AP Language & Composition Activities

Required Reading: 1984 by George Orwell

For the text, you must write a 3 to 4 page, thesis-driven, persuasive essay based on one of the two essay topics provided below.  

A hard copy of the essay is due the first day of school but you will also be asked to submit the essay to turnitin.com once Chromebooks are dispersed. The essay will be graded using the school-wide communication rubric. 

Essay:

1. Control, Censorship and Technology

A strong theme running through the novel is the danger posed to society of being fed information, as opposed to a society which freely seeks information. Write a persuasive essay in which you analyze how censorship and technology are used to control citizens in the novel and the effects this type of control can have on a society as a whole. Your essay should be organized, thesis driven, and 3 to 4 pages in length not including the works cited page. It must also be formatted using MLA 8 formatting guidelines (header, in text citations, works cited page, double spaced, Times New Roman size 12 font, etc). A minimum of 10 points will be deducted from essays that are too short or that don’t include in text citations and/or a works cited page.

2. Then vs. Now

This novel is written as a cautionary tale for future generations and challenges the reader to question the direction today’s society is headed in. Write a persuasive essay in which you analyze the similarities and differences among society in the novel and compare them to society today. Is today’s society headed in the direction warned against in the novels or are the concerns presented unwarranted? Your essay should be organized, thesis driven, and 3 to 4 pages in length not counting the works cited page. It must also be formatted using MLA 8 formatting guidelines (header, in text citations, works cited page, double spaced, Times New Roman size 12 font, etc). A minimum of 10 points will be deducted from essays that are too short or that don’t include in text citations and/or a works cited page.

Notes:

• Read “Reading with the Norton Reader” within The Norton Reader and take a minimum of 20 handwritten notes.

• Read “Writing with the Norton Reader” within The Norton Reader and take a minimum of 20 handwritten notes.

Please Note

The novels and your own ideas should be THE ONLY sources used to complete your essay. Do not use outside sources or copy work from friends. Work will be checked for plagiarism and plagiarized work will receive a zero in the gradebook. Additional disciplinary action may also be taken. A works cited page with citations for the novels and in text citations must also be included.