Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
1. In 1984 the protagonist, Winston, attempts to “stay human” in the face of a dehumanizing,
totalitarian regime. What, according to Orwell, does it mean to be human? How does the governing
body in 1984 exploit certain tendencies, weaknesses and even strengths that human beings possess
in order to, ironically, control and dehumanize humankind? Based on Winston’s fate, what is
Orwell ultimately arguing (advocating, criticizing and/or warning against)?
*Some of your ideas/topics that can be addressed using this prompt or some version of it:
• How can human nature work for as well as against political oppression?
• What does being human consist of? What qualities define “human”?
• What is necessary to remain human, to protect the qualities that make us human?
• Exploration of different kinds of love in the novel (romantic love for Julia,
exploitative/manipulated love of O’Brien, selfless compassionate love of a mother) and their
larger importance
• How does the Party exploit human nature/human characteristics to maintain control over
the citizens of Oceania? – what does this say about political power and individual freedom?
Why does it matter?
• The importance of various forms of human expression – art, language, etc.
• How is it possible to turn a rebel into a faithful supporter of the government, and, more
importantly, why is it important to understand this? Techniques of surveillance, oppression
and torture and how these are related to human nature
• How is emotional connection with political figures potentially threatening to political and
personal freedom?
• The significance of Winston’s moral ambiguity – how does Winston’s moral ambiguity
relate to Orwell’s larger point/meaning?
• Exploration of the power of fear and the power of love
• Why does Orwell emphasize the various facets of human nature – e.g., the ability to
reason/think rationally as well as the ability to feel a range of emotions independent of
outside manipulation – and how does this more complex view of human nature relate to the
question of personal freedom?
2. Although 1984 presents us with a bleak, dystopian vision of the future, Orwell does seem to suggest
that there is hope for humanity yet (this novel is, after all, a warning, not a description of what
already is): analyzing ample evidence from the text, explain what Orwell’s vision of hope consists
of, and what, based on the depiction in the novel, is necessary for this hope to be realized.
*Some of your ideas/topics that can be addressed using this prompt or some version of it:
• What is the importance of compassion? How is it related to retaining humanity and to
obtaining or protecting personal freedom?
• How are knowledge, power and freedom connected?
• The role of the proles, singing woman
• The importance of artistic and linguistic freedom of expression
• Significance of Winston’s defeat at the end of the novel, how the ending of the novel serves
to illustrate Orwell’s point
• Perseverance of the spirit of man (unconscious hatred of BB, compassion even in Ministry of
Love, continuation of artistic expression and love, etc.)
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
3. In 1984, O’Brien tells Winston that “[p]ower is in tearing human minds to pieces,” and an essential
part of this power lies in the Party’s ability to get people to doubt their own perceptions of what
seem to be objective truths (historical facts, logical conclusions, etc.). Indeed, O’Brien trains
Winston to view the idea that “somewhere or other, outside oneself, there was a ‘real’ world where
‘real’ things happened” as a “dangerous thought.” (Part III Ch. 4). Why is the existence of a “real
world,” an objective reality, so important? What is the relationship between objective reality and
freedom? Between knowledge and freedom?
*Some of your ideas/topics that can be addressed using this prompt or some version of it:
• Given that it is his antagonist who promotes the idea that there is no reality outside of the
human skull, what is Orwell suggesting about the connection between freedom and truth,
history, knowledge, rational thought?
• “Orthodoxy means not thinking - not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness.” How
do conformity and unquestioning acceptance of authority lead to suppression and tyranny?
Conversely, if orthodoxy is unconsciousness, then unorthodoxy is consciousness –
unorthodoxy would be thinking, needing to think. So, how are rebellion, freedom and
critical/ independent thinking related?
• Why is it important that there is a reality outside of the individual mind?
• Can a political power control reality? Under what conditions?
4. How relevant is Orwell’s vision of the future? In what ways does our contemporary society
compare to that of 1984? More specifically, to what extent can parallels be drawn between the
tactics of the fictional Party and O’Brien (for example, the manipulation of emotions in order to
achieve and maintain power, Crimestop, etc.) and the tactics of today’s politicians/political groups?
You need to base your analysis on Orwell’s novel and on at least one contemporary political speech,
television ad, or similar text by a political group or politician that provides evidence of the tactic
you select. As with other prompts, you must address the “SO WHAT?”
In order to write an effective piece of literary analysis, you will need to develop a strong claim (a.k.a. thesis
statement). Please read the attached handouts for additional reminders/pointers.
More tips:
Thesis Statements (a.k.a. a CLAIM):
• YOU MUST HAVE A THESIS – can we argue about your thesis? Is it possible to debate the thesis? If not, it
isn’t a real thesis statement.
• Does your thesis answer the “SO WHAT?” question? Your thesis needs to matter, in a larger context (see the
last section of Magic Thesis Statement Formula); if I have to write “So what?” on your paper, your thesis
isn’t sufficiently developed.
• REMEMBER, a thesis statement is NOT A STATEMENT OF FACT or simply an OBSERVATION OF
THE OBVIOUS. It should not be something that can be answered simply by opening up the book and
finding the relevant passage(s) – NO “BIRD UNIT” ESSAYS.
• YOUR THESIS MUST DIRECTLY ADDRESS THE PROMPT. Look at the entire prompt; does your thesis
answer the questions the prompt poses? IF NOT, REVISE IT.
Integrating Quotes & Evidence:
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
• NO DROPPED QUOTES! A QUOTE CANNOT FORM ITS OWN SENTENCE IN YOUR PAPER.
Consult handout so you know how to integrate quotes to avoid this.
• NEVER insert a quote without providing sufficient context for the quote. YOU HAVE TO LET YOUR
READER KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING AND WHO IS SPEAKING – “In Act II, Scene 3…” is NOT
context!
• NEVER leave a quote to “speak for itself”; you should have at least twice as much analysis as of the quote as
quoted text. E.g. if you cite four lines of text, you need at least eight lines of analysis.
• USE EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT INTELLIGENTLY. NO RANDON QUOTES! Quotes do you no
good if they do not directly support the point you are making.
Pronouns:
• DON’T use “you” in an analytical essay unless it is part of a direct quote.
• Do not use “I” unless there’s a real purpose behind it – “I think” is pointless.
• AVOID VAGUE PRONOUNS! Circle all instances of “they”, “them”, “their”, “it” etc. and change them if it
is not ABSOLUTELY clear what nouns these refer to.
Topic Sentences:
• ALL topic sentence should address a SPECIFIC ASPECT OF YOUR THESIS. Do your topic sentences read
like PLOT SUMMARY? If so, change them.
Formatting and Citation Guidelines
• DO NOT ADD A SPACE BETWEEN PARAGRAPHS;
• DO NOT USE ANYTHING BUT 1” MARGINS;
• DO NOT USE ANYTHING LARGER THAN 12-POINT FONT;
• YOU MUST USE A TIMES-TYPE FONT.
General:
• AN ANALTICAL ESSAY IS NOT A PLOT SUMMARY. I know the plot of Macbeth, as I assume you do
as well. If your essay is nothing but plot summary (i.e. no argument or insight), it’s not an essay. REVISE.
• AN ANALYTICAL ESSAY IS NOT A BOOK REVIEW – Do not EVALATE whether Shakespeare is a
proficient writer (no “amazing” comments, etc.); just analyze the text and say why your analysis matters (the
universal question).
Careless Spelling and Grammar Errors (You should have none):
• Read your paper aloud, at least twice (no kidding); does what you have written make sense?
• Look for homophones (there vs. their, wear vs. where, etc.) – fix them!
Analytical Essay Taboos – ABSOLUTE NO-NO’s
Use this list to avoid some of the typical essay writing pitfalls – Please note that these do not apply to personal
essays, expository essays, etc.
• You, your, etc. unless part of a direct quotation.
• I think, I believe (It’s your paper – I know this is what you think! Just make the statement). I itself is not taboo,
but it is often misused/used superfluously (see first sentence of this bullet point).
• The word quote, as in “In this quote….” or “This quote just shows.…”
• Referring to page or chapter numbers in the body of the essay, as in “A quote on page 100 shows that…”
• This, that, it, etc. if it is not ENTIRELY clear what the pronoun refers to. Use nouns instead.
• Using a plural pronoun (e.g. their) for a singular noun (e.g. someone, one, a person, etc.)
• So at the beginning of a sentence, as in “So, Bernard is a hypocrite because….”
• The reader, as in “Huxley is trying to tell the reader….”
• The author is trying, or The author tries
• The phrase paints a picture, as in “The author paints a picture” (gag!)
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
This essay will show, This essay has shown, or any similar phrase
maybe, probably, perhaps if used to water down your claim – take a stand!
stuff, things, etc., as in “The novel deals with many things”
amazing, excellent, and other “book review” adjectives
Citing textual evidence without first providing context for the quotation
Ending a paragraph with a quotation (no analysis following the quotation).
Including quotations in the introduction – sometime in the future you may be allowed to do this, but not now.
Dropped quotes
Having less that a 2:1 ratio of analysis to quoted text
Homophones (there vs. their, wear vs. where, accept vs. except) etc.
Stating that an author does something for emphasis (This is code for "I know it's important, but I am not sure
why")
Stating that the author does something in order to make the text “more interesting” (this has nothing to do with
the meaning of the work).
The phrase In conclusion
Concluding an essay by speculating that had the author done anything differently, the text would have been
"boring", etc. – Discuss with WHAT IS, not WHAT IF
Using the past tense when discussing the contents of a literary work, as in “Huxley’s novel showed that
happiness and free will could not coexist” or “Winston went to see O’Brien”
Sweeping generalizations about life and the universe, as in “Man has puzzled over the question of free will
since the beginning of time” – Do discuss universal questions in relation to the meaning of the text!
Plot based topic sentences – connect explicitly to your thesis instead
“Observational” thesis statements (no claim, just statement of obvious fact), as in “1984 is about the dangers
of totalitarian rule.”
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
Integrating Quotations into Sentences
You should never have a quotation standing alone as a complete sentence, or, worse yet, as an
incomplete sentence, in your writing. The quotation will seem disconnected from your own thoughts
and from the flow of your sentences. Ways to integrate quotations properly into your own sentences
are explained below. Please note the punctuation: it is correct.
There are at least four ways to integrate quotations.
1. Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states directly his purpose for going
into the woods: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential
facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover
that I had not lived."
Example: Thoreau's philosophy might be summed up best by his repeated request for people to ignore
the insignificant details of life: "Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to
count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest.
Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!"
Example: Thoreau ends his essay with a metaphor: "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in."
This is an easy rule to remember: if you use a complete sentence to introduce a quotation, you need a
colon after the sentence. Using a comma in this situation will most likely create a comma splice, one
of the serious sentence-boundary errors. Be careful not to confuse a colon (:) with a semicolon (;).
2. Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the
quotation with a comma.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states directly his purpose for going
into the woods when he says, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived."
Example: "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us," Thoreau says as he suggests the
consequences of making ourselves slaves to "progress."
Example: Thoreau asks, "Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life?"
Example: According to Thoreau, "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."
You should use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory or
explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as "says," "said," "thinks," "believes," "pondered," "recalls,"
"questions," and "asks" (and many more). You should also use a comma when you introduce a
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
Example: According to Thoreau, "We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us."
You should use a comma to separate your own words from the quotation when your introductory or
explanatory phrase ends with a verb such as "says," "said," "thinks," "believes," "pondered," "recalls,"
"questions," and "asks" (and many more). You should also use a comma when you introduce a
quotation with a phrase such as "According to Thoreau."
3. Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own
words and the words you are quoting.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states directly his purpose for going
into the woods when he says that "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front
only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came
to die, discover that I had not lived."
Example: Thoreau argues that "shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is
fabulous."
Example: According to Thoreau, people are too often "thrown off the track by every nutshell and
mosquito's wing that falls on the rails."
Notice that the word "that" is used in two of the examples above, and when it is used as it is in the
examples, "that" replaces the comma which would be necessary without "that" in the sentence. You
usually have a choice, then, when you begin a sentence with a phrase such as "Thoreau says." You
either can add a comma after "says," or you can add the word "that" with no comma.
4. Use short quotations--only a few words--as part of your own sentence.
Example: In "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For," Thoreau states that his retreat to the woods
around Walden Pond was motivated by his desire "to live deliberately" and to face only "the essential
facts of life."
Example: Thoreau argues that people blindly accept "shams and delusions" as the "soundest truths,"
while regarding reality as "fabulous."
Example: Although Thoreau "drink[s] at" the stream of Time, he can "detect how shallow it is."
When you integrate quotations in this way, you do not use any special punctuation. Instead, you
should punctuate the sentence just as you would if all of the words were your own.
All of the methods above for integrating quotations are correct, but you should avoid relying too
much on just one method. You should instead use a variety of methods.
Notice the Punctuation!
Notice that there are only two punctuation marks that are used to introduce quotations: the comma
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
and the colon.
Notice as well the punctuation of the sentences above in relation to the quotations. Commas and
periods go inside the final quotation mark ("like this."). For whatever reason, this is the way we do it
in America. In England, though, the commas and periods go outside of the final punctuation mark.
Semicolons and colons go outside of the final quotation mark ("like this";).
Question marks and exclamation points go outside of the final quotation mark if the punctuation mark
is part of your sentence--your question or your exclamation ("like this"?). Those marks go inside of
the final quotation mark if they are a part of the original--the writer's question or exclamation ("like
this!").
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
USING QUOTATIONS
QUOTING ACCURATELY
Above all, you must be careful to quote accurately. Attribute all information from outside sources, unless that
information is common knowledge. Be sure that you understand the source from which you are quoting. If you misquote
because you misunderstand the material, you will still be held accountable for that. Writers must make sure that they
fully understand the meaning of source material before using it in an essay.
In direct quotes, copy exactly what the author has written, and give credit to the source with parenthetical
documentation. If the source material is paraphrased, credit must still be given to the original source.
INTRODUCING QUOTATIONS
Creative works
Assume that not all of your readers have read the creative text (book, movie, story) that you’re talking about. However,
they don’t need to know all the details of this text in order to understand what you’re doing with it. You will probably
want to offer a basic plotline, and then whatever contextual information the reader needs to understand your quote. The
first time you mention it, you should also identify the author and the work.
Example:
The woman tells her lover that the world “isn’t ours anymore” (87).
Correct:
Near the climax of the lovers’ conversation in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants, the woman
tells the man that the world “isn’t ours anymore” (87).
Critical works
Identify the source of the quotation within the text. This information will let your reader know that the source you are
quoting is legitimate and isn’t, say, your roommate Joe who happened to be up when you were writing your paper at 2
am. It will also help your reader distinguish the quotation’s ideas from your own. The first time you use a quote from a
critical source, give the author’s name and name of the article/book, and/or the author’s claim to authority. If you
mention the author in the preceding sentence, you do not need to include the author’s name in parentheses.
Example:
“A fully articulated pastoral idea of America did not emerge until the end of the eighteenth century”
(Marx 236).
Correct:
Leo Marx, in his book The Pilot and the Passenger, claims that a “fully articulated pastoral idea of
America did not emerge until the end of the eighteenth century” (236).
Correct:
Prominent American critic Leo Marx claims that a fully articulated pastoral idea of America did not
emerge until the end of the eighteenth century” (236).
GRAMMAR AND QUOTATIONS
A short quotation is a grammatical extension of the writer’s own sentence, so when using quotations, it is important to
remember to punctuate correctly. A comma separates brief, informal, grammatically incomplete introductions from
quotations that complete the sentence:
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
Example:
Prufrock says “I am no prophet – and here’s no great matter” (Eliot 83).
Correct:
Prufrock says, “I am no prophet – and here’s no great matter” (Eliot 83).
Use a colon to separate grammatically complete introductions or statements (complete sentences) from the quotation:
Example:
Edith Hamilton describes Hera perfectly, “She was the protector of marriage, and married women were
her peculiar care. There is very little that is attractive in the portrait the poets draw of her.”
Correct:
Edith Hamilton describes Hera perfectly: “She was the protector of marriage, and married women were
her peculiar care. There is very little that is attractive in the portrait the poets draw of her.”
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
When integrating a quote into your sentence, keep all tenses the same. Change the tense in the quote to match the tense
of your sentence. When you change words in a quote to your own words, be sure to put your words in brackets to let the
reader know they are your words.
Example:
While the legislators cringe at the sudden darkness, “all eyes were turned to Abraham Davenport”
(239).
Correct:
While the legislators cringe at the sudden darkness, “all eyes [turn] to Abraham Davenport” (239).
Make sure your sentences are complete sentences and not fragments or run-ons.
Example:
Yeats asks if, “before the indifferent beak.” [incomplete sentence; makes no sense.]
Correct:
Yeats asks if Leda “put on [the swan’s] knowledge” before his “indifferent beak could let her drop” (8).
Clarify pronouns that have no clear antecedents. You may know who the author is talking about, but your reader
needs to be told. Do this by adding words in square brackets (as in the examples above and below).
Example:
Captain Wentworth says, “It had been my doing – solely mine. She would not have been obstinate if I
had not been weak” (45). [Who the heck is “she”?]
Correct:
Captain Wentworth says, “It had been my doing – solely mine. [Louisa] would not have been obstinate
if I had not been weak” (45).
Make sure subjects and verbs agree.
Example:
Wilfred Owen says that the only prayer said for those who die in battle is war’s noise, which “patter out
their hasty orisons” (17). [noise is singular; patter is plural]
Correct:
Wilfred Owen says that the only prayer said for those who die in battle are the noises of war, which
“patter out their hasty orisons” (17).
When do you capitalize the beginning of a quote? Capitalize quotes that are grammatically complete. If the quote is a
fragment (and could not be a complete sentence), do not capitalize.
Correct:
Captain Wentworth says, “It had been my doing – solely mine. [Louisa] would not have been obstinate
if I had not been weak” (45).
Correct:
Yeats asks if Leda “put on [the swan’s] knowledge” before his “indifferent beak could let her drop” (8).
MAKING EDITORIAL CHANGES IN QUOTATIONS
There are two acceptable ways of making changes in a quotation.
Ellipses (dot dot dot…)
Use ellipses to show that words have been omitted in the middle of a quote. However, do not use ellipses to show
material has been omitted at the beginning or end of a quote.
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
Example:
Eagleton points out that one critic says, “Oedipus is guilty for two reasons: because of the deeds he
actually committed…and because of his desire to commit them…” (50).
Example:
Eagleton points out that one critic says Oedipus “…is guilty for two reasons: because of the deeds he
actually committed…and because of his desire to commit them” (50).
Correct:
Eagleton points out that one critic says, “Oedipus is guilty for two reasons: because of the deeds he
actually committed…and because of his desire to commit them” (50).
Square brackets [ ]
Use square brackets to indicate editorial changes that you, not the quote’s author, make to clarify the quotation or make
it fit into the grammatical structure of the sentence. Do not use parentheses to indicate such changes, or your reader will
see them as part of the original quote.
Example:
“She looked carefully for the place where (Elizabeth) had entered the garden” (Holst 89).
Correct:
“She looked carefully for the place where [Elizabeth] had entered the garden” (Holst 89).
INDENTING LONG QUOTATIONS
Sometimes a short quote – a sentence or two – may not be enough to make the author’s ideas clear. While you should
always try to make your quotes as brief as possible (so they don’t overshadow what you are saying), you do need to
make sure they’re comprehensible. A long quotation is one that is more than four lines long. Indent the entire quotation
by one tab mark (10 spaces), and do not indent its first line any further. Do not put quote marks around indented
quotations. Introduce the quote with a short comment. If your paper is double spaced, you do not need additional blank
lines between your text and the quote.
Correct:
In his book Powwow Highway, David Seals describes the main character’s sister through typical
stereotypes about Indians, and about Indian women in particular.
Nobility lay heavy on upon Bonnie Red Bird. It had been her destiny to be an Indian princess,
and she had accepted that destiny. She had the immaculate auburn skin that made the Cheyenne
among the most handsome of all the Plains Indians… [and] the restrained features that gave the
Cheyenne a pure and peaceful look. (19)
EXPLAINING AND INTERPRETING QUOTES
You cannot simply plop a quote down in the middle of your paper and expect that the reader will understand why it’s
there. You need to explain the quote and interpret it in the context of what it is you are arguing. Show the significance of
the quote to your argument.
Correct:
In his book Powwow Highway, David Seals describes the main character's sister through typical
stereotypes about Indians, and about Indian women in particular.
Nobility lay heavy on upon Bonnie Red Bird. It had been her destiny to be an Indian princess,
and she had accepted that destiny. She had the immaculate auburn skin that made the Cheyenne
Babienko English
1984 Analytical Essay Prompts
“If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their
thinking for them.”
~ George Orwell
among the most handsome of all the Plains Indians… [and] the restrained features that gave the
Cheyenne a pure and peaceful look. (19)
With this introduction of Bonnie, Seals demonstrates the way that stereotypes about Indians have
shaped Bonnie's perceptions of herself. She has modeled herself as an Indian princess within white
society - which leads, ultimately, to her downfall. The implications are clear: Stereotypes, whether held
by whites or Indians, have the power to destroy.
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~schacht/rhe309k/quote.html
Useful Verbs for introducing quotes acknowledges
adds
admits
agrees
argues
asserts
believes
claims
comments
compares
confirms
contends
declares
denies
disputes
emphasizes
endorses
grants
illustrates
implies
insists
notes
observes
points out
reasons
refutes
rejects
reports
responds
suggests
thinks
writes