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Here are possible lessons to use
in the second week of reading the novel, Animal
Farm. These lessons correspond with chapters 5-7 and may be used
to break up in-class reading or to supplement students' independent reading. Each lesson can be altered to better fit ability and skill
levels, as well as differing class schedules.
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Lesson Four: Language Manipulation
The
commandments are altered to suit the needs and desires of the pigs.
Students should explore the methods the pigs use to manipulate the
wordings of the commandments, as well as the reasons that they are able
to get away with their trickery. Squealer also works to "change"
history by convincing the animals that Snowball was not really a hero
and that Napoleon was never actually opposed to the idea of building a
windmill.
Students should examine the language manipulation in the book, as well
as going beyond it to thinking of how this kind of language manipulation
is present in their world.
Materials Needed:
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Student copies of the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell
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Pen and paper to record responses
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Student planners, with copies of
school rules
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Part One Procedures: Altering the Commandments
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Students should copy from the board
the list of the original 7 commandments from the novel.
1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
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 another animal.
7. All animals are equal.
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Students should work in groups of 3-4
to find the changes to each of the commandments throughout the novel.
They should record these beside the original commandments.
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In groups, students should answer the
following questions: Why did the pigs "alter" the commandments instead
of completely changing them? Why didn't the animals realize what
the pigs were doing? How was the language manipulated to serve the
pigs?
Part Two
Procedures: Altering the Rules
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In groups, students will list 5-10
school rules they would like to change.
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Students will "alter" these rules by
copying the language manipulation that the pigs used.
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Students will share and discuss the
new wording of their rules.
Part Three Procedures: Euphemisms
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Define "euphemism" on the board.
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List several words and their
euphemisms. Examples: "passed away" for dying; "visually impaired"
for blind; "physically challenged" for handicapped.
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Discuss with students possible
reasons for using euphemisms in place of the straightforward term.
List these reasons on the board.
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In groups of 2-3, have students make
their own list of 10 or more words and their euphemisms. List
these on the board and further discuss the reason for having so many
euphemisms in society. Elaborate on this discussion by addressing
how euphemisms can be a form of language manipulation.
Evaluation:
Each assignment is worth a total of
20 points. Full points will be awarded to students/groups that
attempt to correctly respond to each question/task given.
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