Name _____________________________________________ Block ________
©2010 Secondary Solutions
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Exploring Expository Writing: Author Biography—George Orwell
British author George Orwell, the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, was born on June 25, 1903, in
Motihari, India, near the Nepalese border. At the time of Blair’s birth,
India was part of the British Empire, and his father, Richard, worked as an agent in
the Opium Department of the Indian Civil Service.
The Blair family lived a middle-class lifestyle, yet chose to return to England in 1907, when Eric
was eight years old. Originally enrolling in a private school in Sussex, Eric won a scholarship to
Wellington at age 13, and another scholarship to Eton, a
prestigious college preparatory school.
From a young age, Eric Blair desired to be a writer. Although he had worked very
hard to be accepted to Eton, teenager Eric was no longer particularly interested in
exerting himself academically, unless it was toward a goal he had chosen. To this
end, he spent much of his time reading the works of well-known British authors, and
less time completing the required academics.
After graduating at the bottom of his class from Eton, Blair joined the Indian Imperial Police in
Burma, where he served for five years. In 1927, Blair resigned from his position so he could spend
more time writing. He had also grown disdainful of the
police force since he felt that working as a policeman supported a political structure
he did not believe in. The burgeoning author did write about his time as a police
officer, though, in Burmese Days (1934).
Now living in London and Paris, Blair chose to live among the poor and those who had been
trampled upon in society. Originally titled A Scullion’s Diary, the author
compiled his experiences in Down and Out in Paris and London (1933). Upon
publishing this novel, Eric Blair took the pen name of George Orwell so he could rid
himself of his Eton background and reinvent himself as an anti-authoritarian citizen
who belonged to no particular social class. Down and Out in Paris and London also
began Orwell’s lifelong ambition of writing to enlighten people about painful truths
and to place himself in the position of being an arbiter of moral conscience.
In his next book, The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), Orwell brought to life the miners in north
England. He also criticized English socialists who he thought used all the appropriate vocabulary,
such as “proletarian solidarity” (supporting the working
class), but who did not actually live out the life of their mottos.
After finishing The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell traveled to Spain to fight for the
Loyalists in the Spanish Civil War. There, Orwell first lived in a land without class
distinctions and watched his socialist comrades live according to their beliefs. After
being wounded, Orwell fled from Spain as the Communists tried to eradicate their
previously socialist allies. In 1938, the author composed Homage to Catalonia about
his time in Spain. In the volume, Orwell relates that his experiences in Spain showed him that
socialism was truly possible, but also forced him to realize that class differences, as well as violence,
conflict, and power struggles will always exist.
When war began between England and Germany in 1939, Orwell was unable to fight against
fascism because he was recovering from a bout with tuberculosis. He instead joined the British
Broadcasting Company (BBC) working as a producer for its Indian division. Some believe that
Orwell’s stint with the BBC may have inspired the
“newspeak” language he employs in 1984.
In 1943, Orwell resigned from the BBC and went to work as a literary editor for the Tribune and
began writing Animal Farm (1945), a modern fable which speaks out
against Stalinist Russia and the Communist regime. Later in 1945, the author
relocated to the Scottish island of Jura, where he composed 1984 (1949). When
Orwell wrote 1984, the world was recovering from World War II and the issues it
raised concerning fascism. This same time period also marks the beginning of the
Cold War and democratic countries’ reckoning with rising communist states. This
masterpiece portrays Orwell’s fear of mankind evolving into an overly bureaucratized
state and reflects the pain the author suffered as he continued to cope with
tuberculosis.
George Orwell, neé Eric Arthur Blair, died on January 21, 1950, in London, England.
Comprehension Check: Author Biography—George Orwell
Directions: Using the article about George Orwell, answer the following questions
using complete sentences on a separate piece of paper.
1. Explain why Orwell left his job as a police officer with the Indian Imperial Police in
Burma.
2. What two goals did Orwell strive for throughout much of his writing?
3. Name three books that Orwell has published and the year in which they were
written.
4. How was Orwell both enamored of and disappointed by the socialism he
witnessed during the Spanish Civil War?
5. Explain how the political events of the 1940s influenced Orwell’s writing at that
time.
6. As a young man, Orwell supported socialism and a society without class
differences. His later works, however, demonstrate the author’s fear of
bureaucracy and governmental control. In your opinion, are these two
governmental approaches mutually exclusive or compatible with each other?
Explain your views.
Name ______________________________________________________ Block _____________
©2010 Secondary Solutions
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Historical Context: Propaganda and Censorship
Throughout history, governments and political entities have attempted to alter and control the
information that reached its citizens. Utilizing propaganda to persuade and censoring information by
not allowing citizens to gain full knowledge of events have been two of the most common ways that
governments have attempted to control their citizens.
Governments, groups, and individuals engage in propaganda when they choose to manipulate, alter,
or control information with the purpose of forming or intensifying a particular response or opinion in
their target audiences. The term “propaganda” began when Pope Gregory XV established the Sacred
Congregation for Propagating the Faith, a group charged with developing and spreading the beliefs of
the Roman Catholic Church, in 1622. Adolf Hitler even realized the importance of propaganda when
he appointed Joseph Goebbels as the Nazi party’s Minister of Propaganda in 1933.
Many methods exist for fanning the flames of a particular belief or of spreading propaganda, many of
which also appear in print and screen advertisements. The bandwagon technique, which advocates
the importance of being in the “in” crowd, is frequently used to sell clothing and gadgets, but has also
been employed to convince citizens, as in Orwell’s 1984, of the necessity of joining a particular
political party. Card-stacking, building a highly-biased case toward a particular point of view, is also
frequently employed by governments and lawyers alike. Some citizens believe that the administration
of President George W. Bush utilized card-stacking to convince Americans of the necessity of the Iraq
war when he informed the citizenry that weapons of mass destruction littered all of Iraq, threatening
the United States.
Three other propaganda techniques frequently arise during political campaigns. Speakers often resort
to speaking in glittering generalities, using powerful words to evoke emotion, when offering political
speeches. Telling Americans that electing a particular leader or supporting a certain governmentsponsored program would limit their personal freedom provides an example of using glittering
generalities, because Americans highly value their personal freedoms as promised in the First
Amendment. Name-calling, denigrating a particular group or individual, also qualifies as propaganda.
Japanese-Americans were victimized by name-calling after the Pearl Harbor attack during World War
II. Political candidates also try to utilize the plain folks approach when a candidate tries to seem like
an everyday guy or gal in order to make him/her self seem more trustworthy and credible. For
example, during the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Obama frequently appeared in shirt
sleeves and without a tie or jacket to make himself appear as an “everyman.” Frequently placing a
candidate with his/her family to convey that he/she is a father or mother just like the voters also
creates the same effect.
The two final types of propaganda have to do with a person’s friends, associates, and colleagues.
The technique of transfer, defining or judging someone by who they do or do not associate with, is
also frequently employed as propaganda. The McCarthy trials of the 1950s utilized transfer when the
judges frequently decided if a person was or was not communist based solely on whom the accused
did or did not speak to or associate with. Testimonials are frequently utilized to heighten a leader’s
appeal. This often appears when celebrities declare which product or candidate they support, but is
also frequently utilized in a court setting when an attorney places an expert witness on the stand
during a trial.
In addition to propaganda, governments also employ censorship to control their citizens. Whereas
propaganda requires twisting information to guide readers or watchers to a particular conclusion,
censorship limits the information that people are allowed to see, hear, or read. Censorship has
occurred throughout history, but became much more prevalent after the printing press was invented
in 1439. Once printed information became more readily available, churches and governments began
limiting information as a way to manipulate their citizenry. Galileo’s writings, as well as those of Martin
Luther, were banned because they contradicted the beliefs of the rulers and the Catholic church
of their times.
Even though American citizens often take freedom of the press for granted, many countries
manipulate the news and information that is given to their citizens. During World War II and
throughout the Cold War, Soviet bloc governments prevented their citizens from contacting the
outside world. By doing so, the citizens could not learn about living conditions or news in democratic
countries. Limiting contact between peoples also allows governments to paint negative pictures of
other countries’ citizens and inflame hatred against them. Censoring the information and literature
that is available to people allows the controllers of the information to shape people’s opinions by only
providing information which is stilted toward a particular belief or view. These techniques not only
appear in literature, such as 1984, but also in everyday life. Being aware of and trying to see through
the propaganda and censorship which exists in the world allows readers, listeners, and learners to
make more informed decisions about issues in their political and personal lives.
Directions: After reading the article about propaganda and censorship, answer the following
questions using complete sentences on a separate piece of paper.
1. Compare and contrast propaganda and censorship.
2. Name the seven types of propaganda and give a very brief explanation of each in your own words.
3. Name two ways in which propaganda has been utilized throughout history.
4. Why did censorship increase after the printing press was invented?
5. How does censorship allow governments to have greater control of their citizens?
6. Provide and explain one historical or current example of propaganda and censorship that was not
discussed in the article. You may use books you have read or movies you have seen as examples.
Name _______________________________________ Period ________
©2010 Secondary Solutions
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Standards Focus: Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Dystopia
George Orwell’s 1984 (1949) occurs in a highly-controlled society in which a government uses a
variety of technological and propagandist tools to monitor and manipulate its citizens. Utilizing this
fantasy setting allows the author to examine how life could really be if totalitarian governments
reigned supreme in the world.
Since 1984 takes place in an other-worldly setting, it is broadly classified as fantasy. While fantasy
novels may include magic or supernatural forces or beings, as in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series,
the genre also encompasses “lost worlds,” as in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. While fantasy novels were
originally classified as children’s books, the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s marked the advent of fantasies,
such as Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian and Issac Asimov’s Galactic Empire series, which
were targeted to adult readers.
Science fiction, a sub-genre of fantasy, has grown in popularity throughout the years. A broad
genre, science fiction typically addresses the question of “What if?” Forming new worlds enables
science fiction novels to investigate the moral, technological, and philosophical implications of
emerging trends and issues in modern-day society. To this end, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the
Modern Prometheus (1818) examines the role of science and the treatment of the uneducated—
major issues in the early 19th century, as well as today. Using science fiction to inspect society from a
philosophical point of view continued with Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead (1943) and Ursula LeGuin’s
The Lathe of Heaven (1971).
In addition to occurring in a technological, fantastical society, Orwell’s 1984 evokes a dystopian
worldview. Whereas utopian settings portray a perfect world, dystopian societies display cultures
dominated by deprivation, oppression, and terror which typically result from corrupt or totalitarian
governments. As in 1984, dystopias are frequently composed as satires to warn readers of what
could occur if current conditions are stretched to frightful ends. In addition to acting as social
commentary, dystopias often place stringent social restrictions on characters’ lives as in Lois Lowry’s
The Giver (1993) and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932). These boundaries on family,
sexuality, and religion typically stem from decrees of dictatorial or fascist governments as in Jack
London’s The Iron Heel (1908). In addition to controlling the characters’ lives, dystopian novels, such
as Ayn Rand’s Anthem (1938), also frequently feature government-controlled economies in which
goods are wielded as economic warfare. Lastly, dystopian novels usually contain a protagonist who
questions his/her society, such as Winston in Orwell’s 1984 and V in Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta
series.
By utilizing a fantastical world-gone-wrong to examine issues of modern life, George Orwell firmly
places 1984 in the dystopian tradition of both fantasy and science fiction novels.
Directions: After reading the article on Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Dystopia, answer the following
questions in complete sentences on a separate piece of paper.
1. Explain how fantasy novels are broadly classified. What differentiates the genres of fantasy and
realistic fiction?
2. How can authors utilize science fiction to question modern-day society? Provide examples of three
science fiction novels that do so.
3. Name four characteristics typical of dystopian writing.
4. A satire is a literary work that criticizes society or government systems using wit, humor, irony,
and/or sarcasm to point out problems. Explain how dystopian novels frequently act as satires.
5. How are the genres of fantasy and science fiction related? Explain how dystopias also fit into this
spectrum.
6. Select your favorite fantasy and/or science fiction novel (or movie). Explain how the novel (or
movie) meets the characteristics of fantasy and/ or science fiction.