Shakespeare in Newspeak

The Ministry of Truth

Winston’s job at the Ministry of Truth is to change newspapers so the Party’s predictions are never wrong and Big Brother is always right. The original piece of writing is destroyed, except for one copy that is kept in the Records Department. However, since there is only one existing original copy, there is nothing to confirm the information. The only thing that can confirm the original information is memory, which most citizens seem to lack. Whenever the Party presents information, it is blindly accepted by the population. Winston wonders how people can accept such blatantly contradicting facts.

            This is the point that Orwell is trying to make about society. It angers him that the people are so willing to blindly follow whatever the ruler says. Orwell wants people to think for themselves and think logically about events.

            There is also a long conversation between Winston and Syme, who is an expert on Newspeak. Syme tells Winston that one day, Newspeak will not possess any words that have to do with freedom, rebellion, or revolution. Once these words are out of the vocabulary, rebellion will not be a concept, making people completely unable to even possess thoughts about revolution. Orwell is warning the population of what will happen if the totalitarian dictators are not stopped. He believes that one day, the totalitarian governments will be so suppressive that freedom won’t even be a concept. Orwell fears this day and is trying to warn everyone to take action.

            In Winston’s work at the ministry, he can also create fictional people for Big Brother to commemorate. Winston finds it interesting that these imaginary people are respected more in death than actual people who have disappeared. Orwell dislikes this disregard for human life, and that once someone has disappeared, their disappearance is not even questioned.

            Reading this book in present day society, Orwell warns the readers against submitting to totalitarian rule, and not to take our basic rights for granted.

Explication of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"

On the surface of “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, the narrator appears to be conflicted about which path to choose in the woods. The narrator wants to travel both paths. One path is the one more frequently traveled. The other path is the path that is less frequently traveled, and it “is grassy and wants wear” (8). The narrator wants to travel one path that next and travel the other path on a different day. However, he knows that once he chooses a path, he will most likely never be able to walk down the second one. He says “Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how ways leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back” (13-15). The last stanza shows that the poem is really a metaphor for decisions in life. When making the decision, we are not sure how the decision will affect the rest of our lives. However, once we make this decision, there is no turning back. The narrator knows that his decision will make a big impact on his life, and he says “I shall be telling this with a sigh someone ages and ages hence” (16-17). In the end, the narrator decides to take the path that is less chosen, saying, “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference” (19-20). The narrator does not regret his decision to take the less-chosen path, and instead is grateful that he chose the option that is right for him, rather than conforming to the rest of the population.

The poem is divided into stanzas that help show the narrator’s progression of thought. The first stanza presents the reader with the image of two paths. The third and fourth stanzas describe each path; the path that is frequented by travelers and the path that is rarely traveled. The last stanza shows which path the narrator chose, and the consequences of choosing that path.

Explication of "Harlem" by Langston Hughes

In Langston Hughes’s Harlem, Hughes wonders about what happens to a delayed dream. Hughes first wonders if the dream “dries up like a raisin in the sun” (2-3). Just like a grape turning into a raisin, Hughes thinks forgotten dreams lose their lively qualities and shrivel up. After a grape becomes a raisin, it can never be changed back. Hughes wonders if a deferred dream is the same way; once it’s gone, it can never be reclaimed.

            Hughes’s next idea is if the dream “festers like a sore” (4). Instead of the dream being forgotten, Hughes wonders if the dream constantly bothers the dreamer and is a source of constant pain, like a sore. Hughes offers other forms it may take to the dreamer, such as “rotten meat” (6) or a crusted over syrup. Hughes also wonders if the dream “sags like a heavy load” (9-10). This means that the dream would weigh down the dreamer as a constant reminder of how the dream was not accomplished. The deferred dream may become a burden. Hughes’s last question is if the dream explodes. This means the dream can no longer be contained, so eventually it comes back; ready to finally be accomplished after all that time.

            This poem uses many similes to describe the nature of the deferred dream. The poem also uses a rhyme scheme that adds to the flow of the poem. The separation of the stanzas also helps gives emphasis to the various parts of the poem. In the beginning, all the similes are in the same stanza. In the next stanza, Hughes brings up the idea that the dream is burdensome like a heavy load. Since this idea is separate, it is emphasized as the most important idea. The last line of the poem, “Or does it explode?” (11), is by itself and is italicized. This takes the newly placed emphasis away from the second stanza, showing that Hughes clearly thinks this is the best answer. However, it also shows Hughes’s curiously about the subject, since Hughes himself has wondered about his own dreams.