WHAT IS TRUE? And how do you know that which is true? Winston and Julia live in a world with vast institutional certainty, but absolutely no personal certainty. In a world with no written law (de jure law) but a population controlled even when citizens aren’t aware of being controlled (de facto law), how can anyone be certain as to what is real? We will watch Winston and Julia descend into “the machine” of the party, as the Thought Police work their terrible magic.

Careful analysis of Part 2, Chapter 9, looking at Orwell’s political philosophy. What is he saying about the world of Oceania? What, in the present political world, would concern him?
HW: No homework for tonight. Spend tonight getting caught up in your reading and annotating of 1984.

Collect worksheet on your analysis of “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism” by Emmanuel Goldstein. We will then discuss Goldstein’s political theory of Oceania. What are his core ideas about political power, the structures within Oceania, and the rationale for the Party’s manipulation of thought, information, production of goods, and the ongoing war?
HW: Read part two, chapter ten.

And so the end begins. What questions do you have about what’s happened, or what might happen? We will brainstorm these, and list them out. We will listen to the first chapter of part three, with Winston in the Ministry of Love.
HW: Finish reading part three, chapter one, and read the first half of chapter two.

Practice day for the final. We will conduct an abbreviated experiment, wherein you write about Winston’s struggle for individuality in a society dead-set against freedom of thought and expression. We will do this online, so bring your charged computers/laptops/ipads.
HW: Review the postings we made in class. Gather together your copies of Catcher in the Rye, The Other Wes Moore, and 1984, and begin reviewing your annotations in preparation for the final.