For Winston, his glass paperweight represents a link to a 'missing history' he does not want to forget. It is also a link to an 'imaginary future' he dreams about. In some ways, it helps him keep sane when everything around him seems beyond understanding. Maybe this is what matters most to him.
Imagine this:
- Imagine you suddenly woke up to find yourself in an apartment like Winston, with a blue uniform on, listening to a telescreen in the background. In other words, you found yourself as a character in the book itself. And there is no escape.
- Imagine that you knew the 'truth' about Big Brother's world...but you also realized that you'd be a 'thought criminal' (and killed) if you told anyone what you knew. There would never be a way to change this. Again, there is no escape. Your only choice is to find some way to let your imagination continue to live.
- Imagine you could buy or find (1) object -- like Winston's glass paperweight -- that would help you remain 'sane' and maintain 'hope' for the future.
Challenge:
- Identify what the (1) object would be. Be creative. Anything is possible.
- Explain why this (1) object would help you keep sane and maintain hope.
- 7+ sentences.
When I was little my bad brought me a necklace that says “daddys little girl” . ive had it since I was a little girl. I am 17 now it still fits around my neck. That necklace is memorable to me because everytime i have it it brings joy to my heart. The necklace symbolizes our dad and daughter moments that we used to have together. The necklace was special to the whole family because i was the first granddaughter on my dads side. I would never leave the necklace anywhere because it is very important.
ReplyDeleteMy paperweight would be my ring that has the cross on it with a verse of the bible in my language Portuguese. My ring is my escape from reality which gives me freedom, silence and peace. It will bring to a time in 2012 when my parents, my sister, and I were down in this beautiful city full of history. It is also the city known as the city of mother Maria. As we walked around we took in our air, our culture, and our history. This is us and it’ll always be a part of our life's if we are there or somewhere else. After walking around for hours we made our way to the car but in a whole different direction from where we came from. We had found these tents where people were selling many things that had to do with mother aria and Jesus. So my father decided to buy four rings which each cost two euros per person for each of us. From 2012 to this present day I still wear my ring and so does my father, mother and grandmother because my sister had given it to her. So if I was to be in Winston’s position my ring is all I need to remember about the past.
ReplyDeleteAfter trying to imagine me suddenly waking up as a character in the book 1984 itself, I have come to the conclusion that the only object that could serve as a tool to remain 'sane' and maintain 'hope' for the future is a gold cross necklace my mom got me. I never wear it because of my distaste of necklaces, however I wouldn't need to. I would hide it out of site and pull it out when I need it. It's a valuable gift from my mother and a symbol of God, a reminder not to just give up a turn myself in as they both would be disappointed in me if I did. That should remind me to stay a good person and remain 'sane' (or more likely to don't become worse). As for providing 'hope' for the future, it might make me have some hope that escape will come and I can see my loved ones and if not that then the promise of heaven. Though I fear in reality, I'd break under pressure.
ReplyDeleteThe object that I would choose to always have with me and that would keep me sane in that world, in place of Winston’s glass paperweight would be the compass necklace I got on the Spain and Italy trip last summer. A compass was used to help navigate and find your path. A compass tells you what direction you are going but you choose the direction. It doesn’t tell you where to go, it just gives you a little guidance. It would give me hope that someday I could set my life in the direction I choose to go and not what Big Brother and the party has planned. It would also remind me that there is much more to the world than just my society. There are other countries around the world with different sights, cultures, and new atmospheres that I haven’t gotten to experience. I would hope that maybe someday I will get the chance to explore those different parts of the world, leaving Big Brother and the party in the past.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to have one object to keep me “sane” and maintain “hope” I would want a ring. This ring wouldn’t be any ordinary ring and it’s nothing I’ve seen before, but it would just be a small ring and when I take it off and look through it, it would project a picture of all my animals. This would help me to maintain hope because it would give me something to look forward to in life. It would give me the sense that someone is always with me and that after I pass, I would be rejoined with them. The ring would keep me sane because it would give me the feeling that I have an animal, even though I am not allowed. I have basically lived my entire life with a pet and the few months I was without one, were the longest months ever. Although it would not be the same, it would be one of the only ways for me to cope and be able to live my life without going completely insane.
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DeleteWell the object I would choose would be my Fuji film camera because there are so many memories connected to that camera and it would just keep me comfort. Also me having the camera for too long would tempt me to see if there is a picture stuck in there or I would try to take pictures hoping there is film left. Not only was that camera but my Mother gave it to me which is very sentimental in a way. Even the texture of the camera and the way it looks is nostalgic on it’s on. I would be proud because I would be the only person I know who has this kind of evidence. If I show people my artifact they'll realize that there was a past and maybe they'll try to find cameras that might have film in them. The camera would definitely keep me sane because i know that i'm not crazy and that I have evidence of the past if anyone tries to prove me wrong. Also one day I might have enough courage to ask questions to big brother and ask why I can't remember the rest of history but I have a camera.
ReplyDelete- Aneesa Mills
DeleteThe night was cold and lonely, in my room without comfort from my mind. I was laying in shivering fear for the night because I was supposed to still stay fast asleep. I wasn’t sure if I would be vaporized for being up at such a bizarre time. I shift my body from facing the cold gray ceiling to the wall where a lone clock hung from the wall, 0300, it’s too early for me to be awake. The silence of my room was too loud for my mind to reenter a deep sleep again, so I tried to stir up some sort of ideas to occupy this overactive brain. And as time tiptoed by, weaker ideas phased my mind, though only one thought stood glued down. My polyphemus moth wing, encased in a protected resin coating.
ReplyDeleteI could possibly retrieve it by stealthily using the little furniture in my room as walls to shield myself from the telescreen across from me, though this is an absolutely devious task. Since it’s extremely late and the wing is in a wooden box inside of my refrigerator. This is my only source of comfort right now, so I must do this in order to return to a solace slumber. Mapping out the room of how it currently looks so I may sneak past the telescreen is my only hope of success on retrieving the wing. I’m not sure if the telescreen has the ability to track human movement, and if so, I may be discovered on my wrong doings for having such a useless item.
I slowly level myself out of bed and sneak past all of the scraggy furniture I own, the only noise I made was from the refrigerator door squeaking open. The only thing that made my soul drop was the light being emitted from the kitchen, so I hurried and snatched the wing from the box as quickly as possible and scurried back to my bed. And I was finally at peace. This resin covered wing is the peace treaty my mind promised to live up to, the reminder that the freedom taken by me could somehow be restored someday. It provides a deep memory of something lost from my youth that could never be returned, though the wing is that sign of lost hope that can be found once again.
With this moth wing, I felt a sense of relief, comfort, and ease from the world I was encased in. I hind the wing under my pillow and slowly drifted into a soft slumber, putting myself at ease, and to rest.
-Sasha V.
(Excuse the account I'm using, this is my personal email, not my school email.)
The object I would chose to keep me "sane" would be my silver cross necklace that my dad bought me. I grew up religious and when I get discouraged I find comfort in just holding the necklace and praying. My dad has always taught me to take a step back from a situation and to see if I have control. If I don't have control then I can pray for the help. This should help me stay sane because I'm not driving myself crazy by worrying about every little thing. In the Bible he states that you should give your problems to him for him to deal with them. Knowing that I have him gives me hope that he'll answer my prayers and things will change for the better. I have faith in him and wherever he might lead me.
ReplyDeleteMy "paperweight" would have to be a small mp3 player with earbuds. It would have all my favorite songs downloaded on it and enough for me to listen to the whole day. I already cant go a day without listening to music at least once a day. It keeps me sane and it makes me feel like myself, humbles me in a way and it calms me down. In Winston's world, I would most likely keep my headphones on all day to block out everything that's happening around me and to ignore the government. It could also help motivate me rebel against the government as well. Music is a big part and essential in my life as it is and it keeps me going through the day, and in Winston's world, I think it could be the only thing that would keep me "happy". It's small, convenient, and efficient and it would be easy to hide if anything were to happen.
ReplyDelete-michelle aminova
I recently bought “Gmorning, Gnight” which is a book by Lin Manuel Miranda filled with a bunch of correlating good morning and goodnight poems. It’s a super simple book but it connects a lot of what is meaningful to me, which leads me to why I would have this be my glass paperweight. To start off, it represents the idea of having something to look forward to everyday, even if it’s just waking up, or getting back in your warm bed to rest. If nothing is going for you, this book just says “hey, at least you woke up today.” A lot of what makes this book valuable in my eyes is the way in which it connects to so many of the things that I find meaningful in my life. It’s a piece of literature, written by a playwright and actor that I admire. This combines my love for books, writing, (any literature really), and theatre. If I were trapped in Winston’s world, this book would bring me hope by giving me the knowledge that art exists. And to me, art hugely represents change, which means change exists. The world wasn’t always like this. And it doesn’t have to stay like this. That’s a feeling of freedom you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else in Oceania.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in 1984, the item that I would hold close to me would be my chain. The chain that I wear was a gift from a family member from Italy who recently has fell sick and passed away. The chain, to me, symbolizes a strong will and desire to move forward with life and no never get to settled in one place. Furthermore, the presence of the chain around my neck alone keeps me in check because with all the obstacles I face in my everyday adventures, the chain will guide me into the light. My cousin, who gave me the chain, was a good man who worked tirelessly to provide the essentials to keep his gradually evolving family well protected, fed, and cared for. As I grow up, I aspire to do the same for my family as he did for his family. In conclusion, having an item of sentimental value to you will ultimately make you a more sane and hopeful person alongside good memories.
ReplyDelete- Mario Venneri
I thought I could control my wandering mind. But they were getting out of control. I knew if I didn't find an anchor to my thoughts, soon I would be spot out by big brother and be eliminated. It took a couple days to find one but it went like this:
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking and thinking about how the past is something important to who we are but we are being played everyday by the party. But I had to get my mind off it so I went on a stroll in the patrol parts of town when I stumbled by the cutest antique store. I decided to stroll in and just have a peak. But then I came across this antique wedding ring. I took one glance at it and suddenly a memory came flooding back of my mother wearing the same exact one when I was younger. I decided to try it on and you would never believe it, PERFECT FIT! It was made for me. I decided to purchase it right there and then. Then on my way home, I noticed that the ring helped me start to think that even though the party may change history, there is still history around us that they couldn't take away, and as long as I had that ring on me(in a pocket or necklace) my thoughts would be controlled.
My version of Winston’s glass paperweight would be either a small airplane model or a toy airplane. This object would help me keep sane and maintain hope because to me, it would symbolize something greater than myself and the little bubble I live in, or if I was a character in the book, being forced to live in. Airplanes are figuratively and somewhat literally a door to a new world. You can go places you have never been and meet people from all walks of life. An airplane could symbolize freedom, change, independence, and new beginnings. It would give me hope that there is more out there somewhere or at least confirm that there used to be more out there in the past. That thought would help me feel saner if I was in Winston's situation because he knows that there was a past but there isn't any proof of it because the Party destroys it. If I were Winston or a character in the book that lives the same life as Winston, I think the thought of traveling and dreaming of what's out there would be my mental escape.
ReplyDeleteMy version of Winston's paperweight would be the book Astrophysics for people in a hurry by Neil Degrasse Tyson. This book would help me sane because it would reach me all the stuff about science and the universe. Big brother and the party would destroy and hide everything we know about the old world so this book is a good idea to help keep me reminded about it. This book just has so much interesting and useful information it is one of my favorite top space and science books. It would keep me mentally grounded to know what the old world was like and to know all the science and theories and how we used to view our world. It would also help to teach me all of the problems that the old world was dealing with and to know how they came up with solutions to these problems. Like Winston just to know what we had and what we went through after the party and big brother destroyed it would keep me mentally same just knowing about the science and the universe of the old world.
ReplyDeleteThis is me Ashley.R
DeleteI like too many things, but if I had to pick a paperweight to keep with me in the world of 1984, I would have to choose a pair of drumsticks. I think that the drums are a super cool instrument and I have wanted to play them for a long time. In the world of 1984, I would be bored a very large portion of the time, and a pair of drumsticks would cure my boredom. Are they too loud? Am I gonna get caught? Probably not, drum sticks are quiet and I can do paradiddles all day anywhere the telescreen is not watching. I can keep myself busy as well as hone my drum skills and get better at something nobody else can do. It will help me maintain hope and will give me something to look forward too. -Roman Boretsky
ReplyDeletejgjgjgjg
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ReplyDeleteMy paperweight would probably be music.Music is a way everyone can be very imaginative. it'l keep them going throughout the day and the time being. will my music be too loud for everyone ? just maybe but i'll take that risk.There seems like there's not a lot to do and that'll get me throughout a lot of stuff. It would also make me see the world differently. I would also see the world in a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy paperweight would probably be my nintendo ds. I’d pick this because it was a gift from my Grandma so it could remind me of her incase I ever forget. It’s also only ever done good for me, I always have fun and feel good when I play it so I only have good memories of it. There would obviously be a complication with a charger and the ds dying, but I guess I would just have to limit myself or get a charger somehow. Games would also already be in and on the system so I wouldn’t have to worry about that. My ds has always been important to me and its always fun to back and play it. For that reason it would be my paperweight.
ReplyDelete-Eric
My paperweight would probably be my dagger that I lovingly named Diana. I got her in Italy
ReplyDeleteShe's very short. Not so much her blade, but her handle. There’s no room to put your hand. The paint, smeared over low quality plastic, is faded. Her crossguard has a crude carving of a lion clutching a plain blue jewel. Which is also very cheaply made. Her blade is dull and covered in crusty lil symbols. She’s very impractical as a weapon, but I love her all the same. I knew for a fact that my mom would never ever let me buy something like her, not because she was bad, but because my mom simply didn’t approve of it. That only made me want to buy her more. It was the first time that I felt independant.
-Deja
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