George Orwell’s 1984 is one of the most reprinted books of the 20th Century, and has given us words—and
ideas—that have made it into our common language. One of those words, “Orwellian” is often used to describe
a society, or an aspect of society, that reflects something Orwell addressed in either 1984 or Animal Farm.
Some of these Orwellian topics would be surveillance, torture of prisoners as national policy, the Command
and Control State, propaganda, doublethink in our everyday lives, and technology as a form of social control.
Pick ONE of the prompts below: whichever one resonates most strongly as a topic of interest or concern for
you. Note that while each prompt’s topic is different in its details, the prompts are structurally similar, and ask
for similar things. Each prompt will ask you to reference and analyze the text of 1984. Each prompt will also
ask you to relate the topic established in 1984 to a current issue in US or world culture. Finally, each prompt—
excepting the last—will ask you to find two opposing arguments that address the topic, weighing each
argument for its rhetorical strategies and the overall success or failure of those strategies. Examine any logical
fallacies you find, and indicate whether you think those strategies are deliberate or accidental. Note that your
You are not writing an opinion piece about whether you endorse torture, for instance, but rather the arguments
being used in the debate, and the integrity of those arguments.
If you want to cover another aspect of 1984’s prescience, apply the same formula: Textual Analysis, RealWorld Application, and Rhetorical Strategy.
Format: Your essay should be 4-6 pages long, should be typed and double-spaced, and should have a Work
Cited section detailing your sources. Please number your pages. Your essay should include a title that is
unique and reflective of the thought you have put into it. Remember: “Orwell and Me, and Big Brother Makes
Three” is taken, and “Essay 1” is boring and tells me nothing.
Out of the three promts, this is the one I choose and the directions to go with it.
Big Brother is Watching You: How do you feel about privacy? Is it something you hold dearly, or is it something
you are willing to give up for the sake of convenience, in order to serve a societal norm, or for the “greater
good?” Consider your everyday purchases, your cell phone and computer use, and your regular appearances
on camera. Do you turn your phone off? Do you ever cover your camera lens and microphone? Do you shield
your face at Safeway and the mall? Would knowing that somebody is watching everything you do or say
change what you do or say?