Brit Lit and Lovin' It: Finishing BNW

April 15, 2014

E.Q: How was BNW ahead of its time?
Obj: I can use technology to inform.

Starter:

Think about the following quote:

Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.
Neil Postman

Which do you fear more and explain.

Activity:

1. Continuation of Yesterday's Website Activity

YOU WILL BE CREATING A WEBSITE ON THIS TECHNOLOGY

1. Please go to wix.com

Enter an e-mail address and password.

Begin creating.

On your website, you must include:

The name of your technology

What it is

Interesting Facts

The pro's and con's

The impact it will have on society

Why did you choose it?

Make sure you publish the site and share the link with me!

(20 minutes)

2. Ch. 17 & 18 Lit Circles

1.Discussion Director- Asks questions and keeps conversation going.

2.Literary Luminary- Draws the reader to important passages

3.Connector- Makes connections between the text and real life situations

4.Analyst- What does it all mean?

5.Illustrator- What does this look like? Create an image.

You will go around the room counting by 5's.

Remember who is in your group of 5.

That is who you will be working with.

Based on your role, you will meet with your peers in the same position for 15 minutes.

Use this as your prep time for conversation!

Then you will come back together with your original 5 and discuss the remaining chapters of BNW.

3. Research Paper

You will write a 5-7 page research report on one of the topics listed below. This report will need to include the following:

Introduction: Overview of the concept you’ll be discussing. Questions to consider: What is your topic? How long has this concept been around? What are the general opinions of it?

First body paragraph: Relationship to Brave New World. How does (or could) this concept play out in Huxley’s novel?

Body paragraphs: Questions to consider: What is the history of this concept/topic? How does it work? What is the general public opinion of it? What are some consequences/side effects? How is this a hot topic for today? What (if any) are the ethical issues with this concept/topic?

Conclusion: Explain what conclusions you have drawn based on your research. Review what the research is lacking; what still needs to be studied, understood, argued? What don’t we know? What questions remain? Why? Explain why any further research is necessary (What do we stand to gain from filling that gap?) and how such research might better help us understand the issue at hand.

Each topic has a list of available resources for you to peruse. Just because I have listed the link does not make them all necessarily incredibly accurate. The information comes from credible sources, but some of them have strong opinions with which you may not agree. Your job is to decide which information is worthwhile and/or relevant, and which isn’t. You are welcome to use alternative resources; HOWEVER, you will need to vet your sources (in other words, make sure your sources are legitimate and not lame websites someone threw together). Please see the rubric for details on the kinds of research you will need in order to complete this assignment satisfactorily.

Rubric:

	25 points	21 points	18 points	15 points
Argumentation	There is a clear, cohesive argument in every paragraph. The paragraphs transition well from one to the next. This paper is a synthesis of research, rather than a summary of research.	The paper provides a clear argument instead of merely summary. The paragraphs may not transition well. This paper is a synthesis of research, rather than a summary of research.	The paper alternates between argument and summary. The paper does not seem to be organized in a particular fashion.	There does not appear to be an argument. You are simply repeating research you found.
Research	Usage of at least 6 scholarly sources. Almost all body paragraphs feature at least two quotations from different sources.	Usage of at least 6 scholarly sources. All body paragraphs contain at least one quotation. Paper utilizes all sources equally.	Usage of at least 6 scholarly sources. All body paragraphs contain one quote. Paper may lean heavily on one source.	Usage of at least 4 scholarly sources. The paper may lean heavily on one source.
Style	Paper varies the following: -verb choice -sentence starters -word count -punctuation	Paper varies at least three of the stylistic features, but may have occasional lapses in stylistic variation.	This paper may attempt to vary one aspect of style.	This paper does not have stylistic variation.
Mechanics	This paper has fewer than 6 spelling/grammatical errors. This paper meets all the guidelines of MLA.	This paper has fewer than 12 spelling/grammatical errors. This paper meets all the guidelines of MLA	This paper has fewer than 12 spelling/grammatical errors. This paper may not meet all the requirements of MLA, but still makes an effort at citing sources properly.	The grammar/spelling errors in this paper make it difficult to read. This paper does not meet the requirements of MLA.