It was three years ago. It was on a dark evening, in a narrow side street near one of the big railway stations. She was standing near a doorway in the wall, under a street lamp that hardly gave any light. She had a young face, painted very thick. It was really the paint that appealed to me, the whiteness of it, like a mask, and the bright red lips. Party women never paint their faces. There was nobody else in the street, and no telescreens. She said two dollars. I --(55)
Winston bought a diary to keep track of his thoughts. He obtain the diary from Mr. Charrington's shop. The reason he bought it was mainly because it was old and very beautiful. Even though he knew that such thing could get him in trouble to a point of him being vaporize. Mainly because it was seen as sick to the mind, but he still did it. Winston writes this entry describing someone, more specific a woman. A woman who in the dark looked very beautiful with her makeup. Later on in the chapter we find that that beautiful woman he payed to dollars to be with was an old woman who was about 50 years of age. Reason why he couldn't think about this situation and had to write about it was because as a Party member the thought sexual instinct was prohibited and the Party wanted to kill or at least minimize it. Even though he when through the struggle of writing that horrible experience at the end he felt the same way he started, sick and full of self-loathing.
I think that its interesting that Orwell described the whiteness of the woman's face and that that was the most enticing detail for Winston. That though the whiteness was "painted on" it seemed to represent purity. But like so many things in Oceania, the truth was far from the representation.
ReplyDeleteThe quote you picked is intriguing. There was so many different ways to anazlyze it, you could do a lot with it. A suggestion I would give you is to get more in depth with your work. Put yourself in their position, try to feel what he feels, etc. It will help you complete the assignment thoroughly. Love You!
ReplyDeleteI liked the way that you summarized the situation before you analyzed your quotes. It will be really helpful for your readers who have forgotten or haven'e really grasped the whole situation to understand. When I was reading that part of the book I was shocked when he revealed who she was. I also agree with Astrid and feel like you should try to dig deeper than what is on the surface.
ReplyDeleteI think that the quote you picked is interesting, because it talks about that certain person to be sort of abstract and rare. Almost as if she was a diamond in the rust. As mentioned by Astrid and Hayley, I think you should try to grasp the true meaning of the quote, rather than just explain what is already known.
ReplyDeleteYour quote was very descriptive and I liked hearing about what was the cause of Winston’s writing. You really break it down good enough for people to understand the meaning in his diary. Stating that he had trouble expressing himself without being punished. A great job describing what caused him to write it , but if I could hear what you think the real meaning of this quote is that would be great !
ReplyDeleteI love the way you designed your blog. It fits perfectly with quote. It grabs the reader's attention and makes them dive deeper and understand the quote. The quote really captured my attention because i could relate to Winston. Seeing this beautiful girl and rather than thinking about her, he writes about her. Overall a great blog.
ReplyDeleteIt was smart of you to choose this quote! I think that this is an important part of the book because it shows what Winston writes in his diary and tells us about his past. Your theme is really nice too.
ReplyDelete