1984 Fishbowl
Setting the scene: The power source has been knocked out due to a sneaky
electrical attack on behalf of Eastasia. The telescreens have gone out and
everyone has a chance to speak freely. Big Brother is nowhere to be seen.
Players: Winston, Julia, O’Brien, Mr. Parsons, Syme, Mr. Charrington, Emmanuel
Goldstein
1. Do you all agree that to assure our country’s freedom, the government
should be able to spy on its citizens?
2. What does the party mean to each of you? Describe how it feels to be a
part of it.
3. What makes this world a dystopia or utopia? (Everyone should respond)
4. What makes a good Oceania citizen?
5. Inner party, do you think torture of a person who is a threat to our
country’s freedom is acceptable as long the person does not die? Why?
6. Winston and Julia, does making a deal with O’Brien to do absolutely
anything, including killing or torturing someone, make you hypocrites?
7. Why do you think that people who are a serious threat to the government
should be able to be held in prison without being charged? Is that lawful?
8. Who determines when someone is a threat to society and what does this
behavior look like?
9. Who do you think Big Brother really is? How do you imagine him? Where
does he live in your mind?
10.Inner party, why do you continue to follow Big Brother? What is it that
makes him an idol in your eyes? How can you a trust a man who you’ve
never truly met face-to-face?
11.Can power only be achieved through dictatorship? Or are there
alternatives?**
12.What toll does it take on the country’s morale to constantly be in a state of
war?
13. What hope is there that the war will end when the three super powers
keep making atomic bombs? How can this possibly end well for the world?
Will there ever be a winner? How will you know when the war is over?
14. How can you be sure the people from the two other states are evil if
you’ve never seen or met one other than prisoners of war paraded through
town? Would you say Oceania feels threatened by foreign relations? Is it a
case of Xenophobia?
15. History is constantly changing, how does this make you feel about your
identity as an individual, in terms of your family line, and in terms of your
sense of nationalism?*****
16.What would happen if the three powers stopped fighting in efforts to
achieve true peace? Is that possible?
17.What are the pros and cons to Newspeak?
18. Julia and Winston, what are your biggest fears?
19. What relationship is most meaningful to each of you?
20. Do any of you feel you live an independent or self-sufficient life?
21. What are the highest priorities in each of your lives? Explain what makes
them important.
22. If you could have another role in Oceania, what would you be Syme, Mr.
Charrington, Mr. Parsons, and Julia?
23. What about do you think the strengths are with having the four ministries?
What are its flaws?
24. Do laws enable or prohibit freedoms over all?**
25. What makes Emmanuel Goldstein’s reputation live on despite places like
the Ministry of Truth erasing people from history and Newspeak deleting
the words to express ideas?
26. What is the future of Oceania?
27. What does justice look like in Oceania? What does freedom look like?
28. Winston, what separates you from everyone else?
29. If each of you had to make a change in Oceania, what would it be? **