For your final essay, begin by mentally posing an interpretive question about a specific topic, section, or problem that is explored in 1984 and respond to it analytically by articulating the answer to your question in the form of an assertion, showing your readers where and how the text of the novel supports, explains, or clarifies your analysis. (This is not a plot summary or book report.) Look for a question that you have that might lead to differences in opinion among your audience (think about a college literary journal or the school newspaper) and offers readers new, creative, and original insights into the story and/or our place in the world. The answer to your question is your thesis. Your task in this assignment is not to discover the right way to interpret the text, but to explain your very focused way of reading one aspect of it or to explain one very particular insight. That is, think about how you can participate in the knowledge-making process and add to the intellectual conversation in some way.
Your essay topic is up to you, but you should offer an insightful, complex response in the form of a very narrow thesis that is thoroughly and thoughtfully developed. Some topics that students have approached in the past include surveillance and social media and its connection to the novel, Winston’s conceptualization of beauty, Julia’s political ideology, the inherent malleability of human beings, and the use of hate and deflection as propaganda. Or, you might make a connection between the novel and something that is happening in the United States right now. It is easy to think about the practices in the novel as methods that might occur somewhere else in the world (i.e. North Korea, China, etc), but think more about current events in our culture (i.e. hate and division, surveillance, Covid, elections, misinformation and disinformation, social media, and fake news, etc.) and then comment on the connection and its significance. But, you must also remember that you must offer support from the text and other reliable/verifiable sources if necessary. Remember that, ultimately, the essay is about the book, and you must stay close to the text.
It is up to you to come up with your own assertion based on your own insight. Be as narrow and precise as possible; then, drill down for real depth —real substance.
Regardless of your approach, keep your commentary grounded in the text. Remember that your essay needs to be about the book, not just a topic mentioned in the book. And, you must refer to passages in the text to support your analysis.
** Avoid long quotes. Remember that best practices include paraphrase and embedded / partial quotes.
** Do not offer any more plot summary than is absolutely necessary to support your thesis.
** Use passages from the text and personal examples from your life and the world you live in to support your assertion.
Final essays should be at least 3 pages in length.
One more final note. There is a lot of information about this book on the internet (and I have seen most of it). Do not be tempted to use the internet to inform your essay. Even if you do not use quotes, ideas that you find on the internet demand proper attribution. Failure to do so is considered plagiarism of ideas (which results in an F for the entire course). You have worked very, very hard this semester. Do not compromise your efforts by turning to the internet to get ideas or materials for this essay. One of the biggest lessons that college should teach is the ability and willingness to trust ourselves and our ideas. Do your best work and be proud of your contribution.
