SEC: The Words of the Students

Making Connections: Secondary II Students Go All in on 1984 and Frankenstein 

To begin with, Secondary II Literature students read, annotated, analyzed and developed opinions related to characters, plot, themes, symbols, and genres of George Orwell's seminal novel 1984. Written in 1948, the novel chronicles the fictional dystopian world of Winston Smith and his lover, Julia, as they set out to disrupt Big Brother's dominion over them and live a life of true freedom under oppressive surveillance and war.

The students prepared artistically original storyboards based on scenes from the novel that fascinated them, and they wrote reflections of those scenes and storyboards. The artwork and reflections were on display in the hallway for all to enjoy and learn from. They also worked in their Writing II Speech unit to form teams that scripted and recorded podcasts based on annotations and critical thinking done over the course of the 1984 novel study unit. The podcasts were about 20 minutes in length and covered many topics, such as the symbolism or motifs woven into the novel, the men and women of the novel and their development, the genres the novel could be sorted into, and the conflicts faced by the characters.

The podcast reflections that were written after the project were deeply analytical, insightful and sincere.

"What I liked the most was how everyone shared their ideas. It was interesting to hear different thoughts, which made me think about the book in new ways," Zamzam wrote in her podcast reflection.

"Initially, we were a bit stiff and struggled to detach ourselves from the script, but overtime as we kept recording, we started giving personal examples and information outside of the script, which I really enjoyed," Heldi wrote.

Hazel reflected, "I feel like the podcast showed that our group has a strong understanding of the men in 1984, because of our deep analyses on each of the characters and what they represent. I particularly like parts where we connect the characters and the symbols they represent to real historical events, for example, we connected comrade Ogilvy to Uncle Sam and how he represents the ideal citizen as a model for the people of Oceania."

Incredibly, this novel study unit then led to even more engagement during the Frankenstein novel study unit, where the classes completed three student-led seminars that were graded for their insight, intellectual discussion and nuanced understanding of Mary Shelley's brilliant story about man's dark journey to greatness without forethought, humanity or morality. Because of the hard work done by the students during the 1984 unit, the Frankenstein unit gave the students an incredible sense of pride and success as they built meaning out of the 19th-century tragic novel.

"This seminar changed the way I view Victor [Frankenstein] and gave me many ways to connect the book to other pieces we read," wrote Emma in a reflection on her third seminar roundtable.

In their written essays, students indicated the results of the novel's ugly conflicts with the culture of the 1800s.

"Victor's conflict with society and the following consequences cause a tremendous change in his health and mindset. He says, "I am chained in an eternal hell," which shows the guilt and isolation he feels from the actions he has committed. It gets so bad that Victor often becomes physically ill and punishes himself, as more and more people around him died. In the end, he is very different from when he had a mindset obsessed with ambition and grandeur," Amina wrote in an essay analyzing the conflict and consequences stemming from the main character's decision to cast aside society's rules and expectations.

In his final Frankenstein analysis, Frenklin had found an important quote to write about: "'Why did I stretch my legs more than my blanket could cover me?' It meant that Victor created the monster but didn't take care of it," Frenklin wrote, "which led to complete chaos caused for the monster, society and worst of all, himself, as he died at the end."

A majority of students have commented that the two novels' themes and the assignments they completed changed the way they absorb classic novels and gave them a newfound respect for how connected the ideas are to our modern lives. The quality of their efforts and work over the last quintile shows their maturity in approaching literature and indicates that they are ready and enthusiastic to embrace university-level English courses next year. Success for All!