April 22, 2020
Leslie Liu
Period 7
Sophomores 2020
Blog #19
AIM: How does “Chapter 7” (of Animal Farm) portray the psychology of memory and authority?
DO NOW: THINK/PAIR/SHARE
What makes for a good leader?
- One who possesses confidence in their authority and decisions.
- One who voices the opinions of others and recognizes talents beyond their own.
- One who holds themselves accountable for their actions, demonstrating responsibility.
What qualities or attributes are associated with a good leader?
Similar to the first question about what makes for a good leader, qualities/attributes include confidence, effectiveness, open-minded, clarity, passion, etc.
In addition to these qualities, we also discussed whether honesty was a quality of a leader. We said that honesty should not be a quality because some things are better left unsaid due to the possibility of harming others.
Is there a point/degree in which a leader must forge ahead through their vision; despite the cost(s)?
Personally, I believe there is a point/degree in which a leader must forge ahead and that is when there is no progress made towards their goals. When there is no signs of advancement, the leader must decide if they should take the risk in order to succeed or wait until the situation deteriorates.
What cost is too great? How do you know?
The cost is too great when the consequences outweigh the benefits. A leader recognizes it when their actions are harming their subjects and progressively worsening what they had before. An example of this in Animal Farm is when Napoleon comes into power in order to overthrow Mr. Jones. Although the animals escaped from the tyranny under Mr. Jones, they don’t seem to realize Napoleon rules in a similar manner. As a result, all animals who opposed and committed crimes against Napoleon’s ideals would be killed.
NOTES:
How was memory portrayed in Animal Farm?
In Animal Farm, memory was easily influenced and changed among the animals. Through the usage of deception, Squealer was able to justify the pigs’ benefits by stating how they were part of the commandments from the start. For example, the other animals would question why Napoleon is allowed to sleep on the bed since a rule stated how they should not follow human actions and Squealer would respond by stating it allowed Napoleon to sleep on the bed only without sheets. By influencing their memories, the animals did not question him any longer.
How about authority?
Authority in Animal Farm is clearly corrupt and unjust. The pigs claim power among the other animals and utilizes their authority to benefit themselves. Napoleon would manipulate them to perform all the labor and if they did not comply, their portions were cut in half. As a result, most animals did submit themselves to the work because they did not want to face consequences.
Why were the things that happened possible?
They were possible by the use of propaganda. For instance, Napoleon would institute fear among the animals through his usage of the nine dogs. They justified his authority by causing the other animals to not question his ideas and plans. They perceived the nine dogs as dangerous and a threat, leading to their inability to voice their own opinions.
The Milgram Shock Experiment
After the group work as seen above, we watched a video about the Milgram Shock Experiment which illustrated how willingly participants would obey authority figures even if it meant harm to others. The experiment demonstrated average citizens who would be the “teacher” and a confederate who would be the “learner”. The teacher would be instructed to shock the learners in increasing increments whenever a wrong answer was given. When the learner was supposedly crying out in pain, the experimenter would tell the teacher to continue regardless of their morals. When the results came out, 65% of the participants shocked all the way, demonstrating how most people are unable to resist authority. After watching this video, we discussed that a good leader is one who is unwavering and persistent with their plans. This is seen in the video where the experimenter would consistently say it is vital for the learner to continue despite their protests. Similarly, in Animal Farm, those who do obey the authority do not suffer as much as those who do not. - Reward System
Video About Obedience To Authority Figures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=162&v=Uk4uqMj1nBk&feature=emb_title
Symbolic Connections
Stalin’s Five Year Plan to modernize the Soviet Union yielded similar results as in Animal Farm. With the construction of the windmill, Napoleon ordered immense labor from the other animals and it represented the power struggle between Napoleon and Snowball. In addition, the hens were willing to fly up to the rafters and kill their young as a protest against Napoleon’s restrictions. This was George Orwell showing the peasant attempts made against collectivization.
Thoughts Regarding the Reading
In Chapter 7, I am not surprised by the actions of Napoleon because he has been known for manipulating others by the use of propaganda. In this chapter, he acknowledges the fact that the humans are waiting for the failure and in order to combat their desires, he deceives Mr. Whymper into believing that they are not short in food by filling the bins with sand and only a bit of grain on the very top. By doing so, Napoleon creates the illusion that they are running the farm smoothly without the help of humans. In addition to the lies about their farm, Napoleon deceives the animals into believing that Snowball was in cooperation with Mr. Jones from the start. He does so by having Squealer tell the animals that they discovered documents linking the two as a duo. Similar to our lesson today, Squealer utilizes deception with their memory as a way to use Snowball as a scapegoat for all the issues in the farm.
Personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now
Honestly like any other person would be, I am concerned about the situation with COVID-19 and how it is affecting everyone in all parts of the world. I find it insanely shocking that we’re all quarantined at home for an unknown period of time and I am in fear of the possibilities that could occur. At the beginning, we all thought that it wasn’t going to be serious but now the U.S. has the most cases, specifically, New York City. I hope that everyone is safe and taking necessary precautions in order to prevent the spreading of the virus.
REFLECTION:
REFLECTION:
Today I learned how the memory of others can be easily manipulated in order to justify the rule of authority figures. With sources of propaganda, people are often susceptible to be deceived into believing false ideas. For example, propaganda is utilized throughout Animal Farm, causing the animals to trust Napoleon and view Snowball and humans as the enemy. Another example in Animal Farm would be when Squealer accuses Snowball of treachery and that his “heroic” acts in the Battle of Cowshed were all false. This causes the other animals to question their memory, even Boxer who is known to be unintelligent. In addition to memory, we learned about authority and how people are willing to go to extreme measures in order to complete the requests of authority figures. This is seen in the experiment where the majority of the people did comply with the orders of the experimenter even though they conflicted with their morals. Personally, I feel that I would have probably done what most people did and been shocked all the way and the reason being is because I was taught at an early age that you should always respect those above you whether it is your parents, teachers, etc. I would have wanted to satisfy the experimenter’s commands and without realizing it, I am actually causing more harm. Now. with this knowledge, I am going to be more aware of my surroundings in order to prevent deception of my memory and follow my morals rather than authority figures. Both memory and authority can be applied to real world situations and as a result, people must be careful of who they should trust and comply with because the effects of their decisions can be harmful to others.
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