Aim: How does “Chapter 7” (of Animal Farm)
portray the psychology of memory and authority?
Do Now: What makes for a good leader? What qualities or attributes are associated with a good leader? Is there a point/degree in which a leader must forge ahead through
their vision; despite the cost(s)? What cost is too great? How do you know?
Our class believed that a good leader is someone who is honest and transparent with society, yet able to control situations and keep the people calm. The Covid epidemic can be used as an example where being honest could cause panic, yet lying will cause even greater disaster. For these reasons we said a good quality of a leader is someone who can make hard decisions while thinking about the good of his people. We all think there is a point where a leader must continue pursuing his vision despite the cost if it would result in great benefits for society. He would have to be able to weigh the pros and cons of continuing towards his goal and decide if it is worth the sacrifice. The cost of many human lives is too great. Losing millions of people for economic purpose would never be justifiable
Notes For the Day:
We spoke about why we obey authority. During this discussion we viewed the Milgram Shock Experiment in order to give us a better understanding of the topic. After viewing the video it is clear there are multiple factors that persuade us into trusting authority such as our surroundings and the views of the leaders and the causes they believe in. If you trust the authority and support the causes they believe in you will be inclined to obey them. Since you place them on a higher scale then yourself, you think they know better than you. We then tied the Milgram Shock Experiment back to Animal Farm. Our discussion moved towards the similarities of Stalin’s Five-Year Plan and the Windmill in Animal Farm. Lastly we discussed how authority can use memory to manipulate the masses. We watched a youtube video titled, “Can You Trust Your Memories?” where we were given a deeper understanding of our memory and how it can be altered for the benefit of someone else. We ourselves cannot perfectly recall many memories since we change the slightest details about our memories constantly. Other people can implant false memories into our minds if we are given a reason to believe them and enough information about the fake memory. Fake memories work very similarly to the idea of, “If you say it enough times you will eventually believe it”. This was also tied back to Animal Farm where we finished our discussion asking how characters in animal farm are able to manipulate others using memory or their position of authority.
Reflection:
What did I learn?
Through the Milgram Shock Experiment, it was proven that the majority of everyday citizens will obey authority even when it is clear they shouldn't. We trust authority more than we should, those who hold power will always attempt to maintain control. Memory is one of the many ways leaders can manipulate their subjects. We ourselves cannot have complete trust in our memories. Studies show that false memories can be implanted by outside sources if we are given enough details to make it seem real. In addition, everytime we recall a memory we slightly change the narrative.
Why did I learn it?
Both memory and the Milgram Shock Experiment can help us better understand the situation presented in Animal Farm. The animals will trust the pigs even when they shouldn't since they hold authority over the farm. In addition, specific characters within Animal Farm can be seen using memories to their advantage. An example of how memories can be used to influence a group can be seen when Squealer uses the memory of Jones to instill fear in the animals and persuade them to obey his commands. He also alters the memory of Snowball for the other animals making it seem he was a traitor.
How will I use what I learned?
Just as we previously discussed how propaganda can be used to control perspective, we now learned of two other ways our view on a topic can be altered. I can use this information to help me understand manipulation in not only Animal Farm, but in everyday media. When you understand propaganda and the use of power to support a cause, you begin to question everything you see much more. There are always multiple layers to all advertisements we see. In Animal Farm i will now be able to identify when authority is being abused and what type of manipulation is used to control the animals.
External Links to Videos Mentioned:
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