{"id":26616,"date":"2026-03-22T09:46:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T16:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/plato-philosophy.org\/?post_type=teachertoolkit&#038;p=26616"},"modified":"2026-04-06T12:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:20:09","slug":"understanding-animal-farm","status":"publish","type":"teachertoolkit","link":"https:\/\/plato-philosophy.org\/teachertoolkit\/understanding-animal-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Animal Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Understanding <em>Animal Farm<\/em> by George Orwell<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Materials<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Copies of <em>Animal Farm <\/em>by George Orwell<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to projector for \u201cAnimal Farm Context \u2013 Schooling Online\u201d via YouTube.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A Google Doc for students and teacher to write down questions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Or a whiteboard and markers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Steps involved<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Introduction<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Journal: Can you think of an instance where you found it difficult to stand up for what you believe in because of the beliefs of those around you? Were you able to overcome this obstacle? Why or why not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Give students 5-10 minutes to think and write.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ask a few students to share if they would like. Talk about the societal pressure we might feel due to \u201cherd mentality\u201d. How does \u201cherd mentality\u201d push us into a box? How does this, then, create an opportunity to allow power imbalance into our lives?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Watch the \u201cAnimal Farm Context \u2013 Schooling Online\u201d video on the resources tab<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>To ensure comprehension, facilitator can ask the following questions once the video has concluded:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is an allegory?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What was George Orwell\u2019s purpose behind writing <em>Animal Farm<\/em>? What did he want to communicate to his audience?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What parallels did you find between the characters in <em>Animal Farm<\/em> and the historical figures shown in the video, such as Trotsky, Stalin, and Marx? In other words, what role do the animals and their representations serve in order to make Orwell\u2019s point?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is propaganda? How does propaganda influence us? Where do we see propaganda being used in the book?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why do you think it is important to understand the historical relevance of a story?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Close Reading Discussion<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PASSAGE 1<\/strong><br>\u201cAnd remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be a perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What was Orwell\u2019s intention behind including Old Major\u2019s character at the beginning of the story?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why do you think man and animals can\u2019t have a common interest? Why can\u2019t the prosperity of man not be the prosperity of the animals? How does power influence these ideas?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is the importance of community during societal hardship? In other words, why does Old Major think banding together is the answer to the animal\u2019s struggle?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PASSAGE 2<\/strong><br>\u201cIn spite of the shock that Snowball\u2019s expulsion had given them, the animals were dismayed by this announcement. Several of them would have protested if they could have found the right arguments. Even Boxer was vaguely troubled. He set his ears back, shook his forelock several times, and tried hard to marshal his thoughts; but in the end he could not think of anything to say. Some of the pigs themselves, however, were more articulate. Four young porkers in the front row uttered shrill squeals of disapproval, and all four of them sprang to their feet and began speaking at once. But suddenly the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs fell silent and sat down again. Then the sheep broke out into a tremendous bleating of \u201cFour legs good, two legs bad!\u201d which went on for nearly a quarter of an hour and put an end to any chance of discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why do you think many of the animals struggled to argue against Snowball\u2019s expulsion?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What is the importance of the sheep\u2019s mantra, and how has it changed throughout the story thus far?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does a corrupt leader benefit from the silencing of their citizens?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PASSAGE 3<\/strong><br>\u201cThat evening Squealer explained privately to the other animals that Napoleon had never in reality been opposed to the windmill. On the contrary, it was he who advocated for it in the beginning, and the plan which Snowball had drawn on the floor of the incubator shed had actually been stolen from among Napoleon\u2019s papers. The windmill was, in fact, Napoleon\u2019s own creation. Why, then, asked somebody, had he spoken so strongly against it? Here Squealer looked very sly. That, he said, was Comrade Napoleon\u2019s cunning. He had seemed to oppose the windmill, simply as a maneuver to get rid of Snowball, who was a dangerous character and a bad influence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What role does Squealer play in this story? What does Squealer gain from defending and reinforcing Napoleon\u2019s beliefs\/actions? How does he twist the truth in order to persuade the other animals?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does a corrupt leader\u2019s rise to power benefit from manipulation tactics? How are the animals manipulated throughout the story?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PASSAGE 4<\/strong><br>\u201cNevertheless, some of the animals were disturbed when they heard that the pigs not only took their meals in the kitchen and used the drawing room as a recreation room but also slept in beds. Boxer passed it off as usual with \u201cNapoleon is always right!\u201d, but Clover, who thought she remembered a definite ruling against beds, went to the end of the barn and tried to puzzle out the Seven Commandments which were inscribed there. Finding herself unable to read more than individual letters, she fetched Muriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMuriel,\u201d she said, \u201cread me the Fourth Commandment. Does it not say something about never sleeping in a bed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With some difficulty Muriel spelt it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt says, \u2018No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets,\u201d she announced finally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Curiously enough, Clover had not remembered that the Fourth Commandment mentioned sheets; but as it was there on the wall, it must have done so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What is the benefit of thinking critically for ourselves? How can we prevent falling into ideas supported by \u201cherd mentality\u201d thinking?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How does the lack of education of a leader\u2019s citizens make them more susceptible to propaganda and manipulation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>PASSAGE 5<\/strong><br>\u201cTwelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No questions, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Discussion Questions:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How does the evolution of the pigs represent corruption?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What lesson is Orwell trying to teach his audience by ending the story here? How does this ending emphasize the dangers of power and corruption?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Conclusion<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Facilitator will summarize key points from the discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students will be asked to share any final thoughts they have.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding Animal Farm by George Orwell Materials Steps involved 1. Introduction Journal: Can you think of an instance where you found it difficult to stand up for what you believe in because of the beliefs of those around you? Were you able to overcome this obstacle? Why or why not? 2. Watch the \u201cAnimal Farm <a href=\"https:\/\/plato-philosophy.org\/teachertoolkit\/understanding-animal-farm\/\" class=\"more-link\">&#8230;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Understanding Animal Farm<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":26617,"template":"","toolkitcategory":[29,30,760],"gradelevel":[48,47],"topics":[823,620,824],"class_list":["post-26616","teachertoolkit","type-teachertoolkit","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","toolkitcategory-history-social-studies","toolkitcategory-languages-literature","toolkitcategory-social-and-political-philosophy","gradelevel-high-school-and-beyond","gradelevel-middle-school","topics-corruption","topics-power","topics-propaganda"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Understanding Animal Farm - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understanding Animal Farm - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Understanding Animal Farm by George Orwell Materials Steps involved 1. 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