1984

Orwell, G. (1949). 1984.  London:  Secker and Warbug.

I don't consider myself a very politically aware person.  Sadly, I don't even stay up with current events as much as I should.  I am trying to change that aspect of myself; I need to be more aware of the world around me.  But for some reason, I love teaching 1984.



Since I teach sophomores and seniors, quite often I have students in my classes for both years.  Animal Farm is on the curriculum for English II at my school.  Most sophomores take world civilization or European history that same year; so, Animal Farm is a great cross-curriculuar novel.  Most students, for some unknown reason, hate Animal Farm.  The mention of George Orwell always brings forth a strong groaning noise, like a dying cow.  They approach 1984 with extreme skepticism.

It had been a few years since I had taught 1984 to a class, but this year I decided to read it with my AP English IV class.  Like me, they need to be aware of the world around them.  Since most of our readings have been heavy on the feminism--A Doll House, Wuthering Heights, and a few others--I decided we needed something political.

Dystopian fiction is very popular right now.  I wanted my students to have access to a more traditional and classical dystopian novel.  1984 was a success overall.  The students could make connections to the historical context and even their own lives.  They are now convinced that my Smart Board is actually a telescreen.

The novel led to some great discussions and references to the world today: such as

• the destruction of language in relation to texting, Twitter, social media
• the altering of literature in relation to the Internet and E-readers
• privacy laws
• extreme equality
• and countless others

1984 is a great novel for discussion on current events and historical events.  Also, there are so many allusions to 1984 in the world around us.  My students, of course, had heard the phrase "Big Brother is watching you," but now they are able to understand the context behind the references.  My students, for the most part, loved it.  I had students participate in discussions that rarely seem present mentally.  Sometimes it just takes something that they are interested in.