1. Practice Question
Analyse how Nineteen Eighty Four and Pleasantville
imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the
established values of their time.
Adapted from HSC 2012 Paper 2 Module A
1. Incorporating ideas & values into our response
2. Writing an introduction and a thesis statement
DRAFT
P Hegarty 2012

2. • We can talk about a society constructed around or driven by
or underpinned by a particular ideology. What does this word
mean ? A dictionary definition reads;
• “A set of doctrines or beliefs; and values that form the basis
of a political, economic, or other system”
• Beliefs and values are intertwined. If you believe people have
the right to express their opinion, you value free speech. You
think free speech is important. The importance of free speech
is an idea.
• The societies in Nineteen Eighty Four and Pleasantville are
underpinned by a particular ideology.
• What is this ideology ? In other words what are the
‘established values’ of these societies.

4. • The state insists on/enforces/demands absolutes conformity and total
obedience to the central authority. This is the fundamental ideology of
this society. [This could be your thesis]
• This can then be broken down into many ideas
1. The illusion of equality which is in effect rigid social conformity
2. Conformity of behaviour
3. Conformity of belief
4. How the state enforces conformity and retains control. The state
therefore will go to extraordinary lengths to ensure its values, its views,
its authority prevails.
• In other words the state does not value/tolerate/encourage/allow/support
individual freedom, any expression of independence in action or thought

5. • The individual therefore can have values which clash with those of the
state.
• Winston feels a sense of total alienation because he finds the values of the
state repugnant. The physical environment of the concrete jungle is deeply
alienating to an individual who finds a sense of belonging in nature. The
natural world/environment is not valued in this dystopian society.
• Winston values concepts of family, friendship, family loyalty, love and
that is why he is so horrified by the Parson’s children, that is why he is
obsessed with the past [ when these values were evident ] and the world
of the Proles where these values are evident today.
• Everything Winston values, the state does not
• Winston values truth and is appalled by censorship, the destruction of all
forms knowledge, the rewriting of history etc
• He values his independence [owntime], his privacy
• Because he values his freedom and individualism so much, he is driven to
rebellion

6. • Winston fundamentally values [wants/desires/longs for/craves] a sense of
existential belonging and can only achieve this by reconnecting with the past -
‘ancestral past’-. Winston recognises the importance of personal memory in
feeding into one’s individual sense of well being
• The importance of shared knowledge [which the state does not value]
collective memory/history/nursery rhymes/narratives/
• Winston values discussion & debate and his own opinion. He wants to make
meaningful connections with other people. He cannot stand the party talk of
his peers at work
• How does Winston create meaning in his life ?
• He keeps a diary. He keeps this diary for many reasons including the very
simple notion that it is aesthetically pleasing. Uunlike the state which values
functionality, Winston values thinks of beauty, art, literature
• He tries to remember the past…his dreams of the past
• He has an affair with Julia [ While their affair is an act of rebellion, he values
their companionship, friendship, meaningful discussion
• His visit to the countryside becomes a journey back in time to an older
England, an idyllic pastoral world
• He visits the junk shop…room. The shop and room are a physical manifestation
of all that he values…family, love, communal conversation leisure, security,
privacy, sense of place/belonging, an expression on one’s independence,
individualism, artistic expression

7. • Let’s return to the question
• Analyse how Nineteen Eighty Four and Pleasantville imaginatively portray individuals
who challenge the established values of their time
• Thesis Statements…some examples. Remember the thesis statement is an extension
of the question. If you had a topic in debating, your team line would be your thesis
• A basic thesis would be
• Winston and individuals in Pleasantville challenge the dominant ideologies of their
societies
• Some more sophisticated thesis might be
• Winston and ___________Live in totalitarian societies which above all else value and
demand complete loyalty and obedience to the state which run contrary to their
desire for freedom and independence.
• It is impossible for the individual who values freedom to be happy in a society that is
underpinned by rigid conformity
• In a society where the establishment wields absolute power, individual values and
beliefs are crushed.

8. • We are now ready to write an Introduction
• Write an opening statement about both texts
1. Introductory sentence which addresses the question and introduces both texts
The Novel Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell and the film Pleasantville directed by G
Ross both imaginatively represent how certain individuals challenge the authority in
their respective societies
2. I will now outline my thesis which is an extension of the question
Winston and the citizens of Pleasantville live in totalitarian societies which above all else
value and demand complete loyalty and obedience to the state which run contrary to
the individual’s desire for freedom and independence.
3. Now my ideas [no more than 2]
Both composers explore how these societies_______1_____ and how individuals
instead_____2_____
4. How one text enhances my understanding of the other…
While these texts are superficially different in context and storyline they share these
common ideas. Our understanding of these ideas as explored in Nineteen Eighty Four is
enhanced by our viewing of Pleasantville. Each text resonates with the other
complementing our understanding of this fundamental conflict between the individual
and society.
5. Something on purpose
In these satirical texts Ross and Orwell employ a range of narrative and filmic techniques in
their unique representation of these ideas. As effective satire we soon realise that these
ideas have a universal appeal in holding a mirror up to our modern society and the
duality of human nature