Animal Farm. Does Play Work Here?

 Hello all, 

I would like to welcome you all to my hypothetical classroom with my hypothetical students! Ha, did you think you wouldn’t receive any sarcastic tone in this blog post? Think again, I live for the way I can express myself in these posts, so sarcasm is strong here! Anyways, I am working with a group of juniors who have yet to take the American College Test. My group of students is currently in the November part of the year, ideally right before an election cycle, and are working to read George Orwell’s Animal Farm. This group of thirty students, ironically half male and half female, are working to understand key themes and elements evident in the text and how those themes may relate to a larger global picture. Possible summative assessments include personal collages or symbolism artwork. I have not thought it completely out yet, especially as this class does not exist, but I am looking for comments on which assessment might go well with these themes and texts. Feel free to comment below. 

I think these texts would all be used to better understand the book. Perhaps taking a break from reading to use these texts might go over well. In the spirit of the true hope of this blog, I think that some of this text could be used to help get students moving around and active, even if we are still reading a book. 

Animal Farm written by George Orwell in 1945, encounters a group of animals and farmers in a small village in England. One afternoon, Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, falls asleep after drinking. His animals meet to discuss the dream told by Major, a pig who gives a speech on how all animals will one day rise to overthrow their oppressors, the humans. Major shows the animals how humans have harmed them and what the world could look like if they were in charge of their own destiny. Major finishes his speech with a song, Beasts of England, and the animals sing the song in camaraderie. This commotion wakes Mr. Jones, who fires his gun into the barn and the animals slowly begin to think about life without a human master. 

Animal Farm, currently has a Lexile score of 1170L. This rates the book as College and Career Ready for 9th and 10th graders. Although I do agree with the Lexile score, I still think that using this text would be helpful for elefth graders as the themes connect well with larger global issues of the time and of today. There are 29,966 words in Animal Farm, making it just under a hundred pages. There are a great deal of simple sentences in this story and oftentimes Orwell builds upon these simple ideas to deeper more adjective heavy representations of those simple sentences. Orwell does include a lot of paratactic sentence types, as he often links two independent clauses together. I do think that I agree with the quantitative assessments of this book, as the sentences are quite easy to follow. While this is true, I do believe understanding the symbolism is another issue entirely. Some vocabulary that would need attention are as follows: chaff, binders, cutter, eighteen hands high, and clamps. 

Students would need to know many of the similarities and differences between communism, socialism, and capitalism These things, from other classes they may already be aware of. The story revolves heavily upon the elements of communism and how the ‘state’ does not always have the interests of its hard working people in mind. This could correlate to many countries currently, which might motivate them as they would understand their world better, but at the time of writing Orwell was using his book as a reference to the Russian Revolution. Additionally, it is noted that other possible inspirations for this book are Nazi Germany and the Spanish Civil War. 

The purpose of using this text would mostly be to understand global issues in a way that is non-threatening. I originally thought that when encountering the politics part of a global issue, I wanted to run for the hills. That seems like a disaster waiting to happen! I loved reading Animal Farm because it never said anything specific yet pointed out many of the flaws in the different types of plans that we humans use to operate our countries in. Using this text would help students build their assets because they could start to make those similar connections for themselves. I do believe that this would be vital when becoming voter aged citizens and to always understand the importance of what an educated mind can get you. 

Beasts of England, in this format would be a video for students to listen to. Although I find this recording to be quite upbeat, I did think the clarity would help students hear some of the words that were being said in the revolution call. The song is an anthem as well as at times a dream for the enslaved animals of Manor Farm. The song speaks often of what life would be like if animals were able to rule over each other, often a utopian world where everyone has plenty to eat. The animals use this song to empower one another to push for that dream that Major had and to make it come true. 

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland

Beasts of every land and clime

Hearken to my joyful tidings

Of the golden future time

Soon or late the day is coming

Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown

And the fruitful fields of England

Shall be trod by beasts alone

Rings shall vanish from our noses

And the harness from our back

Bit and spur shall rust forever

Cruel whips no more shall crack

Riches more than mind can picture

Wheat and barley, oats and hay

Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels

Shall be ours upon that day

Bright will shine the fields of England

Purer shall its waters be

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

On the day that sets us free

For that day we all must labour

Though we die before it break

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys

All must toil for freedom's sake

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland

Beasts of every land and clime

Hearken well and spread my tidings

Of the golden future time

The song itself is only 165 words. However, there are a great deal of words that most people today would not understand. Especially as many of the words, being that it is an animal anthem, relate to animal life. Students would need to be provided with a great deal of vocabulary in this song and I think a print out to follow along would be necessary. Additionally, one might definitely recommend using captions when the song is being played. The words highlighted in green signal the vocabulary words that would be necessary for one to provide definitions for. Additionally, there are many old-English words used here and the song does often switch from a past tense to a future hopeful tense. Establishing that difference would be necessary. 

Students should be able to understand most of the symbolism in this text. I believe this because the song calls out to the fact that rings will fall from their noses and as well as the harness from their backs. This is a more obvious call out to the fact that they will overcome and are hopeful for those golden days where they, the Beasts of England, will rule! 

I believe that this song will build upon student knowledge because it is used many times in the book. Students see it being used as a battle cry, a mourning sorrow song, and a hopeful tune of revolution. By studying the song, students then will be able to see how the song changes depending on the environment of the animals. Furthermore, the song signifies a major political change, when it is used. This would be a good marker for students to help identify changing policies and how the citizens react to these policies. The same can be said of today. Slogans for change have been used many times over the years, but they mean different things throughout those decades. Additionally, some animals have never learned the song, but know of it. The song is hope. This song is something every student has. It may be in a different language, a different tune, or a different length, but they all have one. Showing this will perhaps help them see themselves in the story. 

If you are still with me and I hope you are, this next text was the one I struggled with most. I did already allude to the fact that addressing politics scares me, but I knew that relating it to the students was something that I needed to do. I chose the song American Idiot by Green Day. The music video that accompanies it does have some helpful visual that correlates to the song’s lyrics. The most prominent part being how the American flag behind them starts bleeding to the ground and then washes over the band. This green water flowing over them could signify many things. Perhaps the American media is trying to drown them out? Perhaps they, no matter what they wish, are becoming that American Idiot. 

Don't wanna be an American idiot

Don't want a nation under the new mania

And can you hear the sound of hysteria?

The subliminal mind-fuck America

Welcome to a new kind of tension

All across the alien nation

Where everything isn't meant to be okay

Television dreams of tomorrow

We're not the ones who're meant to follow

For that's enough to argue

Well, maybe I'm the faggot, America

I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

Now everybody do the propaganda

And sing along to the age of paranoia

Welcome to a new kind of tension

All across the alien nation

Where everything isn't meant to be okay

Television dreams of tomorrow

We're not the ones who're meant to follow

For that's enough to argue

Don't wanna be an American idiot

One nation controlled by the media

Information age of hysteria

It's calling out to idiot America

Welcome to a new kind of tension

All across the alien nation

Where everything isn't meant to be okay

Television dreams of tomorrow

We're not the ones who're meant to follow

For that's enough to argue

I’ll admit, there are some words in there that would definitely need an administrator's approval or some recognition from the parents. I’ll also admit that I am open to looking for other music videos that help show the ways that news can control the greater population. I do think that this song would motivate students and perhaps allow them to search through their own favorite songs for similar themes. Controlling the population is an important theme in Animal Farm, as only the Pigs are able to read and write completely. Many of the other animals are not able to do one, much less both, and lose their ability to critically think for themselves. This results in their own downfall and the song helps foreshadow what happens when we follow along to the propaganda. 

The words highlighted in green are the ones I would verbally provide a definition for. I do think that the song has fairly simple sentence structures and not a lot of figurative language that needs to be identified. This song might be used then as an introductory element of a class where students then talk about the song and any other current events that might connect to parts of the song. Perhaps then, putting the play back in literature, we could engage in step-in, step- out activities or think, pair, share, where more students are encouraged to speak. 

The song itself is only 183 words, much like the previous song and I do believe there are less difficult words in this song. To be fair, students are bringing their assets of music and culture into this text. Although the song is a bit older, many people across many generations do know the song. Furthermore, even though not all words encountered are words that are positive, students are aware of what they mean. By using this song, students are encouraged to further dive into those meanings and how as a society we use them. I believe this would be a mode for students to talk about their own cultures and thoughts, opening up the discussion for more voices to be heard. 

Works Cited 

Chute, Hilary. “The Graphic Novels Versions of Literary Classics Used to Seem Lowbrow. No

More.” New York Times, 2019. Print. 

Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. “One of These Days” Flash Fiction Online, 2008, Print. 

Green Day. “American Idiot Music Video” Warner Records, 2012. Web. 

Orwell, George. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story. New York: The New American Library, 1946. Print.

Pscore. “Daily Life in North Korea” Pscore USA, 2021. Print. 

Ted-Ed. “What is McCarthyism? And How Did it Happen?” Ted-ed, 2017. Web. 

VanTifflin, Paul. “Beast of England” Animal Farm, 2018. Web.