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[mrs_octopus]

Rosie was running a little late, and it was enough to have her flying across the rec-room in a small flurry of skirts and books as she tried to set the meeting in time. She, oddly enough, had nearly forgotten about it being time for the meeting, and not living in the Compound any longer just added to her trouble when she nearly jogged from the

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Refreshment Table

[mrs_octopus]

In the corner not far out of the way of the sitting area, two small tables had been pushed together and covered with what may have been a dress at one point, and what may have simply been a rather unfashionable table cloth. There was a crooked but well arranged array of coffee, tea and fruit juices, as well as a bowl of richly colored tropical fruit salad. A collection of various cookies and small muffins could be found on a tray, and many lemon bars as well that had been garnished with richly colored wild berries.

Thought Discussion

[mrs_octopus]

"This last month, we visited a place much darker, more rigid and obscure than we have in the past. What are you're thoughts on 1984? The Party, what does it represent to you> people are stripped of their individuality, they're watched endlessly with a lack of privacy and the children have been so desensitized that they enjoy death, torture, and even lying to have their own paretns arrested for crimes that were never committed. How do you think it must have been like growing up as somone who still had their own thoughts? How frightening do you think it must have been when this regime first began?" Rosie looked over the groups silently for moment. "How do you feel about Winston's change in the end?"

Character Exploration

[mrs_octopus]

"Winston Smith wasn't the classic portrayal of a story's protagonist is he? He's not especially heroic, he's not young and striking, not limber or outspoken. He's just a man, who is living through something most people could never imagine, and when he finds somone like him, he falls first into fear, then into lust, and then into love. What about Julia? She puts up a front of being all for the party, all for abstinence, but it's revealed that she's actually quite the rebel, a rebel who has her own cause, and that cause is self gratification in a world that doesn't allow it." Rosie paused for a moment, looking at the group with steady eyes. "What about the others? The neighbours, the man O'Brian who turns out to be the devil in disguise? Do you think he was really evil? Or just a man so enrapt by thse beliefs that seem bad, that he see's it as true good?"

Final Feelings

[mrs_octopus]

"How did you feel about the ending? Winston was tortured, starved, forced to face his greatest fear and then he was released back into the worls only to finally come to hate a symbol he once feared and dissliked. Do you think you would have felt the same change? Do you think a stronger person could have managed to stay who they were after all he went through? In a place like this, do you think there would ever be a chance that things could right themselves, or do you think that for them it was right? Please, share how you feel, this clearly isn't a happy ending, but do you think it's a bad ending? Or did Winston simply succomb to the only way he could actually enjoy the life he had?"

New Material

[mrs_octopus]

"If everyone has said what they wished to say about 1984, then I believe it's a fine time to introduce you to the new material." Rosie bent and picked up a book from beside her chair, lifting it to show the cover to everyone. "This is Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it's a fairly light read so I believe it shouldn't take anyone very long to finish. This is also a slightly heavier subject though, so I warn you in advance."

She smiled and handed the book to the nearest person. "There are copies for everone in a pile on that table over there, feel free to pick them up now or later, and I hope you enjoy it. If not, well, then I suppose we'll have somethign is discuss next month."