11AP English Language and Composition Date:
Mr. Meader due:
1984 – Part One Essay
Write a thoughtful, precise, and original essay. Please choose a specific target and provide a specific argument. This means that you may select a portion of the following question and write a detailed response asserting a claim and arguing its validity with specific evidence. Be sure to use cited details from the text.
On page 52, Syme tells Winston, “You don’t grasp the beauty of the destruction of words. Do you know that Newspeak is the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year? …Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought?” Explore the reasons why a dedicated party member like Syme finds “the destruction of words” so beautiful. What is the relationship between language and power?
Are there words, phrases, elements of language that should be destroyed? Do you agree with Orwell that the limiting of language equals the limiting of thought? (Consider Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” in your argument).
* For a refresher on in-text citations and their proper format, utilize OWL, an Online Writing Lab provided by Purdue University. Type “OWL Purdue” into Google or type the following information into your search bar (the in-text citation page only):
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
Reread. Analyze. Think. Assert. Argue. Read. Revise. Finalize.
An “A” paper:
· offers a compelling and persuasive argument that reveals depth of understanding and sheds new light on the text
· supports its argument with extensive reference to and discussion of the text
· is strategically organized in order to bring its argument to a powerful conclusion
· is written with sophistication and style and is virtually free of mechanical errors
In brief, an “A” essay is characterized by its intellectual rigor and illumination of a text with fresh observations and insights.
A “B” paper:
· offers a convincing argument that includes moments of insight and originality
· supports its argument with significant reference to and discussion of the text
· is clearly and purposefully organized
· is effectively written, making visible use of precise diction and varied structure—though there may be occasional lapses and mechanical errors
In brief, a “B” essay is characterized by its facility in analyzing a text and moments of insightful, original interpretation.
A “C” paper:
· offers a plausible argument that reveals a basic grasp of the text and topic at hand
· supports its argument with some reference to and discussion of the text
· is adequately organized—though there may be lapses in structure
· is adequately written—though there may be errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation (“mechanical” errors) that are distracting
In brief, a “C” essay satisfies the requirements of a given assignment and demonstrates competence in analyzing a text.
A “D” essay does not meet the expectations met by the “C” essay. A “D” essay is inadequately organized and inadequately written.