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.
If I woke up in the universe of 1984 and only had one object with me, I would bring the picture my sister drew me. It was a very simple drawing of me and her tossing a ball but it means so much to me. It would remind me of the good times with my sister and how much she means to me. It would cheer me up whenever I started to feel down. I could bring something materialistic but it would mean more to me. I would hand it on the wall above my bed if it was allowed. Or I would hand it in the living room, just somewhere that I can always see it.
ReplyDeleteMy “paperweight” would be a photo of my best friends. This would help me stay sane because they are people that I care about and have a connection with. Every one of them has been with me through some sort of messed up event like a family death, personal internalized issues, fights with my family, and so many more situations. They are quite literally what has kept me alive. Each and everyone of them has reminded me that I’m important and loved and needed in some sort of way. They show me the better aspects to life and encourage me to work on myself and my happiness. They’re the people that remind me about how life can be beautiful and remind me to press on and watch my life change instead of sitting in a state of isolation all the time. Seeing the photo would remind me that things can change and life can become better.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Boyer
DeleteOne object that would keep me sane and give me hope through a situation like Winston’s is I would bring a picture of my family. A picture of my family would remind me of the good things in life and give me a reminder of something that I have to look forward to and something to live for. Also this would be something that the Party would not be able to take away even if they took the picture they still would not be able to take the thoughts or memories or thoughts of hope.
ReplyDeleteIf I woke in the setting of 1984 I would bring a jar of air with me. See the thing is that, it's the one thing that the party can never take away no matter what they do. Air is constantly all around us at. Sure, you can say they have the ability to take away the jar, but the air itself they cannot. The reason that keeps me sane is because it reminds me of the little freedoms and powers I do have which cannot be revoked. And, well, if they tried to take it away or kill me I could always throw the jar at a party member and smash it against them. That way they wouldn't have my jar and I'd have the satisfaction of going out with a bang. The fact that they can't get what they want is what gives me hope.
ReplyDeleteThere was a thud, a throbbing feeling in my brain, and a small murmur coming from a television nearby. My mouth felt glued shut, I couldn’t speak, the television’s blank noise screaming in my head, telling me to stay silent, stay still, stay aware and move. Where the hell was I and why the hell was I wearing this uniform? I looked at my surroundings, the bleak room drowning me in sorrow and drowsiness, as it had always done on rainy school days, except this sure as hell wasn’t school. A small gleam shown beside me, a vibrant color reminding me of home, reminding me of dreamless nights, staying up to watch the sunrise. I knew I wasn’t home, and I knew I was in deep shit, but I took a silent breath as I picked up the small alexandrite ring, holding it up to the light as it changed colors. Anything can change under a new light, its something I lived by.. Something we lived by. I saw a smile, a burning pain followed suit and embedded into my brain, a lost memory, a lost face, and so many lost promises. I will survive, I need to remember, I need to keep those promises. I stand as I hear my age group called by the television and stretch.
ReplyDeleteAs silly as it may sound, I would bring a CD player with a CD filled with my favorite songs on all time. Not only would this be convenient for me because those things never seem to break, but it also brings me back to my childhood. There was a time when my dad and I would sit at the computer in the living room and he’d ask me, “What songs do you want on this CD?”. He’d burn the songs onto the CD and it’d just sit and listen to it for hours. The music brought me into this space where I could create a world for myself. As time went on, my world had developed into something more stable, comforting, and 100% perfect for me. Music will forever be my medicine for everything and it’s the perfect item to take along with me.
ReplyDeleteI would bring my class ring as my 'paperweight'. On one side of my class ring, I have a softball pitcher. This would remind me to not take anything for granted and it would keep me humble. It would tell me to always work hard and never stop going. On the other side is a pair of ballet shoes. This would remind me of my creative side. It would remind me to let go sometimes and somethings don't always have to be perfect. The ring would keep me sane because softball and dance keep me sane in my life now because they have significant meanings that go with them. It would give me hope because when all things in my life change, I know that these two things would hold the same value to me and the ring would be a good reminder of that.
ReplyDeleteI would bring a pen with me to remind me to keep going. If i was stuck in that city where the party was constantly changing documents, I would probably get lost in the truth. However if i had a pen I could secretly document what i see or what is going on. I would want to write down the truth and leave reminders for myself to keep me sane. I could try to communicate through notes like Julia and Winston first did. It would keep hope for the future because of what i would remember that was changed. Maybe I could even recruit more people by showing them the proof of the Party changing the past for them
ReplyDeleteThe room is barren, and orderly. I keep nothing of substance in my home, it never really felt like mine anyway, just a cell I was assigned. As much as I try to remember, every passing day, the past slips away farther, and the party's new history erodes my mind like the glaciers that carved the valleys. I never lived in the United States, the name itself fading like a dream, only Oceania, the land of mother, and my father, both having long since been arrested and vaporized. The only material of substance I keep, is a watch I bought years ago, (broken for all intents and purposes, as it seems to only work for the first half of the day, repeating 1 o'clock, rather than continuing to 13 for instance). It seemed purposeless, every minutia of everyday was scheduled, and written in a syllabus somewhere, my entire profile and history documented, and my presence continuously expected everyday. I was a model citizen, and I hated myself for it. So I purchased a watch, a Citizen branded watch incidentally, and I stowed it on a path I followed everyday on the way to MiniPax, off the side, buried in a peculiar indent in between the conjunction of two buildings, visible only for a momentary glance. Always 7:37. Maybe in a dream world, in a new world on a faraway continent, I could be a student, struggling to pay attention in a morning class, or sleeping in a bed, with the aroma of pancakes fluttering the hall. I never acknowledge it, but today I failed to suppress a smile, as a newly installed Telescreen seemed to flash in the corner of my vision. I hear a helicopter in the distance, unusual for this time of day. Whoever they'll get, I hope they're ready to go.
ReplyDeleteI see him quickly walking out the antique store. Not knowing I saw what he had done. I wondered why he was hiding it? Wasn’t he a parole? I looked down in my hand at my locket necklace. I quickly closed my hand and stuffed it into my pants. Everywhere I went I knew my family was with me. I felt safe. Did it make him safe? Where was he going to hide it? How did he know about this shop? I followed him into the alley way, trying to keep back a little so he wouldn’t suspect anything.
ReplyDeleteIf 1984 was my life, I'd chose to bring music. By music, I mean everything involved with making music and the physical sheet music as well. I'd bring my clarinet and also an mp3 player loaded with every piece of music ever written and preformed. Music gives meaning to every single aspect of life and gives some people a reason to live. Music is one of the most important things to me because it has the power to affect my mood both positively and negatively. It is most likely one of the most powerful things in the world.
ReplyDeleteMoving the dusty shelf curtain, concealing broken, undesirable objects, Mr. Charrington watches my wondering eyes. I divide the sea of broken pottery and glass shards, to find a wind up box with golden trim and tiny pearls looping in a delicate pattern. Pastel pink roses were placed just right on the sides of the rounded fragile thing. I turned the tiny metal crank three times, for surely that would be long enough. The cover opened, my eyes widened, as the little metal dots plucked the musical strips to the tune of the Pas de Deux from the Nutcracker. My mind traveled through my small memory bank to remember a time when I was the Sugar Plum Fairy. My faced filled with color. I felt the music dance around me, spiraling me into a feeling I have not felt in a long time. With my eyes closed, I moved to the command of the music. Images surrounded my mind of happiness, excitement, hope, and for the first time, love. My teeth appeared from my lips for a split second before I quickly closed my lips again. I feared I would get caught. “How much is this?” I asked in a low voice. Mr. Charrington’s face softened. He was well aware that he should not have seen what had just happened, but it was a feeling he has not seen nor felt in quite a long time. “It’s yours,” he said with a slight smile.
ReplyDelete“Thank you, sir.” I put the music box in my coat close to my heart and briskly walked home.
The music circled my mind in a loop as I walked in the pouring rain.
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DeleteI would bring my dog as my 'paperweight". My dog, Cairo, may not be a registered service dog or a therapy dog. But he is to me. Unfortunately, I can't bring him to school but I can always watch videos of him playing around and look at my lock screen to put a smile on my face. When I have my panic attacks at home, even though he cannot talk, he can understand. He's the only thing I could vent to without getting a response back when I just need someone to listen. When I'm pounding the wall, he pulls my arm down and licks my face until I stop crying and smiling. When I'm at school, its a bit harder. He's not there physically but I always remember to look forward to when Im going home. My little piece of sanity that walks on four legs and barks. If only I could bring him along when I go to college but I know he's never far away so that I don't lose my mind.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in 1984, and had one thing that keeps me sane, it would be my infinity necklace. I would pick my necklace because it is the jewelry I picked instead of a class ring. While picking it, I wanted it to tell a story about not just my high school path, but the path in which life has taken me. The necklace is an infinity sign with one side as a heart and the other has purple stone in it. The middle is met by a diamond through a rough path of metal. The infinity symbol reminds me that whichever world I live in, everything will come around. Even through the rough patches in life, things will get easier. I just have to wait for the smooth parts. The necklace reminds me to keep pushing through hard times because things will work themselves out. Now that I wear it everyday, it would remind me of my friends and family. Being in the situation and being under the control of the Party is just another rough patch that I can get through it to the good times. I would hide it in my hair. When I put my hair up I would hide it in the hair tie. Putting it there keeps it safe and close to me for a reminder.
ReplyDeleteMy paper weight that I could keep that reminds of the past but helps me maintain hope for the future is my diary. I've been writing my thoughts and feelings in diaries since middle school. Your diary can never get tired of "listening' to you (unless you run out of pages lol). I can look back at my dairy entries and see how much I've grown. During the time I write in my diary I feel as though I have no hope and things won't get better but now I looked back and think "wow I thought this day would never come when I could actually be happy. Even though I've gotten rid of some of my diaries I'm starting off fresh. It actually helps when you feel like you don't have someone there for you.
ReplyDeleteMy paperweight would be my dog "Rosey" she would help me remain 'sane' and maintain 'hope' for the future. I would be very depressed if I had to live with the thought that if I snitch I will be killed. Pets can help manage loneliness and depression by giving us companionship. Rosey brings me joy the second I see her. She would give me the interaction I need to keep me occupied and sane. She gives me the courage to move forward in life. Whenever I feel sad I go to her for comfort or when I want to feel loved or give out love. Shes my ride or die.
ReplyDelete