March 10th

You have look for examples of how Animal Farm functions as a dystopian novel. Now we are going to explore dystopian characteristics a bit further..

In small groups,
1. Discuss your examples of how Animal Farm functions as a dystopian novella.

2. When you have discussed each of the 8 characteristics of a dystopian novel in context of AF review and discuss the following more philosophical questions.  Take your general examples and ideas and also put them in context to Animal Farm. 

• What factors/situations combine to create dystopia?
• What happens to the individual/the group in a dystopia?
• Is the disappearance of the individual a bad thing?
• Think of our current society – what aspects of utopia/dystopia do we have?
• When is it best to conform to the wishes or rules of others?
• What problems are avoided when people conform?
• What new problems does conformity create?
• How important is it for people to have choices?

In the last 5 minutes of class, go to Google Classroom and respond to the following prompt: Which of the 8 philosophical/genre questions did you find the most intriguing and why? What were some ideas that were discussed in your group in reference to this question? 

For Monday: Take notes on the following....

Allegory: A story with two levels of meaning. The first level is the plot/surface level story. The second level functions on a symbolic level. 

Although an allegory uses symbols, it is different from symbolism. An allegory is a complete narrative which involves characters and events that stand for abstract ideas or events. A symbol is an object that stands for another object giving it a particular meaning. Unlike allegory, symbolism does not tell a story. 

In many allegories, the hidden story has something to do with politics, religion, or morality — complex subjects that are difficult to understand directly. Many authors find it easier to think through these issues by translating them into allegories, which are easier to understand (and more fun to read) than dense philosophical arguments.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is one of literature’s most famous allegories. The surface story is about a group of farm animals who rise up, kick out the humans, and try to run the farm themselves. The hidden story, however, is about the Russian Revolution, and each of the characters represents some figure from that revolution. The pigs represent Communist leaders like Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky, the dogs represent the KGB, the humans represent capitalists, the horses represent the working class, etc.

Please review the following Prezi to understand the Historical Context and its influence in creating the allegory of Animal Farm

Allegory Animal Farm- Prezi