ISM Language & Literature SL
Literature – Part 4
1984 by George Orwell
The study of 1984 will be divided in two. We will read the first four chapters only and then return
to our Mass Communication unit and study newspapers. The reason should become quickly
obvious. One of the major themes of this enormously influential text is ‘Language and Power’. Much
of the Mass Communication unit is based on similar notions of the power of language to influence
and persuade. Orwell takes us into a dystopian nightmare where one of the main manipulative tools
of a totalitarian government is the drastic change in language, including reducing the number of
words in the language. If you haven’t the words for it, you can’t think it. Our world hasn’t gone
completely in the direction Orwell suggested, but he was right in arguing that the manipulation of
language would be a crucial element in the struggle for power and influence and money in the
modern world.
It is hard to over-estimate the importance of 1984 and Orwell in thinking about modern society.
The word ‘Orwellian’ has entered the language to describe societies closely controlled by
government and security departments and his focus on the power of language to wield influence
has been borne out by modern societies’ obsession with marketing, jargon, political nonsense,
public relations and advertising.
We need to examine the usual aspects of a text study such as plot, character, setting, themes and
language analysis. The most important aspect of this study, and the whole Literature unit which will
take all of second semester to complete, is commentary on passages, specifically oral commentaries.
See separate file for details on the IOC. Consequently, both texts that we study will have an oral
commentary assessment.
Assessments for 1984
Minor – Quiz on whole text, plot, setting and character work immediately below
Minor – Note-taking
Medium – thematic presentation in pairs (see further below)
Medium – Oral commentary on passage (see separate file on blog)
Plot
- Complete quiz
- Bullet point summary of the plot – one page maximum.
- Write a short paragraph explaining how the plot is used by Orwell to develop his themes
Setting
- Write down 4 short quotes to describe the setting of Winston’s normal life
- Write down 2 short quotes to describe the golden country
- Two quotes for the room above Mr. Charrington’s shop
- Three quotes for the Ministry of Love
- Write a short paragraph on how the setting is used by Orwell to develop his themes
Characters
See the Character Table file on the blog. Complete it.
The three main characters are, obviously, Winston, Julia and O’Brien. What symbolic
purpose(s) does each serve for Orwell? Explain, relatively briefly.
Themes
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Appearances vs. reality
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Language control and manipulation
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Manipulation of history and facts
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Use of technology
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Privacy
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Human rights/citizenship
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Psychological conditioning and control
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Physical control
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Power
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Loss of self/Identity
Medium Assessment - Themes
In pairs (or individually, if you like), you will be assigned one of the above themes (this is an
incomplete list). Prepare and present to the class an eight minute explanation of what Orwell
wanted to show about the theme. Send me a Word document with a bullet point summary of your
explanation and I will post it on the blog for the whole class to access. You will be assessed on the
quality of your insight into the text and the clarity of your explanation. This includes your verbal
delivery.
Reading
- Read the article Language as the Ultimate Weapon (on the blog). Be prepared for brutal,
psychological torture in a class discussion. Those not prepared to talk will be sent to Room 101.
- 1984 is still highly relevant to today’s society. Find an article that refers to Big Brother and, either,
social networking, internet, government or corporations. Bring it to class and enlighten your peers
in a riveting class discussion. Room 101 for offenders etc etc….