1984 Project

Your final project for 1984 aims to synthesize much of what we’ve discussed in class and does so in a format that allows you to be creative. We have discussed the prevalence of the suffix “topia” on the internet and how it is used (accurately or not) in order to sell products or convey a certain message. We have also talked about 1984 as a warning and how its themes are both applicable today and potentially applicable in the future. This project allows you to engage with both these ideas: how 1984 is used or misused to convey a message and how those messages apply to today’s world and the future. This project will be due Wednesday, March 4th.

Your project can take on one of two forms.

1. Find an example of art/media/pop-culture which explicitly or implicitly references 1984. Compose a written analysis of the messages and themes conveyed in your chosen piece. Your analysis should address the following questions:

• How is 1984 referenced? This should include direct quotes from both your chosen piece and the original text.

• What is the general theme or message of your piece? This part will vary greatly based on what form your chosen piece is. A song, for example, might have a message that you can pinpoint. If you were to choose a piece of architecture for your piece, the theme of the work would be interpretative in terms of the mood conveyed by the design and aesthetics of the structure.

• Based on your interpretation of 1984, is the reference/allusion that you are analyzing “correct?” Does the piece oversimplify the ideas that it is referencing? Perhaps it misinterprets them? Or maybe it is an incredibly effective use of 1984? What do you think?
  
  
• How does the specific form of the piece (visual art, music, television, cinema, etc.) affect the message?

2. Compose an original work of art that utilizes 1984 in some way. It could reference it explicitly or it could incorporate one of the fundamental ideas from the text. If you choose this option, you still must have a written analysis explaining your intent with the creation (and your analysis should generally cover the subtopics outlined in option one). However, the expectations for the written analysis will not be as high as in option one, as with this route your creation is primary and the analysis is secondary.

Regardless of the option you choose, you must attach a sample of what is being analyzed. This could be in the form of a photocopy, url, cd, sketch, etc. depending on your topic.

Please feel free to talk with me if you are unsure about your ideas.

Though I am not requiring that each student work with a different piece, I will be reading your analyses carefully and will notice if you have not done your own work.