Teachers: Mr. Earle, Ms. Malik and Ms. Mangiamele
Summer Reading for Grade 10 English
(2023-2024)
Overview: Students must read two texts. They must also annotate one of
the texts (Animal Farm) and write two paragraphs in response to questions
4 and 5 below.
Mandatory Summer Reading Assignment
1. Read the novella Animal Farm by George Orwell and the novel Beneath a Scarlet
Sky by Mark Sullivan.
2.
Annotate your copy of Animal Farm with a focus on the following:
* Thought-provoking questions you might have as you read
* Comments on characters that you like/dislike/admire/detest/etc.
* Comments on the author's use of language -- something by which you were
impressed or confused or intrigued, etc.
* Comments on how a moment/person/event in the text connects to something
in your own life and/or in what you see/observe in current society, or in history.
3. Define the following terms:
a. Totalitarianism: a form of government that aims to take complete control
of the country and citizens
b. Communism: a form of government in which all the property is publicly
owned by the people and wealth is distributed by people' abilities and
needs.
c. Allegory: Literature that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning.
d. Satire: The use of humor, exaggeration to criticize people’s stupidity
4. In about 200 words, describe how and why the tenets and function of Animalism
shift as the story progresses. Use textual evidence to support your points.
In the beginning of the story after the rebellion, Snowball and napoleon discussed the
principles of animalism and came up with the Seven Commandments:
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Teachers: Mr. Earle, Ms. Malik and Ms. Mangiamele
2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill any other animal.
7. All animals are equal.
The purpose of these commandments was to forever stray from the similar acts of the
humans. But later in the book Napoleon breaks one of these rules. But he claims that
no rule has been broken because he changed it. “No animal shall sleep in a bed with
sheets.“ This allows him to further alter the commandments, he soon breaks, “No
animal shall drink alcohol to excess”, and “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy”.
Throughout the book the Animal Farm gradually became the Manor Farm again. In the
last chapter the Seven Commandments completely change to “All animals are equal,
But some animals are more equal than others.” Napoleon alter the entire reason why
the animals rebelled in the first place. So that all the animals on the farm were equal
to each other but Napoleon contradicts that he is more equal than the rest.
5. Using Beneath the Scarlet Sky, describe the dominant characteristics and virtues
of Pino in about 100 words. Use examples from the text.
A characteristic that strongly affects Pino's actions and decisions throughout the novel
is that he is a romantic. Pino meets a woman that is 6 years older than him named
Anna. He loves and cares for her and pushes Pino to move forward to try to see her
again and again. Pino was also ready to kill himself for the loss of Anna because she
impacted his life more than he knew. Pino always believed there were good and bad
people, no in between. He believed that General Leyers was the bad guy and will
always be the bad guy. “He’s a Nazi. A war criminal. He worked people to death.” Pino
said. He could accept the possibility that General Leyers isn't who he thinks he is.
Based on his experience and time as the driver, Pino is in the right mind to claim that
he is a horrible Nazi. But because he thought this way, Leyers worked people to death
while being called a hero, he couldn't bring himself to believe that Leyers was doing
wrong things for the right reasons.