Nothing screams summer fun like a dystopian novel that involves characters getting metaphorically stomped on the face over and over and over and loving it in the end. That’s why we’re going with our third and final quote from 1984.
Intro Music
O’Brien explains to Winston what the future holds for citizens of Oceania. Just so you’re aware, I attended high school in 1984 and although it was bad, it wasn’t nearly as bad as Orwell makes it sound.
Quote: We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, except the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent there will be no need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always—do not forget this Winston—always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.
Classroom Application
Analysis: Any time the government promises to solve your problems, run. This quote begins with abolishing the orgasm and ends with a boot stamping on your face–forever. That is big government in action, I suppose.
Life Lesson
I believe there are honest financial advisors in the world. Unfortunately, I believe 85% of them are, at worst, dishonest and at best, incompetent. So if you want me to pay you to invest my money, there’s an 85% chance that I’m going to get screwed. There’s a correlation here between this and government programs, I suppose.
Links
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8 Short Stories and Novels that Exemplify the Dangers of Big Government Blog Post
- Science Fiction Lesson Plans
- Short Story Catalog at ELACOMMONCORELESSONPLANS.com
- Poetry Collections at ELACommonCoreLessonPlans.com
