After reading George Orwell's Animal Farm students make parallels between the effects of power in the novel to the effects of power in their local, state and national governments.
Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?
Are there leaders today who exhibit some of the negative traits that Orwell shows in the novel?
Are there leaders in our government today who exhibit traits that would disprove the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely?"
Students will develop an appreciation for the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell as an allegory to the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Students will relate the themes in the novel to modern government.
Students will explore characteristics of human behavior as exemplified in the novel.
Book
Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell
Movie
The TNT Made for TV Movie Animal Farm (1999) is a clever remake; it includes amazing special effects and the voices of well known and loved actors.
Creating a Character Morph
This is an Aurora tool which explains morphing, the combining of pictures to create an analogy or metaphor.
Novel Guide
NovelGuide.com is the premier free source for literary analysis on the web. We provide an educational supplement for better understanding of classic and contemporary literature.
Local City/County Webpage
Use a web search tool, such as Google or Ask Jeeves, to see if your home town and/or county maintains a web site.
The Quotations Page
The home page of the oldest quotation site on the Web, established 1994. It has a searchable database of over 20,000 quotations, Quotes of the Day, Motivational Quotes, Quotes by Author, and much more.
George Orwell
This brief biography of George Orwell is from The Literature Network, which offers searchable online literature for the student, educator, or enthusiast.
State Government
This web site, from GovSpot.com, provides links to all 50 states and their agencies.
Fill out the data form from this lesson.
Bring three articles that contain information about a government figure. These articles could come from newspapers or news magazines. At least one of them must be a local figure.
In small groups of 3-5, each student should briefly summarize for the rest of the group the articles he or she brought to class.
The group will come to consensus about the question, "Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?" One member from the group will defend the decision in front of the class.
Each student will select a government official to investigate further. After researching this figure, the student will decide on an animal that captures the spirit--or lack of spirit--of this person. Next, the student will create a "character morph" of this person and his or her corresponding animal by using the Aurora tool "Creating a Character Morph" listed in the Required Resources.
On the back of the "character morph," the student will attach a well-developed paragraph explaining why this animal corresponds to this particular government official.
Encourage students to discuss Animal Farm with their parents and ask if they think any of the world's current leaders exhibit these characteristics.
Ask students to consider contacting some local political leaders and ask them questions about the novel Animal Farm.
Open the lesson by writing on the board the famous quotation: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" by Lord Acton.
The rubric for this activity could be used by the teacher or given to the group members for them to rate each other.
Duration: Reading the novel takes about two weeks. This activity can be assigned after the students have been reading 2-3 days and the projects can be submitted at the end of the two-week period.
Talk about the novel Animal Farm with your parents. If they have read it, ask if they can think of current political leaders who show some of the same characteristics seen in the novel.
Contact some local, state, federal or even world leaders and ask them if they have read the novel Animal Farm and, if so, ask what they consider to be the most valuable lesson learned from the novel.
This is an excellent opportunity to discuss your political views with your daughter or son. If you have read Animal Farm, talk to him or her about your recollection of the novel and what it means to you now as an adult.
Your son or daughter has been encouraged to contact current political leaders and may need some guidance from you. You might make a family project of locating addresses, telephone numbers, webpages, and e-mail addresses for leaders in your area or beyond.
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