"This Land is Your Land" by Woodie Guthrie

• Guthrie's message is individualist and collectivist because he first references the land being made for "you and me" meaning everyone. This would imply that the land belongs to everyone, yet he also states that Americans are individualists at heart by saying that nothing can stop him.
• This song is anti-government because he references how "nothing" or "no one" can stop him or his actions. He is also trying to speak to the government and is telling them to stop their actions because the land is made for the people and the government has no right to interfere as indicated by the "No Trespassing" sign showing government interference with citizen's actions.

Second 1984 Reading Response

Winston is having trouble accepting the party line spewing from Big Brother and the State after he finds a like-minded soul in Julia.  It is easy for Winston to put aside the unexpressed doubts that were solely in his mind.  When Winston finally puts those thoughts in words and those feelings validated by another, he gains confidence in his convictions.  Winston’s next step is to take action in contravention of the Party’s edits but based upon his convictions.  The clandestine meetings with Julia place both their live at risk.  His internal questioning of the party is the first step in protesting.  In order to have the impetus to join an actual protest, an individual must first form the idea that society is out of order or simply wrong.  When Julia and Winston are invited into the highly secretive world of the Brotherhood, it does not provide Winston with the brotherhood that he envisioned.

            The Occupy Wall Street movement is similar to Winston’s rebellion in the sense that it is against a powerful societal member, the Wall Street financial institutions, which members of the movement believe have caused them some sort of harm.  However, Winston does not initially question the control that Big Brother and the party have over him the way these protestors do.  The motivation of the protestors is diverse.  Some hard core liberal members want to convert the US to essentially a socialist state with a redistribution of existing wealth; other members of the movement are simply frustrated that they have lost their jobs or that they have been unable to find gainful employment after obtaining an expensive education.  Winston’s struggle and that of the Occupy Wall Street are similar in that they both have the support of the unspoken masses. 

"The Egg"

1. The conflict in "The Egg" is the challenge of acting young or old faced by the father through the latter half of the story. The father wants to entertain the customers by acting young, but is torn by a sense of responsibility caused by his age. Anderson uses the quote, "From Father's words I gathered that something of the jolly innkeeper effect was to be sought," to reinforce his father's passion to act young again (Anderson 5).

2. The author uses the chickens to symbolize the adults who cannot make anything of themselves and the eggs to represent their offspring who are the hope, but are trapped because of their birth into the problem created by their parent's dilemma. According to Anderson the chickens constantly fail after succeeding temporarily similar to the boy's parents (Anderson 2).

3. Anderson would say that, " philosophers are raised on a chicken farm," because the cycle of life is repeated daily, so they become wiser. "...the dreadful cycle is then complete" (Anderson 2).

4. When I was a little child, I always wanted to help cook or bake different foods because I watned to feel helpful. The conflict was always external because my parents restricted my cooking because of my little size and that I would get hurt by the stove or oven. I must have overcome the conflict because my love of cooking never died.

Aristotle Quote

I agree with the quote because many educated people are not ignorant because of their exposure to other cultures and ideas through their studies in contrast to the lack of education received by the ignorant.

"American Friends"

Americans are sometimes perceived in a negative fashion because of their obliviousness to dislike by others, obsession with electronic devices in place of personal relationships, and perceived lack of in-depth conversation between besides the typical hello. We have a tendency in America to not know when we are not wanted by others for the most part partially because of our supposed elevated status over others. Electronic devices distract from personal relationship because one would rather text the person sitting next to them than actually talking. As a result of the hectic lifestyles that we live, we typically don't actually have in-depth discussion unless forced because of time constraints.

"me Vs. we"

1. In a collectivist culture, the traits of benevolence, shyness, or responsibility would be advantageous. Likewise in an individualist culture one values the traits of working hard, selfishness, and outspokenness.

2. This is true for both societies because of the importance of being "special" and different from the rest of the group in individualistic societies, but the importance of helping everyone in a collectivist society.

3. A teacher from China has recently arrived at an elite boarding school with many sharp students. The teacher was shocked at the fact that the students compete with one another or have different views. The conflict is external because the teacher ends up being affected by the student, moreover; the conflict was created by the difference between the behavior of Chinese and American students in relation to the teacher's expectations. This conflict may be resolved with the teacher embracing difference of opinion and the student's stop being so competitive.

4. An acquaintance is an individual who one vaguely knows and is not a close friend. The word has a negative connotation because of the lack of interaction between the parties involved.

"2+2=5" by Radiohead

The song is discussing the idea of a utopian government's idea that the government is always right and no one can question the authority. The music enhances the theme because of it's natural sound without synthesizers mirroring what the government says is truth and nothing the government says has been synthesized. The line, "January has April's showers," reflects the theme from 1984 that the government controls the knowledge and can change what has been previously thought.

Cultural Conflict- Faith and Globalization

1. The conflict of the hijab is an internal conflict because it is a personal decision to cover up, yet the wider issue of the legality of the garment is external because of the limitation of rights imposed by the government.

2. Globalization creates conflict through misunderstanding of another's culture. By saying that globalization has only been flown in one direction, she means that the flow of ideas between the United States and Middle East has not been reciprocated.

3. She mentions the benefit of western role models, which have been beneficial to the rise of powerful, Muslim women.

4. She mentions the Constitution as a true source because of it's symbolism for expression of personality and freedom to do so, and the Qu'ran is the other document mentioned because, in her opinion, it is the word of God and and an order to modesty.

First 1984 Reading Journal

Throughout Part One of 1984, Orwell reinforces that Winston's world is a dystopia because of its constant surveillance, its supposed equality, and the forced love shown for Big Brother or the Party.

By using telescreens, posters of Big Brother saying, " Big Brother is watching you!"or the Thought Police, Winston is constantly watched.The quote, "Any sound that Winston made...would be picked up by [the telescreen]; moreover, so long as he remained within the field of vision...he could be seen as well as heard,"not only encompasses the telescreens that watch Winston, but also the posters that he describes as constantly watching him and the girl from the fiction department who is supposedly following him as a member of the Thought Police. The three main forms of surveillance are actually, to a certain extent, one in the same because of their same purpose, to frighten the population into conformity.

The "equality" in 1984 is not actual equality in a normal sense. They see equality in a literal form; for example, the overalls, which all the Party members wear are seen as equality. However, there isn't equality in social class because there are the three main social classes: Inner Party, Outer Party, and the proles. Each social class lives a radically different lifestyles with the first two classes sacrificing their individual rights to privacy while the proles have relative freedom. Winston thinks he is followed by the Thought Police showing that Party members are held to a high standard and must sacrifice their rights for the good of the Party.

Before the Revolution and the Party, individuals in English society lived normal lives with relationship and religion with government interference. After, however, the ideals lost during the Revolution were channeled toward love for Big Brother. Orwell references this love indirectly through the two minutes hate. The quote, "At those moments his secret loathing of Big Brother turned into adoration, and Big Brother seemed to tower up...against the hordes of Asia..."reflects Winston's belief that the two minutes hate changes people's opinions of Big Brother into forced happiness and "adoration" for the man who has ruined their lives.

What is a Utopia?

A utopia is a place where everything is "perfect" and idealism rules the populace without problems such as crime or hunger. My utopia would be filled with classical music showing constant order and peace without chaos. The leaders of a utopia eliminate dissent and force everyone to treat each other "equally."I would make my utopia peaceful to eliminate unecessary deaths caused by conflict, but from our perspective it is hard to imagine a world lacking these problems.

"You Were Right"

• The quote, "You were right when you said...,"reflects the author's remorseful feelings toward the subject. He attempts to appease the subject who is upset because of his actions, yet the author is still upset even though he wishes forgiveness.
• The change of the tempo seems to reflect a spasm in the artist's life. By the changing of the tempo the music is unorganized caused by his frustration and fluctuating anger with the subject and situation.
• The song is effective because the artist's attitude towards the subject was anger, and after listening, the song made me, the listener, feel angry as well.