W12, #6: What Would Your Paperweight Be?

As you all remember, Winston purchases a glass paperweight -- with a piece of coral in it -- from the antique shop...and sneaks it home.  When he later rents the apartment to hide with Julia, he keeps it there, too.  It becomes a symbol of something he is trying to understand/remember, even more than just being something beautiful.

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.
• 5+ sentences.

Comments

[Student #1]

If I could buy anything to keep me sane during those times of insanity, I would buy a pen. It would not be an ordinary pen though, but rather a pen that had a Carnival Cruise boat picture inside. This object would allow me to imagine being on the boat and take away my worries and problems. It would “free” me from the containment of the small room that I would be in by allowing me to escape mentally and visit that place. Also by having a pen, I could write down my thoughts/feelings on any piece of paper, or really anything I find, to write on. The pen would give me hope of becoming liberated because just by looking at the pen I would begin to hope that someday when I would be free I will go on that cruise.

[Student #2]

One thing I would bring with me. Soccer Ball (he smiles)

The reason being a soccer ball is that when ever I play soccer I feel that I am more alive than ever. It's not the game so much, but the realization I can accomplish something that takes a skill. I can also make up moves that other people have never even thought of. Then every time I look at the soccer ball I would think of new moves and be creative, and those thoughts would prove to me that I am real. A wise man once said "'I THINK, THEREFORE I AM". Well I thinking of those moves must make me real. Maybe sounds a little stupid, but that’s my sanity there in the soccer ball. (Has to be a size 5)

[Student #3]

It would definitely have to be an old N64 cartridge. It is linked to so much of my past - the initial (and continued) excitement of the technology, but more importantly empowerment of the user - no longer were computers just massive mammoths that could be afforded only by computers. It would remind me of today, the unbound internet where individuals are always heard. The true progression and betterment of humanity, not the worthless, stagnant wasteland of Big Brother. I would watch in horror at the glorification of murder while knowing entertainment and thought can coexist. I would be able to hope and dream for a future where you no longer exist as a part of a hive mind. The cartridge is not only inextricably linked to every part of my being, but I would remember my family, my hobbies, my very personality. With Big Brother, life is not even real anymore, there is no purpose for anything except power for the sake of power, and even that is not valid. The cartridge is a throwback to times where the irrational could be exposed at the click of a mouse, where personality and individuality existed even within companies.

[Student #4]

Well when I first thought about what my object would be I decided that a photograph of my mom would be a good idea so I can always remember the kind of person she is. However, what if the Thought Police found it? I would probably be killed anyway. So the next object that comes to mind is my iPod. Yes, that is a little too futuristic for this time in age, but music has its own way of working sometimes. While listening to the words in a song, you’re kind of in a way, escaping reality and that’s what I think you need in order to survive the corrupt world of Big Brother’s. I’m not sure what the Thought Police would think of this object, but it’s always worth a shot.

[Student #5]

If I could buy only one thing it would be..now don't laugh... a Starbucks Frappacino!
Yes. After I drink it, it will all be gone but I would keep that thick plastic cup with that bright green straw. I have had so many memories with Stabucks cups in my hand! I would feel, if I had one in my hand again, that I still have a chance of having yet another great memory. Every time I take a sip of that cold, yummy Strawberries and Cream Frap, I can only feel free and liberated as if I am flying. It is a great feeling which makes me dare to dream. Besides that energy boost that it gives my physical body, the frappacino gives my soul a sense of "energy" which makes me go beyond my shelter and imagine and do things that I could have never imagined or done before. He must be thinking, how does she get this form a cup of (almost) coffee? But, it is not the coffee itself. It is the feeling and the memory attached to the cup. My Frappacino has a lot of emotional baggage, yet I love to take it in and give it a home!

[Student #6]

If I could take only one object into this type of enviroment I would take my ipod. I know that it could be seen as distraction but for me the songs I have are like a part of me. Like in the importance of being earnest, the only way you can get the joke is if you are the joke, I listen to my music because it expresses some of the same ideas and my interests I have. Even in times of stress now I listen to my music to take me away from my problems. I definitely would take my ipod because it in a way describes me, and by listening to the songs I could get my mind on track with other things I thought when listening. My ipod in some sort represents me, and I could find myself simply by pressing play.

[Student #7]

The one object that I would have to keep me sane would be a conch shell. The shell would allow me to close my eyes and allow me to believe I’m in another world. I would listen to the calm soothing waves washing up on the shore. I could imagine I was no longer in the terrifying world with Big Brother watching me and imagine I’m laying on the beach relaxing with the warm salty air breeze blow through my hair. I would lay by the shore in the soft sand being worry free feeling the warm sun beam on me.

[Student #8]

One thing that i'd buy that would keep me sane would have to be a football. Football has been my drive in life to try to get through challenging oabstacles. For example school has been a pain for me but the thought of going on to collage and playing football on another level has driven me to hang in there. A football for me in Winstons position would really motivate me to stay alive and get through days so that one day I could play football again. A football would also be the only real thing to me.

[Student #9]

If I got to have anything I would have my cell phone. It would have all the numbers of the people that I was close to. Seeing all your friends’ names also brings back memories. A phone can tell you so much about a person and helps remind you of whom you are. Looking back at old text messages shows you what you use to talk about and what was going on. Even the different ring tones show you the types of music in the world. A phone can help a person imagine anything.

[Student #10]

To keep my sanity and maintain hope for the future, I would keep with me at all times a pocket mirror. A mirror would be the only way of maintaining a sound mind and when I needed to, I could look in to it and remind myself of what my goals are and direct me to somewhere I want to go. A lot of people find it strange, but being able to see myself and talk to myself helps me keep a level head and helps with my confidence and self-sanity. So in the toughest of times when I needed a reminder that I can make it through any obstacle, I could just look in my mirror and see myself as brave and valiant. With that small mirror I could look into the eyes of someone who is determined to find a better place than the one around her.

[Student #11]

I would take the only instrument that I can play halfway decently: my ukulele (I'm pretty good at piano, but that would be kinda hard to conceal). It's great to just mess around on, and it has a warm tone to it. Writing music would be a good way to continue thinking and expressing myself. Through thinking, I confirm my own existence and I stay sane. Of course, I wouldn't have anyone to share the music with, but I've found that just having a chance to be creative is a good antidote for loneliness.

[Student #12]

The one object I would choose to to keep me from going insane would have to be my cross necklace I have always had. My parents gave it to me on my fifth birthday and told me that it would protect me if they weren't there too. The cross is a sign of my religion, so living in Winston's world would be a little less challenging for me. While everyone else in the Party and Inner Party have nothing to look forward to in terms of life after death the cross would always be there to remind me that I'm not a part of Big Brother but something much bigger. The power of God will always remain with me to remind me of my parents and savior, and although I could not practice my religion in public I would always know in my heart that the power of love is much stronger than that of any tyrant leader.

[Student #13]

One thing that could possible keep me sane would be my music. Music, in my mind at least, brings up memories and puts me in different moods. I know that if I'm upset listening to an upbeat and happy song can raise my mood. Listing to music is like a release from the changes around you, the words are recorded and rarely changed. Music is so much unlike history, although music is remembered within history. It so bizarre to me how music and my memories are connected to the point where I cannot listen to certain songs because of the memories they bring up. In a time like that of 1984, music would keep me in myself and not in what Big Brother wants.

[Student #14]

This was a tough one for me. My first thought was to bring something along the lines of a pen, but what purpose does a pen have if theres nothing to write on? My second thought was a pocketwatch so that i would be able to know the time, but what am i keeping time for? I was very puzzled as to what item to choose that would last a lifetime. But as I looked about my room I noticed something on my desk. It was a playing card, the ace of spades. At that moment I decided that the best item to bring would be a deck of cards. They can last forever and there is no end to thier usefulness. Practicing magic tricks and playing old card games would be enough to keep me sane and give me hope that one day in the future i will find someone to play with me.

[James Vinson]

The one thing that I would bring is an old dictionary or history book, I know that this doesn’t seem like a object you could have much fun with but I would go through the dictionary and find out the what the original word was that “Big Brother” had taught me. Even though the Thought Police would destroy this or change it to the “correct” words, I would be dead by then and the dictionary would have provided me with my sanity. Also with the dictionary if I finally decided to try to convince people that Big Brother was lying to us and there was a better time in our past and that Big Brother was trying to change us from our past little by little by changing our words. Having these books would allow for me to remain in touch with the past without just having to have all of my knowledge of the past in my mind so there is no way I could forget it.