Vocabulary/Context Clues
In the society depicted in '1984,' the citizens were expected to follow the orthodox beliefs of the Party, never questioning its strict rules and the information disseminated through the telescreens.
Orthodox means to follow the "accepted" way and not go against the established believes and practices of society.
Who is Winston Smith? (Describe his physical traits, personality traits, where he works and other things you know about him)
Winston is frail and weak looking with glasses, he looks depressed and tired. He drinks, and has a lot of inner conflict with the party that he is supposed to support.
1949.
What is a telescreen?
In Oceania, this device serves as a tool for the Party's propaganda and surveillance, constantly displaying Party messages and monitoring citizens' activities.
Compare from the book: What is mass surveillance and data privacy, and how is it an issue today in 2024?
**Say one example from the book, and one from modern society.
Big brother and the telescreen, and how our data is tracked and recorded daily by social media platforms.
"In the heat of the afternoon, the streets were nearly empty, with a few languid pedestrians moving slowly under the watchful eyes of the telescreens."
Languid in this context means slow, unmotivated, sluggish, unhurried. The opposite of being energetic or fast.
Who is Big Brother? (describe traits and things that you know so far about this figure)
Big Brother is not a physically described character but is represented through posters and telescreens. He is typically depicted as a man with a stern, commanding face and piercing eyes, embodying the power and authority of the Party. Big Brother is more a symbol of surveillance and control than a real person.
What was the purpose of the book and the idea behind the title according to the author?
The idea of the book is to predict a dystopian future in 1984, from the context of it being 1949.
What is the Hate Week scene? What purpose does it have for Big Brother?
This daily event requires citizens to express their hatred for Oceania's enemies, particularly Emmanuel Goldstein, and serves as a means of controlling and unifying public sentiment.
Compare and Contrast from today and the book about the topic of spreading misinformation and fake news.
** One example from the book, and one example from modern society.
The rise of this kind of technology, which can alter videos to make people appear to say or do things they never did, is reminiscent of the Party's alteration of historical records in '1984'.
** Particularly with AI technology we're seeing fake news is affecting society through manipulation of audio and deepfakes.
"The act of writing in a diary was considered subversive to the ideology of Big Brother because it represented a form of personal freedom and individual thought."
Another example:
"Some of you are subversive in Mr. Jacob's class by consciously arrively late to his class as it upsets the routines of the class."
Subversive refers to something or someone that tries to undermine, overthrow or go against an established system, government, or set of beliefs, often in a secret or sneaky way. It can be an adjective to describe the person or thing with this intent, or a noun referring to such a person.
Who is O'Brien?
O'Brien is a big, strong man from the Inner Party. He looks tough but also smart. Winston thinks O'Brien might secretly disagree with the Party.
What was the historical context of 1984? What major events impacted the writing of the novel?
"1984" was written by George Orwell between 1947 and 1948, and during this time, the world was experiencing the immediate aftermath of World War II, which ended in 1945. This major global conflict had profound effects on the political, social, and economic landscape of the world
What is the Ministry of Truth? Who works there?
Winston works there. This department, where Winston works, is responsible for altering historical records to match the Party's current version of past events
What is deepfake technology? How is it described in 1984, and how is it happening in modern society today?
** One example from the book, and one example from modern society.
The rise of this kind of technology, which can alter videos to make people appear to say or do things they never did, is reminiscent of the Party's alteration of historical records in '1984'."
Winston looked at Julia in a furtive way, always careful not to be seen by others, showing his worry about getting caught by the Thought Police.
Furtive in this context means cautiously, or preventitively.
Who is Julia? And where did Winston first see her?
Julia is a young woman, around 25, with dark hair. She is quick and full of energy. She works in the Fiction Department and wears a red sash, showing she follows Party rules.
What are some themes in the book that could be related to modern events that are happening today?
Think about surveillance and modern ways of keeping up with your data, and tracking you. Also the development of AI.
In the novel, this term describes the illegal act of writing down one's personal thoughts, which Winston commits early in the story.
Thoughtcrime.
What is the debate over free speech and censorship?How is it the problem shown in the book, and how is it shown in 2024.
** Hint.. reflect on whether or not you believe there should be censorship, and what limits should be have on speech.. and the dangers of giving up too much of our freedom of speech.
This issue, involving the control or suppression of speech deemed harmful or offensive, reflects the '1984' theme of censorship and Newspeak.
The rules and surveillance of the Party increased inexorably means that these things continued to grow without any way to stop them.
So, "inexorably" here means happening in a way that cannot be stopped or changed, often leading to negative results
Who is Emmanual Goldstien?
Goldstein appears in the Party's hate films as an older man, with a skinny face and glasses. He is often shown as the main enemy of the Party. His appearance is meant to make people dislike him. The Party says he betrays them, but some people think he might not be a real person.
What is an echo chamber?
An echo chamber is that you only listen or consume information that is in aggreance with what you believe.
In his job at this Ministry, Winston's primary role is to rewrite past newspaper articles so that the historical record always supports the current Party line.
Should the name of the book be 2024 and not 1984? 🤔
** Explain your reasoning why it should be 2024 and not 1984, and be specific.
Check with the teacher if you're unsure if it's correct.