Anticipation Guide

1984 by George Orwell

Instruction: At this point in time, what is your perspective on the following issues?

Questions Before Reading

Circle Yes or No

1. Privacy: Do you think people have privacy? Y N

2. Ownership: Can people own anything? (p. 27) Y N

3. Eternity: Do you believe you can make a difference today that can last into the future? (p. 27) Y N

4. Freedom of Speech: In the twenty-first century, is Freedom of Speech (literacy - reading, writing, oral Y N
language, media communication, creative thinking, and critical thinking) eroding? Is it worth maintaining
and/or strengthening?

5. Language: According to the writer, Alice Walker, “Language is an intrinsic part of who we are and what Y N
has, for good or evil, happened to us. Do you agree?

6. Truth vs. Fact: Are truth and fact the synonyms (same)? (p. 73) Y N

7. Accuracy of Knowledge: Is history an accurate recording of past events? (p. 74, 153-154) Y N

8. Thinking: Edward De Bono, scholar and writer says, “Thinking is the ultimate resource...No matter how Y N
good we become, we should always want to be better.” (1999) Do you agree?

9. Reality: “If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and the mind itself is Y N
controllable--what then?” Do you think anything is real? (p. 80)

10. Quality of Life: Is quality of life a worthwhile aspiration? ( p. 81-82) Y N

11. Suicide/Mental Health: Is suicide a courageous act? (p. 102) Y N

12. Agency/Advocacy/Voice: Do you believe the power to act, an undervalued revolutionary ability, has Y N
its foundations in the ability to think (contemplatively, quickly, reflectively) both as an individual and a
collective? (p.100, 102)