Connecting History & Literature--100 Points (50 Additional Bonus Points)
Topic: Animal Farm
By: George Orwell
Learning Targets:
1.
Define key terms.
2.
Read a brief overview of World War II’s
important figures.
3.
Read George Orwell’s Animal Farm.
4.
Summarize the plot.
5.
Synthesize your knowledge of World War II
with the novel in order analyze a major
character and the historical figure they
represent.
6.
Bonus—(Optional) Collaborate with a
classmate who researched another conflict
(Lesson #7: Conflicts in History) to write a
3-5 page allegory of your own based upon
their research.
DURATION: 3 PE1501RIODS15015
Connecting History & Literature--100 Points (50 Additional Bonus Points)
Topic: Animal Farm
Step #1
Define the following key terms.




Anthropomorphism
Socialism
Communism
Capitalism
Step #2: Background Information
Read the following information carefully. Ask your teacher if you have any questions.
The Author: George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Blair, a British political novelist and
essayist who was deeply suspicious of the entrenched class system in English society. As a
young man, Orwell became a socialist, speaking openly against the excesses of governments east
and west.
The Historical Context: Russian society in the early twentieth century was bipolar: a tiny
minority controlled most of the country’s wealth, while the vast majority of the country’s
inhabitants were impoverished and oppressed peasants. Communism arose in Russia when the
nation’s workers and peasants, assisted by a class of concerned intellectuals known as the
intelligentsia, rebelled against and overwhelmed the wealthy and powerful class of capitalists
and aristocrats. They hoped to establish a socialist utopia based on the principles of the German
economic and political philosopher Karl Marx.
In Das Kapital (Capital), Marx argued that society would naturally evolve—from a monarchy
and aristocracy, to capitalism, and then on to communism, a system under which all property
would be held in common. The dignity of the poor workers oppressed by capitalism would be
restored, and all people would live as equals. Marx followed this sober and scholarly work with
The Communist Manifesto, an impassioned call to action that urged, “Workers of the world,
unite!”
In the Russia of 1917, it appeared that Marx’s dreams were to become reality. After a politically
complicated civil war, Tsar Nicholas II, the monarch of Russia, was forced to abdicate the
throne that his family had held for three centuries. Vladimir Ilych Lenin, a Russian intellectual
revolutionary, seized power in the name of the Communist Party. The new regime took land and
industry from private control and put them under government supervision. After Lenin died in
1924, Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky jockeyed for control of the newly formed Soviet Union.
Stalin, a crafty and manipulative politician, soon banished Trotsky, an idealistic proponent of
international communism. Stalin then began to consolidate his power with brutal intensity,
killing or imprisoning his perceived political enemies and overseeing the purge of approximately
twenty million Soviet citizens.
DURATION: 3 PE1501RIODS15015
Connecting History & Literature--100 Points (50 Additional Bonus Points)
Unlike many British socialists in the 1930s and 1940s, Orwell was not fond of the Soviet Union
and its policies, nor did he consider the Soviet Union a positive representation of the possibilities
of socialist society. He could not turn a blind eye to the cruelties and hypocrisies of Soviet
Communist Party, which had overturned the semi-feudal system of the tsars only to replace it
with the dictatorial reign of Joseph Stalin. Orwell became a sharp critic of both capitalism and
communism, and is remembered chiefly as an advocate of freedom and a committed opponent of
communist oppression.
The Novel: Animal Farm, written in 1945, a “fairy story” in the style of Aesop’s fables, uses
animals on an English farm to tell the history of Soviet communism. To better understand these,
it is helpful to know at least the rudiments of Soviet history under Communist Party rule,
beginning with the October Revolution of 1917 (see above).
These and many other developments in Soviet history before 1945 have direct parallels in
Animal Farm. As you read see if you can find them!
Step #3
Read the novel. You can sign out a copy of the book or read it online by following this
link:
http://www.george-orwell.org/animal_farm/index.html
Step #4
Create a plot diagram using this website (or on art paper if your writing is very neat):
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/plot-diagram/
Make sure to write a full paragraph for each stage.
Step #5
Select one of the major characters and write a one-page character analysis comparing
them to the historical figure you believe they represent. Make sure to cite specific
information from the text.
Step #6
You will present your plot diagram and character analysis to the class. Make sure you
have read the entire novel, as you may be asked to discuss.
And as always, all writing must be IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
DURATION: 3 PE1501RIODS15015
Connecting History & Literature--100 Points (50 Additional Bonus Points)
Topic: Animal Farm (Optional Bonus)
Step #1
Find someone who is completing Lesson #7: Conflicts in History. Ask them if they
would be willing to collaborate. (Doing so will be worth 10 points for them and 50 for
you!) If so, they should share the research they conducted on one of the conflicts in the
lesson. Make sure you ask any questions you might have about their information. It is
vital that you understand it completely!
Step #2
Write a 3-5 page “fairytale-esque” satire of this new conflict in the style of Orwell’s
Animal Farm. A few pointers to keep in mind:

You should alter the characters and setting to fit your new conflict. (Ex:
The characters do not have to be animals.)
 Because your work will be a short story, you will likely only be able to
include a few characters and events. Don’t try to tell the entire story.
 You may need to do some additional research in order to flesh out your
story. Make sure to use reliable sources.
 You will only need to turn in your typed, final draft to the teacher. Make
sure it is proofread thoroughly!
DURATION: 3 PE1501RIODS15015