1. Animal Farm
Pre-Reading Notes

2. Anticipation Guide: Journal Prompts
1. Which do you think is a more powerful medium for political voice, a charged political essay or a fictitious fable? 2. Do religion and politics belong together? 3. Are you a political revolutionary or political drop-out? 4. Are you influenced by political propaganda? What are examples of political propaganda today? 5. Is it good to re-write History? Why do some attempt to re-write History? 6. How important is literacy to intellectual, political, and other kinds of freedom?

3. propaganda devices used to persuade someone to do something
many times uses lies or exaggeration in order to make a point

4. Propaganda #1
How might this image have an effect on others?

5. Propaganda #2
How might this image have an effect on others?

6. satire writing that uses humor to ridicule problems in a society
often stories are used to bring about warnings or hopes of change
Modern Example: SNL’s political skits

7. Satire Example #1 Do you understand what is being made fun of?
How might this influence change?

8. Satire Example #2 Do you understand what is being made fun of?
How might this influence change?

9. George Orwell
As a child he was sent to an expensive prep school in England as a “charity case”
Therefore, he was often abused by his peers because he was teased for being poor and felt like a failure
Realized those with money often make many of the rules in life

10. Getting involved as an adult…
Traveled to Spain to write for a newspaper and joined a military group fighting for freedom against the gov’t (backed by the Communists)
Later when the communist party gained more power, they outlawed the military group he had once been part of
Orwell felt let down by Communists

11. During World War II…
Worked for England’s BBC which was in charge of using propaganda to make “our side” look good
BBC told him to make communists look good (Because Russia wanted to join forces on “our side”)
Wrote Animal Farm during
the closing years of the war

12. Rejected..
The book was rejected four times before finally being published in 1945
Shortly after the war, people began to see that Communism was not necessarily as good as it once sounded
Animal Farm satires the idea that a
perfect society is impossible, because
ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY