IB Individual Oral Presentation (IOP)
The IOP constitutes: 15% of your final IB mark next year
15% of your ENG3UE Colonel By mark this year (Summative)
Choice of Topic: You may choose or formulate a topic that reflects a personal interest
stimulated by your study of Orwell’s 1984 or Miller’s The Crucible. Topics must be approved in
advance, and the same topic may not be covered by more than one student.
Your study may reflect:

the cultural setting of the work
and related issues

thematic focus

characterization

techniques and style


the author’s attitude to particular
elements of the work
interpretation of particular elements
from different perspectives
Activities (format):
Oral Exposés:

an introduction to a writer, a work, a text

an explanation of a particular aspect of an author’s work

the setting of a work against a social or political background

a study of the use of a particular image, idea, or symbol

a comparison of two passages, two characters, or two works

a commentary on an extract from a work
Role Plays:

a monologue by a character at an important point in the work

reminiscences by a character from a point later in life

an author’s reaction to a particular interpretation of his or her work
 a role play must include a rationale explaining purpose and desired effect
Structure:

10 – 13 minutes long. You must present for at least ten minutes.

Organize your presentation with a coherent plan

Use appropriately formal diction, delivery style, and extrapolate

You are strongly encouraged to provide visual materials to support your presentation,
especially quotations from the text (properly formatted in MLA style)

Your presentation is a literary analysis and thus must be well grounded in the text; i.e. if
you are focusing on a historical or social topic you must make clear and direct links with
the text itself.
Evaluation: see IB rubric
Presentation dates: Presentations will begin mid to late May. Dates will be assigned randomly
after any conflicts with IB exams have been addressed. See Managebac for details.
Topics:
Possible presentation topics include (but are not limited to):
Orwell’s 1984
Orwellisms in our society
Orwell’s use of satire and/or irony
Atmosphere, mood, and/or imagery
Symbolism
The book(s) within the book
Orwell’s life and the novel
The role of surveillance technology
Sexual politics
A thematic study (student choice of theme)
The role of Fear
Narrative structure
Narrative perspective (Winston as protagonist)
NEWSPEAK and the role of language
Ethnic cleansing
Crimes against humanity
Argentina and “the disappeared”
McCarthyism
Brainwashing experiments (Montreal)
China’s Cultural Revolution
Kosovo conflict
Pinochet in Chile
War Measures Act (Canada)
Cambodia / Vietnam
Child soldiers
RCMP abuse of power
The Taliban
Recent or current Political Events (e.g. Egypt;
Libya, North Korea)
Historical influences, including:
Use of propaganda during or pre-WWII
Russia and Stalin
Marxism
Spanish Civil War
Hitler
Hitler Youth
Nazism
Political Purges
Mussolini
Internment of Japanese Canadians in WWII
Concentration / forced labour camps
Miller’s The Crucible
Biographical study of Arthur Miller and links
to the play
Miller’s definition of tragedy
The Crucible – why drama not a novel?
The Crucible as allegory
History of Salem Witch Trials
The (Political) Role of Fear
McCarthyism
Staging the play and possible impact(s) on
narrative elements
The Role of women
Satire in the play
Miller’s style in the play
Character comparisons
John Proctor as tragic hero
Proctor’s transformation throughout the play