chapters 16-21

In chapter 16 the author repeatedly uses the phrase "knitting, knitting" which i am assuming means something but i am not sure what quite yet.
In chapter 17, the book talks about how Dr. Manette's daughter may not recall anything of him which makes him feel like there is no point in living any longer. While in jail, Manette often worry about how Lucie would turn out and what kind of person she would end up being so he would walk back and forth in the cell. The night before the wedding, Lucie goes down to her father's bedroom and checks in on him; when she finds him sleeping, she realizes that he is now content with the marriage.
Chapter 19 is about the destruction of the shoe making equipment, which i believe is truly about more than just a shoe making business: I think Dickens is trying to foreshadow something. Miss Pross and Mr. Lorry are the one's trying to make Manette quit the business, and they feel like accomplices to a horrible crime, even though they are trying to help the Doctor.
I think the title of Chapter 21 refers to Lucie hearing the footsteps that echo around the Manette household in Soho. She worried earlier in the book that the footsteps were the echoes of people coming into the family's life, and now the outside world is getting ready to screw up her little happy family. The echoes have not yet overtaken the family yet, because Lucie can still hear her childs footsteps closer.

In chapter six, Miss Pross is describing some people that come over to the house in which she claims seems like “hundreds of people” and that is an exaggeration because there is only a few that come over. Someone asks Dr Manette about his past and it almost seems as if he is afraid to remember his past again for some reason. The title of this chapter; Hundreds of People I think has some meaning to it besides the fact that Miss Pross is complaining of people over to the house.
Monseigneur, a king, has a party one night in Paris. He makes it seem like the party of the year and has lots of guests and fancy things there. At the party Monseigneur and one of the guests, Marquis get into a argument over something. Then when Marquis leaves, his carriage runs over a little boy and kills him. Marquis doesn’t think much of it and tosses the boy’s dad a few coins for his troubles. The dad throws one of the coins back and hits Marquis. Does this tell you how messed up this guy is?

The cliché of a line that everyone uses but don’t really know what it means is “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Now after reading the first few chapters of this book, I understand what this statement truly means. It contrasts the life in two countries: England where life is going well, and France where life seems to be in the crapper. The beginning of the book I noticed that Dickens uses a different style of writing than I’ve ever come upon before. Its almost as if he tries to write his thoughts backwards in the sentence which takes the reader a while to pick up. For the first few chapters I had to concentrate on every single line to make sure I understood it fully, but now I seem to be picking up on it.
Chapter two is all about mail being delivered through terrible conditions. I think this could be foreshadowing for the Revolutionary War which was going on at this time. I think it’s trying to say that the war is going to be incredibly tough but they just need to keep fighting and pushing to make it through.
The book then fast forwards five years. In London, the tellsons bank is a small, unwelcoming bank which is somewhat mysterious. The bank is located next to a bar where the government has displayed the heads of executed criminals on the walls.
Chapter 5 is called The Jackal. I looked up what a jackal is on the internet, and it is an animal found in Africa very similar to the coyote. A jackal is a scavenger, which means it feeds on animals that were killed by others. Seeing this, I believe that the jackal has something to do with the book and him being a scavenger of some type.

BLOG 10-7-o8

When Winston is sitting in the jail cell all alone with the bare walls and the never ending darkness, i think that is sometimes how we feel in our daily lives. Like nothing can change, nothing can get better, its just the same old boring things day after day after day. In the jail, when people get dragged into room 101, and no one knows what occurs in that room, it reminds me of The Borne Identity. In The Borne Identity, the government takes criminals into a room and brainwashes them to give them a new identity. So that could maybe be what is going on in mysterious room 101.
In chapter 3, the book shows us how truly inhumane some people are in this book. Putting the idea that pain can cure a man's wrongful beliefs...what is that all about? I think the people that are involved in the party are the one's with the wrongful beliefs and need to get set straight.

First of all, seriously...who names a week Hate Week...I've been wondering that for a while and i was just wondering what the point of it is. I love how they find out their country isn't against Eurasia, but actually Eastasia and at first they think of how Goldstein set them up. But right away their hatred turns to Eastasia...even though they have no real reason to feel abhorrence against them. Once again the woman outside Julia and Winston's building singing a song...coincidence, or foreshadowing...i would have to say it is a bit of foreshadowing with a hint of dramatic irony. It is dramatic irony because we know that the couple is going to get busted, they just cant realize it yet.

After reading chapter 5, it makes a person feel sorry for the couple for the way they get treated and whats going to happen to them. But at the same time, it was like i wanted to say...Dude seriously, how could you not see this coming...duhhhhhhhh

9/23/08

Chapter 6 is a short chapter, but just because it is short, doesn't mean it is bland. Possibly the greatest achievement in Winston's life thus far is when O'Brien finally gets in touch with him to set up a meeting.

In Chapter 7 Winston wakes up crying in the morning because of thoughts of his mother. He vaguely recalls a sequence of events that occurred when he was younger involving his father, mother and little sister. The question is, why would those images just suddenly appear for no reason...i think his mind is trying to keep something away from his instincts. Later Julia and Winston fret on being caught sneaking around together which would only lead to extreme torture and death.

Chapter eight deals with Wintson and Julia meeting with O'Brien together to discus how they are a couple and against the party. O'Brien tells Winston that he has turned off the the telescreen so they can talk about whatever they want. O'Brien acts as if he is going along with the couple, but in reality, it is plain to see that O'Brien is just setting Winston up to get caught by the party

8/16

When reading book 2, chapter 2, I found that the turning point in Winston's view of Julia was when they had finally had a real chance to look at eachother and he asks, "Now that you have seen what I'm really like, can you still bear to look at me?" And then Julia without hesitating, replies "Yes, easily." Then he realizes that it doesnt matter to this girl what he looks like, the only important thing is that she likes him for him. I also found major irony in this chapter a couple different places. One was when she ripped off her Junior Anti-Sex League sash and later they make love. Also, after they get done getting jiggy wit it, I found major irony in their conversation about her previous "relations." Winston asks if She has done this before with other men, and she says that she has. To most guys, that would be a turn off, but to Winston, he wouldn't have it any other way.
In chapter 3, i think we figure out that Winston and Julia have different reasons for sneaking off together. Winston thinks he is in love with this girl but yet she is sneaking around because she enjoys outsmarting the Party.
Winston is obviously not thinking from his head, but from a different part of his body when he rents the apartment building. The lady singing while doing her laundry has to be foreshadowing of something bad going to happen. Her singing reminds me of in scary movies when you see a person about to be murdered, alot of times there is nice calm relaxing music and then all of the sudden the person gets slaughtered or something...so i was thinking that this could maybe be foreshadowing for Winston to be getting caught. Then when Julia tells Winston that she will someday clean the old church painting, it is completely a perfect example of dramatic irony.
At the end of this section it is very hot, in the middle of summer. Like Foster said in "How to Read Literature like a Professor", summer means youth, so i dont think its a coincidence that the children are singing that song. My prediction for this week is that someone who plays a big part in the story is going to be killed...but i dont know who yet.