1. Politics and the English Language(PEL)–Tomorrow, be prepared to thoroughly explore how Orwell develops his thesis. I expect to see you illustrate control of Orwell’s argument. There will be no small-group preparation; we will begin and end in whole group discussion. I cannot stress enough…you must keep in the fore of your mind the historical context from which PEL and 1984 were born. In many ways, both texts serve as a response to the socio-economic-political situation of WWII Europe–a situation wherein people by the millions were disenfranchised, impoverished, and killed. Accordingly, Orwell is considered to be one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century because of his response(s) to that situation. Further, as stated in class, it is critical that we UNDERSTAND Orwell’s position. So, read not to contradict and confute, but to weigh and consider. ANNOTATE THOROUGHLY
2. Due Thursday! You should have your DETAILED outlines ready for peer review. I am expecting a detailed breakdown of each body paragraph including (remember, this will be a 2-3 page essay):
- topic sentence
- evidence
- ANALYSIS OF EVIDENCE (very important)
Format your detailed outline in this way:
I. Thesis
II. Topic Sentence #1
A. Evidence #1
1. Discuss the evidence in 2-4 sentences
III. And so on…