'm sick of it!
[He plots his plan to murder Pope as he walks of the Stage. Stage Right]
End Scene
Amber S.
Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury
I am responding to the book A Brave New World. By what I’ve read the book sounds really interesting and really read. It makes me question the book I chose. I don’t believe that people should be reproduced by machine because then there won’t be different personalities. Everyone will be the same and that makes the world boring. Maybe I will read that book someday.
The next book I am responding to is Oryx and Crake. It sounds kind of odd. Not only because the character’s name is snowman but also because he’s the only left on the earth. It sounds very depressing because he has no one to talk to besides the animals that he made. This is not a book I would be interested in.
Manuela Orlando
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Responding to Brave New World, I agree with the other post about the book. The book shows that no good will come from creating humans in a factory or by cloning. That all the people would have the same perspectives on everything and there would be no individuality. Also, this novel the advances in science, that people could be created without any natural happenings.
The novel that I did not read is 1984. It seems to be an interesting book to read. The government has the power to take over every aspect of people’s lives. They are in complete control which would be a terrible thing. This book also seems to be about an outbreak and panic attack which causes everyone to lose trust in the government. I think that I would have enjoyed reading and thought it would have been very interesting.
Angela R.
“1984” by George Orwell
I agree with Savannah that the distopian theme of this story is Totalitarianism. The way that the novel was set up was that they had one leader and the party under neigh the leader, which was the party. The leader had been Big Brother and the people under him were known as the Party or the Thought Police, which are the people that would send you to the Ministry of Love. In the Ministry of Love that is where they would force the people to learn and love Big Brother. I also agree with Savannah how Big Brother was monitoring the people all the time through the television sets that they are every where and they can not be shut off. This would make it easier for the Thought Police to catch the people who are against Big Brother and straighten them out. I defiantly agree with Savannah that the government controls the people.
"Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood has similarities and difference from “1984” by George Orwell. For instance when Donny said “Jimmy aka snowman who appears to look different to the other few humans” well Winston from “1984” looked normal but his problem would be thinking differently from the other people by being against Big Brother. Donny had also said “Jimmy does not like this dystopia”. This is the same with Winston because he goes against Big Brother by having a dairy and also having an affair with Julia. Winston has something that Jimmy desires which is a female companion. Another thing is that "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood is about genetics and how animals are used to clone human organs where “1984” by George Orwell is about Totalitarianism but both characters have seem to not like the civilization that they live in even though they have different issues to deal with.
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