1984
“Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull. ”
The residue of two world wars, a worldwide depression, and the fearful spread of communism left little room for hope. Your day is no less troublesome: 9/11, the war on terror, a worldwide recession, and the spread of ideolgies involving issues of technology.Your task will be to do the same as Orwell; look at your day and ask, "What if...?"
George Orwell looked at the world around him in 1948 and asked the question, "What if...?" His answer became a prediction about what life might be 36 years into the future. Many years have passed since 1984, yet the the fulfillment of Orwell's horrific future appears closer than its ever been. Orwell's outlook in 1984 came in large part to problems of his day.
Orwell lived through a day and age when two of the worlds greatest dictators rose to power. He saw the costliness of war. He saw the end of one dictator in Adolf Hitler, only to see another rise up in Joseph Stalin. Technological advances in his day helped aid the win of the Allies over the Axis powers Germany and Japan. Orwell spoke against the abuses of power, by placing the setting of 1984 in a land, not of liberty, but of tyranny. Orwell asked what would happen if Great Britain, a traditionally free people, fell under a police state.
In our day, we too have seen the rise of dictators, of tyrants, and of terrorists. There have been even greater advances in technology. The costliness of war is still seen at home and abroad. In our day there have been those who have also spoken out against the abuses of power by those placed in positions of power. Edward Snowden and others have asked if we are on our way to the end that Orwell predicted. There is no clear cut answer to the questions of our day. Below you will see a list of major assignments for this unit that are designed to help you see that language is a tool for manipulation.
Orewell's 1984 speaks to the horror of the statement, "absolute power corrupts absolutely." Your task in these assignments is to navigate the battleground of reason. You are to look for arguments and evidence supporting differing opinions on political matters. I do not care which side of the political spectrum you fall to, I do care how you go about defending your opinion with relevent and cited evidence.
We live in a rapidly changing world that will require you to know the issues and public policy that surround senstive matters of privacy.
Overview of major assignments for this unit on George Orewell's 1984:
Quizes over 1984 (20 points per quiz)
Propaganda Posters (30 points)
Website Worksheet (20 points)
Essay (40 points)
1984 Final (50 points)
As you may have noticed this class does not have a lot of homework or assignments. You are to use your time wisely and make sure to turn in everything.
After reading through the link above, summarize the importance of who is Edward Snowden.