Historical English Literature

‘Animal farm’ by George Orwell

Teacher’s guide

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

Introduction to the novel

Animal Farm is an excellent choice for junior and senior secondary students to study. Although on one level the novel is an allegory of the 1917 Russian Revolution, the story is still relevant and can be linked to events today, for example the rebellion of the people in Syria against their leader Assad. In addition, students should be able to recognize similarities between the animal leaders and politicians today. In understanding the work as a satirical comment on the corrupting influence of power, students could relate the corruption of the pigs to people in governments who have failed to resist to the lure of power. And it might even be a suggestion to teach this novel in combination with the history department when they work on the era of the Russian Revolution.

The novel also demonstrates how language can be used to control minds. Since teenagers are likely to be influenced by social media, advertising, the music industry, etc., they should recognize how language can control thought and behaviour. Moreover, teenagers are bound to be influenced by peer pressure. In exploring the skillful use of peer pressure (along with the threat of death later in the book) used by the pigs to keep the other animals in line, the students can analyze their own lives and discover how peer pressure controls their actions.

Animal Farm is a relatively short read and contains few words that will hinder the reader’s understanding. The incidents in the novel allow for much interactive and creative learning. The students workbook contains a brief synopsis of the book and teaching suggestions for while, during, and post reading activities.

Intended teaching level

This novel is intended for VMBO year 3/4, HAVO and VWO year 1/2 and MBO 1/ 2 . But depending on the level it might be possible to teach this novel in VMBO year 2 as well.

This lesson plan is meant as an introduction to the novel but could easily be adapted to a class reading project of the complete novel. The recommended time for this lesson plan is 2 lessons.

Goals

The students will get acquainted with the writer and the novel in the context of historical literature;

The students will learn to connect the themes of this novel to the current time

Lesson objectives

The students learn about literary concepts like allegory, fable and irony;

The students can understand the work as a satirical comment on the corrupting influence of power;

The students can participate in English conversation and share views, conclusions and opinions about the power of propaganda and leadership ;

The students can work creatively on the concept of ‘Utopia’

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

Teaching approaches Class discussion Working in pairs Active listening Reading and exploring the text

Teaching instruments

Materials :

Orwell, G (1945). Animal Farm, A fairy Story. London, UK: Penguin Books (edition 2008)

Printed workbook for students Digital school board A3 paper for drawing placemats

Sources:

The British Library. An introduction to Animal farm. https://www.bl.uk/works/animal-farm Animal Farm TG - Penguin Books.

http://www.penguin.com/static/pdf/teachersguides/animalfarm.pdf Pictures. http://www.beautifuldecay.com/2014/04/30/ralph-steadmans-rare-illustrations-

george-orwells-animal-farm/ Text chapter 1. https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/o/orwell/george/o79a/complete.html Audio:

https://archive.org/details/GeorgeOrwellsanimalFarmRadioAudio/AnimalFarm01.mp3 Trailer of Animal farm by Halas and Batchelor (1954)

https :// www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGCo5Tva39s

Lesson plan for 2 lessons

lesson 1

Pre-reading activities: 30 minutes

Activity 1: Some time should be spent helping students understand the terms satire, allegory, irony, and fable.

Activity 2: As an introduction to the story the following trailer of the 1954 film Halas and Batchelor can be used: https :// www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGCo5Tva39s

Extra activity: some time could be spent on exploring the historical context of the novel and the Russian revolution. The placemat method is quite suitable for this.

- Make groups of four and use the placemat. Let the students choose one of the following topics: Russian Revolution, Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and ask them to write or draw what they know about this subject,.

- Ask students to present and share their ideas or drawings to the rest of the class.

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

While-reading activities : 30 minutes

Activity 3: Reading and listening to a synopsis of the story Activity 4: Old Major’s speech Extra activity: When time permits it could be an idea to go over the commandments Old

Major gives the animals and discuss why they are considered bad.

The commandments are the following:a. No animal is ever to live in a house. (Caring more about possessions) b. No animal is ever to sleep in a bed. (Becoming lazy-spending too much time in bed sleeping instead of working-luxury) c. No animal is ever to wear clothes. (Pride in appearance) d. No animal is ever to drink alcohol. (Drinking to excess-forgetting duties) e. No animal is ever to smoke tobacco. (Ruining health, expensive habit) f. No animal is ever to touch money. (Money corrupts) g. No animal is ever to engage in trade. (Profit making) h. No animal is ever to tyrannize his own kind. (Slavery) i. No animal must ever kill any other animal. (Murder) j. All animals are equal. (Competition is self-serving)

(Source; HAZEL K. DAVIS, Federal Hocking High School, Stewart, OH).

lesson 2

While-reading activities : 30 minutes

Activity 5: Beasts of England, examination of the song as poetry and as propaganda. Activity 6: Power corrupts. Write the old maxim “power corrupts” on the board and ask the

students what it means.  - Discuss examples of power corrupting people and discuss why people so easily are

corrupted by power.- When reading the complete novel it could be discussed what early signs of corruption

can be found in the novel.

Post-reading activities : 30 minutes

Activity 6: Creative activity on the concept of Utopia. Ask the students to make a vlog, design a poster or write a poem or a short story about their own Utopian world.

Answer key

Possible answers are to be found in the boxes below each question.

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

Student’s workbook

Introduction to George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm

Lesson for: VMBO, HAVO/VWO year 1-3, MBO year 1-2

Name: -----------------------------

Class: -----------------------------

Introduction to author

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

George Orwell was the pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair. Orwell was born in India, in 1903, to a family which he described as ‘lower-upper middle class’ or ‘upper-middle class without money’. He went to university at Eton but rather than going on to University, he took the Indian Civil Service exams and became a policeman in Burma in 1921. When he came back to England he spent time living amongst the poor and homeless in London and around the hop fields of Kent, writing that he wanted to see if the English poor were treated in their country in the same way as the Burmese were in theirs. Orwell then moved to Paris in 1928, where he started writing novels and short stories and worked, among other things, as a dishwasher, a private tutor and a teacher in cheap private schools. Most of his writing has a political approach. His novel Animal farm (1945) is written in a literally genre which is called an allegory.

Goals of this lesson: Understanding the terms allegory, fable and irony A short reading of Animal Farm Discuss the power of propaganda and leadership Participation in English conversation; Using known grammar and vocabulary to share views, conclusions and opinions Creative work on the concept of ‘Utopia’

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

Activity 1 – Define the meaning of “Allegory”, “Fable”, and “Irony”

Work in pairs:- Look up the meaning of the following words

“

Allegory : a metaphor extended to a story and constructed in such a way that readers or listeners are encouraged to look for meanings hidden beneath the literal surface of the fiction.Fable: A fable represents a type of allegory, often illustrating a moral through the use of animal characters and in which animals are personified and behave as though they were humans.Animal Farm is a allegory with attributes of the fable, but there is no stated moral at the end. The animals learn nothing from their experience and are still unaware of their real situation.Irony: the intended meaning is opposite to the actual meaning (opposite truth). irony is used for its effect (to be funny, to surprise, to make a statement). When Irony becomes bitter and angry it is called sarcasm.

- Write down in your own words what you think is the key concept of irony and discuss together. Try to come up with some more examples.

George Orwell makes full use of dramatic irony in Animal Farm. Throughout the book the reader knows many crucial facts that the characters are not aware of. Such as the animals believing Boxer was sent to the hospital, when the reader knows the pigs sold him to the slaughter house and used the money to buy whiskey for themselves.

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

- Can you think of other examples of allegories or fables? Write down your examples and discuss them in pairs.

The Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop’s Fables. From this story, we learn that the strong and steady win the race.The Hunger Games: This trilogy of Young Adult books (and now blockbuster movies) is an allegory for our obsession with reality television and how it numbs us to reality.The story of Icarus: Icarus fashions wings for himself out of wax, but when he flies too close to the sun his wings melt. This story is a message about the dangers of reaching beyond our powers.

Activity 2 – Watch the trailer of Animal farm by Halas and Batchelor (1954)

- First impression: what do you think the story is about?

Work in groups of 4- Draw a placemat and write down “Animal Farm” in the

middle.Then write down your thoughts and discuss.

- The central characters are obviously animals. What animal do you feel connected to and why? Discuss this in your group.

WHILE- READING ACTIVITIES

Activity 3 – The story

Silent reading – Discuss in pairs:- Read the synopsis of the story- Underline the words you are interested in and see if you can work out their

meaning.

Animal farm – the story

On the Manor Farm a grand old boar named Old Major gathers the animals to talk about the difficulty of their lives under man’s rule. He reveals his dream and prophesies a future rebellion of animals against man, teaching the animals a song called “Beasts of England.”Old Major dies but the other animals, led by two young boars named Snowball and Napoleon, keep the idea of a future rebellion against man alive. One day, when Mr. Jones (the owner of the farm) becomes

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

too drunk to feed or care for the animals, the animals break into the grain bins. When Mr. Jones and the hired hands appear, the animals attack and drive them off the farm. The animals are now in control of Manor Farm. They change its name to Animal Farm and establish their own rules for behaviour which are painted on the wall of the barn. The most important of these “Seven Commandments of Animalism” is: “All animals are equal”.

The farm animals, supervised by the pigs, harvest the crops with better results than ever before and for a while everything runs smoothly. Since most of the animals cannot learn to read or to memorize the seven commandments, the commandments are reduced to one simple phrase: “Four legs good, two legs bad.” The song “Beasts of England” is now being hummed and sung over half of the county.

But after some time Napoleon, acting as supreme leader, proposes changes to the management of the farm, replacing meetings of all animals with a committee of pigs who will run the farm. Eventually, Napoleon becomes more and more paranoid and he is convinced that someone will overthrow him. He uses the dogs to chase away Snowball, the other leading pig, and begins to rule the farm as a dictator, using the dogs to control the other animals.

Things get progressively worse on the farm. The animals are worked till the point of collapsing and are colder and hungrier than before but the pigs assure them that they are still much better off than when Jones ran the farm. Since most of the animals cannot remember what life under Jones was like, they believe this. It becomes clear that the commandments have been rewritten in favour of the pigs: “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”. The pigs are beginning to take on human qualities, like walking upright. And later, as the animals look through the kitchen window at the pigs and the humans sitting together, they realize that they can no longer tell the two apart.

Animal farm - the main characters- Mr. Jones: the owner of Manor Farm ( later called Animal Farm). Once a decent

master till he started the habit of drinking . When times changed for the worse he became a cruel master.

- Old Major: the kind and fatherly pig. Old Major’s ideal is a society where all animals are equal and he inspires the animals to take over control of the farm.

- Moses: a tame raven and pet of Mr. Jones. He is the only animal who doesn't work and he is also the only character who doesn't listen to Old Major's speech of rebellion. Moses is a clever talker and claims to know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to which all animals go when they die. The animals hate Moses because he tells tales and doesn’t work but some of them believe in Sugarcandy Mountain.

- Snowball and Napoleon: two pigs who take over leadership after the revolution. But as time goes on Napoleon decides that Snowball must be eliminated.

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HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

Napoleon is really the central character on the farm and although he seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. 

- Boxer and Clover: two carthorses who have great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves. They accept the pigs as their teachers and do as they are told by the pig leaders.

- Squealer: one of the pigs who belongs to the inner circle. He acts like a newspaper being the link between Napoleon and the other animals.

- Old Benjamin: an elderly donkey and friend of Boxer. He is rather unchanged since the rebellion and still does his work in the same way, never becoming too exited or too disappointed about anything that has passed. 

- Muriel: is a knowledgeable goat who reads the commandments for Clover. She is quite clever and able to decide things for herself, but she is not capable enough to take action and oppose Napoleon and his pigs.  

Activity 4 – Old Major’s speech - Listen to Old major’s speech. You may want to read at the same time, you

will find his speech on the last page of this worksheet.

Work in pairs:The following quote is from Old Major’s speech:

- The Do you agree with Old Major? Discuss in pairs and write down your thoughts

This speech is meant to stir the animals to the point that they will actually rebel against man.

At this stage it could be an idea to confront the students with famous speeches in history, such as Martin Luther King ( I have a dream), Barack Obama ( Yes, we can) etc.

Activity 5 – Beasts of England

Discuss in pairs:

Examine the song “Beasts of England” as poetry.

- What is the message? - To what emotions and needs does it appeal?- Write down your thoughts in the box.

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“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough , he cannot run fast enough to catch

HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

Beasts of England! Beasts of Ireland!Beasts of land and sea and skies!Hear the hoof beats of tomorrow!See the golden future rise!

How does the life of an animal pass?In endless drudgery.What's the first lesson an animal learns?To endure its slavery.How does the life of an animal end?In cruel butchery.

Beasts of England! Beasts of Ireland!Beasts of land and sea and skies!Hear the hoofbeats of tomorrow!See the golden future rise!

Now the day of beasts is coming,Tyrant man shall lose his throneAnd the shining fields of EnglandShall be trod by beasts alone.

Pull the rings from out your nosesTear the saddle from your back!Bit and spur must rust forever,Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Beasts of England, seize the prizes,Wheat and barley, oats and hay,Clover, beans and mangel wurzelShall be ours upon that day.

VocabularyAny other words that puzzle you? Look them up and discuss the meaning with your classmate

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Drudgery- gezwoeg Endure – verdragen/ondergaan Tyrant man– overheerser/onderdrukker Trod - betreden Wheat - tarwe Oats – haver Barley – gerst Mangel wurzel - voederbiet

The song paints a vivid picture of the day when animals are at last free of man and all the symbols of slavery such as whips and spurs are gone.

It appeals to their dreams of a more prosperous future, an abundance of food and the absence of cruelty and the need for hope to keep an individual from giving up.

“Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough , he cannot run fast enough to catch

HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

Now look at the song as propaganda. Write down your thoughts in the box below.

- First, define the meaning of the word propaganda. You may want to look it up.

- Discuss together what makes propaganda effective. What strategies do people (political leaders, companies etc.) use to influence peoples thoughts and actions?

- Now discuss together in what way the song “Beasts of England” can be effective as propaganda.

- Do you know of any other examples in the world today where propaganda is used to influence peoples thoughts and actions?

- Are you yourself ever influenced by propaganda? (for example, think of the language used by advertisers)

Propaganda is communication aimed at  influencing the attitude of a community towards some cause or position. 

Cambridge dictionary Online: information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people's opinions

Strategies:- Words of praise for product or person; nice words like goodness or patriotism- Name calling; Trash-talking about another product or person- Testimonial: A famous person recommends a product or a political endorsement- Plain Folks: Appeals to regular people and their values such as health, family and patriotism- Peer pressure: An appeal to be part of a group- Transfer: An appeal that helps a person imagine themselves as part of a picture- Card-stacking: Manipulating information to make a product appear better than it is, often by

unfair comparison or omitting facts

The song Beasts of England helps win the animals over because it stirs up emotions and depicts a desirable image of the future in such a way that any animal would be crazy not to long for.

Activity 6 – Power Corrupts 

Animal Farm is an allegory of the 1917 Russian Revolution and critiques the power, selfishness and greed of leaders. Unfortunately, in today’s world there are still many conflicts, dictators and corrupted leaders. In many cases these leaders started their leadership as reasonable persons but then became more and more corrupted during the course of their leadership.

Class discussion:11

HEL LITERATURE ANIMAL FARM – GEORGE ORWELL

- Do you know of any examples?

- Why are humans so easily corrupted by power? What do you think?

- What are qualities of a good leader?

- What methods are there to enable changes in a democratic society?

Current world events may be brought up, including the current rebellions in Syria, the previous Apartheid in South Africa, slavery and abolitionism in the US

What made these people dissatisfied with their leaders and their living conditions?

Qualities of good leadership:Honesty and integrityEmpathyConfidenceInspire othersCommitment and passionGood communicatorDecision-Making capabilitiesAccountabilityDelegation and empowermentCreativity and innovation

Some methods to enable democratic changes:

VotingMarchingProtestingTrade UnionsStriking Volunteering Getting involved in community organisations Contributing to local events

POST - READING ACTIVITY

Activity 7 – Creative work on the concept of Utopia

Old Major had a vision of a society where all animals were equal, where there was no slavery and where all animals lived together in harmony. You might have heard of the term “Utopia” before (as it is a series on Netflix at the moment). If not, look up its meaning.

On your own:

If you could change the world: what would be your version of Utopia ?

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Design or describe your Utopia. You may write a story or a poem in which you describe your Utopia or you may want to create a poster or perhaps make a vlog.

Be creative and hand in the result next lesson. Enjoy yourselves with this task

SUCCES

CHAPTER 1Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door and made his way up to bed.

As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way.

At one end of the barn, on a raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern. He was twelve years old, a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance. Before long the other animals began to arrive. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The hens perched on the window-sills, the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs. The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life. Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. After the horses came Muriel, the goat, and Benjamin, the

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donkey. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered but he was devoted to Boxer.

When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:

“Comrades, I do not think that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. “Now, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and we are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

“But is this simply because this land is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, the soil of England is fertile, its climate is good. This farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep — and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word — Man, “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough. Yet he is lord of all the animals. “

Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know that sooner or later justice will be done. Fix your eyes on that, comrades, “And remember that in fighting against man we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or engage in trade. All the habits of Man

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are evil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannize over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

“And now, comrades, I will tell you about my dream of last night. It was a dream of the earth as it will be when Man has vanished. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten. The song my mother used to sing. It is called ‘Beasts of England’.”

Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing. It was a stirring tune, something between ‘Clementine’ and ‘La Cucaracha’:

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken to my joyful tidings

Of the golden future time.

Soon or later the day is coming,

Tyrant Man shall be overthrown,

And the fruitful fields of England

Shall be trod by beasts alone.

Rings shall vanish from our noses,

And the harness from our back,

Bit and spur shall rust forever,

Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Riches more than mind can picture,

Wheat and barley, oats and hay,

Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels

Shall be ours upon that day.

Bright will shine the fields of England,

Purer shall its waters be,

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

On the day that sets us free.

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For that day we all must labour,

Though we die before it break;

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,

All must toil for freedom’s sake.

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken well and spread my tidings

Of the golden future time.

The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major had reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it. Unfortunately, the uproar awoke Mr. Jones, who sprang out of bed, and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. and the farm was asleep in a moment. Three nights later Old Major died peacefully in his sleep.

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