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Lesson 4

We will discuss Chapter 2 from Part 2 of 1984 with our literature circle and examine Orwell’s use of imagery. We will begin planning our narrative vignette.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I participate effectively in a literature circle, building on others’ ideas and expressing my own clearly and persuasively?

  • Can I come to discussions prepared, having read the assigned chapters of 1984, and explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from the novel to stimulate a thoughtful, well-reasoned exchange of ideas?

  • Can I analyze and explain the impact of the author’s use of imagery to develop a vivid depiction of the setting and convey the intended mood of Chapter 2 of 1984?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • 1984, George Orwell, Signet Classics, 1949

Optional

  • Digital Access
    • “The Site of Memory,” Toni Morrison, Houghton Mifflin, 1995

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss – Write

We will meet with our literature circles to discuss chapter 2 from part 2 of 1984.

Meet with your literature circle to discuss Chapter 2 from Part 2 of 1984. Begin the discussion by responding to the following questions:

  1. What do you think about the character Julia?

  2. What evidence from the text supports your belief?

Use your annotations, open-ended questions, and literary analysis to guide the literature discussion circle. Take notes on the interesting ideas of others.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will examine Orwell’s use of imagery in a sentence from chapter 2.

Read this sentence from Part 2, Chapter 2:

He had got together a big bunch and was smelling their faint sickly scent when a sound at his back froze him, the unmistakable crack of a foot on twigs. (p. 118)

Discuss the following questions with a partner:

  1. What imagery is present in this single sentence?

  2. How does Orwell use tiny details to follow the "show, don’t tell" technique at this moment in the story?

  3. What effect do these details create?

Now, think about a moment you might want to include in your narrative. Write a single sentence that contains at least two pieces of descriptive imagery.

Read your sentence to your partner and ask them the following question:

  1. What are you able to visualize, hear, smell, taste, and feel based on the sentence?

Now ask yourself the following question:

  1. Does their response reflect my intended purpose?

If not, ask them for feedback on how you might make your sentence more descriptive. Switch and repeat with your partner’s sentence.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will read an excerpt from toni morrion’s essay, “The Site Of Memory,” and examine how an author can use an image to reveal a story’s deeper message.

In "The Site of Memory," Toni Morrison writes the following:

Authors arrive at text and subtext in thousands of ways, learning each time they begin anew how to recognize a valuable idea and how to render the texture that accompanies, reveals or displays it to its best advantage.

A vignette can focus on a certain image or memory that reveals a text’s deeper meaning.

Read the excerpt from Toni Morrison’s "The Site of Memory" (pp. 95-99). Use the following question to guide your annotations:

  1. According to Morrison, what deeper meaning do the following details reveal?

    1. others’ pronunciation of Hannah Peace’s name

    2. the image of corn on the cob

After you have finished reading and annotating, discuss the following question with a partner:

  1. What discrete images or memories does George Orwell use in 1984 to reveal or better render the central ideas of the novel?

Think about an image or memory you would like to explore in your vignette. Jot down some notes in your Learning Log.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss – Write

We will examine Orwell’s use of an appositive in a sentence from chapter 2.

Read the following sentence from Part 2, Chapter 2:

He had got together a big bunch and was smelling their faint sickly scent when a sound at his back froze him, the unmistakable crackle of a foot on twigs. (p. 118)

This sentence uses an appositive. An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames the noun it follows.

Read the sentence again. As a class, respond to the following question:

  1. What is the original noun and what is the noun phrase that renames it?

The original noun is "sound." The appositive that renames the noun is "the unmistakable crackle of a foot on twigs."

Let’s see how removing the appositive from the sentence affects the meaning of the sentence.

He had got together a big bunch and was smelling their faint sickly scent when a sound at his back froze him.

Discuss the following questions as a class:

  1. Is this a complete sentence? Why or why not?

  2. Is something lost when you remove the appositive? If so, what?

As you write your vignette, use appositives to add details to enhance your intended meaning. Note, appositives are always punctuated with commas or em dashes.

Activity 5: Write

We will begin brainstorming an outline for our narrative story.

Step 1

For the Section 3 Diagnostic, you will draft a plan for your narrative story as well as a short vignette that focuses on one aspect of your story. Throughout the unit, you have been studying the various narrative elements and techniques that George Orwell has used to show, not tell, the reader his intended messages. Some of those elements and techniques include the following:

  • word choice

  • mood/atmosphere

  • resetting

  • character development

  • point of view/perspective

  • dialogue

  • imagery

  • foreshadowing

  • suspense

  • tension

  • mystery

  • irony

  • flashback

Step 2

With your notes from the novel and your related research, consider the following questions and respond in your Learning Log:

  1. What contemporary issue are you planning to write about? Why did you choose this? Why are you passionate about this issue, and why do you want others to know about it?

  2. What message would you like to convey about the contemporary issue? (This is the central idea of your narrative story.)

  3. What research do you need to conduct to make your narrative realistic and an accurate portrayal of the contemporary issue?

  4. How do you want your audience to feel when reading your story? How will you elicit that response from your reader? (Think of specific words, phrases, and narrative techniques you can use that connote the desired emotions.)

  5. What narrative techniques can you use to better illustrate your ideas and support your message for your reader?

  6. What essential facts does your reader need to know about the issue? How will you weave that information into your fictional story?

Step 3

Begin drafting an outline for different elements of your narrative story, including the following:

  • setting

  • characters

  • point of view

  • conflict

  • general mood

  • theme/message

Activity 6: Read – Write

For homework, we will follow the literature circle protocol for chapter 3 from part 2 of 1984.

For homework, read and annotate Chapter 3 from Part 2 of 1984. Use the following questions to guide your annotations:

  1. What does Winston mean when he observes that Julia has a "practical cunning" he lacks?

  2. How does Julia’s outlook on life and the role of individuality differ from Winston’s? Why do you think so? What is her approach to living under the Party’s regime?

  3. What is the connection that Winston and Julia make "between chastity and political orthodoxy"?

Select one passage from the chapter that you found significant, and draft a brief literary analysis of the passage. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your analysis.

Write two open-ended, thought-provoking questions to drive discussion during the literature circle.

Refer to the Literature Circle Protocol Handout for more information on how to write a brief literary analysis and open-ended, thought-provoking questions.

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