1984 Week 4 lesson 2

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

In class today

• 1984 
• Language as a tool of power

        - Newspeak

• Read ch 6-8

        - Answer questions in Week 4 lesson 2

The opening sentence of the novel is:
“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen”
What does this opening suggest about the story?

1. Something is wrong in this society
2. Reality has been altered in this world
3. Signs of indoctrination
4. This is a fantasy world where there are 26 hours in a day

What do you think happens at the Two Minutes Hate meetings?

1. It's propaganda (bandwagon & name-calling)
2. It's propaganda (Transfer & testimonials)
3. It's propaganda (Plain Folks & Euphemisms)
4. It's propaganda (Facts, figures, statistics & Sympathy)

Why do you think Winston dislikes most women?

What do you think the Thought Police does?

Why is it dangerous for Winston to think about his hatred against the Thought Police, the Party and Big Brother?

1. Because the Thought Police can read your mind
2. Because hate can lead to rebellion. Rebellion is punishable by death
3. Because he could accidentally tell people about his hatred

maintained law and order

Rewrites history (rewrites journals, newspapers, books, etc.)

Promotes war, justifies war, wages war

plans economic shortages

Ministry of Peace

Ministry of Truth

Ministry of Plenty

Ministry of Love

Explain the irony of these Ministries

Who comes to Winston's door while he is writing in his diary?

1. Mrs. Parsons (neighbour)
2. Thought Police
3. Junior Spies
4. O'brien

What are the world’s three ruling nations?

Why does Winston have trouble remembering his childhood?

1. He simply has bad memory
2. His childhood traumas are blocked off
3. He has no photos or other records of that time.
4. He had an accident as a child that damaged his brain

When did Big Brother first emerge as a political figure?

1. Somewhere around 1960
2. Somewhere around 1930
3. It is not clear because historic records are altered
4. A couple years before the start of the story

Language as a tool of power?

Discuss with neighbour:

- How is language used as a tool of power?

- Examples?

Language decides what I can think about

1. Agree
2. Disagree

Language decides what I can feel

1. Agree
2. Disagree

Relevant bit: 00:43 - 2:20.  Skip the rest.

02:20

Could a totalitarian government limit our ability to think about the concept of freedom by removing the word from our collective vocabulary?

1. Yes
2. No

Pick students to explain their answer.

Newspeak

• Official language in Oceania
• Designed and controlled by the government
• Language as a tool of power: 

   

Language as a tool of Power:

- Limiting grammar and vocabulary:

* Cannot express free thought

* Cannot express feelings

In effect:

- Cannot think freely

- Losing emotion

Propaganda?

‘Comrades!’ cried an eager youthful voice. ‘Attention,

comrades! We have glorious news for you. We have won the battle for production! Returns now completed of the output of all classes of consumption goods show that the standard of living has risen by no less than 20 per cent over the past year. All over Oceania this morning there were irrepressible spontaneous demonstrations when workers marched out of factories and offices and paraded through the streets with banners voicing their gratitude to Big Brother for the new, happy life which his wise leadership has bestowed upon us. Here are some of the completed figures. Foodstuffs——’

1st paragraph, page 73.

Draw a parallel to Animal Farm

Give examples from propaganda in Animal Farm (stats, figures, facts tactic)

00:29

Qualities of "dystopian novel"

01:11

Post-WW2 London

Experiences in the Spanish Civil War

Working for the BBC as a news reporter

Setting of Airstrip One

Distorting the truth

Ministry of Truth

04:27

How did people in the 1950s relate to the book?

1. They saw it as a study of totalitarianism (Stalinism, Hitler's Nazi Germany)
2. They were afraid of the technological advancements at the time
3. They saw it as a warning of their privacy being invaded by computers and security cameras
4. They saw it as an anti-capitalist manifesto

04:41

Critique of Stalinism / Hitler's Nazi Germany

Distorting/controlling reality/ the truth

privacy being invaded by computers and security cameras

1970-2000

Recent years

1950s

Discuss in groups

• Newspeak in our world?
  
  
• Facts, objective news, reality, truth?
  

• Is freedom of thought/expression important to you?

- Report back to class

Homework

See whiteboard for homework.