Utopia

Nineteen Eighty-Four, like so many other books and movies, features characteristics of a dystopian society.  Orwell wrote the book to caution people about the danger of a world in which totalitarian regimes stifle the individuality and thought of its citizenry.  Many would argue that we are, indeed, living in a police state, an Orwellian society in which people's rights are being oppressed, in which government censorship and surveillance impede on people's privacy, and in which propaganda poisons the minds of citizens and forces the fear and disrespect of other cultures.  It would be easy to find evidence to support this notion, but I want you to focus on the opposite.  What things in the world are good?  What aspects of the world give you hope?  What evidence is there that the world in which we live, the world you will soon inherit, has value and gives cause for optimism?  What motivates you to get up in the morning instead of drawing the shade and saying, "Wake me up after the apocalypse"?  This can be simple.  Focus on the things that make your world happy.  Be specific.  Euchre?  Soccer?  Rain?  The Simpsons?  Bass Guitar?  Coco Puffs.  Make it personal.

Television: The Plug-In Drug

Write a response to Marie Winn's article "Television:  The Plug-in Drug."  What do you think of some of her assertions?  Do you find her writing to be accurate?  Indicative of the influence of TV on mainstream America?  Do you see your family within the lines of her writing, or is she out of touch?  Be sure to pick a specific line or two from the text to respond to, rather than making a blanket response devoid of evidence of close reading.

What's Eating Winston?

You have read Book One of 1984, by George Orwell.  In these opening eight chapters, what seems to bother Winston the most about Oceania, the superstate in which he lives?  What does Winston think is wrong with his society?  Do you recognize any of these same concerns in our own society?  Use specific examples from the reading to support your response.  Remember, 150 words or so.  Remember, also, to comment on at least one peer's response.