Overview
1. Animal Farm is descried as satire. Why do you think this is so?
Character Analysis Table
Write your first impressions of each of the characters below.
Character Trait
Mr. Jones Cruel, incompetent
Old Major Leader, well-respected
Mollie
Mr. Frederick
Snowball Intelligent, vivacious
Mr. Pilkington
Benjamin Old, pessimistic
napoleon Manipulative, greedy
Boxer Loyal,strong
Squealer Clever, persuasive
https://youtu.be/w1OcL1sweKg
Listen and follow from 6:44 - 8:00 to explain the roots of Animalism.
Animalism was an idea invented
Today, we will take a look at a past paper question. (January 2012)
Religion and Tyranny
Another theme of Orwell's novel that also strikes a satiric note is the idea of religion
being the "opium of the people" (as Karl Marx famously wrote). Moses the raven's talk
of Sugarcandy Mountain originally annoys many of the animals, since Moses, known as
a "teller of tales," seems an unreliable source. At this point, the animals are still hopeful
for a better future and therefore dismiss Moses' stories of a paradise elsewhere. As their
lives worsen, however, the animals begin to believe him, because "Their lives now, they
reasoned, were hungry and laborious; Was it not right and just that a better world should
exist somewhere else?"
Here, Orwell mocks the futile dreaming of a better place that clearly does not exist. The
pigs allow Moses to stay on the farm — and even encourage his presence by rewarding
him with beer — because they know that his stories of Sugarcandy Mountain will keep
the animals docile: As long as there is some better world somewhere — even after
death — the animals will trudge through this one. Thus Orwell implies that religious
devotion — viewed by many as a noble character trait — can actually distort the ways in
which one thinks of his or her life on earth.
Orwell shows that the animals have the power to challenge Mr Jones'
control and take over the farm - using power in a positive way. He then
explores how the pigs use rhetoric and propaganda to establish themselves
in power and take control of the farm. It is interesting that the working
animals, especially Boxer the horse, have great physical power but they
don’t use it to break free from the control of the pigs.
Napoleon's Role: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zqxhn39/revision/3
https://youtu.be/0EYQpcjY2iI
"The desire for freedom is universal."
Discuss the extent to which this statement applies to a major character in
ONE West Indian and ONE non-West Indian novel that you have studied.
Total 25 marks
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a representation of the Russian
Revolution.
Write an essay in which you describe TWO major characters who represent
figures in the Russian Revolution. In this essay you must also discuss how
ONE of these characters led the revolution of the farm, an example of one
narrative technique the writer uses to represent the Revolution.
Introduction:
- Background of the Russian Revolution
- Highlight similarities between the revolution and the book.
Body Paragraph 1
- Introduce the first major character
- Cite the comparison to the Russian Revolution
- Role in Animal Farm
- Introduce the secod major character (use words of comparison)
- Cite the comparison to the Russian Revolution
- Use quotes
-
Body Paragraph 2
- Explain how the character was influential i the revolution
- Use quotes
Orwell uses Napoleon as the animalistic representation of Joseph Stalin.
During the Russian Revolution, Stalin was notorious for his dictatorial ways
which saw large sections of the Russian population dying of starvation and
living in deplorable conditions. Due to his harsh regime, it was impossible
for citizens to outwardly express discontent with how the country was being
run. It is clear that Stalin led by force and fear. Orwell evokes these very
characteristics in Napoleon. In Chapter 8 it is stated, "Napoleon himself
was not seen in public as often as once a fortnight. When he did appear, he
was attended by not only his retinue of dogs but a black covered that
marched in front of him and acted as a kind of trumpeter." Such a
description helps to emphasize the orchestrated and tyrannical nature of
Napoleon's leadership and the resultant fear experienced by the animals of
Manor Farm.
Body Paragraph 3
- narrative technique
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines allegory as,
-
- Use quotes
Conclusion
-Reiterate and wrap up!
Introduction:
The novel “Animal Farm” was written in the 1940’s by British Author Eric
Arthur Blair, or more famously known as George Orwell. Animal Farm
Animal Farm has lots of allegory as it displays many interesting parallels of
the events that took place during the Russian Revolution. Many of the main
characters symbolize these historical persona’s and even emulate some of
their traits such as Napoleon and Snowball. Orwell’s effective use of
allegory is very evident and can be seen several times in this novel.
Orwell uses Napoleon as the animalistic representation of Joseph Stalin.
During the Russian Revolution, Stalin was notorious for his dictatorial ways
which saw large sections of the Russian population dying of starvation and
living in deplorable conditions. Due to his harsh regime, it was impossible
for citizens to outwardly express discontent with how the country was being
run. It is clear that Stalin led by force and fear. Orwell evokes these very
characteristics in Napoleon. In Chapter 8 it is stated, "Napoleon himself
was not seen in public as often as once a fortnight. When he did appear, he
was attended by not only his retinue of dogs but a black cover that
marched in front of him and acted as a kind of trumpeter." Such a
description helps to emphasize the orchestrated and tyrannical nature of
Napoleon's leadership and the resultant fear experienced by the animals of
Manor Farm.
Snowball is used in the novel as the animalistic representation of Leon
Trotsky, during the events of the Russian Revolution, Trotsky who was
known as a marxist thinker, was involved in a number of revolutionary
uprisings and demonstrations. Both Trotsky and Snowball believed that
several worldwide rebellions would be necessary to achieve the ultimate
aims of their respective revolutions. The writer, George Orwell, uses the
narrative technique of allegory. Animal Farm is a continuous comparison to
the Russian Revolution, using fictional animal characters as
representations of humans and historical events.
The main thing that can be taken away from this novel is how Orwell used
the technique of allegory to perfection as he used these animals to
represent several historical figures and events. In conclusion I believe that
the parallels to the Russian Revolution are very clear cut and noticeable
especially in the characters Napoleon the animalistic representation of
Joseph Stalin and Snowball the animalistic representation of Leon Trotsky.
Monday, October 17, 2022
Major Conflict
There are a number of conflicts in Animal Farm—the animals versus Mr. Jones,
Snowball versus Napoleon, the common animals versus the pigs, Animal Farm
versus the neighboring humans—but all of them are expressions of the underlying
tension between the exploited and exploiting classes and between the lofty ideals
and harsh realities of socialism.
Rising Action
The animals throw off their human oppressors and establish a socialist state called
Animal Farm; the pigs, being the most intelligent animals in the group, take control
of the planning and government of the farm; Snowball and Napoleon engage in
ideological disputes and compete for power.
Assignment - Seen (This was to be an essay!)
Examine the song “Beasts of England” as poetry.
a. What imagery is present? What is the message? The imagery
present is how poorly animals are treated and how they long for
freedom. The message is to inspire a rebellion and give hope.
b. Why do the animals like it so much that they memorize it on the spot?
They like it so much as it is a relatable song and it tells their story of
how they deal with mistreatment.
c. To what emotions and needs does it appeal? It appeals to the
animals' emotions of hope and it reaches their need for a human-free
farm where they are free.
Beasts of England
Beasts of England! Beasts of Ireland!
Beasts of land and sea and skies!
Hear the hoofbeats of tomorrow!
See the golden future rise!
How does the life of an animal pass?
In endless drudgery.
What's the first lesson an animal learns?
To endure its slavery.
How does the life of an animal end?
In cruel butchery.
Beasts of England! Beasts of Ireland!
Beasts of land and sea and skies!
Hear the hoofbeats of tomorrow!
See the golden future rise!
Now the day of beasts is coming,
Tyrant man shall lose his throne
And the shining fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.
Pull the rings from out your noses
Tear the saddle from your back!
Bit and spur must rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack.
Beasts of England, seize the prizes,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans and mangel wurzel
Shall be ours upon that day.
October 24, 2022
WATCH FIRST: https://youtu.be/IurShLXJH98
"The human beings did not hate Animal Farm any less now that it was
prospering; indeed, they hated it more than ever.”
Use the quote above to dissect the human’s feelings toward Animal Farm. How do
you think they felt in the beginning? How did they feel in light of its success? Use
quotes to support your awers. (100 words)
The human’s hated it not because of their success but due to the fact
that they were trying to prove they were superior and could do man’s
job. It is stated “Every human being held it as an article of faith that
the farm would go bankrupt sooner or later, and, above all, that the
windmill would be a failure.” This shows us that the humans not only
hated Animal Farm , it shows the lack of faith they had in the animals
being competent enough to do the job that was meant to be filled by
humankind but to succeed.
"All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in
their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that
everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of
their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle,
thieving human beings."
Look into the Marxist theories of religion and the working class. How is the above
quote related to these theories? (100 words)
The quote is related to these theories as it was believed that the ruling class used
religion to manipulate and influence the ideology of the working class. They
referred to religion as the spiritual gun and in Animal Farm we can see Old Major
use the song ‘beasts of england’ to inspire the animals to stand up for their rights
to freedom from captivity and maltreatment of man. The ruling class used this
technique to make it seem as if it is God’s will for them to work as the animals on
the farm felt similarly after hearing the song.
Csec past paper january 2018
Drama-
a. The main issues are Phyllis and Merle are waiting for Henry to arrive,
however Merle seems to be stuck with a decision to make whether she
wants to be with Jim who lost his new job or Henry whom she had already
promised to give an answer to this week and then Merle decides she is
going to tell Henry to arrange a date whenever he likes
b. We learn that Jim is out of work and is very quick tempered as we can see
how he reacts dangerously to Merle’s mockery in a negative way in lines
31-38, we can also deduct that jim is stubborn as he responded to Merle
saying “I’ll do something when I’m good and ready” in line 42.
c. The role of Phyllis is a concerned sister to Merle as she seems not only
about her and their mother’s living as we can see in line 15, we can also see
she is concerned about Merle’s love affairs as she asks about it in lines 5
and 24.
d. The dramatic significance of the mother is she is old and needs to be taken
care of and they require more income to give her a place to live and Merle
plans to use Henry as a way of such as Jim isn’t providing as he is
unemployed.
e. One way was when Jim entered the room when Merle was mocking him as
he told her dangerously to drop his poems and as he became livid when he
first entered.
f. The use of sarcasm tells us that Jim acts as though he is as good of a writer
or poet as Charles Dickens or John Keats while Merle does not and she no
longer cares what he does.
g. A title could be The poet Laureate of Trinidad as the use of that really
shows the amount and level of sarcasm used in this extract.
Poetry
A. The first stanza talks about how when the man was young he helped
others by donating his blood at the hospital whenever volunteers
were needed but the blood was no good despite the boys efforts and
was flushed away in a toilet by a grim-faced lab technician.
B. The speaker's attitude to the man is one of reminisce as he opens the
stanzas with “Back then when he was still in the morning of his life”
and “One day when he was still young” and “Now that he is older”.
C. The impression given is that she is rude and and unmannerly as
when the man rose to his feet so she could sit she just stared at him
blankly and despite that he couldn’t suppress her raging hatred.
D. The figurative device in lines 22-22 is a simile and it is quite effective
in comparing the curse of her actions on the boy to a tattoo which is
everlasting just as her actions towards the boy would have an
everlasting effect on him
E. One example of contrast in the poem is the man when he is old to the
elderly lady from when he was a boy as they both carry the same
demeanor, one of hatred and rudeness.
F. I. The effectiveness of that line is that everyone who would question
the man's manner would see and feel the fire inside of him through
their eyes.
F. II. The poet's use of repetition gives us a point of emphasis
throughout the poem
G. The Older We Get The More We Change is a suitable title for this
poem as we can see the man become bitter with age.
Characters
Grandma Dell is the speaker’s Jamaican grandmother. She is shown to very
traditional and an avid church-goer. Grandma Dell is also very friendly ad
well-known in the neighborhood as it is noted that many people pass y her
house frequently.
Grandma Elaine is portrayed in stark contrast to Grandma Dell. Grandma
Elaine presents a modern approach and seems to have an aversion to the
notion of the term ‘grandmother’. She is more worldly than Del.
Setting
The story contrasts two settings: the Jamaican countryside and the USA.
Conflict
Family issues / difference in values
Themes
- Colorism (hair texture)
- Racism
- Classism/ Class Prejudice
Techiques & Devices
-
The speaker expresses herself usig log ru-o sentences, idicative of the
way a youg child may tll a story. This helps to emphasis the speakers
eagerness to relay the story to her mother.
Monday, November 28, 2022
My Parents
BY STEPHEN SPENDER
My parents kept me from children who were rough
Who threw words like stones and wore torn clothes
Their thighs showed through rags they ran in the street
And climbed cliffs and stripped by the country streams.
I feared more than tigers their muscles like iron
Their jerking hands and their knees tight on my arms
I feared the salt coarse pointing of those boys
Who copied my lisp behind me on the road.
They were lithe they sprang out behind hedges
Like dogs to bark at my world. They threw mud
While I looked the other way, pretending to smile.
I longed to forgive them but they never smiled.
Identify the figurative devices as used in the poem. (2 examples)
1. Simile : “ their muscles like iron” and “who threw words like stones”
2. Metaphor: “ the salt coarse pointing of those boys” and
Explain how the theme of forgiveness is shown in the poem.
The theme of forgiveness is shown towards the end of the poem in lines 11 and 12
as you can see how the boys treated the writer by copying his lisp, throwing mud
at him and teasing him. We can also see that he longed for acceptance meaning
that he wanted to forgive them but he didn’t see a reason to do so therefore he
didn’t forgive the boys.
For discussion:
ENGLISH B PAPER 02:
The duration of the exam is 2 hrs: 10 minutes (10 minutes added)
It is worth 50% of the total assessment (changed from 64%)
SECTION 1
Section 1 examines 1 Shakespearean drama and one modern drama
This section contains 2 questions (changed from 4 questions)
1 question from the Shakespearean text and 1 from the modern drama
Answer 1 question
Type of Question- Type A (meaning a single text is used to answer the questions)
Each question is worth 35 marks
*** SECTION 2
Section 2 examines poems (from the selection of 20 poems)
This section has 2 questions
1 question is generic, or based on poems of the students choice (from the selection)
1 question names the two poems that are to be compared
Answer 1 question
Type of Question- Type B (meaning a comparison question- compare two poems)
Each question is worth 35 marks
SECTION 3
The student is asked to compare a West Indian text with other novels in English OR to compare
West Indian short stories with other short stories in English
This section contains 4 questions (changed from 6 questions)
1 question is type A, meaning a single text is used to answer the questions
1 question is from each prescribed novel, equaling 2 questions
Next is 2 type B questions, meaning a comparison
1 question is generic, or based on stories of the students choice from the prescribed list
1 question based on two named short stories from the prescribed list
Answer 1 question
Types of Question- Type A & B
Each question is worth 35 marks
May 2017
"People experience different types of love." Choose TWO poems that you have
studied from the prescribed list in which the speaker experiences love.
For EACH poem:
(a)Describe the type of love experienced. (8 marks)
(b)Discuss the speaker's attitude to the love described in (a) above. (8 marks)
(c)Examine ONE device the poet uses to portray the theme of love. (9 marks)
