Monday, October 24, 2016

Bluebells symbolism

Oranges and Lemons Print Terms for AP Lang and Comp Exam

1st period...
Liam and Charlie need to take ch 1-7 quiz

7th period...John N, Matt B, CeCe need to take quiz

Take 5 mins to review the list of rhetorical terms for the AP Lang and Comp Exam.  Write "1984" next to those terms that you feel describe strategies that Orwell has consciously or subconsciously employed in 1984.

Go over prompt and passage 117-119

HW: Read Part 2, Book 5 (147-159) paying particular attention to how Orwell uses specific details to convey how the Party manipulates the emotions of the people of Oceania in the weeks leading up to hate week (147 to 149) and his use of dialogue and narrative commentary to reveal the different awareness of and attitudes towards of the party on the part of Julia and Winston, respectively (152-156).
Tomorrow: Have students write a practice essay and then show examples

Use Composition Notebook (How To Speak Rhetoric) to copy down sentnece that you feel are well-written and reveal mature awareness.  Underline the rhetorical term used to identify the strategy used.

Bluebells symbolism


1984, Part 2, chapter 2 Rhetorical Analysis Practice Essay:
Read this, take notes, create an outline. On Monday, I will have you work with a partner to write a practice essay.
Write an essay explaining how Orwell uses various rhetorical elements to contrast the hope and beauty of a budding relationship with the darker realities of life in Oceania.  You might wish consider some of the following rhetorical/literary elements: his selection and arrangement of details; imagery; setting; and mood/atmosphere.   Please write legibly.
Part 2, Chapter 2


Winston picked his way up the lane through dappled light and shade, stepping out into pools of gold wherever the boughs parted. Under the trees to the left of him the ground was misty with bluebells. The air seemed to kiss one's skin. It was the second of May. From somewhere deeper in the heart of the wood came the droning of ring doves.

He was a bit early. There had been no difficulties about the journey, and the girl was so evidently experienced that he was less frightened than he would normally have been. Presumably she could be trusted to find a safe place. In general you could not assume that you were much safer in the country than in London. There were no telescreens, of course, but there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized; besides, it was not easy to make a journey by yourself without attracting attention. For distances of less than 100 kilometres it was not necessary to get your passport endorsed, but sometimes there were patrols hanging about the railway stations, who examined the papers of any Party member they found there and asked awkward questions. However, no patrols had appeared, and on the walk from the station he had made sure by cautious backward glances that he was not being followed. The train was full of proles, in holiday mood because of the summery weather. The wooden-seated carriage in which he travelled was filled to overflowing by a single enormous family, ranging from a toothless great-grandmother to a month-old baby, going out to spend an afternoon with 'in-laws' in the country, and, as they freely explained to Winston, to get hold of a little blackmarket butter.

The lane widened, and in a minute he came to the footpath she had told him of, a mere cattle-track which plunged between the bushes. He had no watch, but it could not be fifteen yet. The bluebells were so thick underfoot that it was impossible not to tread on them. He knelt down and began picking some partly to pass the time away, but also from a vague idea that he would like to have a bunch of flowers to offer to the girl when they met. He had got together a big bunch and was smelling their faint sickly scent when a sound at his back froze him, the unmistakable crackle of a foot on twigs. He went on picking bluebells. It was the best thing to do. It might be the girl, or he might have been followed after all. To look round was to show guilt. He picked another and another. A hand fell lightly on his shoulder.

He looked up. It was the girl. She shook her head, evidently as a warning that he must keep silent, then parted the bushes and quickly led the way along the narrow track into the wood. Obviously she had been that way before, for she dodged the boggy bits as though by habit. Winston followed, still clasping his bunch of flowers. His first feeling was relief, but as he watched the strong slender body moving in front of him, with the scarlet sash that was just tight enough to bring out the curve of her hips, the sense of his own inferiority was heavy upon him. Even now it seemed quite likely that when she turned round and looked at him she would draw back after all. The sweetness of the air and the greenness of the leaves daunted him. Already on the walk from the station the May sunshine had made him feel dirty and etiolated, a creature of indoors, with the sooty dust of London in the pores of his skin.

Student Example 1:

1984 Part 2 ch 2 rhet analysis

Wesley 7

16 October 2015

1984 Rhetorical Analysis

            In Orwell’s excerpt from part 2, chapter 2 of 1984, he contrasts the hope and beauty of a budding relationship with the darker realities of Oceania by using various rhetorical elements. Not only does Orwell use the setting to show this contrast, but he also uses conflicting tone to illustrate the contradictory relationship between new love and the harsh realities of Oceania.
            Orwell starts the scene with Winston walking “up a lane” with “dappled light and shade, stepping into pools of gold”, which sounds like pleasant, happy place. He continues by describing the setting as “misty with bluebells”, with an “air that kissed one’s skin”, another depiction of the lovely setting that Winston first finds himself in.  “It was the second of May”. He is thinking about Julia and how excited he is to see her.
When Winston starts to think about the horrors that could come from meeting Julia, the setting quickly changes and all the sudden Winston is walking on “ a mere-cattle track, which plunged between the bushes” instead of a golden lane. He was now treading on the bluebells and killing them, rather than admiring their beauty.  This setting is clearly not as nice as it was a few moments ago, right after he thinks about the rules of Oceania. Orwell used this abrupt change in setting to show the contrast between a budding relationship and the monstrosities of the world Winston and Julia live in.
Orwell’s tone also changes throughout the paragraphs to demonstrate this conflict. In the first paragraph, his tone seems full of hope for the new couple as he mentions “kisses”, “gold” , “hearts” and “doves”. It is a joyful tone, full of words that symbolize new love and a happy ending to their story.
Moving on to the next paragraph, the tone takes on a harsher, more matter of fact manner as Orwell describes that “ you were not much safer in the country than in London”.  He also states that Julia “could be trusted to find a safe place” for them to meet, even though he keeps “cautiously glancing backwards to make sure that he was not being followed”. The tone becomes serious and negative when talking about Oceania. The difference in tone between the first two paragraphs illustrates the contrast between the hope of a relationship for Julia and Winston and the realities of the world they live in.
Both the setting and tone used by Orwell in the passage, change dramatically and abruptly to display the contrast between the hope of a budding relationship and the darker realities of Oceania.



Student Example 2:

Period 7
October 16th, 2015
Wesley IV AP
Light vs. Dark
            The life of Winston in Oceania compared to the life of Winston while he is with Julia could not be more different. In Oceania, he is unhappy and does not find joy in life. However, with Julia, Winston feels free to express himself and is a happier person overall. In 1984 by George Orwell, the author uses setting and detailed imagery to contrast the hope and beauty of a new relationship with the darker realities of life in Oceania.
            As Winston travels from Oceania to the country, he steps “through dappled light and shade” and “into pools of gold.” The word choice and detail that Orwell chooses clearly represents that Winston is moving from a place of darkness to a place that holds hope for his future. The “sweetness of the air” and “May sunshine” highlights a warm, pretty, and calm setting for when Julia and Winston first meet. The description of the setting allows the reader to naturally associate their relationship with happiness and peacefulness. However, there is always a secret fear of Oceania lurking in the background of the setting. For example, the very feeling of sunshine makes Winston “feel dirty…with the sooty dust of London in the pores of his skin.” Winston will always be reminded of Oceania in some way, and is always looking out for suspicious activity. For instance, “there [is] always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized.” This suggests that the Party hides microphones everywhere, even in the country, in order to detect people who may be breaking some type of law. This contrasting of light and dark highlights the danger of wanting to be in a genuine relationship with someone in Winston’s society.
            Moreover, Orwell uses very detailed imagery to contrast Julia and Winston’s relationship with the reality of what Oceania is really like. The “faint sickly scent” of the bluebells lingers in the background of Winston being in the meadow where him and Julia are supposed to meet. Orwell uses the bluebells to represent the romance and thrill of the new relationship when Winston wants “to have a bunch to offer the girl when they [meet].” In addition, the “greenness of the leaves” and the fact that “the air seemed to kiss one’s skin” highlight the excitement of being somewhere other than drab Oceania. Unfortunately, this excitement is soon overpowered with the thought of “patrols hanging about the railway stations” and Julia’s “warning that [Winston] must keep silent” until they get to a more private area. Almost immediately after Winston arrives at the secret location and begins to appreciate the natural beauty of life, he is shot down by the reality of the danger that he is going through to even be anywhere but Oceania.

            In conclusion, Orwell contrasts the hope of Julia and Winston’s new relationship with  the darkness and melancholy of Oceania through setting and detailed imagery. The use of these rhetorical elements is important in hinting to the reader that their rendezvous is dangerous and highlights the fact that Oceania does not allow hopefulness in its society. 


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