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Dystopia A dystopia (or alternatively cacotopia) is a fictional society, usually portrayed as existing in a future time, when the conditions of life are extremely bad due to deprivation, oppression, or terror. Science fiction, particularly post-apocalyptic science fiction and cyberpunk, often feature dystopias. Social critics, especially postmodern social critics, also use the term "dystopian" to condemn trends in post-industrial society they see as negative. In most dystopian fiction, a corrupt government creates or sustains the poor quality of life, often conditioning the masses to believe the society is proper and just, even perfect. Most dystopian fiction takes place in the future but often purposely incorporates contemporary social trends taken to extremes. Dystopias are frequently written as warnings, or as satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion.

Etymology: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was coined in the late 19th century by British philosopher John Stuart Mill, who also used Jeremy Bentham's synonym, cacotopia. The prefix caco means "the worst." Both words were created to contrast utopia, a word coined by Sir Thomas More to describing an ideal place or society. Utopia combined the Greek-derived eu ("good") + topos ("place"). Dystopia combined the dys, Greek word for "bad" or "negative" with topos. Thus, meaning "bad place". As some writers have noted, however, the difference between a Utopia and a Dystopia can often lie in the visitor's point of view: one person's heaven can be another's hell.

Common Traits of Dystopian Fiction The following is a list of common traits of dystopias, although it is by no means definitive. Most dystopian films or literature includes at least a few of the following:

a hierarchical society where divisions between the upper, middle and lower class are definitive and unbending (Caste system)

a nation-state ruled by an upper class with few democratic ideals state propaganda programs and educational systems that coerce most citizens into worshipping the state and its government, in an attempt to convince them into thinking that life under the regime is good and just

strict conformity among citizens and the general assumption that dissent and individuality are bad a fictional state figurehead that people worship fanatically through a vast personality cult, such as 1984s Big Brother or We's The Benefactor

a fear or disgust of the world outside the state

a common view of traditional life, particularly organized religion, as primitive and nonsensical a penal system that lacks due process laws and often employs psychological or physical torture constant surveillance by state police agencies the banishment of the natural world from daily life a back story of a natural disaster, war, revolution, uprising, spike in overpopulation or some other climactic event which resulted in dramatic changes to society

a standard of living among the lower and middle class that is generally poorer than in contemporary society

a protagonist who questions the society, often feeling intrinsically that something is terribly wrong because dystopian literature takes place in the future, it often features technology more advanced than that of contemporary society

To have an effect on the reader, dystopian fiction typically has one other trait: familiarity. It is not enough to show people living in a society that seems unpleasant. The society must have echoes of today, of the reader's own experience. If the reader can identify the patterns or trends that would lead to the dystopia, it becomes a more involving and effective experience. Authors can use a dystopia effectively to highlight their own concerns about societal trends. For example, some commentators say that George Orwell originally wanted to title Nineteen Eighty-Four as 1948, because he saw the world he describes emerging in austere postwar Europe.

Society in the Future: Utopia and Dystopia Paul Smethurst (2003) Thomas Mores Utopia

The word Utopia first appears in Thomas Mores book Utopia published in England in 1516. More creates the word from two Greek words ou-topos, which literally would mean no-place. In Mores Utopia, and in literature generally, utopias are mostly associated with ideal, imaginary places. An alternative etymology for utopia comes from the Greek prefix eu meaning good, hence utopia becomes good place. In a preface to Utopia, More acknowledges this double meaning. The imaginary ideal state has become a commonplace in literature, but the impossibility of achieving the ideal state invariably undercuts the fiction. So the good place seems also to be a no place. Much utopian fiction, including Mores Utopia, is satirical and usually interpreted as criticism of present day injustice and folly. More's Utopia describes a non-religious and communist city-state in which the institutions and policies are entirely governed by reason. The order and dignity of such a state contrasted with the unreasonable rule of Christian Europe, divided by self-interest and greed for power and riches. The book appears to advocate a form of communism as the only cure against egoism in private and public life. Specific topics discussed in Mores include state-controlled education, religious pluralism, divorce, euthanasia, and women's rights. As in most utopian fiction, Mores Utopia relies on social harmony and coherence as the product of reasonable, but absolute, state control. As with most utopian fiction, such harmony is at the cost of individual freedom, the right to protest, the right to be different. Utopian Fiction Utopias in fiction are usually satirical or speculative, they are rarely practical. Satirical utopias refer to imaginary elsewheres, especially islands, where human society has supposedly evolved differently. In satirical utopias, the norms and values of present day society are often turned on their head, especially where these norms and values relate to economics, politics, family, education and sex. Platos Republic is one of the earliest utopian fictions. Other notable utopias from classical times include the legend of Atlantis. One of the most well known satirical utopian fictions is Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels (1726). During the 16th and 17th century, European exploration to the Americas and the South Seas produced romanticised versions of newly discovered lands, often projecting utopias onto them. The discovery of America in particular inspired writers to imagine in this New Found land the possibility of building ideal societies. Practical attempts to build utopias were common in North America. These were often founded by religious communities such as the Shakers, Quakers and Mormons and were by nature exclusive, not attempting to change mainstream society. Humanist and Scientific Utopianism

We can make two broad distinctions in utopian thinking: on the one hand there are utopias in which a willed general transformation leads to a society in which humans think and feel differently i.e. a shift in human nature occurs, as in Thomas Mores Utopia. On the other hand there are utopias which are brought about by technological transformation as in Wells, The Shape of Things to Come (1933). These can be considered as humanist and scientific utopias respectively. Roger Bacons New Atlantis (1627) marks a shift towards the scientific utopia by looking forward to the triumph of the knowledge of causes and secret motions of things i.e. scientific thinking, as the means for enlarging of the bounds of human empire. This new thinking involved the triumph of man over nature. After the Industrial Revolution, in the 19th century, utopias became increasingly concerned with economics and technology and especially with concerns for the future of capitalist, technologydriven societies. Wells view that humanity and its societies are radically alterable, that evolution has not stopped, is what inspires writers of scientific utopian fiction, the speculative fiction which launches modern science fiction. Criticism of technology in utopian fiction. London's Great Exhibition of 1851, with its arrays of machinery housed in

the truly innovative Crystal Palace, seemed to be the culmination of Francis Bacon's prophetic forecast of man's increasing dominion over nature. Early exponents of science fiction such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells explored the future possibilities opened by modern technology, and the American utopian Edward Bellamy, in his novel Looking Backward (1888), envisioned a planned society in the year 2000 in which technology would play a beneficial role. But there were those concerned about the coming age of the machine. Samuel Butler, in his satirical novel Erewhon (1872), drew the radical conclusion that all machines should be consigned to the scrap heap. In News from Nowhere (1890) William Morris wrote of a reversion to a craft society without modern technology in London in the year 2003. This sweet little world does not just come about by human will, but after civil war and chaos, so it is seen as the prize at the end of history the days of peace and rest which Theotocopolous calls for in The Shape of Things to Come when he demands an end to Progress. William Morriss vision of a non-industrialised London in the 21st century in News from Nowhere is in direct contrast to Wells vision of the futuristic Everytown in the movie Things to Come. But as the 20th century wore on, even Wells began to become disillusioned about the progressive character of Western civilisation. His last book was entitled Mind at the End of Its Tether (1945). [However, see also Wells's Men Like Gods (1928) - a book about modern utopia founded in 'perfect' education - a book which Huxley regarded as devastatingly naive. It is likely that Huxley has in mind something like Wells's vision when writing his satire on utopian thinking in Brave New World.] The emergence of dystopian fiction

Dystopia is a recently coined word to describe negative utopias, or satires of utopia, and can be taken literally to mean bad place. In the 20th century dystopian fiction dominates utopian fiction. Two major works of dystopian fiction are Aldous Huxleys Brave New World (1932) and George Orwells Ninety-Eighty Four (1949). Both of these writers were influenced by H.G. Wells, but both had far more pessimistic ideas for the future of 20th century society, and were to some extent trying to counter Wells visions of the future, seeing the dangers and the naivity of the shape of things to come. Two devastating world wars, each exploiting fully latest inventions like tanks, aeroplanes and the atom bomb to destroy humanity, no doubt gave many commentators a pessimistic view about science and technology. Brave New World and Ninety Eight Four as Wellsian Utopia Revised Aldous Huxley expressed disenchantment with technology in Brave New World (1932). Huxley pictured a society of the near future in which technology provides all the material comforts required by human beings. There is no pain or illness, but there is also no knowledge and no creativity. In this dystopia, human beings are not born into families, but are farmed in breeding centres. Society is divided into four classes, Alphas, Betas, Gammas and Deltas, each with different breeding, clothing and conditioning to perform different tasks in society. There is no education other than what each is deemed to require to fit into society. The individual is thus likened to a single cell in the social body, unable to function individually. Unhappiness and emotion are catered for through the prescription of drugs, entertainment is provided in the feelies and obstacle golf. Criticism of this perfect society comes from the Savage who has been brought up outside the New World, and cannot understand this reduced form of human existence, without Shakespeare, without love, without emotion, without individuality. Brave New World has been hugely influential as a warning of the dangers of uncontrolled scientific research. It foresees genetic engineering, cloning, test-tube babies and direct social conditioning through drugs and the media. It foresees the replacement of culture and education by a form of mass entertainment, (crudely, of Shakespeare by Hollywood), and the subsequent loss of affect in human beings, the loss of the critical faculty, the inability to think for oneself. In this dystopian fiction, man becomes the victim of science rather than the hero. Although Huxley was in part directing his dystopian vision of the scientific future against H.G. Wells, Wells of course did not only envision scientific utopias. In The Time Machine, what at first seems like the utopian world of the Eloi is actually a similarly reduced world, without emotion, without individual freedom, the sunset of mankind. What might have appeared to be utopia turns out to be an illusion utopia turns into dystopia. Science fiction in the 20th century rarely contains speculative utopias, especially after the horrific potentialities of nuclear war were revealed in 1945, and the world divided into hostile power blocs. Optimism for a technologically-enabled future state seems to have evaporated. And history has put an end to dreams of state socialism after the disasters of Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union. Nineteen Eighty-four (1949) by George Orwell is one of the best known examples of 20th century dystopian fiction. Here, H.G. Wells idea of a beneficial state-controlled socialism becomes a nightmare vision of a totalitarian state wielding its power through the all-seeing Big Brother. Here, total surveillance and control of the media crush individual freedom. This chilling depiction of society in the near future is an extension of the actual use of propaganda in the Second World, and is close at times to some of the conditions of Soviet society under Stalin (1929 1953). Again this has been a hugely influential book in 20th century thinking, warning against the totalitarian World State presaged by H.G. Wells. Paul Smethurst (2003)

1984 Unit 1984 in 2004? Prefatory Statement: Written in 1949, George Orwells dystopic novel 1984 has always been a book of high interest; but, never before have its eerie details seemed more accurate and relevant than in todays society of technology, surveillance and suspicion. In our post-9/11 world, everyone seems to be watching someone else and some believe the government gains more power every day. Also, as we keep rapidly developing new technologies for use in all areas of life, some things become obsolete. One of which seems to be a connection between generations, which gives youth a tie to their history and aids in the development of a strong sense of self. The combination of all these forces makes it increasingly important that students are aware of not only their rights to privacy and free speech, but of the treasures that are held in their own local and familial history. The reading of 1984 will give students a venue through which to express some of their experiences, thoughts, concerns, and questions, relating to a variety of topics. 1984 opens up a door through which students will learn about totalitarian rule and some ways that people or groups ascend to positions of power and control. The students will study and reflect upon ways in which different forms of media affect and perhaps control parts of their lives. Since 1984 deals heavily with the revision or erasure of history (re-writing the news is Winston Smiths job), it is important that we discuss history and the different opinions and perspectives that are held regarding certain events. This also opens up the topic of our own local and personal history, which leads to another exciting aspect of this unitthe local/personal history section which asks students to define and explore a part of their personal or familial life story that is too important to ever be erased from history. 1984 is an excellent text to use in the classroom because it revels in exploring the power of language in many different forms. By showing what happens when the power to freely utilize language is taken away, 1984 opens up discussion about many significant areas of life including, but not limited to: government and other forms or groups of power; work and careers; family life; societal roles and constraints; and the many uses for technology. I believe that it is important for students to think about, discuss, and reflect upon each of these aspects of life as a part of developing a personal and worldly awareness that will aid in their development into informed and concerned citizens who are astutely aware of the world around them. Class Specification: This unit is appropriate for students in the upper grades of high school, preferably 11th or 12th grade who are interested in government and societal structures, individual freedoms, and the power of language. There are areas of the text that are sexual or violent in nature, and the overall mood of 1984 is, to say the very least, incredibly somber. 1984 is appropriate for students of any socio-economic group, as it discusses topics that are relevant to all human beings, regardless what their race, gender, social status, etc. may be. 1984 is a text through which students may learn more about themselves, their history, and basic needs and human rights. Significant Assumptions: My mission as a teacher is to give all students the knowledge, tools, and abilities to help them reach their goals and be successful in life. I believe that students learn best in an environment where they are both mentally and physically comfortable. In designing this unit I have assumed that students have both the ability and desire to read and write, and that they have the basic skills necessary to utilize word processing programs and complete internet searching tasks. I assume that they are interested in and able to process some complex ideas including power, control, censorship, freedom, and privacy. Some concepts of the unit may force thought to move outside of the box, and outside of students comfort zones. To help students ease into this, a safe environment in which sharing, questioning, and discussion is encouraged must be developed, a place where there really are no right or wrong answers as long as ideas are supported. I will assume that the students have had some background in different types of

government (this should have been covered in their earlier social studies or civics courses), and that they are aware of the basic rights we are given as American citizens. Desired Outcomes/Standards/Objectives to be met: After completing this unit of study, students will have: * Read, analyzed and evaluated a contemporary work of literary merit from British literature; * Analyzed, interpreted and evaluated the use of figurative language and imagery in fiction and nonfiction selections, including symbolism, tone, irony and satire; * Used print, electronic databases and online resources to access information, organize ideas, and develop writing; * Researched and processed information regarding the rapidly changing status of privacy and privacy rights; and * Been exposed to the genres of science fiction and dystopia. Possible Whole-Class Activities: I feel that this text necessitates a great deal of discussion in order to realize and process fully some of the ideas, themes, and concepts that are contained in it. Therefore, there will be much class discussion. Preferably students will participate in a think, pair, share or brief writing activity to get their minds on task and give them time to think a little more and develop their thoughts before talking in the larger classroom scale. At the end of the unit, there will also be a class debate where current issues of privacy and surveillance are debated. Possible Small-Group Activities: Students will be involved in many think, pair, share activities and will also be working in smaller groups during the privacy debate (grades for the debate activity and prior research will be given on an individual level to hold students accountable for their own work, and each student must verbally participate at least once during the actual class debate in order to receive a grade at all). Possible Individual Activities: Students will be doing individual research on and writing/documentation of a personally relevant individual, event, or tradition that they find so important to themselves, their family, or on a larger scale, that it should never be erased from history. By writing these people, events, and things down, the students are allowing the stories to go on forever through the written, published word (as long as no one destroys their work a la 1984, that is!) Ongoing Activities: The research project will be one that occurs throughout the unit. In addition, students will also be asked to keep notes regarding the text. These notes will help them recall their questions, concerns, and comments about the text and keep things fresh in their minds for use during classroom discussions. There will also be an essay quiz after each part of the book has been read (this quiz should be easy to answer if the student has done the reading and, therefore, will encourage them to keep up with their work). Student Resources: Students will need access to: individual copies of 1984. paper and writing utensils. computers with internet capabilities. (possibly) notecards and/or highlighters. Unit Launch/Anticipatory Set/Set Induction: The unit will begin (as explained in Lesson Plan One) with a surprise attack by their teacher who will instill tyrannical rule over their classroom, forcing them to adhere

to unusually stringent rules and answer invasive personal questions. Of course, as stated in the lesson plan, their responses to these questions are for their eyes only and should never be seen by the instructor, although it is imperative that they believe they must answer them. Organization of the Unit: Below is listed a week-by-week suggested plan for "1984 in 2004?" Depending on the reading rate and discussion tendencies of your students, you may want to stretch this out over oneand-a-half to two weeks, especially considering that students will need time to work on their research projects. --Lesson Plan One: Lesson Plan One: Unit Introduction (adapted from http://www.penguinputnam.com/static/html/us/academic/index.html) Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will have learned: some of the feelings associated with lack of privacy and control. the implications of having rights taken away. concepts of privacy and control. Procedures: As students enter the room, tell them to sit down and not say a word. Once class has started, tell them the new classroom rules. This can be done verbally or via overhead or handout. Examples of new rules could be You may not communicate with other students without the teachers permission, You may not get out of your seat for the entire class period. The more restrictive the rules, the better. Be sure state that very severe consequences (a referral, or trip to the principal) will be given to students who disobey or question the rules. For additional affect, you could have the principal prepared to deal with rule breakers. Have the students complete a worksheet that invades their personal privacy. It would not be appropriate for you to even see their work (if they actually answer the questions), but they should believe that you would be reading through it. Ask questions like, What is your household income? What will you be doing every day after school this week? Who are you friends with? What have you done which your parents would perceive as bad? and so on. Undoubtedly this line of questioning will raise more than a few eyebrows. There should be resistance from the students. After 15-20 minutes (or however long you can effectively enforce the new, overly strict classroom rules), have students discuss the exercise. They may put away their worksheets, at this time as well. Have students write or journal about the emotions raised by this exercise for 10 minutes or so. How did it make them feel about you, their teacher and new tyrannical leader? What was the worst part of this exercise for them? As a group, ask students to share their writing. This opportunity can be used to discuss some of the freedoms students (and citizens in general) are granted, as well. What freedoms or rights are they denied? Who controls the system(s) that govern us? How do we fit into that system? Ask the students what happens when the power to govern gets into the wrong hands. Guide this discussion into an introduction to 1984, as an example of everything that can go wrong when too much power is given to one group over one another. Have the students read the first chapter of the text and come to class with some predictions about what will happen. Ask them to make note of any unusual words or phrases that are used in 1984 that have been instilled into our popular culture today.

Assessment: There is no formal assessment for this lesson; it is an activity designed to gain interest in 1984, as well as to help students relate to what will be read in the text. Participation by all students, though, is required. Teachers will know that students have done their work through their quizzes and class participation. --Prior to beginning the text, you should: Ensure that students have an idea of what symbolism, tone, irony, and satire are (in preparation for locating them in the textpart of completing a MN Standard). If they need it, give them a mini-lesson on these literary elements. Ensure that students know what genre is, particularly science fiction and utopia or utopic novels. During the FIRST WEEK, you should: Complete the unit launch activity (see Lesson Plan One) Have students begin reading the text (or read the beginning pages to themcapture their attention, and get them interested) and help them gauge how much (how many pages) to read each night in order to keep up with the text, and keep everyone on the same or a similar page. I suggest that each Part of the book is read over one to one-and-a-half weeks, with a short essay quiz to follow on the due date to hold students accountable for their reading. Explain any housekeeping issues, including such things as daily work or quizzes and the note-keeping requirement. Share some brief historical background on the text with the students (it was written in 1948, published in 1949, etc. as well as some biographical information on Orwell and explanation of the different types of writing he did). Explain a bit about the genre of 1984it is both a work of science fiction and the opposite of utopian, dystopia. Make connections between Winstons job as a type of news story revisionist, and our perspectives on history and introduce the personal history research assignment (see Lesson Plan Two). Discuss some of the important concepts and terminology found in 1984 including, but not limited to: the daily two minutes hate, the preparation for hate week, mob mentality, the slogan WAR IS PEACE / FREEDOM IS SLAVERY / IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH, telescreens, Big Brother, Newspeak, Doublethink, etc. Hold students accountable for their reading. A possible short-essay cluster question could be What is the significance of Winstons diary? What is so special and important about what Winston writes? What is significant about the physical items that Winston writes in and with? Why does Winston write in this diary? What are the risks associated with his actions (what consequences could he face for doing such a thing?)? Why is he taking these risks? Conference with students to make sure they have a do-able topic to research and to discuss their plan to research information and complete the assignment. --Lesson Plan Two: Lesson Plan Two: History Project Introduction Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will understand: the significance of keeping accurate historical records. at least one reason it is important to be an informed and critical reader/consumer of media information.

Procedures: Write the words Christopher Columbus on the board. Ask students to think about what they know about this person and his accomplishments, pair up with a partner, and share their thoughts with each other. Bring class back together to share with the group as a whole. Things that are likely to come up are: in fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, that Columbus discovered America, that Columbus named the people, indigenous to North America, Indians because he thought he had found a faster route to India, that Columbus helped prove that the world was round and not flat. Talk about how opinions on Columbus and perspectives on his actual achievements have changed over the years. For example, Columbus really landed in Cuba, he was terrified of the savage native at first, but eventually took some people with him to enslave them, etc. Ask, Why have opinions changed? The facts are still the same, arent they? Talk about what Winston would have done to keep the perspective on Columbus from changing. Perhaps he would have erased Columbus day from the calendar (although in 1984, they didnt really have any calendars), or perhaps he would have changed contemporary (15th/16th Century) documents to say that Columbus landed in North America and befriended the Natives, and that they really wanted to sail the ocean with him. Next, erase Christopher Columbus from the board and replace it with Holocaust. Briefly remind students that the Holocaust supposedly occurred in the mid 20th century during the WWII era where work and extermination camps were set up throughout Europe and were at the very bottom line, run by Adolph Hitler and his troops of German Nazi soldiers. Let them know that, to this day, there is still question over whether or not millions of European Jews were killed. Ask them, How could this be? One of the problems, of course is the question of Why didnt anyone know about it? or Why wasnt anything done sooner? Some people say that the high rate for people in the work camps was due to disease such as typhus. The purpose for gathering such large groups of Jewish people together was not to kill them, but rather to expel them from Germany. Firsthand accounts, such as Anne Franks diary, or The Pianist, by Wladyslaw Szpilman, of course suggest otherwise. Read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs to students. Discuss how the wolfs version compares to the version that we all grew up with. Ask students to re-write a fable, fairy tale, or other story that everyone should be familiar with, from different perspective. Have volunteers share their re-writes, and as a class discuss the significance of a different spin on or perspective of events. Assessment: Students will be assessed informally on their classroom participation and sharing. Their rewritten stories are a means of assessing their ability to get into someone elses head and understand that there are many ways that one event or series of events may be seen or understood. --During the SECOND WEEK, you should: Discuss power and control, and get students thinking about how a massive takeover begins. How does such a large group of people become so completely submissive to the body of power that governs them? Discuss some of the steps taken to ensure that there will be a next generation of Party followers. Ask them how this is done. Have them think about examples that depict ways in which the children are taught to obey the Party. What are some examples that it is clearly working? This necessitates a discussion and/or mini-lesson on Propaganda. Some possible historical examples of

propaganda use include Hitler and the Nazi Partys use of it to gain power and the spread of McCarthyism or the Red Scare throughout the nation in the 1950s. The site http://www.propagandacritic.com is a good one for resources. Media industry plays a large role in the perpetuation of propaganda, so methods of transmitting information to large amounts of people should also be discussed. Also, connections should be made regarding how Winstons job may or may not help feed into this media propaganda. Hold students accountable for their reading. A possible short-essay question could be, Where is Winston and Julias special place? Why is it so important to them? What is significant about its physical location? What freedoms are granted to them there? What about it makes them feel safe? Conference with students to see that they are making progress in completing their research project and are pacing themselves well. During the THIRD WEEK, you should: Define symbolism, tone, irony, and satire (MN state standards) and find examples of these literary elements that are evident in the text. Discuss why these elements were used in the way they were. What makes them so effective? As a group, discuss what makes 1984 a dystopic novel. (Dystopia is An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror, (www.dictionary.com)). Have a group discussion about the past. Throughout the text, Winston tries to learn more about how things were. Why does he do that? In the third part of the text, the existence of the past is brought into question. We are forced to consider whether the past (or history) exists if no one remembers it. This is similar to the question if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound? Make connections to the past of 1984 and the students individual research projects. By writing down their stories and sharing them with others, the chance that the stories will have greater meaning are increased drastically. The more people who know, the more difficult it is for the stories to ever be erased. Remind students that the finished product of the research project will be due soon. Hold students accountable for their reading. A possible short-essay question could be to ask students What would be in Room 101 if you had to go there? How effective do you think this form of persuasion is in the text? In what other ways is fear used in 1984? Discuss the ending. Brainstorm what meaning(s) this end result has. Discuss the prophetic nature of 1984 (see Lesson Plan Three). --Lesson Plan Three: Lesson Plan Three: The Prophetic Nature of 1984, etc. Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: identify ways in which 1984 is prophetic in nature. list/describe ways in which the Party maintains its power over the general population. define, on an individual basis, what they deem to be the most important aspect of 1984, and answer the question, What makes this book important for modern readers? (Why do we read it today? What benefit to we receive from doing so? How are we different after reading it?) Procedures: Define prophecy/prophetic. Prophecy: A prediction. knowledge of the future (usually obtained from a divine source) Prophetic: foretelling events (www.dictionary.com)

 Have students, on an individual level, list as many instances of Orwell as prophet as possible, including instances of modern technologies now available that occurred in 1984, as well, but were not available in 1948-49. Current events are fair game as well. Have individuals pair up and compare lists with each other. Have them try to come up with at least one more example together. Some things on the list may include: Telescreeens we have two-way televisions today that are used for the news, web- conferencing, and satellite television appearances, etc. Spies/Thought Police the Red Scare of the 1950s had everyone suspicious of everyone else for being a Communist. The USA Patriot Act allows anyone simply suspected of crimes to be surveilled and inspected without their knowledge. Biometrics the emerging field of technology devoted to [the] identification of individuals using biological traits, such as those based on retinal or iris scanning, fingerprints, or face recognition (http://stat.tamu.edu/Biometrics/). Webcams, Cell Phone Cameras, Security Cameras self-explanatory. Ask students to keep these things in mind as they progress through the WebQuest they will soon beginning. Ask students to find and list the different ways the government of 1984 maintains power over its people. Ask them to also consider how the overthrow began and became effective in the first place. Some things on the list may include: Limited language Constant monitoring of personal spaceboth mental and physical space is constantly being watched by someone, to the extent that even an out-of-sorts facial expression could be grounds for action. Their world is void of emotionLove is taken out of the equation, friendship is discouraged, conformity is greatly encouraged. Also, the limited vocabulary and threat of being found out makes creating and/or expressing any form of emotion difficult. VaporizationThose who do disobey or step out of line are tortured and/or vaporized, meaning that they were displaced, abandoned, or more than likely, killed. Rationing of suppliesThe rationing of food and other necessary supplies (the constant shortage of razor blades throughout the text; the rationed chocolate) makes the people dependant upon the government. The filtering of literature and informational documentsAny data read or heard by the people was more than likely created by the party itself and okayed for dispersal amongst the masses. Hectic schedulingExtremely long work days, mandatory workouts and other community activities leave no time for individuals. Also leaves no time for mischief. Erasure of all things pastEverything in Oceania is different from how it used to be. Common trinkets and household tools are gone, war and lack of trading mean that different foods and goods are no longer available (Julia has seen an orange, but never a lemon), old pastimes have been eradicated, etc. The list could go on and on.. Ask students to imagine what would happen if the telescreens malfunctioned. What would the people of Oceania do if they could go back and read unaltered accounts of history? What would happen if the Proles united together? Have them write a one to two-page story or essay containing their thoughts about what would happen in Oceania if just one aspect of the Partys control were erased or deemed ineffective. Assessment: Students will be assessed on their classroom participation and their creative stories or essays containing their predictions for what could have been in Oceania. This assignment demands that students consider both the reading and the forms of control enacted by the Party. It will also serve as a lead-in to the WebQuest activity. ---

During the FOURTH WEEK, you should: Have (willing) students share their research results and finished written product with the class. It is important not to force any one to share, but perhaps an incentive (extra credit?) could be given to encourage participation. Have students complete the 1984 WebQuest tasks. (Found at www.d.umn.edu/~hold0098/WebQuest.htm) Debrief on the major themes discussed over the past few weeks, including individual freedoms, different forms of power, propaganda/media influence, history and memory, truth, privacy, etc. Discuss the big question of Why is this text important? Why are we still reading it, so many years after its publication?

PROPAGANDA websites: http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=405