Double think in 1984Smar T. Pants

http://www.newsrealblog.com/2011/01/17/the-orwellian-doublespeak-of-media-matters-david-brock/

Blog Entry

Posted January

17, 2011

Analysis of TitleTitle: What is the title of your example?How does this example relate to 1984? List a direct quote from 1984 to explain the connection. Title:"The Orwellian Doublespeak of Media Matters’ David Brock"

Direct quote from novel: "Winston sank his arms to his sides and slowly refilled his lungs with air. His mind slid away into the labyrinthine world of doublethink. To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them…" (p. 18)

Analysis: Brock connects the use of media messages to Orwell's concept of double-think by analyzing coverage of national events, such as the recent shooting of House of Representatives member Gabrielle Giffords.

Paraphrase

Paraphrase: Translate the text into your own words line-by-line. Resist the urge to jump to interpretation; write what is being said.

*Be careful of trying to summarize anything shorter than twenty-five lines as you will lose meaning.

ConnotationConnotation: Contemplate the example for meaning beyond the literal level. Identify the following:

DictionImageryFigurative languageIronySound devices

Attitude

Attitude: Observe the speaker’s tone and/or mood. How does the specific form of the piece (visual art, music, television, cinema, etc.) affect the attitude and overall message

Shifts

Shifts: Identify shifts in:Occasion (time and place)Key words (e.g. but, yet, although, for)Punctuation (dashes, periods, colons)Divisions in sections

Return to Title

Title: Examine the title again. Based on your interpretation of 1984, is the example that you are analyzing “correct”? Would you re-name the example? If so, what would you name it?

Theme

Theme: First, consider what the example is about (subject or subjects); then determine what the speaker is saying about each of those subjects (theme). If your example is a song, you might have a message that you can pinpoint. If you choose a piece of architecture for your piece, then the theme of the work would be interpretative in terms of the mood conveyed by the design and aesthetics of the structure.

You must express the theme as a complete sentence.

*If you are stuck, try using the following prompt:This text demonstrates that . . .

Sources

Hudson, Walter. "The Orwellian Doublespeak of Media Matters’ David Brock." News Real Blog. 17 January 2011. Web. 13 May 2012. http://www.newsrealblog.com/2011/01/17/the-orwellian-doublespeak-of-media-matters-david-brock/.