Animal Farm by George Orwell

Assignments:

1. 75 SAT Vocabulary words - define  (turn in 4/26)

2. Background information - Create one page of Cornell notes (turn in 4/26)

3. Pre-Reading Activity #1 (turn in 4/26)

Animal Traits and Human Characteristics  Animal Farm is about a group of animals that form their own society.  The animals include:

cats	horses	a donkey	a raven
hens	dogs	rats	geese
cows	pigs	goats	sheep

The Social roles that these animals fulfill in their own society include:
1. leaders who make all the political and business decisions
2. workers who follow the leaders and produce the goods and services necessary to support the society
3. law enforcers who keep peace and make sure that everyone obeys the rules of the leaders
4. criminals who don't follow society's rules

• Tell which animals might fulfill each of the roles.  Explain the reasons for your choices in complete sentences, yes, complete sentences.

• What other roles might some of these animals fulfill in an ideal “animal society”?

RUBRIC

4 All questions are written in correct complete sentences. Answers are thoughtful, and complete.

3 All questions are written in correct complete sentences, with only one or two minor errors. Answers are complete.

2 All questions are written in sentences, but there are several noticeable errors. The answers are mostly complete, but one of the sections may be missing.

1 Questions are not written in sentences or are filled with errors that make reading difficult. More than half of the questions may not be answered.

0 So incomplete that no credit is earned

4. Chapter Study Questions (use these to prepare for tests, but they do NOT have to be turned in)

5. Active Reading Activities - Three worksheets (turn in after each section)

6. Personal Response and Analysis Questions

    Personal Response

1. What do you think of the animal's rebellion? (4/26)

2. The animals commandments are written on the wall. Write seven commandments that you live your life by (4/27)

3. What was your reaction to Snowball’s expulsion from Animal Farm? (5/2)

4. Do you think it’s fair that those who are more educated or more skilled—like the pigs in Animal Farm—have more influence in decision making? Consider how decisions are made in your community, state, or in the nation.(5/2)

5. Some critics believe that, at the end of the book, Orwell suggests that the pigs and human political leaders are interchangeable. Do you think most government rulers are interchangeable? How might power change those who have it? Explain.

6. Animal Farm contains many extremely effective scenes. Some are humorous or witty, others are bitterly ironic or pessimistic. Which scene did you find most memorable and effective? Why?

    Analysis

1. Why does Old Major use the word "comrades"? (4/26)

2. What does the song "Beasts of England" mean? (4/26)

3. What is important about the characterization of Mr. Jones?(4/27)

4. How do the new ruling pigs differ from Old Major? Compare/Contrast Snowball and Napoleon.(4/27)

5. What techniques does Orwell use to cast doubt on the likelihood of a successful revolution? (4/27)

6. Who is missing from the battle of the cowshed? Why is this important? (4/27)

7. What propaganda is used by the other human farmers about the "Manor Farm"?(4/27)

8. Identify three ways that Napoleon tries to solidify his leadership position on the farm. How does the process of decision-making on the farm change under Napoleon’s leadership?(5/2)

9. Why do the executions take place? What message do these events send to the animals about their role in a future society? (5/2)

10. What happens to Boxer and how do the other animals learn of his fate? How do they come to a final conclusion about these events?

11. In Chapter 10 the pigs begin to walk on two legs. In your opinion is this evolution a sign of progress? Explain.

RUBRIC

7. Allegory vs. Fable

• Consult a dictionary, locate and record the definitions of "allegory" and "fable" in the table below. Think about it.  Write your definition of a fable and an allegory.

Allegory:

Fable:

• Determine how George Orwell's Animal Farm conforms to and differs from the definition of an allegory and a fable.  Dazzle me with your interpretations as you complete the questions below.

How is Animal Farm an allegory?	How is Animal Farm a fable?
*	*
*	*
What elements in Animal Farm are unlike an allegory?	What element(s) of Animal Farm are not like a fable?
*	*
*	*
*	*

• Let's have a look at Aesop's Fables:
  According to Greek legends, the slave Aesop, who is said to have lived in the sixth century B.C., made up many clever fables for the use of his master.  The three fables that follow are based on fables that Aesop is supposed to have told.  The moral is listed for only the first fable.

  The Dog in the Manger

  One day a dog decided to nap in a manger, which is a structure that holds hay for animals to eat from.  At the end of the day, the tired oxen came to the stable and wanted to eat some of the hay in the manger.  The dog awoke and barked so that the oxen could not eat the hay.  "You are very mean," the oxen said.  "You don't eat hay.  Why keep us from having it?"

  Moral:  Don't begrudge to others what you can't use yourself.

  The Ant and the Dove

  An ant, which was climbing down a blade of grass to drink from  a stream fell in the water.  A dove pitied the drowning ant and dropped a leaf so the ant could use it as a raft.  Safe on shore, the ant saw a hunter just about to throw a net over the dove.  The ant stung the hunter's heel, and the hunter cried out in pain.  alerted to its danger, the dove flew away.

  Moral:

  The Wind and the Sun

  The wind and the sun were arguing about which of them was stronger.  They agreed to a contest:  the winner would be whoever could make a traveler take off his coat.  The wind blew hard and tried to tear off the traveler's coat, but the traveler only wrapped it around him more tightly.  When the warm sun shone on the traveler, he took off his coat.

  Moral:

  Questions:
  1. The people who told the original fables did not tell their listeners what their story's moral was.  The listeners guessed the moral themselves.  Which of the following best matches the moral lesson taught in the fable about the ant and the dove.
      a.  Nature can be cruel to man.
      b.  One good turn deserves another.
      c.  God helps those who help themselves.
  2. Which moral lesson is taught in the fable about the wind and the sun.
      a. The sun is stronger than the wind.
      b. Only a fool makes a bet with the sun.
      c.  Kindness is more effective than force.
  3. Aesop used animals as characters in many of his fables, but who are his fables really about?
  ___________________________________________________________________________________
  4.  Based on these fables, what element would you say is most important in a fable?
      a.  descriptive details
      b.  atmosphere or mood
      c.  plot

  RUBRIC

  4 All questions/tables are answered completely. Answers are thoughtful, correct, and complete.

  3 All questions/tables are answered completely. Answers are complete and correct. Only one or two minor errors.

  2 All questions/tables are answered. Answers are mostly correct. One section may be missing or show a few incorrect answers.

  1 All questions/tables are only partially answered, or show several incorrect answers.

  0 So incomplete that no credit is earned

8. Analysis Activity
The animals’ initial revolution has faded into the official legend written by Squealer. What if the animals had the same knowledge and insight that you as a reader have? With your groups, identify places in Chapters 8 through 10 where this knowledge might change the
course of events. Then predict what might have happened had the animals possessed such knowledge.

RUBRIC

9. "The Last Word" by Matthew Arnold
Focus Question
How would you define the word persevere? How would you define the word acquiesce? In what situations might it be important to persevere? When might it be wiser to acquiesce?
Background
Although Matthew Arnold lived and wrote approximately seventy-five years before George Orwell, his apprehension about the place of religion and politics in society paralleled that of Orwell. The question of how to live a full and enjoyable life in a modern industrial society greatly concerned Arnold and permeated his poems and essays during the 1860s. Arnold viewed his world as dominated by leaders who were not so much wicked as they were ignorant, narrow-minded, and dull. Arnold’s poetry has been noted for
its sense of lonely isolation, melancholy, and for a longing for serenity he can not seem to find.

Responding to the Reading
1. What advice does the speaker give to those who want to engage in social criticism or reform in order to make significant changes in society? Does he believe in persevering or acquiescing in the face of opposition?
2. What do you think the speaker means when he says that “Geese are swans, and swans are geese”? Use other images and examples from the poem to support your answer.
3. Making Connections In your opinion, would Arnold and Orwell have agreed about the possibility of successful social revolution? Is Arnold’s purpose in writing “The Last Word” the same as or different from Orwell’s purpose in writing Animal Farm? Use elements of both the poem and the novel to support your answers. How do these writers’ thoughts compare with your own? Explain your answer.
 

Thanks to Mrs. Hartley's Animal Farm Unit for some activities.