AP Lit & Comp 1984 Summative Assignment
David Duncan & Danielle Lo
1. Copy and paste the prompt your group developed. It should model the language of a
typical AP Open Q.
In the novel 1984 by George Orwell, Winston Smith frequently struggles with remembering the past. Memory - or lack
of it - alters his perception of both the past and the present. Write a well-developed essay in which you analyze
Winston’s understanding of the past and how it impacts his decisions and discuss how his memory, or lack thereof,
contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
2. Out of all the annotations you created while you read, select several from each Part of
the novel which best illustrate Orwell’s development of your topic. Be sure to select the
instances which will BEST help you connect/support/prove your thematic statement.
Claim about Your Concrete Details from the Novel Analysis
Topic: --Make it clear where readers can best see --Connect the evidence to your theme: How
--What is your answer to Orwell developing your topic in the novel does the excerpt support the statement?
EQ1 of your Open Q? Include proper in-text citation.
Winston’s 1. At the beginning of the novel, The party benefits from this
dedication to Winston struggles to remember suppression. Without memories
memory and truth his childhood then realizes of the past, Winston has no
propels him to “nothing remains” of it (Orwell benchmark to compare his past
rebel against the 3). quality of life to his current.
Ingsoc, but once Ingsoc’s oppression is the new
he loses his grasp normal, but to them it is just
over his memory, normal. Orwell is demonstrating
he falls victim to that a lack of concise memories
the ways of the make us vulnerable to the lies of
Party. our oppressors. By obstructing
the past, the Party has full
control over its people, molding
them to their will.
2. As Winston begins to write in Orwell is very early on
his diary his short term memory establishing a relationship
becomes stronger and a “totally between defiance and health. A
different memory [becomes] sort of symbiotic relationship is
clarified.” (Orwell 9). formed. As Winston begins to
rebel, he gains his memory
which reinforces his rebellious
behavior.
3. Hate Week starts with Goldstein’s existence as a whole
Emmanuel Goldstein’s fundamentally sets the stage for
persecution, but Winston the entirety of the Party’s
remarks that “nobody quite dominating control over its
remembered” how long ago it people. By having the power to
had been (Orwell 12). skew the people’s perceptions of
time and events, the Party is able
to redirect and manufacture all
hate towards Emmanuel
Goldstein. Orwell demonstrates
the control the Party can hold
over its people because of its
ability to control their emotion.
Though Winston finds himself
angry at Big Brother, his anger
also immediately switches to
Goldstein. The Party wields
control over the individual by
rendering incapable of forming
individual thought, reducing
them to mindless allegiance to
what is handed to them, Orwell’s
warning against the dissolution
of individuality.
4. Winston continues to write in As Winston continues his journey
his diary and remembers a into delinquency, his memory
dream with his mysterious becomes stronger. Dates that
co-worker O’Brien. At first he usually escape his grasp become
struggles to remember how long obtainable. Orwell is showing
ago he had the dream, but that once we start thinking for
quickly places it seven years ago. ourselves we become stronger.
(Orwell 25). And that exactly is what the
Party fears so much. An
individual mind running rampant
cannot be controlled, cannot be
deceived against its will, cannot
be conformed. Only when the
individual relinquishes their mind
do they fall under the control of
the Party.
5. While at a bar, Winston Winston’s resolve for truth is
notices other patrons that highlighted in this scene. His
celebrate the lie that Big Brother dedication and correct idea of
raised rations, when in reality the past shields him from lies while
rations were really lowered. He the others who comply with the
notes that they “swallowed [this demands of Big Brother fall for
lie] easily, with the stupidity of an this deception. It is also
animal” (Orwell 58). important to note Orwell’s
Simultaneously, Winston ponders comparison of the patrons to
if he was the only one to note animals. He is implying that
the falsified facade of the proper memory is a integral to
chocolate rations. what makes us human—without
it we devolve into lesser versions
of ourselves.
Winston’s questioning of his
peers and his own self begins his
slow descent into losing his mind
to the Party. By questioning his
own reality, Winston has already
begun relinquishing his power
over his thoughts to the Party, as
his rational processing
disintegrates under the rigid
structure of the Party that
opposes his every thought and
action.
6. Winston’s conversation with Ultimately, Winston realizes that
the old prole bears no fruition the man faces the same
despite Winston’s persistent predicament as he— the past
attempts to edge out a word of ceased to exist the moment one
the political climate of before the let it slip away. Without those
Revolution. Winston ultimately memories, there would no
realizes that “survivors of the longer be any standard to be
ancient world were incapable of compared to. It is then that
comparing one age with Winston truly realizes that even
another” (Orwell 95). though he and the old prole had
both lived in a time before the
Party, the Party had manipulated
their memories into no more
than a seemingly fuzzy mirage.
With their minds distracted by
the inconsequential details and
day-to-day laboring, they cease
to recognize that they are
willingly walking to their own
demise. The Party had not
stripped them away of their
memories, but created the
distraction that they themselves
removed these memories.
Without the ability to control
their own thoughts, the people
of Ingsoc mindlessly labor under
the control of the Party, because
they know nothing but the party.
Without their memories, the
people lose their freedom, unable
to resist against the oppression
that they do not even realize they
are held under.
7. Winston continues to As Winston becomes more
document his memories entrenched in his scandalous
including a incident with a relationship with Julia and overall
prostitute over three years ago. deviant behavior, his memory
grows stronger. Winston starts
the novel struggling to
remember events from his day to
day life, to now vividly recalling
events from years prior.
8. Winston finds solace within The room itself, as a physical
the room above Mr. location, holds testament to
Charrington’s shop, as a “pocket Winston’s perception of the
of the past” (Orwell 153). The Party’s lies and deceptions. In his
room, with its mahogany attempt to retain his grip on his
furniture, its significance as a knowledge and his past, the
meeting place with Julia, and its room provides a physical anchor,
shelter from the probing eyes of a frequent reminder that he has
the Party, all culminate in not descended into insanity, a
Winston’s grip on his humanity, confirmation that his mind is still
his past, and his independence. autonomous. Orwell uses the
room as a vehicle of resistance
against the oppressive Party. A
consistent and restored mind is
what keeps Winston grounded,
something that Orwell remarks
upon to be the piece that keeps
Winston from being another
mindless machine to fulfill the
Party’s whims and wishes.
9. Winston hits a sort of memory This instance sort of represents
peak right before meeting with the time in which Winston is
O’Brien. He explains to Julia the most intuned with his past. This
nature of his childhood and even passage’s position in the text is
a specific story about how he also very important. He recounts
stole chocolate rations (Orwell this story in the middle of his
161). affair with Julia, a time marked
rampant deviation. Additionally
his childhood was something
that he considered to be lost and
even says “nothing remains” of
it, so Orwell is clearing
establishing a correlation
between rebellion and control
over memory. As Winston grows
more disillusioned with the state,
he regains his memory, an aspect
of ourselves that is important to
our autonomy.
10. O’Brien’s attempts to O’Brien tells Winston that the
convince Winston that his only reality is the reality that the
memories are but delusions sinks Party forms— a phenomenon
Winston into a forceful we see occur throughout the
conversion of his memories. novel. O’Brien breaks down
Winston’s barrier between truth
and lies brick by brick. O’Brien
directly flushes out Winston’s
mind, purging it of its
remembrance of the past.
By losing his knowledge of the
past, Winston loses the
individuality of himself, the
autonomy, and what made him
human. Winston’s knowledge
become repopulated with what
O’Brien provides him. Orwell
undeniably establishes the idea
that Winston had ultimately lost
all control over his mind,
relinquished to the Party.
Winston has become one of the
unquestioning pawns of the
Party, the very thing he strove to
avoid. He thinks only what the
Party wants him to think.
11. After Winston is released By this point the party has taken
from the Ministry of Love, over Winston and the man we
broken and brainwashed, his knew no longer exists. Up until
perception of the past is this point Winston had grasp of
completely transformed. Sitting what was true and what wasn’t.
in the Chestnut Tree Café, an He could see through the
“uncalled” memory “float[s] into government's lies and
his mind” (Orwell 295). He doublethinks, but know he has
remembers a time from his turned his back on truth and
childhood where he played embraced Big Brother. Orwell
Snakes and Ladders with his goes to great lengths throughout
sister and mother. Although it Winston’s journey to establish
was a “happy” time he pushes it how Winston’s grasp of the past
out of his mind and deems it a has protected him, yet now that
“false memory.” (Orwell 296). he has lost it he is ready to love
Big Brother.
**To add rows to this chart, right click (use two fingers on a Chromebook). Then select “Insert row below.” Repeat for
as many rows as you need.
3. Theme Statement: Remember that a theme statement is a 1-2 sentence interpretation of
the “work as a whole.” Review the qualities of a good theme statement on your Brave
New World handout, or see rubric on next page.
In 1984, G
eorge Orwell warns the reader about the dangers of totalitarian governments: once they accumulate
enough power—whether it stems from technology, control over memory, or a shift in morals— they will strip us of
our freedom, our autonomy, our minds, and eventually our humanity.
***Note: We both have different books, so there are mild discrepancies in the page
numbers, but the events should still all be ordered sequentially.
RUBRIC
Theme Statement
1 2 3 4 5 6
Simply Summarizes with Identifies but may Identifies and Presents author’s Presents author’s
summarizes or hints of an not develop a presents the thoughts on ideas in an
focuses on plot; undeveloped significant topic in author’s ideas on narrow, original treatment
Authorial no connection to topic; no the work; may be a significant topic; well-chosen topic; of topic with a
Intent & a universal truth connection to a no connection to these ideas apply connects widely meaningful
Universality universal truth a universal truth universally. to a universal connection to a
truth universal truth
No established Statement is not Statement is Arguable, but Arguable and Arguable, unique,
Arguability argument arguable slightly arguable, obvious complex and complex
but ineffective
Simple words Language is Language is Wording mostly Wording conveys Wording is
used incorrectly. simply functional functional with correct, and ideas correctly grammatically
The theme is not and contains some errors; language is and effectively; correct, precise,
expressed in a some errors. moments of mostly effective. theme statement and sophisticated;
Syntax & complete Theme statement sparkle. Theme Theme statement is expressed in 1-2 theme statement
Language sentence may not be a statement is is conveyed in 1-2 sophisticated is expressed in 1-2
complete conveyed in 1-2 clear sentences sentences well-controlled
sentence, or it mostly clear sentences
may be 3 or more sentences
sentences
Does not mention May not mention May mention Provides author’s Correctly Fluidly and
the author/text the author or text author and/or first and last mentions author’s correctly
Indicates title title, with some name & text title name & text title mentions author
Author & Text formatting errors & a properly
formatted text
Support & Analysis of Annotation Topic
1 2 3 4 5 6
Very little or no Attempts to trace Traces the Traces the topic Carefully traces Insightfully traces
tracing of the the development development of throughout the the topic the topic
development of of the topic in the the topic in the novel; covers a throughout the throughout the
the topic in the novel; may draw novel; may minimum of entirety of the entirety of the
novel theme from only neglect or omit events which novel. novel; thorough
one or two prominent connect. examination.
examples instances.
Support &
Analysis Links between
Links between evidence and Inconsistently Links evidence Clearly links Clearly,
evidence and claims are unclear links evidence and and evidence and consistently, and
claims are absent interpretation interpretation; interpretation insightfully links
some interpretive evidence and
work left to the interpretation
reader
