INFORMATION COLLEGE ADVANTAGE: ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY AT JERICHO
ENGLISH
(summer assignment follows)
INSTRUCTOR: Ken Darr
COURSES’ TOPIC OF INQUIRY: "What Shapes Our Reality? Can and Should We Have Control
Over It?"
Who do we think we are? Who do we think others are? What shapes our perceptions of both ourselves and others?
What results because of these perceptions? How does one react to these results and why? How should one react?
Do we know when or where these perceptions came from? Is it important to know? What are the benefits? What
situations best illustrate answering a question like this? What are the forces at work behind this issue? What do the
experts say about this? On what do they base their ideas? What makes them experts? What if you disagree with
what they say? Are you wrong? If not, how can you provide material to the contrary? What happens if you want to
prove something that ultimately gets disproved in your work? Can you accept it or will you ignore what you
observe and forge your own reality? Do people do this? Why or why not? A lot to think about and answer here,
too much, but we'll make an attempt at scratching more than just the surface.
This semester, we will seek to answer these questions in a myriad of ways; however, there are no preset answers to
these questions. Your task will be to look at this inquiry of identity formation through personal experience with the
world, its culture, and artifacts around us, primary field research, secondary sources, constant questioning and
expansion of your data, and we will examine a sample of literature which reflects our topic's subject in order to help
facilitate both understanding and provide opportunities for discussion..
We will be writing a great deal for a variety of purposes. We will write formal papers, write about how we are
writing (metacognitive), layer our writing by expanding what we write and rewrite as determined by our discussions,
observations, research and as a result of editing our content and thoughts.
The work can be difficult and challenging but fascinating and exciting, as well. Keep this in mind before you
decide to continue with this course
University Credit for St. John’s College Courses:
You may enroll and pay for the ability to receive university credit for English 1000C and 1100C. In order to receive
said credits, you must meet both St. John’s College at the University of St. John’s and Jericho High School
requirements. Failure to meet university standards will not result in a refund of monies paid. Many colleges take
college credits for course taken in high school; some do not. A limited list is available in guidance or you can call
the colleges in which you are interested to see if they do.
Course Requirements:
Attendance in class is extremely important to your success and will affect your grade; therefore, absences must be
kept at an absolute minimum. More than 12 absences in one semester will result in no college credit being awarded.
St. John’s English defines absences as illness, cuts, field trips, although college orientations and official college
visitations if accompanied by an official note from the university visited, will not count as an absence. Tuition will
not be refunded if the student is dropped due to attendance. However, if the student is within Jericho High School
attendance guidelines, he or she may still receive credit towards graduation.
All formal papers must be handed in at the start of class on the due date. If you cannot present the assignment on the
due date, make arrangements to get it submitted by someone else. All writing, from personal reflections to final
papers, must be clearly labeled, organized, annotated, and saved in your writing folder.
Papers not received by due date or missed exams without prior notice or alternative set up with the teacher will
require a medical note.
GRADES: One grade will be given for each assignment. The same expectations will be applied to the grade as
one would expect in an honor’s university course.
(Summer Assignment SJU English) 1984: Fact, Fiction, Warning
This summer, you will be reading George Orwell’s 1984, arguably one of the most important and
frightening pieces of literature ever written. Though there are several goals in reading any piece
of literature, part of these goals for this unit is to choose particular aspects of 1984 which you
feel are related most closely to the world in which you live. Ultimately, we are asking if Orwell’s
nightmare (his novel) is already in fact occurring, though not in the same manifestations as his
Oceania. The key here is to look at the actions of the characters, their thoughts, and why they
stand for the abhorrent conditions in which they live. In the end, it comes down to another
variation of what causes people to act the way they do, why, and if that can be manipulated
without them realizing it. To that end:
Complete the novel in its entirety and create a combination of dialogic notes and
responses to the text (no summary) by Friday, August 31, 2012 . This journal should be
a total 20 to 25 pages (12 point font) and typed using the template provided in the sample.
Make sure to space the responses somewhat evenly throughout the novel, so that you
have created a journal exploring all of the work (especially include parts of “Goldstein’s
Book”). Please look over the rubric on the next page.
Each day the journal is late is a 10 point penalty is imposed which counts each one of the
weekend days as another day. You may e-mail a word document attachment (which
opens) to [email protected] if you are unable to make class that Friday. I will email you back if I receive it that Friday. Otherwise, I will require a doctor’s note for the
absence on that day and an excuse for the non submission of the journal. No computer
excuses acceptable! OTHERWISE ALL WORK SHOULD BE HANDED IN TO ME.
In your journal:
¾ Note specific pages (even if it’s over several pages)
¾ You may want to read several pages and then reflect back instead of
interrupting your reading.
¾ Try to maintain some (not all) focus on the similarities,
differences or other observation you notice between our 1984 and
your (United States) society today.
¾ Note your own observations about what you see around you each day.
Though some parts may be longer than others, the responses should
endeavor to include the entire novel.
¾ You may also include research in the notes which relate to particular parts.
¾ Take the opportunity to focus on areas you might find using in the essay
discussed on the last page of this document.
There will also be a 30 question multiple choice reading check on Wednesday,
September 5, 2012. This will be worth 30 points of your unit grade. The journal will be
worth the other 70 points. The combined score of the journal and reading check will be
worth the first exam grade. If you are absent on this date, a medical note will be required.
Journal rubric:
9 Include clearly labeled pages so that the reader of your journal can find to what you are
responding easily.
9 The response covers the entire novel, not just the beginning or middle or end (include
some of Goldstein’s Book).
9 Avoids simple summary of the characters or plot.
9 Contains information which expands the novel content or connects it areas outside 1984.
9 Elaborates on responses, not just simple “one or two liners” like “I agree with this; we
have the same thing” or “Winston is so smart…”
9 Contains the proper amount of typed pages (information is more important, for example
20 pages of substance versus 25 pages of generalities).
9 Format is consistent with dialogic template(s) provided (see following pages).
9 Statements about novel are accurate.
9 Responses are logical or, if personal, relevant to material taken from the novel.
Samples of the template and dialogic notes are on the following
pages.
Dialogic Note‐Taking
Dialogic notes can be any combination of responses to a particular line, character,
events, conflicts, etc. You note the page(s) on which the novel content can be found
and then include observations you want to make about them. The observations can be
related to you and / or the world around you, offer opinions about the novel or its
relation to you, include commentary about novel, or even be something you want to
research or have researched already.
SAMPLE DIALOGIC NOTES
(pages not necessarily accurate and mentioned for illustration only)
7‐ 8 Ministries of truth, love, peace, plenty
Ironic how each one of these seems to be the
opposite of what their name implies, especially the
ministry of love which is in charge of justice and is
the most frightening of the buildings. I’m not sure
how the ministry of love is concerned with justice
unless it’s because the government loves its citizen
and wants to make sure that everyone is safe. I’m
not sure that I would take my own police or
military departments as seriously if they had this
name, though the building architecture might
freak me out.
11 – 18 the two minute hate session
This oddly reminds me of having to say the pledge
of allegiance each day. Certainly it’s not as violent,
but I do pledge my loyalty to the flag and the
republic for which it stands. I ask myself what it
does stand for.
Why is O’Brien such a big deal and why is Winston
so infatuated with the dark‐haired girl? Also, it
mentions that Winston hates most women and
girls; he seems to dislike purity. It’s hard to know
whether I like him or not.
One last note about the hate session – there
seems to be many parts which brainwash citizens;
I don’t think the pledge does this. No one seems to
pay much attention anyway, but there are times
when some of the waristic scenes, paranoia and
patriotism do relate in other ways like on the news
or other media.
43 “Comrade Ogilvy, unimagined an hour ago, was
now a fact…who had never existed in the present,
now existed in the past, and when once the act of
forgery was forgotten, he would exist just as
authentically, and upon the same evidence, as
Charlemagne or Julius Caesar.”
This is crazy because it is so true, especially with
the internet having so many versions of
everything, though in the novel it doesn’t mention
the internet. I remember being in junior high
school and learning that the American Civil War
was fought in large part because the North want to
abolish slavery. Now, it’s taught differently, that
slavery was an issue but largely due to the
economic impracticality in industrial society. I
don’t trust a lot of what is printed to begin with,
especially the statistics or newspapers which tell
us one thing and then contradict themselves. For
example, in Newsday, two days ago, the paper
wrote about how travelers were rebelling against
the new laws for traveling, but the next day, it
wrote about how people don’t seem to care about
it. The problem here is that media can manipulate
and we can be manipulated. One day Hussein and
Bin Laden are our buddies, the next, archenemy
#1. It’s hard to tell students these days to accept
facts if the facts can be manipulated. It would be
interesting to see if and how much media or the
government is caught manipulating. Possible
research…
PS – Winston is a hypocrite for doing this!
45 ‐ “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of
words”
The less words we know, the harder it is to think,
because we think and express ourselves in words.
Words also have so many meanings. Words are
dangerous. What words? In what situations?
Searches on the Internet? I’ve heard all sorts of
things about this and am actually worried about
typing in some of them for fear of trouble? What
trouble? Being tagged by the government? Does it
do this? Where do I even get this idea from? The
government in an article IK read in Global a few
years ago said it doesn’t and that the Internet is
free of this, but I remember reading Time
magazine which covered stories about citizens
who got in trouble for typing dangerous words like
bomb and justification for terrorism. I even worry
about typing these up now. I really want to know if
this can be done and where we get our ideas from.
Also, we do seem to learn fewer words each year,
but the dictionary keeps growing. However, if we
don’t learn the words, what good are they. In 1984
destroying words isn’t voluntary; we seem to be
more willing to avoid learning more vocabulary
altogether, sort of destroying words before they
are even born.
Winston says Syme will be vaporized too. Are
smart people dangerous?
67 ‐ Winston’s journal about his mother and
sister
Winston is a jerk if this happened. He is also filled
with guilt. Still, he was a child, though that
wouldn’t matter to his starving little sister and
mother. No wonder he’s confessing in his journal.
This relates to his dream about them being on a
sinking ship and he couldn’t save them. He didn’t
sink the ship but his stealing food from them and
then their disappearing leaves him feeling
helpless. I wonder what happened after. Who
raised him? Would he be worse off or better?
I remember when I was younger worrying about
every little everything I said or did because I was
worried it would be the last thing I’d be
remembered by or that the lst thing I said or did
couldn’t be taken back. So I try to be kind, but I let
a lot go which I shouldn’t have. I guess I can only
live for today, responsibly.
Where do we go from here?
From here, you will be writing a five page research paper in which you explore one aspect of
the novel you feel had the strongest relation to your own society and provide suggestions about
how we can help avoid it or why it is simply not possible to avoid it.