Winston Smith may be likened to the Cassandra of Greek mythology. Cassandra was granted the gift of prophesey after making love to the god Apollo. Apollo however, spat in Cassandra's mouth. For a reason I am not certain of this taints the gift, Cassandra is a prophet, but no one will believe her. Winston also holds a truth about the situation of the world but is powerless to communicate it to anyone. Cassandra may warn all she likes but nothing will stop what she says from coming true, even if she says nothing she (and no one else) will still know what is going to happen. Winston is technically free to say what he thinks to who he likes but he knows that doing so would result in his death and make no difference anyways. They are both unable to change the terrible things they see (or foresee) happening.
I shall continue this entry and how it pertains to newspeak when I get home...
Friday, March 28, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Bells of St. Clements
'Oranges and lemons,' say the bells of St Clement's,
'You owe me three farthings,' say the bells of St Martins,
'When will you pay me?' say the bells of Old Bailey,
'When I grow rich,' say the bells of Shoreditch
This British nursery rhyme is one of the few remnants of the world as it was that exist in 1984. The rhyme itself appears unimportant, its significance being the connection to the past through some fading memories. Winston cherishes the knowledge of the song that he gains, this and other "artefacts" are valuable to him because they are unaltered. Everyone seems to have forgotten what life was like before "the Party", indeed, that is the only way to survive.
Within the story the rhyme is never completed. There are references to a bit more of it, a part near the end which goes "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!." The final line never appears, what it says is "The last man's dead!". When Winston is being interrogated in the Ministry of Love, O'Brien refers to him as "The Last Man". My contention is that the rhyme is fulfilled in the end, the last man is dead. Not physically, Winston was only the last man in the sence that he had retained his humanity. By the end he no longer has that and something in him has most certainly died.
Within the story the rhyme is never completed. There are references to a bit more of it, a part near the end which goes "Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!." The final line never appears, what it says is "The last man's dead!". When Winston is being interrogated in the Ministry of Love, O'Brien refers to him as "The Last Man". My contention is that the rhyme is fulfilled in the end, the last man is dead. Not physically, Winston was only the last man in the sence that he had retained his humanity. By the end he no longer has that and something in him has most certainly died.
'When will that be?' Say the bells of Stepney,
'I'm sure I don't know' Says the great bell of Bow
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head!
Chip, chop, chip, chop. The last man's dead!
This concludes the second and final installment in my series on songs and rhymes in 1984.
Monday, March 10, 2008
1984
It was only an 'opeless fancy,
It passed like an Ipril dye,
But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred
They 'ave stolen my 'eart awye!
Maybe this song from 1984 doesn't make any sense, it supposedly isn't supposed to, yet I think plays a large part in the only hope in this novel that survives the dark conclusion. In the beginning we (I certainly did) accept the hopelessness of the regime, there is no rebelling without certain and swift death. Then it appears that maybe there is an opening and perhaps the Party will meet its downfall. This is appealing, there is love between Winston and Julia and they have seemingly evaded the Thought Police. I think I believed this, but of course upon reading to the end it is revealed that they have been trapped from the start. The one thing that remains for me is the aged washer-woman who lives out her life as so many have before and in the context of the book will likely continue to do (the many plump older women, not this specific one sadly). I'm beginning on this faintly hopeful point because it just seems too much to dive straight into the dark bits. Which, come to think of it, very nearly comprise the novel in its entirety.
They sye that time 'eals all things,
They sye you can always forget;
But the smiles an' the tears across the years
They twist my 'eart-strings yet!
This concludes the first and penultimate installment in my series on songs and rhymes in 1984.
It passed like an Ipril dye,
But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred
They 'ave stolen my 'eart awye!
Maybe this song from 1984 doesn't make any sense, it supposedly isn't supposed to, yet I think plays a large part in the only hope in this novel that survives the dark conclusion. In the beginning we (I certainly did) accept the hopelessness of the regime, there is no rebelling without certain and swift death. Then it appears that maybe there is an opening and perhaps the Party will meet its downfall. This is appealing, there is love between Winston and Julia and they have seemingly evaded the Thought Police. I think I believed this, but of course upon reading to the end it is revealed that they have been trapped from the start. The one thing that remains for me is the aged washer-woman who lives out her life as so many have before and in the context of the book will likely continue to do (the many plump older women, not this specific one sadly). I'm beginning on this faintly hopeful point because it just seems too much to dive straight into the dark bits. Which, come to think of it, very nearly comprise the novel in its entirety.
They sye that time 'eals all things,
They sye you can always forget;
But the smiles an' the tears across the years
They twist my 'eart-strings yet!
This concludes the first and penultimate installment in my series on songs and rhymes in 1984.
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