If you think 1984 is challenging to read, imagine trying to write it!

This article talks about Orwell’s writing of the novel in an isolated Scottish farmhouse in 1948. And how it just about killed him.  Students studying the novel might find this article interesting, especially about his thinking on the title of the novel.

From the GUARDIAN

Ignore the conventional advice and … try these at home!

1. The male characters in the film are more fragile and vulnerable than the female characters Do you agree?

2. How does Sarah Watt convey the connections and various views between her characters in the film, Look Both Ways?

3. Many of Sarah Watt’s central characters seem preoccupied with thoughts of death and despair. How she convey this in the film, and what does she suggest about the effects of such thoughts?

The report from the examiners who marked last  year’s paper went online yesterday and should be considered essential reading for VCE students.  It’s particularly interesting this year because last year was the first of the new course and just how the context, for example, would exactly look, was a bit unknown.

The examiner’s report goes through each sectionof the exam and comments on how students responded last year and the kind of responses that examiner’s preferred. It also contains extended samples of student writing from the exam.

On first reading, here’s some of the key points, but be sure to download the whole thing from the link below.

General Points

This is an English examination and strong language skills (including correct spelling and grammar) are expected and necessary for success

The importance of engaging with the actual elements of the topic or prompt cannot be overemphasised. Too often students obviously referred to previous years’ topics rather than grappling with the specifics of the topic offered in this examination.

It is recommended that students organise their time so that enough time is left to proofread their work. While handwriting is not assessed directly, it must be legible.

Section A – Text Reponse

Students should be encouraged to have confidence in their own reading and demonstrate a personal understanding of their text rather than simply writing what they believe the assessor is looking for.

Students should be taught to look critically at the wording of the topic and to consider what assumptions are being made within it.

when a topic asks students to look at a film-maker’s use of visual imagery, it is not an invitation to simply describe all of the images in the film, but rather to describe how it operates and why it is being used to add meaning.

Students demonstrated a good understanding of how to write an essay. Clear introductions, appropriate paragraphing and the ability to embed quotations appropriately were a feature of most pieces. However, these basic skills must continue to be reinforced, including the ability to build more sophisticated vocabulary, to improve grammar and to focus more on sentence structure. It is apparent that students who write plot summaries or simplistic character discussions often have not structured their paragraphs adequately and offer a topic sentence that is plot-driven rather than conceptual. This can then send them in an undesired direction.

Section B – Writing in Context

For too many, the approach to writing could be likened very much to a text response. Section B is not text response; it focuses equally on ideas and writing. Overreliance on a text may undermine the capacity to develop ideas that emerge from the prompt

Weaker responses relied too much on the text and responded with great slabs of plot. The difference between successful and unsuccessful pieces in this regard was a conceptual discussion versus simplistic storytelling. Many responses leaned too heavily on the text and were not able to use the text as a conduit for exploring the Context. Often the quality of ideas appeared inhibited because students seemed afraid to move too far away from the text. Weaker responses, on the other hand, also seemed to have pre-prepared introductions, which were obvious as they were often generic discussions of the Contexts. The introductions were followed by a passing recognition of the prompt with a number of examples included from one or two texts. Often the penultimate paragraph discussed a wider ‘outside world’ example. In these cases there was little engagement with the direction of the prompt nor any attempt to create an authentic piece of writing

Students who attempted a more imaginative approach generally directly employed the text as a basis for their work. Less often students used the text in implicit ways, often beyond, however, their capacity to do so. Some did little more than reuse the basic plot, perhaps in a modern setting. Others created hypothetical scenarios which placed the characters in a different setting and time. While this could be successful, too often in these cases the stories were trite and superficial. Like all responses these were of varying success. Some pieces, however, bore virtually no connection to the prompt or one of the texts.

Some of the best responses were imaginative. Capable students demonstrated the capacity to create an engaging piece of writing, weaving insights and explorations of both the Context and the prompt into their story or narrative. This task is equally about ideas and writing, so those students who could produce an artful piece were highly rewarded. A potential problem, however, is when a student creates an imaginative response using a particular text but then does little more than retell the plot of the story and offer a cursory nod at the prompt. Whatever approach to writing a student decides on, they must explore the ideas of the prompt, the Context and the text. Use of text There can be no definitive advice on the success of relying on a single text or employing both (or more). Some students used the two texts expertly to demonstrate exceptions and qualifications while others did little more than use the second text to add more of the same examples. Some students who relied on a single text were able to develop a more coherent response than those who felt they were required to use both texts, and were unable to make the transition from one text to the other in a coherent, fluent manner. It appeared that in general, students who used more texts needed to be more skilled in pulling the ideas together seamlessly.

Section C – Analysis of Language Use

Simplistic listings of persuasive techniques were very rarely seen in responses. The best responses showed excellent analysis that was quite sophisticated and showed an understanding of the links in language and the construction of argument. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement and students should be encouraged to be more specific in their analyses.

Too many students offered a general discussion rather than a specific impact on the audience. Comments such as ‘grab the readers’ attention’ or ‘to get the reader interested’ are far too generalised and vague. Likewise, students need to go beyond statements such as ‘makes the reader feel sad’ and explore the implication of this intention in relation to the writer’s purpose. Teachers should spend time throughout the year drawing attention to the impact of specific words and phrases intentionally selected by the writer to support the purpose of the piece.

Download the 2008 Examiner’s Report HERE

If you’re studying 1984 this year you might be intersested in following the Orwell Diaries.  Since August last year the Orwell Prize has been blogging George Orwell’s 1938 diaries, each diary entry published on the blog exactly seventy years since Orwell wrote it.

You won’t hear much about 1984, he hadn’t written it yet, but it’s a fascinating insight into the life and thinking of one of the great writers of the twentieth century. Even if some diary entries talk about nothing except the number of eggs the chickens have laid.

The site says:

‘When one reads any strongly individual piece of writing, one has the impression of seeing a face somewhere behind the page’, wrote George Orwell, in his 1939 essay on Charles Dickens.

Since 9th August 2008, The Orwell Prize has been blogging George Orwell’s diaries, allowing you to gather your own impression of Orwell’s face – behind the screen, rather than the page. Each diary entry is published on the blog exactly seventy years after it was originally written by Orwell, beginning in 1938 and allowing you to follow Orwell’s recuperation in Morocco, his return to the UK, and his opinions on the descent of Europe into war in real time. The diaries end in 1942, three years into the conflict.

What impression of Orwell will emerge? From his domestic diaries (which started on 9th August 2008), it may be a largely unknown Orwell, whose great curiosity is focused on plants, animals, woodwork, and – above all – how many eggs have been laid. From his political diaries (from 7th September 2008), it may be the Orwell whose political observations and critical thinking have enthralled and inspired generations since his death in 1950. Whether writing about the Spanish Civil War or sloe gin, geraniums or Germany, Orwell’s perceptive eye and rebellion against the ‘gramophone mind’ he so despised are obvious.

And for more references on Orwell, don’t neglect the EnglishBook delicious links on Orwell here:

http://delicious.com/englishbook/orwell

For those students doing the film text Look Both Ways, the good news is that SBS are going to be screening the film at 9PM on Sunday, August 24th as part of their Australian film festival. Take the opportunity to tape it if you haven’t already got your own copy.

It’s such a popular text for study that I’m sure this session of the forthcoming Melbourne Writers Festival will be popular. Get in quick!

Spotlight on Look Both Ways,

with William McInnes & Sarah Watt

Look Both Ways was written and directed by Sarah Watt and stars William McInnes in the leading role. Gain a privileged insight into this film from its two key players. Sarah will discuss why she wrote the film and William will talk about how he interpreted Sarah’s script. Both will discuss how the film was created and why it has resonated with so many people.

2514 VCE

Information

Venue: BMW Edge Theatre, Federation Square

Time: 5.00pm – 6.00pm

Cost: $6 per student (booking fee included)

MORE HERE

Some people will do anything to sell books but this is one of the stranger 1984 covers I’ve seen.

Apparently it’s from 1954. The back cover says:

Which One Will YOU Be In the Year 1984?

There won’t be much choice, of course, if this book’s predictions turn out to be true. But you’ll probably become one of the following four types:

Proletarian–Considered inferior and kept in total ignorance, you’ll be fed lies from the Ministry of Truth, eliminated upon signs of promse of ability!

Police Guard–Chosen for lack of intelligence but superior brawn, you’ll be suspicious of everyone and be ready to give your life for Big Brother, the leader you’ve never even seen!

Party Member: Male–Face-less, mind-less, a flesh-and-blood robot with a push-button brain, you’re denied love by law, taught hate by the flick of a switch!

Party Member: Female–A member of the Anti-Sex League from birth, your duty will be to smother all human emotion, and your children might not be your husband’s!

Unbelievable? You’ll feel differently after you’ve read this best-selling book of forbidden love and terror in a world many of us may live to see!

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Speaking of back cover blurbs: the original Penguin edition had this on the back cover:

Newspeak, Doublethink, Big Brother, the Thought Police – George Orwell’s world-famous novel coined new and potent words of warning for us all. Alive with Swiftian wit and passion, it is one of the most brilliant satires on totalitarianism and the power-hungry ever written.

and that was replaced recently with:

‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.’

Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth in London, chief city of Airstrip One. Big Brother stares out from every poster, the Thought Police uncover every act of betrayal. When Winston finds love with Julia, he discovers that life does not have to be dull and deadening, and awakens to new possibilities. Despite the police helicopters that hover and circle overhead, Winston and Julia begin to question the Party; they are drawn towards conspiracy. Yet Big Brother will not tolerate dissent – even in the mind. For those with original thoughts they invented Room 101 …

You can read more about how Penguin re-designed the cover of 1984 on the Penguin Blog HERE

The nice thing about doing ‘contemporary’ texts in English, rather than say Shakespeare or the ancient Greeks, is that you can sometimes see videos or hear audio of the writer themselves. Here’s Orwell’s own reading of the last pages of 1984.

Studying 1984 and finding it a little difficult? You’re probably not alone. It’s a dense and politically orientated text, presenting us with a very different and very frightening future.

You might find the COMIC version of Chapter 1 and 2 might help find your way into the text. It WONT replace a reading, but it might help you get the picture.  Online HERE