New
New
Year 11
AQA

Reading the opening of Orwell's '1984'

I can read and analyse the opening of Orwell's '1984'.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Reading the opening of Orwell's '1984'

I can read and analyse the opening of Orwell's '1984'.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Orwell's '1984' is a dystopian novel with a vision of an authoritarian future.
  2. Orwell creates an effective opening by beginning with unsettling details to show the reader something is wrong.
  3. By feeding the information to the reader slowly, Orwell builds up the feelings of discomfort in the reading.

Common misconception

It's best to give the reader all of the backstory at the start of a novel so that they understand the context of the events.

By feeding information to the audience slowly, it arguably builds discomfort in the reader and creates an unsettling environment.

Keywords

  • Dystopian - relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice

  • Scrutinised - to examine something very carefully in order to discover information

  • Authoritarian - favouring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom

  • Ominous - portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening

  • Propaganda - information, especially of a biased or misleading nature

It might be useful to consider introductions to stories and what pupils find effective or ineffective before this lesson.
Teacher tip

Equipment

The opening to George Orwell's '1984' can be found in the additional materials.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of upsetting content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
'The way an author uses setting, objects, or internal thoughts of characters to create emotion, mood, or experiences for the reader' is the of a text.
Correct Answer: atmosphere
Q2.
Which of the following are definitions of the word 'striking'?
Correct answer: something very noticeable or unusual
something very ordinary
Correct answer: hitting something
Q3.
'Portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening' is the definition of which word beginning with 'o'?
Correct Answer: ominous
Q4.
Which of the following are definitions of the word 'vile'?
Correct answer: extremely unpleasant
Correct answer: morally corrupt
very pleasant
having strong ethics
Q5.
Describing a world as having 'no colour' implies which of the following?
a world full of life
Correct answer: a world devoid of life
Correct answer: a sense of despondency
a sense of vibrancy
Q6.
'To examine something very carefully in order to discover information' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
Correct Answer: scrutinised, scrutinise, scrutinize, scrutinized

6 Questions

Q1.
'Relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice' is the definition of ...
Correct Answer: dystopian, dystopia, a dystopia
Q2.
In Orwell's '1984', the poster says that "Big Brother is you."
Correct Answer: watching
Q3.
'Favouring or enforcing strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom' is the definition of an government.
Correct Answer: authoritarian
Q4.
'Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?
Correct Answer: propaganda
Q5.
In Orwell's '1984', the opening line says that the clock is "striking thirteen", this is an unsettling idea because ...
it implies the main character is running late.
it implies that it is night-time.
Correct answer: analog clocks don't have a thirteen, they only go to twelve.
Q6.
In Orwell's '1984', the main character refers to the police.
Correct answer: thought
mind
military

Additional material

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