January 2012 TOK SPECIAL TOPIC George Orwell 1984

In his novel, "1984' Orwell imagined a society controlled by BIG BROTHER. He wrote the book in 1948 in part as a reaction to dictators like Stalin and Hitler. The novel is required reading for all Grade X1 students and will form part of our ToK study of language as a way of knowing.
I invite students to read the book and then volunteer to present their views at a special Saturday class. The book encourages us to reflect on the nature of absolute belief, be it political or religious, love, hate, blind obedience versus ethical questioning and critical thinking. It stands with Machiavelli's "The Prince" as an important book about power and control of others. Orwell was well aware of the power of propaganda in Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. Another theme is the use of torture to break the spirit of the individual 'resister' and force conformity. Many of these issues have been discussed by academics during the war on terror and some have claimed that even democratic societies have become 'totalitarian' in some respects since 911. This is not a pleasant book to read but it remains one of the most important books of the twentieth century. William Golding wrote his famous "Lord of the Flies" in the aftermath of WW2 also. It also examined leadership, power, morality, individuals and groups in a different way. Both books are highly recommended to all as explorations of the human condition in extremis. Our focus will be on Orwell's "1984", in particular the invention of a new language by the state media and the distortion of all language in that society.