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1984 Socratic Seminar Cheat Sheet

This sheet should be completed prior to the Socratic Seminar. On the day of the Socratic Seminar, you should

bring your book, cheat sheet, and quality of responses bookmark. Remember, the more time you take to

prepare, the easier it will be for you to share your opinions, ideas, connections, and questions.

Your answers should answer part of the question or the whole question. Remember, you must find textual

evidence to support your answer. And do not forget that you in order to receive the maximum points, you

must connect your textual evidence back to your original point.

Lastly, you should write at least two follow up questions that you can address to the group. These questions

should be open-ended and should relate to the original question.

1. Even after reading Part One, you can tell you are reading a dystopian novel. How does 1984 fall into the

dystopian genre? In other words, what characteristics of a dystopia are present in 1984?

Page #s for textual evidence:

Follow-up questions for the group:

2. How does technology affect the Partys ability to control its citizens? In what ways does the Party employ

technology throughout Part One?

Page #s for textual evidence:

Follow-up questions for the group:

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3. Or perhapsthe thing had simply happened because purges and vaporizations were a necessary part of

the mechanics of government (45). How does this passage connect to the tactics used by totalitarian

leaders in the 1940s and today? Give an example of a leader who used these tactics.

Page #s for textual evidence:

Follow-up questions for the group:

4. Discuss the significance and nature of Winston's dreams. Deconstruct the dream wherein O'Brien claims

that they "shall meet in a place where there is no darkness" (page 22), and the dream in which Winston's

mother and sister disappear (page 26). What is the significance of these dreams? What deeper meanings do

they hold? Why do you think the author devotes as much time as he does to Winston's dreams?

Page #s for textualevidence:

Follow-up questions for the group:

5. In the afterword, the commentator describes 1984 as "a warning." Indeed, throughout the text, Orwell

plants both subtle and overt warnings to the reader. What do you think Orwell is warning us about?

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Page #s for textual evidence:

Follow-up questions for the group:

6. With any dystopian novel, there is a dystopian protagonist. Explain how Winston Smith can be considered

the dystopian protagonist in 1984.

Page #s for textual evidence:

Follow-up questions for the group: