William Blake's Approach

1. I do agree that the authors that Blake’s poetry had the power enact social change by appealing to imagination. I think it is much to appeal to a larger audience by using an approach that would strike the imagination rather than logic, because a younger audience might not have the maturity to realistically apply the message of the poem to today’s would and changes that need to happen, but no one is too young or too old to imagine. The words and phrases that Blake uses such as “’weep! ’weep! ’weep! ’weep!” in the song of Innocence and “And because I am happy, and dance and sing, They think they have done me no injury, And are gone to praise God and his Priest and King,
Who make up a heaven of our misery.” from the songs of Experience appeal to the emotions of those who might be reading the poems which might cause the readers to realize that a change must be made, especially if the readers imagine and think of themselves as being in the same position as the child. When appealing to emotion and imagination in a way that Blake did, it would be hard not to consider social change.

2. The Parliament transcript was included as a primary source document because it backed up the points and themes that William Blake was trying to portray. This helps emphasize the severity of child labor and evoke in the mind of citizens that this is a serious issue and that something must be done. When I read Blake’s work, i realized that it is a very serious matter and that we as people have to look at these situations through different perspectives.. This helped me understand why Romantic poets took different approaches to writing in order to get their point across because it not only stuck out to my sense of logic, but also to my emotions.

Gulliver Jawnskie

A) 1. What is your initial reaction to the actions and behavior of the Lilliputians amongst themselves and towards Gulliver?

“When this shower of arrows was over, I fell a-groaning with grief and pain, and then striving again to get loose, they discharged another volley larger than the first, and some of them attempted with spears to stick me in the sides; but, by good luck, I had on me a buff jerkin,4 which they could not pierce. I thought it the most prudent method to lie still, and my design was to continue so till night, when, my left hand being already loose, I could easily free myself: And as for the inhabitants, I had reason to believe I might be a match for the greatest armies they could bring against me, if they were all of the same size with him that I saw.”

This question will get students to simply voice their opinions about the story and show any likes or dislikes that students have about the excerpt.

2. Is there a connection between this story and any modern political systems or social structures?

“From whence one of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made me a long speech, whereof I understood not one syllable. But I should have mentioned, that before the principal person began his oration, he cried out three times, Langro dehul san (these words and the former were afterward repeated and explained to me). Whereupon immediately about fifty of the inhabitants came and cut the strings that fastened the left side of my head, which gave me the liberty of turning it to the right, and of observing the person and gesture of him who was to speak.”

This question will challenge students to compare of contrast the general theme and situations in Gulliver’s travels to modern life therefore causing students to analyze the text more closely.

3. How has Gulliver been able to overcome the language barrier between himself and the Lilliputians?

“He acted every part of an orator, and I could observe many periods of threatening, and others of promises, pity, and kindness.”
“I found the demands of nature so strong upon me, that I could not forbear showing my impatience (perhaps against the strict rules of decency) by putting my finger frequently on my mouth, to signify that I wanted food. The Hurgo5 (for so they call a great lord, as I afterward learnt) understood me very well.”

B) I honestly like the small teacher group work that we did for this text. It is very much a different approach to teaching and learning concepts, and understanding the literature. The only thing about group work is that there may be conflicting ideas about the way a theme or motive was portrayed throughout the text, and it isn’t easy teaching something when everyone disagrees. If anything, I learned that one must be familiar with the text and be open to many different opinions and ideas about the text in order to teach a text without establishing a bias.

1984 Final Writing Assignment

The doctrine that O’Brien proclaims to Winston in 1984 plays a major role in maintaining the system of oligarchic collectivism and in Winston’s ultimate fate

We understand that Winston was a confused fatalistic character who basically struggled with optimism and hope, and desperately tried to relate what was happening during the present time to vague memories and events of the past. Throughout the book us readers did not have a clear image of O’Brien until he actually became apart of the larger plot in which we gained more knowledge and understanding about the role that he played in manipulating Winston and spelling out the system of oligarchical collectivism for the reader. I believe that in the speech posted where O’Brien lets Winston know where he went wrong is clever, yet maniacal.

We have come to realize that if anything, Winston at least tries to think on his own as an individual without rendering himself subject to though police. O’Brien realized this about Winston when he manipulated him, setting himself in a position where he appeared to be just about everything that Winston idealized. It’s sad and ironic that O’Brien opened up by expressing how Winston was flawed in trying to think as an individual and not conforming to the ideals and principle set forth by the Party. Its hard not to feel bad for Winston, especially when he’s in a situation where its seems as though during a time as such where the population was bound and crippled by mental oppression and where people were forced to believe anything other than truth with no opposition, the only way out would be to realize, that there is no way out but to conform.

Throughout the speech that O’Brien gives he uses that same tactics that the Party uses to manipulate the minds of its residents, especially when O’Brien begins to talk about reality. Honestly I believe that most of the people living under the rule of the Party are confused which is when its so easy for them to believe what the Party tells them. In regards to Winston’s confusing and his ultimate fate, I believe the case is different. When O’Brien goes on to say “When you delude yourself into thinking that you see something, you assume that everyone else sees the same things as you…It is impossible to see reality except by looking through the eyes of the Party.” He not only makes Winston feel as though he was alone in his “rebellion” but he also in a way shows how Winston inversely chose to ignore reality. You see, through Winston’s dreams and visions, he knew that he would eventually be perused and captured. Whether or not he knew if it would be O’Brien who would be his captor was unknown, but this just goes to show that Winston’s inability to accept or distinguish between a false reality, and the hard truth resulted in his torture and his overall conformity and complete trust in the Big Brother and the Party.