Sources

Lee, Dwight R. "Happiness and Liberty." The Intercollegiate Review 42.2 (2007): 41-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Janaury 2011.

Dennis, Bretton J., and Rafeeq O. McGiveron. "Zamyatin's WE." Explicator 58.4 (2000): 211-213. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 January 2011.

Zamyatin, Yevgeny. We. New York: The Random House Publishing Group. Print.

*I couldn't figure out how to do the hanging indent on here, otherwise I would have.

Topic

The topic I chose for my paper on "WE" is the relationship between freedom and happiness.  I chose this topic because I think this is a very important part of human life.  I believe one reason why Communism is a bad form of government is because individual freedoms are taken away, resulting in unhappiness.  Freedom allows people to be happy.  They link together very well in this novel and I feel like I could make an good argument.

"WE" Final Thought

As I finished the novel "WE," I didn't really know what to think.  Throughout the novel I began to feel more and more that I-330 was not fully committed to D-503, but now I know that she was.  By that I mean she wasn't committed to him as a lover, but as a tool to the operation.  She needed him the whole time strictly because he was the Builder of the Integral.  D-503 couldn't see this at all, until he met with the Benefactor.  The Benefactor stated that they chose him only because he was the Builder of the Integral and wanted him to give up the names.  The Benefactor even said that he knew D-503 would eventually end up giving these names.  At the time D-503 would not even consider giving up the person whom he "loved" and her followers.  It seemed like after the visit to her bedroom and seeing the pink slips with not only his name on them, he realized that the Benefactor was right about the whole situation.  I believe the reason why he decided to go to the Bureau of Guardians and confess everything was because he felt the Benefactor was, in fact, the wise, powerful person that he would never accept.  He was right about D-503 being chosen for that sole reason and right, once again, by stating that he would return with names.  Through realizing that he was being used instead of actually finding love, D-503 changed his mindset completely.  Not that I completely agree with his actions, but he seemed to enjoy the sight of I-330 and the others under the effects of the Bell Jar.  He no longer believed in love or happiness and allowed the Benefactor and the guardians to once again control his, now soulless, life.

State of the Union Address

This is the first State of the Union Address that I have ever watched.  I usually don't like to watch these type of things because they are boring and I don't pay much attention to politics.  It lasted about an hour and talked mainly about the economy.  Barack Obama told us how the recession was coming to an end.  He praised the change and discussed how innovation would continue to lead to a better economy.  He related the United States today to Sputnik, by saying that through research and development we could see our "Sputnik moment."  He proposed that Congress take the billions of tax payers' dollars from the oil companies and use it otherwise.  He discussed that by 2035 there would be other forms of energy representing about 80% of the energy needed.  The next point he touched on was related to education and announced the plan called "Race to the Top."  It's a plan that will replace "No Child Left Behind" and is formed by an idea from one of the 50 states.  Obama also said that teachers should be treated with high amounts of respect by rewarding good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones.  He wants to crack down on illegal immigration, rebuild more roads and bridges, and integrate the whole country into the digital era.  There has been agreements made with other countries, like South Korea, to add more American jobs and continue to regulate these achievements.  When he brought up health care he said that he knows there are flaws that need fixed.  He asked for ideas as to how to lower costs or making the care better.  These were just some of the many topics discussed during the State of the Union Address 2011.  I still believe, after watching my first State of the Union, that this was boring to watch.  I liked listening to the information being presented, but the pauses for applause started to get to me.  Without the applause I believe this hour long speech could have been cut down by quite a bit of time.  If there was a way to listen to just the main points by leaving out Congress' reactions I think I would have actually enjoyed it.

The Worst Part...

In the novel "WE" there are many things that I would hate if I were a citizen of One State.  I know I wouldn't want to have the strict hours or being watched all the time, but the worst part would definitely be the loss of freedom.  I am a very independent person and many times I need time for myself.  I like to do things at the spur  of the moment and be spontaneous and without my freedom I wouldn't be able to do that either.  The people of One State only have two hours to themselves and they have to ask permission for everything they choose to do.  I wouldn't want to run around wondering at all times if I were doing something wrong and if I were going to be punished.  I have a feeling that I would be more like I-330 and D-503 and rebel against the evil force, the Benefactor.  I believe that Communism consists of no appealing factors and revolves around the lack of freedom, that is why it is hard to convince the entire population to change their ways and allow such behavior.

Criticism and "WE"

I would like to apply the feminist criticism to the novel "WE" because I can name a few male-dominated areas of the book.  The book is told through the view of a male character so that is a leading factor that contributes to my choice of feminist criticism.  From what I read, I feel like One State is being run my predominantly males.  The ladies in the story do not have many opportunities to show their female power.  The only thing they can control is who they request to have sex with, but yet they still have to ask the powerful male figures for permission before doing so.  Another aspect that contributes is the fact that O doesn't really have much of a say in her relationship with D-503.  She could file for a pink slip if she wanted to be with him, but in the end he has more power than she does and his word stands.  As a last resort she writes him a letter notifying him that she will no longer come around.

Elements of Fiction

Style:  The author arranges some of his sentences in a weird manner, such as when a sentence is broken with a colon.  He also uses the ellipsis (e.i. ...) frequently as well.

Tone:  The tone of the author in the story, D-503, is mostly depressing.  He hates the way things are in One State and would do anything to have everything change.

Irony:  One example of irony in Record Ten on page 51.  D-503 is speaking of I-330 and states "One thing become clear to me: I hate her, hate her, hate her!"  He thinks this to himself when in reality he doesn't hate her at all but wants to have sex with her.

Plot:  The main points during the storyline are mainly the everyday routine of D-503 and how much he struggles with the urge to have sex.

Characterization:  D-503 is described in great detail on page 53. "I am him: black eyebrows that look like they've been struck through with a straight line; and a vertical wrinkle between them, like a scar (I don't know if it was there before or not).  Steely gray eyes encircled by the shadows of a sleepless night; and behind this steel..."

Setting:  This novel takes place in a place called One State.  It is a communist like country that has extremely strict laws and is ruled by a leader known as the Benefactor.  Everything seems to be arranged for them and I picture One State to be technologically advanced and city-like.

Point of View:  The narrator of this novel is D-503 and is shown through his point of view.  He talks of his experiences and even shows his thoughts to himself through narration.

Symbol:  One symbol I see throughout the novel is the numbers each person is called.  This is important because it shows how each person is seen more as a replaceable number rather than an individual.

Theme:  Since starting this story, I can see that the theme is that communism takes away freedom.  It may exaggerate the meaning of communism, but overall it is portrayed to the reader that people will lose there freedom and be forced to work for their leader, or be punished.

About Me...

My name is Cassie Stukenholtz and I am a sophmore at The University of South Dakota.  I transferred in from Dana College in Blair, Nebraska since it closed down over the summer.  Golf is by far my favorite sport and while at Dana College I was able to compete on the golf team.  My favorite subject is definitely math.  My life goal is to graduate with a degree in finance and then take the classes necessary to become a flight attendant.  I would really like to travel and as a flight attendant I would be able to fly at a reduced price and make that dream happen.  Once I am done visiting all of the places I want to see, I will then settle down with my finance degree and work as a financial manager or work my way up the banking chain to eventually be the president.  I have worked in a bank in my hometown for a year now and feel the experience has definitely helped.  This is about all I can think of to describe me and what I intend to do with my life.  I hope it gives you a better understanding of me as a person.

Cassie