Animal Farm
English 1201
Notes and Workbook 2016
Name________________
Class_________________
-1-SECTION 1: Who Are You?
(Individual) Activity 1
Animal Farm: Which farm personality (or two) can you
identify with and why?
Benjamin the donkey
Boxer the horse
the cat
Clover the mare
a dog
a duckling
a hen
Mollie the cart horse
Moses the tame raven
Muriel the goat
Napoleon the pigs' leader
a rat
a sheep
Snowball the banished pig
Squealer the propaganda pig
___________________
SECTION 2: Animal Crackers
(Group) Activity 2
Animal Farm: Choose one character from the list in section
one. Fill in the blanks below for the character known as
_________________________.
If your character was a(n) ____________, s/he would be
______________.
Car___________________________________________
Book____________________________________________
Building________________________________________
Food ___________________________________________
Insect __________________________________________
Logo ____________________________________________
Sport____________________________________________
Toy _____________________________________________
TV show _________________________________________
You pick one _______________
-3-SECTION 3: Matching Game
(Group )Activity 3
Animal Farm: Choosing any five characters from your novel,
fill in their personality twin from current pop culture (movie
star, singer, politician, athlete, etc.)
i. AF character_______________ = ________________
from _________________________
WHY?_________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
ii. AF character_______________ = ________________
from _________________________
WHY?_________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
iii. AF character_______________ = ________________
from _________________________
WHY?_________________________________________
______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
WHY?_________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
v. AF character_______________ = ________________
from _________________________
WHY?_________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
SECTION 4: Character Sketches
(Individual)Activity 4
Animal Farm: Choosing any three characters from your novel,
and show that these characters were important in revealing
Orwell's theme(s) (message). You may trade characters
ideas (you do two and trade with someone for the third; be
thorough so that you have good material for the trade)
These notes will be part of a study guide for the test on
Animal Farm.
Character #1__________________________
Provide a theme and then three quotes and notes to show
how the message in linked to the chosen character.
Theme___________________________________________
Quote 1, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
-5-Quote 2, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Quote 3, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Character #2__________________________
Provide a theme and then three quotes and notes to show
how the message in linked to the chosen character.
Theme___________________________________________
Quote 1, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Quote 2, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
Quote 3, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Character #3__________________________
Provide a theme and then three quotes and notes to show
how the message in linked to the chosen character.
Theme___________________________________________
Quote 1, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Quote 2, page___, with explanation:
________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Quote 3, page___, with explanation:
-8-________________________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
The Writer
His BackgroundGeorge Orwell
Pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, an English novelist and social critic
Best known for writing 1984, a frightening portrait of a totalitarian society that punishes love, destroys privacy, and distorts truth
Born in Bengal, India in 1903
Father worked for the service and Orwell came back to England to be educated
Discriminated against in high school, but his brilliance kept him there
Studied man and realized that there should be no case where one man enslaves another; worked with bums and poor people
Orwell was both middle class intellectual and working class reformer
Deep lover of words who never consciously misused them (shows their power in Animal Farm)
Mixed political views with artistic ability
Said writing was “not Art for Art’s sake, but to teach”
Believed that people should protest against the things they see wrong in the world
Orwell was a socialist. He believed that there should be a government collection, but people should have some of their own possessions.
ANIMAL FARM
Study Notes It came out in August of 1945, the same month as the bombing of Hiroshima.
Even Russians enjoyed the book; they read it for the surface story.
This book has been labelled in a number of ways, and rightly so, as it
communicates on three levels:
1) It is partly an animal fable***.
FABLE = a brief tale told to point to a moral. The characters are frequently animals.
-9-SATIRE = a literary mode the purpose of which is to humourously expose human follies and weaknesses so as to bring about change. Satire makes use of exaggeration and ridicule, as well as sarcasm and irony
3) It is a comment on mankind in general, showing that if we give people
power, anyone can become a Napolean.
Fairy Story?
Is Animal Farm a fairy story? In some ways, it does fit this category as well. Fairy stories
Written without moral or morality
Take place in a world beyond good and evil, where people suffer or prosper
for reasons unconnected with ethical merit – i.e. for being ugly or beautiful The animals never had a chance to choose and the choice would have made no difference.
Uses fixed stereotypes {i.e. Boxer is the unintelligent citizen.}
A fairy story is a transcription of life into highly simplified symbols; when it
succeeds, it leaves us with a feeling of truth. {Several themes are apparent, such as the corruption of power and the danger of being complacent.}
There is also a rebelliousness against the truth revealed. {We are upset
when good, kind Boxer is cruelly destroyed.}
There is no magic, except that the animals talk. There is no happy ending.
A political purpose suggests some kind of moral, and that suggests a fable, as discussed above.
Russian Revolution
Based on the ideas of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels
The main relation between humans is an economic one.
The main person is the labourer, but the money goes to the head.
This is unfair, so the labourers should rise up and take over business
The Russian Revolution occurred in 1917 at the end of WWI.
The Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, was overthrown by a radical group who said he had too much power.
Irony – things did not get better
Many groups tried to get power.
A group under the leadership of Lenin succeeded.
Under Lenin, things began to get better, until Lenin died in 1924. When he died, his aims were still works in progress.
There was another fight for power: Stalin – Napolean
Trotsky – Snowball
-10- Stalin won out and sent Trotsky to Siberia. Trotsky had come up with a five-year plan. Stalin initially rejected it, but after Trotsky was out of the picture, Stalin adopted his plan. {windmill}
Trotsky was made a scapegoat. People charged with treason were called “Trotskys”. {Snowball}
Stalin
Encouraged leader worship {our leader, the ducklings’ friend}
Had people brainwashed and tortured into admitting things, then executed {slaughtered animals}
Brought people in from the West and showed them only the good farms, not the poor failing ones {bins filled from the bottom with sand}
Orwell’s Style
Easy to read
Orwell wants to be simple and honest to get the message across
He said that big words only obscure meaning
Writing prose is like a window pane – clean it so that you can look through and your vision will not be impaired
His rules were:
Never use a long word when a short one will do. Use an active not a passive voice.
Remember simplicity and there will be no lies – in the simple work lies stand out.
Tone
Harsh subject matter
Animals are being treated unequally even though they think otherwise
Tone is sober, objective
Doesn’t like what is happening, but keeps emotions under control
Has a grip on the tone that he is using so as to avoid interfering
Concern and anger shine through, but are always within a perspective that is best for the reader, who is left to determine his or her own feelings
Well-organized – things happen slowly and deliberately
Imagery enhances characters and helps to bring out theme
- “…he had a way of skipping from side to side and whisking his tail which was somehow very persuasive.”
- “There were shoutings, bangings on the table, sharp glances, furious denials. The source of the trouble appeared to be that Napolean and Mr. Pilkington had each played an ace of spades simultaneously.”
SECTION 5: Puzzler: So why IS it told from this point of
view?
(Individual )Activity 5
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
SECTION 6: Propaganda
(Group) Activity 6.
Ideas, facts, or allegations (that which is positively asserted) spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause
Find one example of each of these types of propaganda in Animal Farm:
1. all or nothing:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
2. play on words:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
3. false statistics:
-12-4. subtle lies:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
5. outrageous lies:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
SECTION 7: Play, Pack or Rap
(Group) Activity 7
.
Since Animal Farm is an allegory, each character represents a trait present in real people. Choose a character from your allegorical novel.
a) create a role play that shows the traits of your character
b) draw a "backpack" that this character would carry with at least five possessions inside, and draw these items (attach white paper at the back)
c) write a rap song about what it is like to be this character on Animal Farm (Manor Farm)
SECTION 8: Political Moves.
(Group) Activity 8.
You are tired of working for nothing. Boxer is gone, Benjamin is quieter than ever, and the pigs, well they’re pigs all right. You call a quiet meeting while the dictators sleep off their latest alcoholic binge. Outline a step by step plan to end this misery.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
-14-SECTION 9: Theme Song
(Group) Activity 9
.
Your plan succeeded. It’s celebration time. Choose a song to play as you enter your new lives.
Song___________________________________________________________
Rationale
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
SECTION 10: And Now For The Real Fairy Tale…
(Individual) Activity 10
.
Based on your choice in activity one, tell the rest of your story. What do you do in your new life? Who do you live with? What are your hobbies? What is your favorite saying? Your claim to fame? Do you have young? What do you tell them about the bad old days?
