1984 Book English Video Project

Only one more week until fall break, and I am so excited I can almost count the hours!

This week, after our class finished reading 1984 by George Orwell, my English teacher gave us a project. We could present, draw, or film a video about the book. My group of four chose the video.

We turned our school into Oceania. Trâm played the head of school, our very own Big Brother. Adiya and Naomi played the rule-breakers who dared to go against the system. And I played the loyal citizen who believed in the government completely, the kind of person who never questions a single rule. Then came the twist. Afraid of being punished, Naomi turned on Adiya, just like Winston and Julia betray each other at the end of the novel.

Playing the true believer was a strange experience. In the book, it is easy to judge the characters who simply follow orders. But standing in front of the camera, repeating lines about loyalty to the government, I started to understand how comfortable obedience can feel, and how dangerous that comfort really is.

The funniest part is that a story about distrust and betrayal ended up bringing the four of us closer. Between takes, we talked, joked, and got to know each other in a way that normal class time never allows. By the time we finished filming, we were no longer just a group assigned to work together. We were friends who had survived Oceania side by side.

I came into this project thinking it would just be another assignment. I left it with a better understanding of Orwell, and three people I am really glad I got to know.