ELL3

To help with today's work, we'll use the blog to guide our steps. First we'll break into groups, then assign roles:

• Mental Resilience Coaches (Ch. 5–8): How does Brian’s mindset change? Create a "survival pep talk." (A pep talk is supposed to be encouraging and supportive. It's meant to put people in tough times into a better mood about themselves).
• Think about the encouragement his teacher had given him.
• Think about Brian's realizations after facing a difficult problem (Porcupine)

After, find 3 key quotes/passages related to the topic. Once you have this, it's time to evaluate Brian's approach to his mental resilience. How does Brian's ability to reflect on his challenges helping him to survive?

English 12: Synthesis

 Greetings grads! 

First of all, thank you for your wonderful topic ideas and research. I have reviewed these items and determined some topics for our selection, including the supplementary text to support your preparation. This will be a lengthy post including abstracts and context. Here we go.

Synthesis Prep

Today we're going to do a practice run in synthesis writing. To do this, we will use 1984 as our primary text and Zimbardo's The Lucifer Effect as our supporting synthesis text. Feel free to collaborate as we brainstorm a claim and argument.

The Lucifer Effect is where Philip Zimbardo wrote on the Stanford Prison Experiment. In this experiment, subjects were assigned roles as prisoners and prison guards. It had horrific outcomes; in short, it revealed that people will easily conform against their own morals in the presence of an authority figure. First, a practice topic:

How do both Orwell and Zimbardo demonstrate that oppressive systems rely on institutionalized roles and controlled contexts to enforce conformity?

For each of the following quotes from The Lucifer Effect, find specific examples in 1984 that may be explained by this new evidence.

Systemic Power and Dehumanization

"The System’s power comes from its ability to control the social context... Once you institutionalize roles and rules, you create a situation where people mindlessly follow scripts handed to them by authorities." (Chapter 12, p. 210)

Connection to 1984:
The Party’s control over language (Newspeak), surveillance (telescreens), and rituals (Two Minutes Hate) mirrors Zimbardo’s "scripts."

Winston’s job at the Ministry of Truth is a "role" that forces him to conform, even when he resists.

Conformity and Peer Pressure
"The normative influence of groups leads individuals to conform, not out of fear of punishment, but because they want to belong. This is how ordinary people can endorse atrocities—not because they are evil, but because the system rewards compliance." (Chapter 5, p. 89)

Connection to 1984:
The Spies and Junior Anti-Sex League indoctrinate children to report "thoughtcrimes," showing how peer pressure sustains the Party’s power.

Winston’s coworker Parsons is proud when his daughter denounces him—a chilling example of conformity overriding familial bonds.

Obedience to Authority
"The Stanford Prison Experiment revealed that when people are given unchecked power, even for a short time, they readily adopt abusive roles... The situation, not individual pathology, drives cruelty." (Chapter 11, p. 193)

Connection to 1984:

O’Brien tortures Winston not out of personal hatred but because the Party demands it.

The Thought Police act as enforcers of the system, much like Zimbardo’s "guards."

Cognitive Dissonance and Doublethink
"When people are forced to act against their beliefs, they often rationalize their actions to reduce mental discomfort. This is how oppressive systems sustain themselves—not just through force, but through the victims’ own psychological adjustments." (Chapter 14, p. 255)

Connection to 1984:

Winston’s eventual acceptance of "2 + 2 = 5" mirrors this idea.

The concept of doublethink (holding two contradictory beliefs) is a direct parallel.

 

Hatchet Chapter 1 - 4 writing!

Here's our writing prompt for the first part of the book! (Chapter 1 - 4)

1. Internal Monologue: Imagine you are Brian right after the crash. Write a journal entry from his perspective, describing his immediate emotions, fears, and first thoughts about survival. Think about how you might process what has happened.

1984: Chapter 3 & 4 Part 3

 

1. How does O’Brien’s explanation of power and control in Chapter 3 reflect the Party’s ultimate goals?

Consider O’Brien’s statement: “Power is not a means; it is an end.” How does this philosophy justify the Party’s use of torture, manipulation, and the destruction of objective truth? Does this view of power make the Party’s rule sustainable, or does it contain inherent flaws?

1. In Chapter 4, Winston is forced to confront the idea that reality exists only in the mind of the Party. How does his resistance (or eventual acceptance) of this idea demonstrate the effectiveness of the Party’s psychological control?

Winston initially clings to the belief in objective truth (e.g., “2 + 2 = 4”), but O’Brien insists that the Party controls reality. Does Winston’s struggle suggest that total mental domination is possible, or does his internal conflict reveal a limit to the Party’s power?

1984: Part 3 chapter 1-2

In Part 3, Chapter 1 of "1984," Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love. How does Orwell use the setting to reflect the themes of control and oppression? Provide specific examples from the text to support your analysis.

How does Orwell use the character of Parsons in Chapter 1 to illustrate the effects of Party indoctrination? Analyze how Parsons' behaviour and beliefs reflect the Party's influence on individuals.

In Chapter 2, how does the Party's manipulation of truth and reality affect Winston's perception of himself and the world around him? Explore how this manipulation challenges Winston's sense of identity and reality.

Discuss the significance of the phrase "2 + 2 = 5" in Chapter 2. How does it relate to the theme of control over thought? Analyze how this phrase encapsulates the Party's power to dictate reality.