Background

"Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until

after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious."

--George Orwell, 1984

in 1984, George Orwell describes a dystopian world, one in which issues of individual freedom, language, power, identity, and propaganda are explored.  Not coincidentally, these are the topics we have been considering throughout this course as we've explored our lives and our contemporary information environment,  The value of the novel--and one of the most important for reading literature generally--is that it allows us students of life to interpret a common text and argue for our conclusions about it. 

As discussed in class, the novel is written with a 3rd person limited narration from the point of view of Winston, who is in many ways (and for many reasons) an unreliable source.  Winston's unreliability compounds the difficulty for the reader of understanding what the facts are in Orwell's Oceania.  Your challenge in reading the novel is to make sense of Winston's personal limitations so that you can see around him to the truth that he is unable to grasp.

Gather Data

Your work with the split-page journal should be helping you get control of this difficult novel and make sense of Winston's perilous quest for the truth about his world. 

As you read, try to understand Winston, the world he inhabits, and the damage it has done to him, to his relationships, and to other characters.  Write down what Winston's limitations are when you find them, and ask how they may interfere with his ability to think clearly, to know himself (his real identity), to communicate (understand and be understood), exercise individual freedom, and find the facts. 

The Essay
Is Winston truly a rebel against Big Brother's oppression or is he just as brainwashed as the rest?   Write a 4-5 page essay in which you argue to what degree Winston, for all of his ambition to be a skeptic of the dystopian society in which he lives, succeeds for fails to think for himself and why.  Compare and contrast Julia and other characters to determine whether they are more or less independent from Big Brother's power over the minds of the people of Oceania.  Be sure to look into several of the specific external obstacles Winton faces, including propaganda, torture, surveillance, a culture of paranoia. 

How NOT to Do It

Outside research about the novel is strongly discouraged.  Stolen ideas (plagiarism) will result in an "F" grade for your paper and may jeopardize your passing the class.

How to Do It

• Observe all guidelines for the essay (on the left hand column).
• Introduce the novel by giving a brief summary of the novel that provides enough background about the plot, conflict, and characters to make sense of your specific thesis.  (Be sure to name the author, title while you're at it.)
• Assert a complex thesis (using multiple clauses) that is a direct answer to the prompt.
• Avoiding excessive plot summary, make, illustrate, and explain related points (P.I.E.) that support your thesis idea.
• Devise clear transitions between these ideas and be sure they follow a logical order.
• Conclude your essay by exploring what Orwell seems to have wanted us to take away from reading his novel.