1984 Post #2

In "Book Two," Winston Smith is torn between his personal guilt over commitment to his job and his traditional trust/belief in the One State, and his overwhelming curiosity which is fueled by other relationships and a yearning for something more/better. In your opinion, why is Winston having a difficult time buying in to what Big Brother and the State are selling? Explain and support. Are his small acts of defiance (questioning) a form of protest? Why/Why not? Compare/contrast Winston's small rebellion to a more current act of rebellion within the United States (think Tea Party Movement, Occupy Wall Street, Anti-War Protests, etc.) in all facets - what they are fighting for, who they are rebelling against, the way their protests seen by the government, the way their protests are seen by the masses. Ultimately, the purpose of this blog is to examine how Orwellian we have become

He is having a hard time buying in to what the state is saying because of the nostalgia of his childhood and his memories from his childhood. He knows that things used to be different but he can't point out exactly what was different. His acts of questioning are an act of protest, if he has to think about it, he doesn't fully believe in it. If he fully believed what the state said, there would be no questioning. Both Smith's and the Tea Party are for freedom from some governing body where the government has said, there are no other options this is how it is. The British saw it as, we are overrun and there is no way to destroy them completely. The Party sees it as just get rid of them and no one will care. Smith's questioning isn't really seen by the masses so its hard to say.