George Orwell - 1984 (1)

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• Leerjaar 5

George Orwell's 

1984 (1949)

DILEMMAS

Vote with your gut:

fast and without thinking about it too much

Being happy is better than being right.

Agree

Disagree

Democracy is just the dictatorship
of the 51 %.

Agree

Disagree

In the future, countries on Earth will become...

More and more democratic

More and more dictatorial

Fear and punishment work better to influence people's behavior than happiness and rewards.

Agree

Disagree

I'd rather have principles and no friends,
than have friends but lie to them about what I really believe.

Agree

Disagree

If the government passes a new law with which I vehemently disagree, it is still my duty as a citizen to try to follow that law.

Agree

Disagree

In an age of universal deceit (bedrog),
telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Agree

Disagree

Strong belief in any one political system means not thinking - not needing to think. It is unconsciousness.

Agree

Disagree

The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.

Agree

Disagree

Have you read George Orwell's 1984?

1. Yes
2. No

George Orwell's 1984

- Written in 1948, published in 1949

- Chilling dystopian future

- Warning against totalitarianism of the 1910s-1940s

- One of the most relevant political sci-fi novels ever written

- Let's have a look at what motivated Orwell to write it

00:26

What does 'prescient' mean?

1. Gevaarlijk
2. Vooruitziend
3. Hoopvol
4. Neerslachtig

01:15

'Are given precedence over' means

1. Get to rule over
2. Are there first before
3. Are less important than
4. Are favored over

01:41

Why would people be puzzled by Orwell warning of the dangers of collectivism?

02:26

True or false?
Writing in the 1940s, Orwell thought that it was only a matter of time before the entire world turned collectivist.

1. True
2. False

02:37

Match the political terms with the correct definitions.

belief that the economy and society should be run democratically

a small group of people having control of a country or organization

the ownership of land and the means of production by the people or the state

a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state

Oligarchy

Democratic socialism

Totalitarianism

Collectivism

03:05

Do you think that democratic rights and freedoms would be harder or easier to maintain and defend in a socialist centrally planned economy with a very strong government? If yes, why? If no, why not?

03:51

Which belong together?

Centrally planned economy

Planned economy + destruction of civil rights

Sparks joy for Orwell

Does not spark joy for Orwell

Social democracy 

Totalitarian collectivism

04:36

People who only want pleasure and comfort in life can very easily be manipulated into fearful subservience under a strong national government.

1. That's what Orwell said
2. That's not what Orwell said

05:39

Who's right?
Orwell: totalitarianism works best with an angry government and a fearful populace
Huxley: totalitarianism works best with a distracted, fulfilled and drugged populace

Orwell

Huxley

06:23

In what type of society do we live nowadays?

0100

06:45

Match the right quote to the right author.

Huxley

Orwell

A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude.

If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. 

Homework for Friday: read the first 4 chapters of 1984 (pages 1-26). 

In 100+ words, in your Class Notebook, write up your thoughts about it. 

Look for examples of: 

-Totalitarianism/collectivism

-Freedom/unfreedom

-Crime: which crimes does Winston Smith commit? 

-Scene descriptions / setting: 

what do they tell you about what type of future this book unveils?