Animal Farm Position Paper:
English 10
Write a fully developed essay on the following prompt. Be sure to include strong evidence to
support your views. This evidence can be attained from any materials given on the novel or
notes/ideas related to it. Be sure your analysis goes further than the obvious.
Skills to be practiced:
Weaving quotes and concrete details and commentary.
Using strong, well-chosen examples to support your claims.
Using present tense, no personal pronouns, e.g. “you.”
Transitioning fluidly between sentences and paragraphs.
Analyzing and discussing themes, symbols, commentary.
Prompt: Consider the following quotations…
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. (George Santayana)
Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. (Lord Acton)
What experience and history teach is this—that people and governments never have learned
anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it. (G.W.F. Hegel)
Requirements:
1.) Choose one of the quotations above and discuss how it may or may not reveal itself in
Animal Farm.
2.) Be sure to use three (3) direct quotes from Animal Farm and then add commentary, that
is, discuss the quotation’s meaning, and develop your analysis through your
interpretation of Orwell’s views.
3.) Be sure to tie in any ideas that we’ve discussed in class. Your own lecture or handouts
may be used as well. However, you may not borrow someone’s notes or ideas.
4.) Essays must be typed, edited, and spell-checked and include a Works Cited page using
MLA format.
5.) Rough drafts are due: Tuesday, 4/23/13 and final drafts are due Thursday, 4/25/13.
NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!