Nicole Reyblat
Blog #25
Period 9
4/30/20
Sophomores 2020
Aim: How do George Orwell’s themes of literary protest transcend time?
Class Notes:
Do Now:
- Elitism is leadership by a socially superior minority group. In what ways is elitism fostered among the pigs of Animal Farm?
The class discussed how elitism was seen in Animal Farm by the many advantages the pigs had over the other farm animals. For example, the pigs, in particular Napoleon, got to live in the house, wear fine clothes and ribbons, and eat better food. In addition, since Napoleon was leader of the farm, his children also got special privileges, such as schooling.
- Is there evidence that Elitism still exists in our society? If so, how?
The class discussed how there is evidence of elitism throughout the history of mankind. For example, during World War II, elitism was demonstrated in Germany by having important people wear swastika symbols. In addition, royalty often wore richer clothing than the rest of their people. Today, elitism is seen when people of higher social standings receive better education and live in safer areas.
The pigs are allowed to have more privileges because they are “more equal than others.”
After the Do Now, the class considered a dilemma regarding cyberbullying.
Most students agreed that they would check up on the victim of cyberbullying to make sure that he/she was ok. Although not everybody would confront the bully, most students would at least try to prevent the further spread of the picture by ignoring it entirely. The quicker the picture would be ignored, the faster the problem would be forgotten by everybody.
We then learned about Richard Wright, an American author who wrote about racial issues.
The class had to consider one of Richard Wright’s quotes: “All literature is protest. You can’t name a single novel that isn’t protest.”
Many students agreed with the quote, explaining how every author has a different perspective and bias regarding different issues. Although authors may not write literature with the intent of protesting something, their views on issues will still be evident due to the way they shape events in their stories.
Afterwards, the class considered George Orwell’s quote at the end of Animal Farm: “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.”
The pigs and the humans are now very similar in appearance.
Some themes that were present in Animal Farm were that power corrupts, ignorance blinds individuals from witnessing abuse, and propaganda allows abuse to effectively take place.
Videos watched:
We then looked at a powerpoint about the satire and themes present in Animal Farm.
Some themes that were considered were:
- Unquestioning allegiance to authority invites abuse of power.
- Power tends to corrupt, and absolutely power corrupts absolutely.
- Language can be manipulated as an instrument of control.
Discussion Board:
At the end of the lesson, students were asked to respond to a discussion board answering two prompts:
- How would George Orwell want to inspire your generation?
- What is one thing you could do this week?
Students also had to respond to the post of a classmate.
Extra Enrichment:
My Thoughts:
Reading:
For today’s class, the reading that was due was chapter 10. After reading the chapter, I felt very discontent. In chapter 10, the reader can truly see how corrupt the pigs have become. In previous chapters, this corruption was seen to be implemented slowly and in small amounts. However, the full force of the corruption is clearly visible in chapter 10. The pigs start wearing clothes, walking on two feet, and Napoleon even starts to carry around a whip. The pigs have completed their transformation into humans, and the rest of the farm animals are once again the lower class of the farm. The farm animals’ current reality is the exact opposite of what they were fighting for. For this reason, I find it very sad and difficult to believe that the farm animals do not accurately perceive their reality. On the contrary, the animals are actually thankful that they live on a farm run by animals, failing to see how the pigs aren’t even animals anymore. I find myself feeling frustrated towards the animals, as I can’t understand how they are so blinded by propaganda. The worst of it is that at this point, the corruption is so extensive that even if the animals were to realize what was truly going on, they would not be able to easily create change. Because the animals were submissive for so long, another rebellion would be much harder to achieve.
Working From Home:
Ever since quarantine has started, students have been doing schooling from home. For me, working at home has both its benefits and disadvantages. I like that I have several days to complete my assignments, because that removes the pressure of having to do everything quickly. When we had regular school, I would often get a lot of homework that would all be due the next day.The problem would be that I would also often come home from school late due to extracurriculars, which would force me to stay up late doing homework. Now, the situation has completely reversed. I have enough time to do the homework every day at a reasonable time and I generally get less work to do, which I find to be very beneficial. Although these benefits are very important, I also have some problems with learning at home. I find that I become distracted very easily when doing school work. It takes me much longer to complete my schoolwork at home than it would have taken me at school. At school, I knew that the time spent there was dedicated to doing work. However, schoolwork at home often doesn’t have a set time, so I start procrastinating. For these reasons, I would say that learning at home is both good and bad.
Coronavirus:
This coronavirus pandemic has made me more aware about the efficiency of our government, and the governments around the world. I had always thought that in an advanced country such as the United States, the government could easily prevent the spread of a virus. I was very shocked when I realized how much the government had allowed the coronavirus to spread before rigorously starting testing. Hundreds of thousands of people have been infected with the coronavirus in the United States, and the virus continues to spread. I am thankful to say that it appears that the number of people getting infected each day is decreasing, and the number of hospitalizations has fallen. However, people continue to behave in an ignorant manner that puts themselves and those around them in danger. I often read on the news how people are protesting social distancing. I don’t understand why people are so willing to endanger their communities and put themselves at risk. I understand that social distancing isn’t enjoyable, but I would rather be safe than sorry. People can’t be selfish and put their own needs first all of the time. Although the coronavirus may not be as much of a threat to some people, there are people who are at great risk due to this virus. Thus, the circumstances of others must be considered before impulsive actions are taken, such as protesting in large, crowded groups.
Reflection:
Today in class I learned about how the themes and messages present in literature will impact generations of the future, not just the present. Often, the ideas and values present in a piece of literature do not only apply to certain circumstances. In fact, those ideas and values can typically apply to almost any scenario, not depending on time or place. For example, in the story Animal Farm, George Orwell clearly protests elitism through satire. Although his protests were originally mostly directed towards the corruption of communism, they can still be applied to examples of elitism found in society today, such as the rich having more influence than the lower classes. In addition, the many themes that were found in Animal Farm should still be remembered to this day. For example, in class we decided that some of the key themes in Animal Farm were that power corrupts, ignorance is blinding, and propaganda allows abuse to spread. Those ideas are just as important today as they were during the 1940s, when Animal Farm was written. Separate from themes, I also learned about cyberbullying, and the severe consequences that it can have on people. Although people often rely on the victim to stop the bullying, the videos we watched in class made it clear that bystanders are just as important and more useful to changing the consequences of bullying. I believe it was very useful that we learned about the impacts of literature in class today because it is important to remember that literature is a powerful tool that can help shape the future. In class, it was mentioned in a quote that “all literature is protest”. If literature is harnessed the right way, future generations can help change their reality by learning from the past. By simply reading literature, I can gain valuable knowledge that I can use to help navigate my life into the direction that I want. Furthermore, the lesson I learned about cyberbullying is equally important. Cyberbullying can have very severe consequences on its victims. I think it is very important to realize that bystanders can have a very strong impact on the way events play out, and that every action matters. An action that you may think is just a joke can result in an individual taking his/her own life, so it is necessary to think twice before you decide to do something rash or impulsive. I will definitely use what I learned in class today. The next time I read a novel or other piece of literature, I will be sure to pay attention to the themes and messages present. The themes that I read about can have the possibility to change my life forever, especially if I take heed to them. I will try to start noticing the various life lessons that exist in the books I read. Also, I will pay more attention to the things that I post on social media, as well as the things that others post. I now understand that bystanders have a very important role to play, and I will try to help out in any way that I can if I see someone getting cyberbullied.
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