Lesson 5

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • 1984, George Orwell, Signet Classics, 1949

Materials

Tools

• Character Note-Taking Tool

• Vocabulary Journal

Question Sets

• 1984: Section 1 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Character Note-Taking Tool

• 1984: Section 1 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

Activity 1: Read – Discuss – Write

As a class, we will discuss chapter 1 and use our guiding questions from the homework to shape the discussion.

As a class, discuss the questions below. Use your homework to help guide your discussion:

1. Considering the characters, the Two Minute Hate, and the Brotherhood, what do you find most interesting about the end of Chapter 1?

2. Consider the author’s craft: How does Orwell create suspense at the end of Chapter 1?

Use the discussion to make revisions to your notes, as needed.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will reread the two minutes hate scene and examine what it reveals about the setting and society of the novel as well as the protagonist, winston Smith.

Step 1

Propaganda is defined as information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view. Write down the term in your Vocabulary Journal.

With a partner, think about and discuss one example of propaganda that you have seen in news or media.

In 1984, the government of Oceania is skilled at using propaganda to promote their causes. The Two Minute Hate represents one of their propaganda methods.

Step 2

Reread the Two Minute Hate, beginning with "The next moment a hideous, grinding screech" through "At this moment the entire group of people…."

Annotate the text, paying attention to how the characters, especially Winston, respond to the Hate.

Respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

1. Describe the Hate. How do people react during this time?

2. What is the purpose of the Two Minutes Hate?

3. In what ways is propaganda used during the Hate?

4. What mood is created through the description of the Hate?

5. What does the following sentence tell us about Winston?

   In a lucid moment, Winston found that he was shouting with the others and kicking his heel violently against the rung of his chair. (p. 14)

6. What do the reactions of other characters reveal about them and their relationship with the government?

7. What effect does Orwell’s showing the Two Minute Hate rather than telling about it have on the reader experience?

8. What is the effect of propaganda on the people of Oceania?

As a class, discuss your responses to the questions. Use the discussion to revise your notes, as needed.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will analyze key details from chapter 1 and determine how they are used to develop winston’s character.

Authors use a variety of narrative techniques to develop their characters. These techniques include the following:

• description of the character’s external appearance or actions

• description of the character’s internal thoughts, feelings, or motivations

• interactions or dialogue with other characters

• the character’s expressed thoughts, self-description, comments, or views

• other characters’ views or descriptions

Closely reread the excerpts from Chapter 1 listed on the Section 1 Question Set.

Use the following questions to guide your notes on your Character Note-Taking Tool. For each piece of evidence you select, label which kind of narrative technique is being used.

1. What external conflicts is Winston struggling with?

2. What internal conflicts is Winston struggling with?

3. How do his physical characteristics reflect his struggle?

4. What makes him an effective choice for the protagonist of a dystopian novel?

As you read the novel, pay attention to how Orwell continues to develop Winston’s character. Orwell’s choices can serve as a model for you as you develop characters in your narrative story for the Culminating Task.

Activity 4: Read

We will examine the author’s use of a key term in the novel.

Reread the following sentences from Chapter 1.

In the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest. People simply disappeared, always during the night. Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word. (p. 19)

Discuss the following questions with a partner. Use a reference guide as necessary.

1. What makes the term vaporized more precise than abolished or annihilated?

2. What connotation of the term vaporized makes it an effective choice to establish the mood of the novel?

Now, consider the following sentences. Replace the bolded words with more precise or more vivid synonyms. You might use a reference like a thesaurus to help you come up with a more precise word.

• Winston Smith is unhappy with the current state of his life.

• The government of Oceania is controlling.

• By writing in a diary, Winston disobeys the government.

Activity 5: Read – Write

For homework, we will read chapter 2 of 1984 and answer a set of guiding questions.

For homework, read and annotate Chapter 2 of 1984. Use the following questions to guide your annotations:

1. Who are the Parsonses?

2. What is Mrs. Parsons like? How does the author describe him?

3. What is Mr. Parsons like?

4. What are their children like?

5. How does Winston feel about the family? What clues does the author give the reader to show how Winston feels?

6. What is a "child hero"? Why do you think this?

7. What mysterious sentence does Winston remember from a dream?

Respond to the questions in your Learning Log. Be sure to include evidence from the text to support your answers. Be prepared to share your answers during the next lesson.

Write new or interesting words you encounter in your Vocabulary Journal.