Is Big Brother Watching?
Introduction
George Orwell's 1984 provides thought provoking material that provides challenging reading,
stimulating themes of dehumanization, isolation, social class disparity, government control, and
abuse of power to name a few. We will read and discuss the book as you journal each section. Of
course your journals will also include setting, significant events, character analysis, themes,
literary recognition and personal connections. The following study guide will help you think
about important concepts the book brings up. If you read the book, you should have no problem
answering these questions.
Reading/Study Guide
Using the themes and ideas from 1984, you must form your own opinion on today's society.
Think of all the ways Orwell's book relates to things happening today. Was Orwell's 1984 only a
warning of totalitarianism or did it prove to be prophetic in that we live in a world of
manipulation and control, a world where information is controlled and propaganda threatens to
destroy our language? Is Big Brother watching?
The Task
You will be working together with a group of students in and out of class. Each group will
answer the Task or Question Is Big Brother watching? Each group will create a PowerPoint
presentation that supports your answer to the question and includes brief author information with
at least one unique piece of information not discussed in class, a historical timeline, graphics of
some sort, a compare/contrast chart of similarities and differences in the world of 1984 and the
world today, and a summary of your findings. Your group will give a short oral presentation
covering the topics that each person learned.
The Process
You'll begin with everyone in your group getting some background.
1. Your team must first research a bit on the author himself. Answer the who,
what, where, when, why, and how questions.
1. Who was George Orwell?
2. What personal beliefs were reflected in his writing?
3. Where did he experience the things he wrote about?
4. When did he write this book and when was it published?
5. Why did Orwell write this book?
6. How did Orwell explain his topics and reasons for writing?
Be creative. This information will also be useful when organizing your PowerPoint
presentation, so keep track of it and add to it as necessary throughout your research.
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2. Brainstorm with your group any similarities and difference you can think of
on your own. Don't be afraid to use the obvious. Organize your thoughts using
a diagram, concept map, or chart before researching the links below for further
analysis. An example chart is illustrated below.
1984
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Today
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Telescreens are everywhere
(except for where the Proles
live and work).
Workplace monitoring—
Winston can’t look at a note on
his desk or dwell too long on a
single document.
Thought
Police
interpret
people’s facial expressions and
voice intonations.
Spies—one never knows whom
to trust.
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FBI surveillance
Corporations collecting data on
consumers
Internet privacy issues
Drug testing at the workplace
or school
Employers
monitoring
employees’ e-mails, phone
calls, or bathroom usage
cameras - everywhere
You will add to your diagram or concept map as you complete each article. You
will all pick up different ideas on Big Brother as you read and search
independently, so no one's "chart" will look the same.
3. Now, group members come back to the larger team with expertise gained by
searching from one perspective.
You must all now answer the Task/Question as a group. Each of you will bring a
certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use
information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. you explored to convince your
teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's
answer to the Task/Question. Your team should write out an answer that everyone
on the team can live with.
4. As a group create a PowerPoint presentation that supports your answer to
the question.
The PowerPoint should include brief author information with at least one unique
piece of information not discussed in class, a historical timeline, graphics of some
sort, a compare/contrast chart of similarities and differences in the world of 1984
and the world today, and a summary of your findings. Your group will give a short
oral presentation covering the topics that each person learned.
Your group will want to divide out the tasks: one person will be the project director
responsible for the copy and overseeing the creation of the PowerPoint presentation;
one person will be the graphic designer who is responsible for locating graphics that
can be used in the PowerPoint presentation; one person will be in charge of sound
who is responsible for locating sounds and music.
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The same would go for . . .
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brief author information
unique information
historical timeline
graphics
compare/contrast chart
summary
Evaluation
This is a team effort, and everyone in your group should contribute equally. At the
end of the task, you will get together with your group and evaluate the contributions
each made to the final products.
Word document on Orwell biography - 25%
PowerPoint and PowerPoint presentation - 50%
Group evaluation of individual contribution - 25%
(This includes individual written work)
Conclusion
Hopefully, this project had enlightened you as to the similarities of our world today
and the world of 1984. We have the opportunity and are even encouraged to read
and think - but do we? 1984 presents an anti-utopian world without privacy, a world
without the ability to read and think and speak, a world of total government control.
1984 is a world of Doublethink and Newspeak. Would you want to live in that
world?
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