English IV Honors Summer Reading/Journal Assignment

English IV Honors Summer Reading/Journal Assignment:

Book Assignment:

You need to read the following book and be prepared to take a quiz on this book the first day of class:

1984 by George Orwell www.turnitin.com

You also need to complete a 500-750 word reading journal on this book directly to www.turnitin.com. (You will submit all of your essays, journals, and other assignments directly to www.turnitin.com for this class; it is not necessary to print off a hard copy or the receipt.)

This will be worth 50 points, and your journal should be submitted to www.turnitin.com by 11:59 pm on August 11, 2017. You will not need to print off a copy since this will be available to read on www.turnitin.com. When you submit it to www.turnitin.com, please make sure you upload the assignment, as that will keep it properly formatted. You should also be aware that you are allowed to re-submit this assignment as many times as you wish until the due date. You should wait to submit this assignment until you find out who your teacher is; you will find this out at Open House (which will be the week of August 4) or on the first day of school (which is August 10).

Journal Assignment

You need to write 500-750 words. You need to write on at least three of the questions, but no more than six. On your journal, simply write the number of the question you did, but not the question itself. You should have your name, teacher’s name, class name and class period, and due date in the upper left- hand corner. You should number your pages according to MLA style (with your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner of each page). You should use Times New Roman 12 point font and double space your entire responses. Please visit the following website to see how to properly format your paper using MLA style:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Although this is a journal and not a formal essay, you still need to remove contractions, slang, and the use of “you” from your writing. The following are your journal questions:

For 1984:

1. What is the effect of the opening sentence? How does this set the mood of the book? There is a great deal of urban decay in the novel; how is this indicative of the way that the Party treats the people? 2. What is a totalitarian regime? How does such a regime attain, maintain, and increase power? What is its main concern? How does it compare with other political structures? Democracy, for example? How does this novel display totalitarianism? 3. Winston eventually figures out that Room 101 contains whatever it is the prisoner fears most. O’Brien claims that Room 101 is a place to cure insanity. What argument is Orwell making about point of view and audience? What about the value of an informed populace? 4. How does the fact that this novel is considered dystopian influence the sympathies of the reader? 5. The Party claims that “who controls the present, controls the past” and that “who controls the past controls the future.” How is this demonstrated to be true in the story? How does Winston represent a fallacy in this logic? 6. Of the three Ingsoc mantras, two are natural opposites, but “ignorance is strength” doesn’t fit the pattern. Explain Orwell’s case for ignorance being the same idea as weakness. 7. How does war--actual or perceived--allow the Party to oppress the people? What other means of oppression are used? 8. In what ways are Winston and Julia alike? How are they significantly different? 9. What is ironic about Parsons’ arrest for thoughtcrime? 10. Ultimately, is Winston a static or dynamic character? Why does the Party need him to be dynamic? 11. What external symbols are indicative of Winston’s internal conflict(s)? Choose at least three, and explain how each is representative of a part of Winston’s psyche. 12. O’Brien says the Proles will never revolt; Winston believes the only hope for the future is with the Proles. What is the rationale behind each argument? 13. At one point, Winston says he understands the “how, but not the why” behind the party. This is before he is apprehended, tortured, and converted. At any point during this marathon of unfortunate events does he get to know the why? Do the readers ever get to know? If so, what is it? 14. There is a saying that “history is written by the winners.” How is that true in this novel? What real world examples demonstrate this truth? 15. What is the symbolic significance of the Chestnut Tree Café? Consider the song lyrics, as well.