George Orwell’s

George Orwell  Born Eric Blair in 1903, in India, into an upper middle-class English  Went to Eton, one of the most expensive and prestigious boys' schools in  Joined the Indian Police Service and was sent to Burma.  His five years there led him to reject every aspect of imperialism and the brutality it could create in those in authority, and to feel closer to those who were oppressed than to those who oppressed them.

George Orwell  Chose to be poor and lived on the road among the poorest groups of society and entering as completely as he could into their way of life  He wrote about these experiences under the name of George Orwell, partly to protect his family from embarrassment and partly because he had never liked his own name very much.  Worked as a teacher in private schools and in a bookshop  Wrote constantly: novels, descriptions of his time in Burma and among the poor of London and Paris, and book reviews.  Wrote as a socialist who was aware of some of the shortcomings of socialism

George Orwell  During World War II Orwell worked for the BBC producing programs for India and South East Asia,  During this time he began to plan Nineteen Eighty-Four, before he started to work on Animal Farm, which was published in  He had written an outline of the plot of Nineteen Eighty- Four in By the time he came to write the first version of the novel, in 1947, neither world history nor the events of his personal life had made him any more hopeful about the future.  Diagnosed with tuberculosis and was sent for treatment. As soon as he started to feel well, he began to write again, with a pen because the doctors had taken away his typewriter.

George Orwell  This final version of 1984 was produced in 1948, and the year in which he set the novel was obtained by reversing the last two digits.  Died on January, 21st - collapsed lung

Orwell’s 1984  individual rights to privacy, public opinion, totalitarian government, isolation, and independent thinking  incredible

Orwellian Society  Invasion of personal privacy, either directly physically or indirectly by surveillance.  State control of its citizens' daily life.  Population must learn to embrace inconsistent concepts without dissent.  The revision of history in the favor of the State's interpretation of it.  Dystopian future.  The use of euphemism to describe an agency, program or other concept, especially when the name denotes the opposite of what is actually occurring.

Orwellian Society  Sometimes describes a thought process in which ideas that are obviously self- contradictory are accepted as true based on the fact that an authority figure is asserting them.  Example: “No Child Left Behind” program = unfunded and leaves children behind  Often referred to as an “orwellian” policy

In groups of four:  Those who would exchange freedom for security deserve neither.  To assure our country’s freedom, the government should be able to spy on its citizens.  Patriotism means supporting your government during times of war.  Torture of a person who is a threat to our country’s freedom is acceptable as long the person does not die.  People who are a serious threat to the government should be able to be held in prison without being charged.  The government has a right to know what people are reading so they may determine who might be a threat.  Society would be safer if we had security cameras in public places to catch potential criminals.  For an idea to exist, we must have words to express it.  Reporters should submit their work to government officials so they may determine if it’s a threat to the country.  The only way to prepare for peace is to be prepared for war.