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Lesson 7

We will discuss Chapters 5–6 from Part 2 of 1984 with our literature circle and examine Orwell’s use of understatement. We will continue working on the steps of our Section 3 Diagnostic.

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 author’s use of understatement to develop a central idea of the novel?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • 1984, George Orwell, Signet Classics, 1949
  • Digital Access
    • “Research Tips for Fiction Writers: Where to Find Information and How to Use It Effectively,” Sherryl Clark, The Startup, 2019

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read – Discuss – Write

We will meet with our literature circles to discuss Chapters 5–6 from part 2 of 1984.

Meet with your literature circle to discuss Chapters 5–6 from Part 2 of 1984. Begin the discussion by responding to the following question:

  1. How does Syme’s disappearance reinforce a central idea of the novel?

Use your annotations, open-ended questions, and literary analysis to guide the literature discussion circle. Be sure to include evidence from the text in your discussion. Take notes on the interesting ideas of others.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss – Write

We will examine Orwell’s use of understatement in a sentence from Chapter 2.

Read the first three sentences from Part 2, Chapter 5:

Syme had vanished. A morning came, and he was missing from work: a few thoughtless people commented on his absence. On the next day nobody mentioned him.

These sentences provide an example of understatement. Understatement is a stylistic technique that writers use to make a situation seem less important than it actually is. Understatement is often used to emphasize an idea or create irony.

Discuss the following questions with your literature circle:

  1. What makes the sentence an example of understatement?

  2. What central idea of the novel is Orwell emphasizing with this understatement?

As you draft your vignettes, think about how you might use understatement to emphasize an idea or create irony.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will examine Orwell’s use of punctuation when using dialogue.

Writers use dialogue, or conversation between people, to develop character and plot. There are many factors about style and conventions to consider when it comes to effectively and accurately using dialogue. Examine how Orwell uses dialogue in this excerpt from Part 2, Chapter 6, page 158:

“Have you seen the tenth edition of the Newspeak dictionary?”

“No,” said Winston. “I didn’t think it had been issued yet. We are still using the ninth in the Records Department.”

“The tenth edition is not due to appear for some months, I believe. But a few advance copies have been circulated. I have one myself. It might interest you to look at it, perhaps?”

“Very much so,” said Winston, immediately seeing where this tended.

As a class, discuss the following questions:

  1. Who is this conversation between? Why is only one individual named? When would it be acceptable to not name the speakers in dialogue? When would it be problematic to not name the speakers in a dialogue?

  2. How does Orwell use formatting to signal that a new person is speaking?

  3. How are direct quotations punctuated?

You will likely use dialogue in your narrative story to develop characters and plot. Jot down some notes in your Mentor Sentence Journal as a reminder on how to effectively and accurately incorporate dialogue in your writing.

Activity 4: Read – Discuss – Write

We will read and annotate Chapters 7–8 from part 2 of 1984 and prepare for the next lesson’s literature circle.

Read and annotate Chapters 7–8 from Part 2 of 1984. Use the following questions to guide your annotations:

  1. What does the reader learn about Winston’s childhood in this chapter? How does his recollection of those memories further develop his character?

  2. For Winston, what is the difference between confessing and betrayal?

  3. What is ironic about the title of the Ministry of Love?

  4. What does Winston confess to O’Brien? How does O’Brien react? What mood does this scene create?

Select one passage from the chapter that you found significant. Focus on selecting a passage as a mentor text for one of your selected narrative techniques.

Draft a brief literary analysis of the passage. Be sure to use textual evidence to support your analysis. Be prepared to share your analysis with your literature circle in the next lesson.

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.

Activity 5: Read – Write

We will conduct research to make our vignettes more plausible and vivid for the reader.

For the Section 3 Diagnostic, you will submit an annotated bibliography with at least six sources. In your annotations, you will make explicit connections to how you plan to use the information in the source in your narrative story. You can do the following:

  • build upon the sources you researched for the Section 2 Diagnostic

  • build upon the sources your peers researched for the Section 2 Diagnostic

  • start fresh and research all new sources

Because you will need to stick with the same topic for your vignette and narrative story, you must finalize your research in Section 3.

Use this time to conduct research for your vignette.

Refer to your notes on the text “Research Tips for Fiction Writers: Where to Find Information and How to Use It Effectively” and the 1984 Research Guide for additional guidance.

Activity 6: Write

We will work on drafting a short vignette of our narrative story.

A vignette is a short scene or episode that captures a single moment or a defining detail about an element of the story. Vignettes are mostly descriptive and not plot focused.

For your vignette, choose one or two aspects from your narrative story outline to focus on. Possible ideas include the following:

  • using imagery to introduce the setting

  • using mystery to create suspense

  • introducing the main character through 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 of the character

  • describing the moment the main character discovers something surprising or makes a difficult decision

  • describing a flashback that reveals important background information for the reader.

Remember: Your goal as a narrative writer is to show, not tell.

Continue drafting your vignette.