UNIT OVERVIEW.
In this unit, students will study the novel 1984 by George Orwell. They will interpret how the themes of dehumanization, isolation, repression, loneliness, social class disparity, and abuse of power are developed in the dystopian world of Oceania and reflect on how these themes manifest in the current reality of their own world. Analysis of the novel will also give students the opportunity to consider aspects of modernism (such as anxiety) in their historical context; they will analyze artwork by such painters as Mondrian, Picasso, and Kandinsky and the poetry of such writers as W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, and W. H. Auden to discover how artists sought to capture the modern experience of the first half of the 20th century. Students will also read Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” as the author’s antidote to the nightmare world of 1984; they will need to determine Orwell’s argument about political language and analyze how he uses rhetorical techniques to advance his point of view. As a culminating activity, students will engage in Socratic Seminars, where they pursue focused questions in depth over the course of one or two class sessions.
In this unit, students will study the novel 1984 by George Orwell. They will interpret how the themes of dehumanization, isolation, repression, loneliness, social class disparity, and abuse of power are developed in the dystopian world of Oceania and reflect on how these themes manifest in the current reality of their own world. Analysis of the novel will also give students the opportunity to consider aspects of modernism (such as anxiety) in their historical context; they will analyze artwork by such painters as Mondrian, Picasso, and Kandinsky and the poetry of such writers as W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, and W. H. Auden to discover how artists sought to capture the modern experience of the first half of the 20th century. Students will also read Orwell’s essay “Politics and the English Language” as the author’s antidote to the nightmare world of 1984; they will need to determine Orwell’s argument about political language and analyze how he uses rhetorical techniques to advance his point of view. As a culminating activity, students will engage in Socratic Seminars, where they pursue focused questions in depth over the course of one or two class sessions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES.
- Consider aspects of modernism (such as anxiety) in their historical context.
- Analyze dystopian literature, considering the problems inherent in fashioning a perfect person or society.
FICTION
Core Text
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INFORMATIONAL TEXTS
Essays
ONLINE SOURCES
Essays
- "Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell
- "Shooting an Elephant" by George Orwell
ONLINE SOURCES
- The Orwell Foundation, a website for the Orwell Foundation, whose mission is to perpetuate the achievements of the British writer George Orwell (1903-1950)
TERMINOLOGY
Democracy
Doublethink Dystopia Irony |
Liberalism
Oligarchy Orwellian |
Paradox
Socialism Totalitarianism |
What "Orwellian" Really Means by Noah Tavlin (TED-Ed)
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How to Understand Power by Eric Liu (TED-Ed)
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An Introduction to 1984
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"Testify" by Rage Against the Machine
Live at Finsbury Park, London, 2010 |
"Politics and the English Language"
George Orwell, 1946 (Audiobook)
George Orwell, 1946 (Audiobook)
IMAGE GALLERY 1: The World of Airstrip One
District of the Government by Yoojin Seong
Airstrip One by Yoojin Seong
Winston's Room by Yoojin Seong
Two Minutes Hate by Yoojin Seong
IMAGE GALLERY 2: Art in the "Age of Anxiety"