George Orwell - Essay Questions

NOTE: This is a significant assignment. Make sure you give it the attention it deserves.

Before we get to the topics, a reminder of a few ground rules:

* Plagiarism (even a sniff of it) will result in a mark of zero. If an incident occurs where one student has copied the work of another, BOTH get zero. You are responsible to preserve of the integrity of your work. If you have been collaborating with friends throughout this play, now would be a good time to branch out on your own.

* School cancellation, illness, etc. are covered in the course outline, as is the penalty for late work. Written excuses will be required for students missing on the due date, and should be stapled to the front of the essay.

* Length: 1000 words, give or take 10% . These parameters are firm. Put a word count (and the means by which you derived the count) on your essay, at the end of the essay. Use proper notation and a Works Cited. **Quoted material does NOT count in a word count** Students will lose marks for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, so edit your work carefully. It would probably be a good idea to have it peer edited. I will not likely be available to edit work. Final copies only, please

* Due date: _________________Be warned, however, that other teachers will be expecting work from you in the meantime. I will too, since we are moving on to new topics of discussion in class. DO NOT GIVE EXTENSIONS. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BALANCE YOUR WORKLOAD APPROPRIATELY. Do not wait until the last minute to do this assignment. Students forfeit 20% for each day an assignment is late.

* As with any essay of persuasion, your job will be to decide on one topic (don’t do a mix of topics), choose an angle, and write a convincing argument. In order to create a convincing argument, you MUST quote material to support your opinions. Failure to do so will result in a weak argument, and a low score.

* Essays should be double spaced. If you don’t have adequate access to a word processor, you can neatly write your essay in TRADITIONAL BLUE OR BLACK INK Hand-written essays should be double-spaced. As with any essay, it should be single sided.

* Failure to follow these simple rules tells me that you have not given this assignment the attention it deserves, and I will mark it accordingly.

 

Topics. Choose ONE of the following
  1. Benefits of Socialism. Despite the negative tone in his works, there were, in fact, benefits to socialism. Articulate and explain the benefits of socialism "enjoyed" in the Soviet Union.

    2.  

  2. Research and present your findings on a 20th century totalitarian state. Choose one of the totalitarian regimes listed below. Research it thoroughly, report on the rise to power (including ideology), practises while in power, and overthrow (if applicable) of the regime. In particular, your focus should also explain how the despot in question exerted influence over the citizens of his jurisdiction:
  • Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany
  • Mao ZeDong and Communist China
  • Kim II Sung and North Korea
  • Saddam Hussein and Iraq
  • Benito Mussolini and Italy

3. Cold war propaganda . Explore the use of propaganda as a tool on both sides of the cold war.

4. Modern day propaganda. We have never had more access to, or more outlets distributing, information about what's going on in the world today. Ironically, public trust in information gathering and distribution outlets has never been as low as it is today. Using relevant, timely examples, discuss.
  1. Orwell the satirist. SatireAnimal Farm is an example of political satire. Explain the term "political satire" and examine the methods that George Orwell uses to create his satire. By direct reference to the novel, explain how Orwell uses the characters on Animal Farm to satirize the Russian Revolution, the development of Communism and the rise to power of Joseph Stalin. Connect the characters and events involved in Animal Farm with the historical events and people that actually existed in the first half of the 20th century.
  2. Irony. Discuss the inherent ironies that exist in 1984.
  3. Stalin's 5-year plans. Outline the goals and outcomes of the various five-year plans implemented in the Soviet Union under Stalin and subsequent rulers.
  4. Sign for the future? Ultimately, Orwell's novels are warnings for the future. Identify the concerns his works raise and explain, using modern day examples, whether or not his concerns were justified.

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