CENSORSHIP
Mrs.
Allen
Stevenson
High School
Introduction:
In 1984 Orwell
presents a bold argument with his use of satire to explore the way in which
Government controls society. The main
character Winston and other inhabitants of Oceania are subjected to a number of
monitoring systems that do not allow them rights such as Freedom of Speech. Everything
they do and say are watched, interpreted and misinterpreted by Big Brother. In
the end, Winston is suspected of rebelling against the Government and is
charged, imprisoned and tortured. He violated many of the society’s laws,
including the one that allows no Freedom of Speech. Although Orwell wrote this
novel more than 50 years ago, it is relevant to today’s society in many ways.
Themes presented in the novel suggest that people in society are controlled by
the government to the point that they must be careful what they say. Just like Winston’s speech was being
monitored and watched through technology, today’s technology also has the
capability to watch and monitor society.
You are the lawyer defending Winston’s right to free speech. Winston has
been talking to a few people about his dissatisfaction with Big Brother, and
his disagreement with many of the laws that the society is subjected to. He has
been brought into court for trial.
Task:
You will work with a
partner to look at the facts of Winston’s case, and use CompuLegal
to research and analyze whether or not Winston should be protected under the 1st
and 14th Amendments. Using power point, you will make a presentation
to the class.
Process:
You will work with a
partner to:
a) Read the CompuLegal Hyperlink below to better understand the various
Freedom of Speech cases.
b)
Use CompuLegal to research the facts of two or more
cases dealing with Freedom of Speech
c)
write a one-paragraph summary of the facts of one case
that presents the individual’s right to Freedom of Speech.
d)
Write a one-page discussion of the similarities between Winston’s case and one
of the cases you examined.
e)
Write a three-page essay in which you develop arguments to support your
position based on the
1st and 14th.
f)
Use the Rubric at the end of this page to evaluate your work.
g)
Use your research and discussion papers to develop a Power Point presentation
to share your work with the class.
Resources:
Evaluation:
You will mark your work out
of 100%
You will be required to
review the Rubric carefully and check off the parts that apply to your work.
Use the Rubric to decide on
an overall mark for your work.
This assignment is worth
20% of your marking period grade
You will use the following
rubric to evaluate your work:
|
Objective |
Poor 20 – 39% |
Adequate 40 – 59% |
Satisfactory 60 – 79 % |
Excellent 80 – 100% |
|
Facts and arguments of the Case |
Shows little or no understanding of the facts of the case |
Shows some understanding of the facts of the case |
Shows satisfactory understanding of the facts of the case |
Shows outstanding understanding of the facts of the case |
|
Your position and Rationale |
Lacks writing on position or rationale |
Four sentences written about position or rational for position |
One paragraph written on position and rationale |
Two paragraphs written on position and rationale |
|
Effect on the Rights of Freedom of Speech |
Nothing written about the effect on the Right to Freedom of Speech |
Very little written bout the effect of the Right to Freedom of Speech |
Satisfactory writing on the effect of the Right to Freedom of Speech |
Excellent writing on the effect of the Right to Freedom of Speech |
|
Presentation |
Presentation was not audible. |
Presentation was audible but generated little interest |
Presentation was audible and generated some interest |
Presentation was audible, generated some interest and excitement about the topic. |
Mark
__________________________
Standards
NYS
Social Studies Standard 5 – Civics, Citizenship, and Government
NYCDOE
English Language Arts Standards E1c, E3c, E6a
CONCLUSION
Upon
the conclusion of this assignment you will have a better understanding of
Freedom of Speech in the United States Constitution.