1984 Essay Prompts for High School
Some of Orwell’s predictions have aged well and some have not. Write an essay explaining which issues/messages from 1984 have the most relevance in our world today. You may also discuss which speculations have lost relevance.
Write an essay explaining Winston’s character arc in 1984. You may want to use the structure of the book (3 parts) to organize your writing. Make sure to address how Winston’s character arc relates to theme development.
Symbolism: Write an essay analyzing how and why Orwell uses symbolism in the novel. Explain three symbolic elements from 1984 and reach an overarching conclusion about how Orwell uses symbolism.
Explain the recurring element of the nursery rhyme. What is the role of “Oranges and Lemons” in the novel, and why does it appear so often? (Hint: It serves more than one purpose.)
In Part 3: Chapter III of the novel, Winston talks to O’Brien about the power of the human spirit. Do you agree with what Winston says at that moment? Will the human spirit eventually foil even the most carefully conceived tyranny?
What is the point of view of the narration in 1984? Correctly identify the point of view and explain its significance in the telling. (Consider how the impact of the story might be different from an alternate point of view.)
The Party uses the lottery to distract and cheat the proles of Oceania. What do you think? Are lotteries harmless fun or an insidious tax on the foolish and unfortunate?
Write an in-depth explanation of the totalitarianism of The Party in 1984. What does total control mean to the Party? What methods does The Party employ?
Would you rather be a prole, a member of the Inner Party, or a member of the Outer Party? Explain your choice.
According to Syme, “The proles are not human beings” (52). Describe the social hierarchy (levels) portrayed in 1984. How does this social order compare to our society?
George Orwell’s Ministry of Love has provided nightmare fuel for generations of readers. What are the details and devices that create the horror in our imaginations?
Write a brief essay analyzing the following excerpts (together) in terms of theme development:
He examined the chess problem and set out the pieces. It was a tricky ending, involving a couple of knights. “White to play and mate in two moves.” Winston looked up at the portrait of Big Brother. White always mates, he thought with a sort of cloudy mysticism. Always, without exception, it is so arranged. In no chess problem since the beginning of the world has black ever won. Did it not symbolize the eternal, unvarying triumph of Good over Evil? The huge face gazed back at him, full of calm power. White always mates. (289)
…
… He could hear just enough of what was issuing from the telescreen to realize that it had all happened, as he had foreseen; a vast seaborne armada had secretly assembled a sudden blow in the enemy’s rear, the white arrow tearing across the tail of the black. Fragments of triumphant phrases pushed themselves through the din: “Vast strategic maneuver—perfect co-ordination— utter rout—half a million prisoners—complete demoralization—control of the whole of Africa—bring the war within measurable distance of its end—victory—greatest victory in human history—victory, victory, victory!” (296-7)
The history books of Oceania hold an extremely negative view of capitalism. Orwell was personally critical of capitalism and considered himself a democratic socialist. What is your view on the virtues and/or evils of capitalism?
Historical context and author background: Explain the relevant connections between the fictional narrative of 1984 and the real world that influenced Orwell’s imagining. Consider both world events and Orwell’s personal experiences.
Write a comprehensive research report exploring one topic related to 1984 by George Orwell. Make connections to the details of the novel when appropriate.
Write an essay explaining how the government in 1984 perverts the role of family. Make sure to include a discussion of children and childhood.
Personal essay: O’Brien believes that his only value is as a disposable part of something powerful and everlasting. What do you think? Is it important to belong to something bigger than yourself?
Perform literary analysis focused on the prole woman who does laundry. Why does Winston feel a “mystical reverence” for her? What purpose does she play as a recurring element?
… As he looked at the woman in her characteristic attitude, her thick arms reaching up for the line, her powerful mare-like buttocks protruded, it struck him for the first time that she was beautiful. It had never before occurred to him that the body of a woman of fifty, blown up to monstrous dimensions by childbearing, then hardened, roughened by work till it was coarse in the grain like an over-ripe turnip, could be beautiful. But it was so, and after all, he thought, why not? The solid, contourless body, like a block of granite, and the rasping red skin, bore the same relation to the body of a girl as the rose-hip to the rose. Why should the fruit be held inferior to the flower? (219)
Winston reflects on how his life experience is different from what the Party portrays in telescreens, newspapers, and flicks. Does this discrepancy correlate to what we experience in our lives today? (Think about what you see in commercials, social media, movies, etc.) Using specific examples, write an essay illustrating your views.
What does Orwell communicate about resistance in a totalitarian society? How does he develop this message?
… What was happening was only the working-out of a process that had started years ago. The first step had been a secret, involuntary thought, the second had been the opening of the diary. He had moved from thoughts to words, and now from words to actions. The last step was something that would happen in the Ministry of Love. He had accepted it. The end was contained in the beginning. But it was frightening: or, more exactly, it was like a foretaste of death, like being a little less alive. Even while he was speaking to O’Brien, when the meaning of the words had sunk in, a chilly shuddering feeling had taken possession of his body. He had the sensation of stepping into the dampness of a grave, and it was not much better because he had always known that the grave was there and waiting for him. (159)
The Brotherhood promises nothing but misery and death. Why do Julia and Winston join? Would you?
Genre: In what genre can we place 1984? Write an essay explaining why the genre is essential to Orwell’s purpose.
How is the Party’s definition of truth and reality different than our own? Explore the dialogue between Winston and O’Brien in the Ministry of Love in your response.
Select one theme subject explored in 1984 and analyze how Orwell develops the message. You will be graded on how well you identify a theme, analyze theme development (evidence from the text), and use transitions to connect the ideas.
Based on the novel 1984, what does Orwell have to say about the power of language? Write an essay explaining how he develops his message on this subject.
“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten. Already, in the Eleventh Edition, we’re not far from that point. But the process will still be continuing long after you and I are dead. Every year fewer and fewer words, and the range of consciousness always a little smaller. Even now, of course, there’s no reason or excuse for committing thoughtcrime. It’s merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control. But in the end there won’t be any need even for that. The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect. Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak,” he added with a sort of mystical satisfaction. “Has it ever occurred to you, Winston, that by the year 2050, at the very latest, not a single human being will be alive who could understand such a conversation as we are having now?” (51-52)
Personal essay: What would be the worst aspects of life in 1984 for you?
Jones, Aaronson, Rutherford, Goldstein, Syme, and finally Winston spend time in the Chestnut Tree Café. What is the meaning behind this recurring element? How does the song “Under the Spreading Chestnut tree” connect?
Provide an in-depth analysis of this excerpt focusing on Orwell’s language style and word choice. What stylistic features do you note? You may reference other elements (characterization, plot, etc.) but only in terms of how they are impacted by the language.
“… Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but MORE merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy—everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always—do not forget this, Winston—always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.’ (267)
There are about 195 countries in the world today. (The exact number is a politically charged issue.) Do you think that one day there will be far fewer nations as imagined in 1984?
Explore the characterization of Julia and Winston. Write an essay comparing the two characters in terms of traits, internal conflicts, and motivations. How do the differences and similarities of these characters impact the novel as a whole?
According to O’Brien, “Slavery is freedom.” Is there a type of freedom that comes with being a “slave” to a cause, belief system, or institution? Explain your views.
One powerful aspect of Orwell’s writing is his use of structural devices to create specific effects. Write an essay explaining Orwell’s use of structural devices (such as foreshadowing) and the resulting effects (such as tension).
Whatever was written on the paper, it must have some kind of political meaning. So far as he could see there were two possibilities. One, much the more likely, was that the girl was an agent of the Thought Police, just as he had feared. He did not know why the Thought Police should choose to deliver their messages in such a fashion, but perhaps they had their reasons. The thing that was written on the paper might be a threat, a summons, an order to commit suicide, a trap of some description. But there was another, wilder possibility that kept raising its head, though he tried vainly to suppress it. This was, that the message did not come from the Thought Police at all, but from some kind of underground organization. Perhaps the Brotherhood existed after all! Perhaps the girl was part of it! No doubt the idea was absurd, but it had sprung into his mind in the very instant of feeling the scrap of paper in his hand. It was not till a couple of minutes later that the other, more probable explanation had occurred to him. And even now, though his intellect told him that the message probably meant death—still, that was not what he believed, and the unreasonable hope persisted, and his heart banged, and it was with difficulty that he kept his voice from trembling as he murmured his figures into the speakwrite. (107)
“You may as well say good-bye,” said the voice. And then another quite different voice, a thin, cultivated voice which Winston had the impression of having heard before, struck in; “And by the way, while we are on the subject, Here comes a candle to light you to bed, here comes a chopper to chop off your head!” (222)
Show your next-level understanding with analysis of how two of the themes connect and interact. Start by selecting two theme subjects in the novel that have important connections. You will need to identify the elements (symbols, motifs, conflicts, plot events, etc.) that form the connections.
A key element of the novel is Winston’s vivid dream life. Write an essay explaining the motif of dreaming in 1984 and how Orwell uses it.
We have heard enough from the Party, Big Brother, and O’Brien. Write a persuasive essay for the resistance aimed at starting a revolution to end the tyranny.
Early in the novel Julia stated that — even if you are tortured in the Ministry of Love — the Party “can’t get inside you” or alter your “inner heart” (166). Do you think it is possible to break and re-shape someone’s mind as portrayed in 1984?
Explain how the Party is able to perpetuate its rule. What methods ensure the status quo? (Hint: Poverty, fear, hunger, low technology, and ignorance are desirable conditions.)
Considering the “future” setting of 1984, it is remarkable that the novel continues to be studied in schools today. Is this longevity justified? Write an opinion article on whether or not 1984 should continue to enjoy its prominent position in many curricula.
Sex plays an important role in 1984. Explain the Party’s view on sexual relations and how this is important thematically.
… Unlike Winston, she had grasped the inner meaning of the Party’s sexual puritanism. It was not merely that the sex instinct created a world of its own which was outside the Party’s control and which therefore had to be destroyed if possible. What was more important was that sexual privation induced hysteria, which was desirable because it could be transformed into war-fever and leader-worship. … (132-3)
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