Minor Adjustment Due to Snow Days

Although we have missed two days of school, we will continue ahead with reading Nineteen Eighty-Four as scheduled. I will, however, push back the due date for the group presentation by one class. So, the new due date for the group presentation is Wednesday, March 10 (Day 1), or Thursday, March 11 (Day 2). The March vocabulary free-write is now due Monday, March 8 (Day 5), and Tuesday, March 9 (Day 6).

Writing Assignment for pp. 171-204/230 of Nineteen Eighty-Four

Annotate or write a journal entry for the following pages of Nineteen Eighty-Four, depending on your section: For Friday, 26 Feb. (Day 5), pp. 171-204; for Monday, 1 March (Day 6), read pp. 171-230. In addition, write one or two good paragraphs (typed) in response to one of the following topics. Be sure to use specific references to the text (i.e. a quote or two) to support your argument.

1. In this section of the reading, Winston begins to read Goldstein's book. What do you think he will take away from reading it? In other words, what do you think is the most valuable insight the book will provide to Winston? 2. In this section of the novel, the narrator describes some activities of Hate Week. When Winston reads from Goldstein's book, he learns about the Party's tactics of war. How does Goldstein's book help to explain the activities of Hate Week?

Writing Assignment for pp. 71/84-129 of Nineteen Eighty-Four AND Group Presentation Change

I have decided not to have the group presentation due this week. Instead, it will be due the same date as what was supposed to be the second group presentation. (A draft of the group presentation assignment is posted to the right, but you will receive it in class on Tuesday and Wednesday.) Since Nineteen Eighty-Four can be an intense book, we'll use this Thursday and Friday as a time to take a break and catch up on a few writing matters, work on the group presentation, and to begin thinking about your topic for the final paper. If anyone wants to read their most recent essay (or a part of it) aloud to the class, I'll allow time for that, too.

For Tuesday's (Day 3) and Wednesday's (Day 4) writing assignment, type your answer to one of the following questions. (For Monday's writing assignment, scroll down.) 1. You've read a little more than one-third of the book, and we have seen that Winston makes several references to the appeal of "useless" or "futile" things such as a wave of an arm, a mother's love, and the glass paperweight. In one or two good paragraphs, and with specific reference to the text (i.e., use at least one quote) explain why apparently useless things appeal so much to Winston. 2. In this section of the reading, Winston has two encounters with the past. First, he talks to an elderly man in a pub, and then he visits an antiques shop. In one or two good paragraphs, with specific reference to the text (again, use at least one quote), compare and contrast Winston's frustration and satisfaction with these examples of life before the Party rose to power.

Also, on the same sheet of paper, ask at least two significant questions about the reading. (No vocabulary questions, for example.)

Writing Assignment with pp. 38-71/84 of Nineteen Eighty-Four

An important skill to develop is paraphrasing another author's words. As your Pocket Style Manual (PSM) explains, "a paraphrase repeats the information [from a source] in about the same number of words as in the source. When you ... paraphrase, you must name the source and restate the source's meaning in your own language" (pp. 108-109). The key to paraphrasing is avoiding a word for word repetition of key words and phrases that appear in the source.

Here is your assignment. Paraphrase the following paragraph from Averil Gardner's George Orwell, his entry about Nineteen Eighty-Four's author in Twayne's English Authors Series Online. Be sure to type your paraphrase and bring it to class. The point of this exercise is to begin the process of learning to paraphrase effectively. I expect that you will not do it perfectly, so the key is to try to your best to paraphrase, and not to stress about plagiarizing it. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Orwell drafted his earliest notes for what became Nineteen Eighty-Four some time in 1943, under the heading "The Last Man in Europe." He had in mind at that time a book in two parts; firmly established already were the notion of the "Two Minutes' Hate," the protagonist's relationship with two other characters, and a future society based on "organized lying," in which "objective truth" had disappeared. These last phenomena had first become apparent to Orwell during his time in Spain when, in his view, the P.O.U.M. [a left wing anarchist group] was systematically misrepresented, and many of his essays of the 1940s are haunted by the recurrent fear that history was vulnerable to alteration for political ends.

Extra Credit

Here is an opportunity to earn a few points and have some fun, too. Write a review of the Syracuse Stage production of Arthur Miller's The Price. Before writing your review, you should click here to read Clive Barnes's New York Times review of the original 1968 production. Of course, I don't expect you to write like Barnes, but you should try to follow the structure and format of his review. This is due February 9 (Day 3) or February 10 (Day 4) and can be submitted in place of the vocabulary free-write due that day.

Trip to Syracuse Stage on Wednesday, February 3

On Wednesday morning, the ninth and tenth grade will attend a performance of Arthur Miller's play, The Price. (By now, you should have returned your permission form and $12 to Mrs. Appleby in the Upper School office.) Tenth graders will meet in the breezeway at 9:35, so go to the breezeway right after your first block class.

Click here to see Syracuse Stage's page for The Price. You can view a trailer for the play as well as an interview with one of the actors. The running time is 2 hours and 35 minutes, and there is a 15 minute intermission. We will return by 1:30, at which time we will have lunch in the dining hall.

Writing Assignment with pp. 1-38 of Nineteen Eighty-Four

Type your response to the following:

Nineteen Eighty-Four is narrated from a third-person point of view, which nevertheless provides a lot of information about Winston. Write one or two good paragraphs that analyze the narrator's tone so far. Be sure to use the list of tone words (posted to the right) to find one or more descriptive words. With this tone in mind, do you find that you trust the narrator so far?

As you develop your response, keep in mind that, in academic writing, any good paragraph makes one good point and supports that point with direct and specific evidence.

Also, prepare two questions about the reading for class. (You must type these, too.)