Download 1984 Extension Assignment

1984 Extension Assignment
Due no later than May 18.
Choose one of the following:
 Find connections between 1984 and 2012: Students will discover connections between 1984 and
modern society by observing the media, newspapers, and the internet to find examples of how
ideas from 1984’s society are beginning to appear today. They will bring in an example and
write a summary about the connection.
 Adapt 1984 to 2012: Students will update and adapt aspects of the novel to today’s world.
Students will respond to the questions: If Orwell were to write 1984 today, what would he warn
us against? How can his ideas be adapted to fit our present world? Students will be modifying
and reworking different aspects of 1984 to make the novel more readily accessible to today’s
readers. (Ex. goals of political platforms, security threats, technological advancements).
 Evaluate propaganda techniques: Students identify different types and methods of propaganda in
Nineteen Eighty-Four (posters, telescreens, government issued books and newspapers, education
of youth) with different types of propaganda throughout history and today (Nazi propaganda vs.
US propaganda, US propaganda in Iraq and at home, political propaganda against politicians).
Students will bring in an example of propaganda and write a summary about the technique being
used.
 Research historical context: Students will conduct research on the different historical contexts of
1984. Choose one of the following options and write a summary of your research explaining the
ideas and events that may have influenced Orwell.
Adam Smith and capitalist theory
Karl Marx and socialist theory
Totalitarian Government
The Russian Revolution, Lenin and rise of Communism
Stalin, Trotsky and communist Soviet Union
Causes and outcomes of World War I
Hitler and the rise of Nazism
The Holocaust
The Atomic Bomb
Causes and outcomes of World War II
Winston Churchill, political beliefs and role of England in WWII
Role of the United States in World War II
“The Iron Curtain” and the beginning of the Cold War
*All written assignments must be a minimum of one page, handwritten, single spaced.
*Adjust accordingly for large handwriting, wide spaces, or broad margins.
*Effort, creativity, and adherence to the requirements will be assessed for a grade of up to 30
points.
References: McCartney, Alison. “Connecting Nineteen Eighty-Four to Today.” Roxborough
High School. Web.