1984 mwd

AP 12/English 111/112

Alex Bond

Major Works Data Sheet Title: 1984 Author: George Orwell

Page 1 Biographical information about the author: George Orwell is the pen name of Eric Blair, the author of political science allegories like Animal Farm and 1984.

Date of Publication: June 8, 1949 Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Science Fiction Historical information about the setting of the novel: 1984 takes place in Airstip One (previously London, England) in the country of Oceania. Oceania. This setting is among a dystopian future in the year 1984. In this alternate future, Big Brother rules dictatorially over Oceania and sets forth rules and laws that always make him just and right. During this this time Oceania is at war with Eastasia and Eurasia, the two other  superpower countries of the world. Works Cited for ALL sources:

Plot Summary: This is the story of Winston Smith, a government worker in dystopian socialist Oceania in 1984. Winston is a thoughtcriminal, as the government calls them because of his disbelief in how Big Brother, the leader, runs the world. Winston and his rebellious thoughts lead lead to the illegal action of having sex with Julia, Julia, another rebel. After their affair, an illegal action, they are turned in by a friend of Winston's and are condemned and broken down by O'Brien a chief thought policeman. policeman. Winston is eventually broken down and turned into into a “good” citizen of Oceania.

Major Works Data Sheet

Page 2

Describe the author’s style: Orwell writes in a very direct and dull manner. His lack of flourish and pampering greatly illustrates the type of  monotonous, gray life a person in future 1984 Oceania lives.

An example that demonstrates the s tyle: He loved Big Brother.

Memorable Quotes

Quote (minimum of five)

Significance

He loved Big Brother. WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. If there was hope, in lie in the proles.

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.

Winston has finally been converted to a follower of Big Brother and is now an upstanding citizen. This propaganda technique of the government shows exactly how powerful they are. This nonsensical slogan is what is burnt into everyone's minds, except Winston's. Winston writes in his diary that as long as Big Brother  controls and changes information and facts from the past history, the future remains the same. Winston's hope toward a bright future leads him to the prole district where he rents an apartment and takes interest in Mr. Charrington, leading to his capture. O'Brien's vivid quote about the near future for Winston was used in the breaking down and converting of Winston.

Major Works Data Sheet

Page 3

Characters

Name Winston Smith

Role in the story Winston is the 39 year old

Significance Winston feels like a loner in Oceania because of his hatred

Adjectives He is intellectual, inquisitive, realistic, and extremely curious.

Julia

Mr. Charrington

protagonist and the point of view from which the story is told. Julia is Winston's companion and lover.

A undercover   Thought Policeman who runs a shop in the prole district.

feelings toward Big Brother. Winston exemplifies a revolt or  revolution against government. She shows a contrast between Winston's long-term rebellion goals against Big Brother  compared to her short-term ones. Although sincere and encouraging to Winston at first, Mr. Charrington turns Winston and Julia in, leading to their  capture.

Julia is a young, dark-haired girl of 29 who, although seems like an upstanding citizen, greatly enjoys sex and rebellion. Mr. Charrington is nostalgic and interesting as well as conniving and greedy.

Significant Literary Devices

Significance of the opening scene

Allegories, metaphors, and flashbacks are prominent devices used in 1984. Orwell relates the future dystopia to that of dictator-ruled Russia during the 1940s. By relating what has happened in his future world to what is starting to happen in Russia, Orwell creates an eerie aura around the government-watched world we live in. Also, Orwell brilliantly gives the background as to what has happened in Oceania by using “The Book” to explain the world's history. In doing so, Orwell is not dependent on remedial ways of directly saying what happened.

The opening scene of 1984 reveals a small amount about Winston Smith, the protagonist, and the world h e lives in. The story wastes no time in revealing the plot and Winston's true feelings about Big Brother as it describes his illegal act of writing in a diary. In doing so, Winston has committed thoughtcrime, an act he does throughout the novel and leads him into his capture.

Significance of the ending/closing scene Symbols The most prominent symbols of  1984 are that of Big Brother and Goldstein. Big Brother represents all that is  just and good, ironic to his totalitarian nature, while Goldstein represents what is bad and truly evil in the world. Goldstein is used as a symbol in the novel for  the Two Minutes Hate in which his revolutionary motives are frowned upon by the government and the community. A common thought among critics and readers is the possibility that Big Brother and Goldstein are not real people at all, but merely propaganda to the truly oligarchical government. By using Goldstein, the government exemplifies how “good” Big Brother actually is.

Winston sits and thinks about his life now compared to that of before his capture. He realizes his sexual affair  with Julia is repulsive and that “2+2=5”. These thoughts and his newfound love for Big Brother show that he has finally been converted to a good, sound citizen of Oceania.

Possible Themes 1984

has a wide range of themes and elements that make it the greatly influential novel that it is. At the forefront of  these themes is that of complete and utter totalitarianism. Throughout the work Orwell weaves this story about the life under totalitarian rule in the very near future. In doing so, he creates this world in which everything and everybody is controlled by the government, similar to that of the novel's respective time period except to an extent that creates fear and skepticism in the reader. In illustrating this leeway to which the government has control, Orwell notifies the audience that this is the future we could be living in if all power resided in the political authorities. The other 

English 12 AP Summer Reading Rubric

Charts are complete

1 2 3 4 5

Charts show evidence of careful reading and thinking

1 2 3 4 5

Chosen quotes include page numbers and are significant for each novel

1 2 3 4 5

Major characters and their motivations are well understood

1 2 3 4 5

Information on the chart is accurate for each novel

1 2 3 4 5

Insights about each novel are well supported with evidence

1 2 3 4 5

Summaries are concise and accurate Responses are well written with accurate word choice, sentence fluency, and organization

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Responses are written in complete sentences

1 2 3 4 5

Responses use proper spelling, punctuation and usage

1 2 3 4 5

Responses are neat and easy to read

1 2 3 4 5

Works Cited info is completed; sources are cited within the student responses.

1 23 4 5

Total points earned: Total possible points:

60

*Summer Reading grade is equal to the total points earned divided by the total possible points. **This will count as 20% of the student’s first six weeks’ grade. Summer reading assignments are due on the first day of school, August 25, 2010.