2. What does the section reveal about Winston's character?
3. What is significant about the selected pages? How does the excerpt play into the "big picture" of the novel's story?
Pages 113-114
Pages 122-124
Page 128
Page 137
We will continue our close reading of the novel tomorrow and review for the test on Wednesday.
Here are a few essay questions that you should be prepared to answer:
A. The last lines of 1984 read, “He had won victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.” Was Winston’s final capitulation really a victory? Is he going to be better off now that he loves Big Brother?
B. Winston Smith changes a great deal from the beginning of the novel to the end. What are the catalysts that cause the changes in him?
C. What is the main idea or theme of 1984? How did Orwell impart this theme to his readers?
D. The prole woman’s song, the poem about the bells, and the poem about the chestnut tree all relate to the story. Explain why you think Orwell included each one.
E. What cultural changes may have shaped society in the 1980s, giving rise to the ideas predicted in Orwell’s novel?
