Pre-AP English I Denise Fuller Please see the following page for more information about the summer work for Pre-AP English I.

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1 Pre-AP English I Denise Fuller dfuller@azleisd.net Please see the following page for more information about the summer work for Pre-AP English I. The attached work is due back to Azle High School by: June 23 rd 10:00 12:00 & 1:00 3:00 Work will not be accepted after the dates listed above. If you are out of town on the above listed dates, all assignments must be submitted to the AHS counseling office prior to June 23 rd. Summer counseling office hours are 7:30-11:30 & 12:30 4:00 Denise Fuller Attach this completed form to the front of summer work. Student Name: Student Parent name: Parent Parent Phone Number:

2 Summer 2016 Dear Student: Welcome to the challenge of Pre-AP English I! I am very excited about this upcoming year and working with you all! Your summer work will include the following: purchasing and reading George Orwell s Animal Farm, answering and turning in the reading guide questions Animal Farm is a dystopian novel written about the Russian Revolution and the rise of Joseph Stalin to power. It is considered a dystopian novel because, even though the intention of the government is to create a perfect society, the opposite occurs. I have provided some background information on Orwell as well as the political climate in Russia/Soviet Union during this time. However, keep in mind that he wrote Animal Farm during World War II while he was a reporter for the BBC. This is why the book is written using animals to represent real people. Since Russia was an ally to both the United States and Orwell s country, England, during this war against Germany, Italy, and Japan, he could not be openly critical of Stalin. I suggest looking at Half Price Books for an inexpensive copy of this novel although Target and Walmart often carry copies of this book. If you are unable to purchase one, please me at dfuller@azleisd.net so that we can make other arrangements. Again, I am very excited to work with you during your first year at Azle High School! Have a great summer, and I will see you when you turn in your work! Denise Fuller

3 Please read through this Power Point before you start reading the novel!

7 Please refer to this chart frequently!

9 Summer Work for Animal Farm First, read through the notes provided to you regarding George Orwell, Animal Farm, and the political climate surrounding the Russian Revolution through the rise of Stalin. Next, you need to frequently refer to your chart that correlates the animals in the story to actual characters and events they represent. Otherwise, this story will seem be about a bunch of pigs who go crazy on the other animals for no apparent reason! As you read, answer the following reading guide questions on your own sheet of paper. You will turn your answers into me. o Chapter One: (Note: The notes in bold are for your information and clarification. You do not need to rewrite these! First off, in the feudalist system of Russia before the Russian Revolution, only a handful of people owned land and had any type of wealth... this is what prompted the desire to overthrow the government and institute a communist society. Orwell had an extreme fondness of horses and that is why they represent the heroes in this story... especially Boxer. Unfortunately, Boxer and Clover, who represent the unskilled labor of Russia, are unable/unwilling to question authority and this condemns them to oppression once the dictatorship is formed. Notice that, at first, the only unifying song/chant/ritual is Beasts of England... as this society heads towards a dictatorship, these rituals multiply to enforce loyalty.) 1. How does Mr. Jones (aka Tsar Nicholas II) treat his animals? Be specific. 2. What type of government does Old Major (aka Karl Marx) advocate? What is a tenet of this type of government? 3. What type of government do the humans represent (ie: Humanism)? 4. What does Old Major say the animals must do? 5. How does Old Major establish friends/foes? 6. Whom does Benjamin represent? 7. Whom does Mollie represent? (Note: o Chapter Two: Snowball and Napoleon represent Trotsky and Stalin. These communists struggled to become the leader of the communist party. Trotsky was a true Marxist and was a vivacious, convincing speaker. Stalin did not actually contribute to the Russian Revolution. He was interested only in his power; he was a terrible dictator once he came to power. Even the name Napoleon refers to Napoleon Bonaparte who betrayed the democratic principles he used to rise to power. Squealer represents the Propaganda Department in the Soviet Union. He either simplifies or complicates language to suit his purpose. Think about how squeal can mean to betray.)

10 1. Which group of animals takes control of teaching and organizing the others after Old Major s death? 2. Why do you think the pigs dislike Moses? 3. Who were the most faithful workers? 4. When the animals stage the rebellion, who leaves with Mr. Jones (other than his wife)? 5. What is one thing that is destroyed by the animals after the Rebellion? What does this item (as well as the others) represent? 6. Which character do you think will have the most trouble adjusting to the Rebellion? Why? 7. What are the original 7commandments? o Chapter Three: (Note: A few important quotes to tie to the ideology of socialism/communism... Every mouthful of food was an acute positive pleasure... produced by themselves and for themselves. But everyone worked according to his capacity. ) 1. Which animal does not actually participate in the manual labor? 2. What is Boxer s maxim (or saying)? 3. Name an animal that shirked his or her duty. For this particular animal, why did he/she shirk the duty? 4. How does Squealer explain away the various ways that the pigs are receiving extra advantages such as milk and apples? 5. What threat does Squealer offer to help encourage all to believe his explanations? o Chapter Four: (Note: The Battle of the Cowshed that happens in this chapter references the Antirevolutionary Invasion of Russia which happened when pro-czarist/anti-communist as well as foreign allies of these guys tried to overthrow the new communist regime.) 1. What was the purpose of the pigeons? 2. How do the neighboring farms feel about Animal Farm? 3. What does Boxer s behavior during and after the Rebellion reveal about his character? How does that compare to Snowball s character? (Note: o Chapter Five: From this chapter on, the pigs (really one pig) are making all of the decisions for the good of every animal; this represents the government taking over all property and controlling industrialization in the Soviet Union. The four young porkers represent the new ruling class... even they are not permitted to question Napoleon and his dogs {Stalin and his police state}.)

11 1. What happens to Mollie? Why do you think she (as the representative of the ruling class) didn t like to live in the communist state? 2. Once Snowball introduces the idea of building the windmill, the farm becomes divided. What promises do both Napoleon and Snowball make to the animals if they side with him? 3. When Napoleon gets rid of Snowball, what do we discover about the missing puppies? What is their new role? 4. How does Squealer justify the fact that there are no more public debates? 5. What does Squealer say is better than bravery? How do these two qualities fit into the way Animal Farm is changing? 6. What surprise announcement does Napoleon spring on the animals? 7. What is Boxer s new maxim? 8. What is another ceremony that has been added within the last three chapters (several have been mentioned)? 9. What is one way that history is re-written during this chapter regarding Snowball? o Chapter Six: (Note: From here on out, Snowball will be the scapegoat for anything that goes wrong. This allows Napoleon to be always right.) 1. Read the first paragraph of this chapter. What are some words with positive connotations? What are some words with negative connotations? 2. One of the tenets of communism is that each would work to his/her ability. How has this tenet been tweaked at Animal Farm? 3. What is the most important task for the animals at this point in time? 4. Read the paragraph concerning Boxer. What do you think about Boxer s beliefs and behavior? 5. How and why is the 1 st commandment altered? 6. Take note of the two farms that Napoleon entertains the thought of entering into trade with. Which two countries do these farms represent? 7. How and why is the 4 th commandment altered? 8. What is one lie that is told about Snowball in this chapter (either a tweaking of history or an instance of placing blame)? o Chapter Seven: (Note: Remember that Boxer represents the uneducated, unskilled working class in Russia and the four porkers represent those who had risen to power with Stalin. Pay attention to how each reacts to decisions that Napoleon makes in this chapter and how each is treated by Napoleon.) 1. Compare the first paragraph of chapter three to the first paragraph of this chapter. What is the shift between the two paragraphs (e.g.: in why the animals are working or in overall tone)? 2. What is one way that history is re-told in this chapter? 3. What is one thing Snowball is blamed for in this chapter? 4. Why do the animals believe these obvious lies? 5. How does Napoleon handle those that he felt had questioned his authority?

12 6. Look back at the song, Beasts of England. Why do you think Napoleon forbids the animals to sing that song anymore? o o o Chapter Eight: 1. How and why is the 6 th commandment altered? (What is Napoleon s purpose in altering this commandment?) 2. How does Napoleon fight the reality that the animals are (at times, at least) worse off than they were under Jones? 3. Name one example of yet another ceremony that is performed in honor of Napoleon (note... the ceremonies were once in honor of Animalism). 4. The things that are occurring at Pinchfield Farm are a reference to which event in history? 5. What does Napoleon do that shocks the animals based on what they knew about Pinchfield Farm? 6. Which event in history does Frederick s attack on the windmill represent? 7. How and why is the 5 th commandment altered? Chapter Nine: 1. What are some hardships faced by the animals at this point in time? 2. Why are the pigs segregated/distinguished from the other animals? 3. What tenet of communism is broken with this segregation? 4. Why do you think Moses is allowed to come back? 5. What happens to Boxer? How does Squealer spin this? Chapter Ten: 1. How is the new generation of animals on Animal Farm described? 2. Now that Animal Farm is richer and more successful, how is a tenet of Animalism broken? 3. Which animals do not produce but merely consume? 4. Only the 7 th commandment remains. How is that commandment an oxymoron? 5. The sheep, who have spent years chanting, Four legs good, two legs bad! now change their chant to Four legs good, two legs, better! What is their purpose throughout this story? 6. Think about the attributes of the pigs in this last chapter. What point is Orwell making about the pigs, specifically, and new ruling classes, in general?

Animal farm. by George orwell. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others

Animal farm. by George orwell. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others Animal farm by George orwell All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others Written in 1945, Animal Farm is the story of an animal revolution that took place on the Manor Farm in England.