Category: Book Club

After O'Brien gives Winston his address and walks away, what does Winston expect to happen next?

Please enter the first three words of a sentence that shows your answers is correct.

O'Brien promises that Winston will receive "a book from which you will learn the true nature of the society we live in, and the strategy by which we shall destroy it."

What does"strategy"mean?

The poet Ampleforth is led into the white–tiled room, and Winston decides that "He must speak to Ampleforth, and risk the yell from the telescreen. It was even conceivable that Ampleforth was the bearer of the razor blade."

What does"conceivable"mean?

Were there any words that you did not know?
You can always list them here.

Is there anything that is confusing or unclear in the book so far?

Winston begins to exercise himself in crimestop by presenting himself with "…propositions —— 'the Party says the earth is flat', 'the party says that ice is heavier than water' —— and trained himself in not seeing or not understanding the arguments that contradicted them."

What does"contradicted"mean?

What is the main idea of this chapter?

Winston sets his features "into the expression of quiet optimism" when facing the telescreen. What does "optimism"mean?

Now that Winston has "recognized himself as a dead man", how does he feel?

Please enter the first three words of a sentence that shows your answers is correct.

When Winston finishes rectifying each message, he feeds "…them into the memory hole to be devoured by the flames."

What does"devoured"mean?

What is the main idea of this chapter?

While eating lunch in the canteen, Winston is approached by a man named Syme. What project is Syme working on?

Syme is reducing the number of words in the Newspeak dictionary. For example, he does not see any justification for opposites and synonyms. He thinks "Ungood" and "Plusgood" are better than "bad" or "excellent" because they are less vague. What does "justification"mean?

While Winston is in the canteen, an announcement comes over the telescreen. The announcement describes "…spontaneous demonstrations when workers marched out of factories and offices and paraded through the streets . . ."

What does"spontaneous"mean?

Winston worries that the girl with the dark hair is a member of the Thought Police and becomes uneasy when he notices that she is watching him: "She was looking at him in a sidelong way, but with curious intensity."

What does"intensity"mean?

Winston's neighbor, Parsons, is also in the canteen. He tells Winston stories about his children, of whom he is proud. He calls them, "Keen as mustard."

What does"keen"mean?

Were there any words that you did not know?
You can always list them here.