3 Lessons on Orwell's 1984

Lesson One (1984 Lesson): This lesson explores the concept of totalitarianism, and has the students analyze the opening scene of 1984 in order to detect evidence of totalitarianism in the environment.

Lesson Two (O’Brien and the rats): This lesson focuses on the idea of false consciousness, and the character of O’Brien. The students will explore how O’Brien uses torture and fear to brainwash and control Winston, and in the end, students will write a paragraph analyzing O’Brien’s character.

Lesson Three (Key Concepts): This lesson focuses on understanding the key concepts in 1984: The War, Doublethink/speak, and Hate Week. By the end the students will be writing their own polemical pamphlet using doublespeak, promoting hate towards the new enemy (Eastasia) and promoting Eurasia as an ally.