| Collage | Creative Writing |
| Media Campaign | Under Control |
| Newspeak Translated | In Control |
| Distractions | Sniper Debate |
| Slaves to Technology | Voting |
Collage top
What is your role as a member of your family, your class, your team, your school, your city, your state, your country? Identify what stated and unstated expectations are placed on you as well what leeway--what you can get away with--you have and the consequences of taking it. Use the Responsibility in Society link in the Futures Themes section to help.
Media Campaign top
Create a media campaign that encourages people to fulfill roles in society as you defined them in the collage assignment. Include a 10-15 second commercial spot, a 10 second radio spot and three, full-page magazine ads. Use the Media in Society link in the Futures Themes section to help.
Newspeak Translated top
Find five examples of what could be regarded as Newspeak in use today. Watching the nightly news would be a good place to begin. Identify the use and the true meaning/original term for each example you find. Why would these 'newspeak' terms be used? As a group or class create a dictionary of Newspeak with the terms. Use the Media in Society link in the Futures Themes section to help.
Distractions top
Identify 4 ways you are distracted or otherwise occupied in your life. Compare your distractions to a distraction the people encounter in Brave New World and 1984.
Slaves to Technology top
In the foreword Huxley says "not... as though man were to be adapted and enslaved to them" in reference to science and technology. Do you regard yourself as enslaved by technology? How does the use of technology in your life compare to the people in Brave New World and 1984? Use the Technology in Society and News Items link in the Futures Themes to help.
Creative Writing top
What are your plans regarding the future with respect to: nutrition, communication, transportation, medicine, and population. What are the obstacles today's society will face and how will they be addressed. Write a short story that offers answers to the questions regarding one of the previous issues.
Under Control top
In Brave New World and 1984 the ruling members had to control the masses in order to keep the society functioning as they wished. Compare the strategies adopted by the ruling members of each book. If you were a ruler which style would you prefer to use? Explain your reasoning.
In Control top
Is it possible for all members of a society to be members of the ruling class? What are some of the problems that could occur in such a society and how can they be overcome?
Sniper Debate top
After the series of sniper shootings in the Washington DC ended with the arrest of two people, a number of public personalities stated the two arrested shouldn't receive a trail and should be sent directly to their deaths. Similar comments were made for Timothy McVey after the Oklahoma City Bombing and the people associated with the destruction of the World Trade Towers.
Debate the topic: John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo should be sent directly to their deaths bypassing a trial.
Though the person(s) involved and event changes, the underlying issue is still whether or not the accused receives a trail. This debate can be conducted according to strict debate rules, or any variation fitting the circumstances. A simple debate format which works for short class periods is described below.
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pro/con arguments |
Students should present arguments for their position and present their reference support. |
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| pro/con rebuttal | Students may question the opposing side for clarification of vocabulary or arguments. No new arguments are allowed to be brought up. | |
| pro/con closing | Students present their position, counter or attack opposing position | |
Voting top
Over time the voter turn out for elections has dropped. Fewer and fewer of the public are aware of the issues to be voted on. Many people claim voting is a waste of time or unimportant and/or that their vote doesn't make a difference. After listening to the "Learning to vote" segment on NPR's Morning Edition (November 5, 2002), what is your response to the last student who speaks?