Rock My Mind, Orwell -- and Rock the Vote!
1984 Book Discussion and Non-Partisan Voter Registration

In his cautionary tale, 1984, George Orwell designated the year 1984 to represent a futuristic world overrun by totalitarianism.  Now, twenty years later, Alpharetta High School joins with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in a retrospective to pose the question, Are there ways in which our world of 2004 resemble the world of Orwell’s 1984?  On October 4, 2004, students and faculty of AHS will host an evening for the local community to explore Orwell’s provocative classic, 1984.  Visitors can participate in a multi-faceted experience of the novel and its timeless themes.  From the moment guests arrive, there will be opportunities to view dramatic and film presentations by the AHS electronic media and drama classes and to attend community group discussions of the novel’s themes led by AP literature students.  Additionally, guests will participate in a guided tour of student presentations on Big Brother, a demonstration of the Two Minutes Hate, the infamous Room 101, and student analysis of modern propaganda.  Finally, in response to Orwell’s message on the importance of being an informed citizen, guests will be invited to exercise activism through non-partisan voter registration sponsored by the Rock the Vote organization, through membership of Alpharetta’s newest community library, and by becoming a patron of the Alpharetta High English and Social Studies Department bookrooms by donating a copy of 1984 or a text for AP Government classes.