Topic: Background on setting for George Orwell's 1984
EQ: How can understanding the setting of the novel 1984 help me connect to the text?
First published in 1949—the dawn of the nuclear age and before television.
Written as a warning to the dangers of absolute political authority in an age
of advanced technology.
1984 is one of the most famous novels of the dystopian genre
dystopian: shows the worst human society imaginable with an
effort to convince readers to avoid any path that might
lead toward such societal degradation
as opposed to
utopian: portrays the perfect human society
Orwell envisioned, in 1984, a post-atomic dictatorship in which every person
would be monitored at all times by means of a telescreen (television) and
cameras.
Some people may be friends, but many work for “Big Brother” and spy on
their neighbors—turning them in to the government.
The 1984 that Orwell wrote about did not materialize
However..
This novel analyzes the nature of power AND the ways that the
manipulation of language and history can be used as mechanisms of
control.
Activity-Analyze this statement: Knowledge is power. What does it mean?
Summary: (answer the EQ)