Good morning
Activities 8 & 9: Doublethink and Thoughtcrime
Big Brother, the government of Oceania, attempts to control the ideas of
the population by introducing an invented language, “Newspeak.”
Newspeak is a simplified version of “Oldspeak” or English. The grammar
and rules of Newspeak are described in an appendix to the novel, but a few
words are introduced early in the book:
Activity 8
doublethink—The ability to believe two contradictory ideas at once.
War is Peace, Ignorance is Truth, and Freedom is Slavery are the slogans of
the party.
• In your 1984 notebook, write another paradoxical (doublethink)
slogan for the party of Big Brother.
Activity 9
thoughtcrime—Thinking thoughts that are against the party or that
question
party policies or actions. Thinking “Down with Big Brother” is an example.
The Thought Police monitor everyone to detect possible thoughtcrime.
• Think about a group or organization, in or out of school, that you
belong to. Every organization has rules, beliefs, principles, and
standards. What would be examples of thoughtcrime for that
organization? Write at least three examples in your 1984 notebook.
Students will recognize social and economic changes and their
effects:
Industrial Revolution
American/French Revolutions
Students will recognize that the term “Romantic” signifies:
Fascination with youth, imagination, innocence
Questioning of authority and tradition for idealistic purposes
Adaptation to change
Belief in the transformative power of nature
Emotional and personal experiences of ordinary people
Students will read for comprehension and create
notes for study purposes.
Students will engage in sustained reading inside and
outside of the classroom to foster meaningful
conversation and thought.
Students will recognize what the term Romantic
means.
Students will recognize the forms of government
and what the term “Orwellian” means
Read author background on page 798
List 3 significant events (time period chart)
We are analyzing 3 poems from William
Wordsworth which can be found in the green
workbook starting on page 238.
-Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802
- The World Is Too Much with Us
- I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud
Read the poems and focus on word choice/fig
lang/structure – make notes (Independent work)
Title – Prediction on the title/clue of the content?
Paraphrase – Summarize in your words
Speaker – who is the speaker? Speaker and poet same?
Structure - What is the form? Does it affect the meaning?
Figurative Language – poetic language (simile,metaphor,etc)
Attitude/Tone – speakers attitude toward the subject of poem
Shifts – Make note of a change in speaker, attitude, rhythm …
Title – Examine the title again
Theme – What is the poems subject + what the poet is saying
about the subject = Theme
Theme is always in a complete sentence; never one word.
H/W Reading 1984 sections 1.7 – 1.8 and
corresponding questions
Reflect on the learning targets for today.
Do you feel you met the targets?
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Students will be exposed to other cultures and time
periods, quality literature and effective/varied
writing styles
Students will begin to understand key facts that
influenced and developed literature
Students will write effectively in expository mode to
examine/analysis a complex idea
1. What is one thing that you completed or
learned today that you found interesting?
2. What is one thing that you feel you can
improve in future classes?