English II Honors - 1984 Extra Credit

TASK:
You are to choose one of the following prompts and complete a typed response of not less than two-and-a-half typed pages in length. Your assignment will be worth a maximum of 50 points, with points assigned based on three categories: Organization, Creativity, and Mechanics and Usage.

PROMPTS:

- Write an excerpt from Winston's diary after one of the key events in the story (i.e. Mr. Charrington's shop, etc.)

- Write a research paper on the use of propaganda in political campaigns (past or present!).

- Write a book review of the novel 1984.



Please post these to Musketeer English no later than 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 17. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Thanks,
Mr. Parsons
English II Honors

English II Honors - 1984 Essay Questions

Hey guys!

The 1984 final that will begin on Monday, Dec. 15, and conclude Tuesday, Dec. 16, will be the same format as the Caesar final - five essay topics to study, with the final being your choice of two of the the three that I have selected (revealed to you on Monday).

A few reminders before I get to the essay topics:

- I am still looking at your formatting!!!! Go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ if you have any questions about my requirements for formatting. THIS WILL BE PART OF YOUR GRADE.

- More quotes!!!! Justify everything that you are saying in your essay with quotes. NO EXCEPTIONS.

- Use the original text for the quote. Use the original text for the quote. Use the original text for the quote.

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Now, for the essay questions:

1. Readers are often angered by the ending of 1984. Was the novel's ending appropriate? How does it contribute to the overall message of the novel?

2. The world within which Winston lives is replete with contradictions. For example, a major tenet of the Party's philosophy is that War is Peace. Similarly, the Ministry of Love serves as a department of war. What role do these contradictions serve on a grand scale? Discuss this and other contradictions inherent in the Party's philosophy.

3. In the afterword, the commentator describes 1984 as "a warning." Indeed, throughout the text, Orwell plants both subtle and overt warnings to the reader. What do you think are some of the larger issues at hand here?

4. Discuss the significance and nature of Winston's dreams. Deconstruct the dream wherein O'Brien claims that they "shall meet in a place where there is no darkness" (page 22), and the dream in which Winston's mother and sister disappear (page 26). What are the underpinnings of these dreams? What deeper meanings do they hold? Why do you think the author devotes as much time as he does to Winston's dreams?

5. Discuss Winston as a heroic figure. What qualities does he posses that could define him as one?

CONGRATULATIONS!

Hey guys!

Just wanted to thank you for the time and effort that you put into your blogspot responses for George Orwell's 1984. The book was well-received by most students, who appreciated the rawness of the ideas presented in the work. Those that did not like the novel can still appreciate the profound political message contained within it. I look forward to seeing your propaganda posters and their political messages, too. :)

Your syllabus says that we are scheduled to begin working on transactive writing after the break. Unfortunately, we are a little behind schedule and will now combine the transactive writing unit with the speech writing unit. We will begin this after break, with Night following soon after.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

Mr. Parsons