Sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English, the 1984+20 Project recognizes the lasting impact of George Orwell's 1949 novel, which introduced such terms as "Big Brother," "Doublespeak," and "Newspeak." When he wrote 1984, Orwell described a future that is now twenty years in the past. TCC students will examine language and issues from the novel in relation to the work itself and contemporary life, of particular relevance in this election year.

Tidewater Community College is participating in this October 2004 national initiative in individual classes, across the campuses, and beyond. See the TCC 1984 + 20 Website for details.

Part 3: Chapters 1 - 6

Submitted by njolemore on Sun, 11/14/2004 - 22:32.

To examine George Orwell's novel, 1984, in more depth, write at least ONE thoughtful, well-developed paragraph responding to ONE of the following discussion questions. Then read some of your classmates' posts and write at least ONE paragraph responding to ONE other person's post.

You can respond to what they have written as you would in a conversation. You might give your reactions to the writers’ points, tell how their view differs from and/or is similar to your own, and/or offer your own insights into what they have said. You might raise questions, if you have some, and tell about what the writers’ reflections trigger in your own thinking.

Part 1: Chapters 1-8

Submitted by njolemore on Thu, 10/07/2004 - 08:00.

To examine George Orwell's novel, 1984, in more depth, write at least ONE thoughtful, well-developed paragraph responding to ONE of the following discussion questions. Then read some of your classmates' posts and write at least ONE paragraph responding to ONE other person's post.

 You can respond to what they have written as you would in a conversation. You might give your reactions to the writers’ points, tell how their view differs from and/or is similar to your own, and/or offer your own insights into what they have said. You might raise questions, if you have some, and tell about what the writers’ reflections trigger in your own thinking.

Newspeak, Doublespeak, and Contemporary Public Language

Submitted by dreiss on Sat, 09/25/2004 - 18:06.
The power of language is prominent in George Orwell's 1984, and the political slogans of the Party epitomize that power:
War Is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
Winston Smith's job of changing the language of documents for the Ministry of Truth led to obliteration of people, alteration of events, destruction of memory, and distorted communication. "It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words," says Smith's coworker Syme, whose job is "destroying words...cutting the language down to the bone" (45).
» read more

1984, Technology and Civil Rights

Submitted by mmarits on Mon, 09/06/2004 - 13:38.

Winston describes how dissidents are not only killed but "vaporized": "Your name was removed from the registers, every record of everything you had ever done was wiped out, your one-time existence was denied and then forgotten. You were abolished, annihilated: vaporized was the usual word." The fear of being "vaporized" underlies many people's misgivings about computerization in our current society. Does computerization threaten our personal identities?