Lesson 20: Animal Farm, Chapter VII, Part 1

Initiate a turn and talk discussion about the worsening conditions on Animal Farm.

Turn and Talk

Instruct students to take out their copies of Animal Farm and review pp. 73–76. Next, have students discuss the following question with a partner.

• Ask: How have conditions on the farm changed? How do the changes impact the mood on the farm?

  • The winter has taken a toll on the animals, and they are “always cold and usually hungry as well” (p. 74). Their rations have been cut, the potato crop has failed, and now they have even more work to do to prove the humans wrong. The hens, when asked to provide the eggs, raise “a terrible outcry” and try to “thwart Napoleon’s wishes,” but their rebellion is squashed quickly (p. 76). The animals are not happy, and the mood is tense and depressing, but they see no other option but to obey the pigs.

Ask for one to two volunteers to share what they discussed with their partner.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: In Chapter VII, shortages and fear make the animals easier to control. We will look at how leaders utilize blame and fear when trust breaks down.

Word Associations

Target words: capitulate, scapegoat 

Say these Directions: We’re learning about the words capitulate and scapegoat today. It shows up in Animal Farm Chapter 7, and both are relevant to the changes happening on the farm.

• Say: Let’s look at some of our vocabulary from the last few lessons in the context of what we already know.

Introduce the Word: Have you seen the words capitulate or scapegoat before? Where?

Part A: Capitulate

• Discussion: Ask students to discuss with a partner the associations that come to them for the vocabulary word and then share their responses in a whole-group discussion. Encourage students to explain the connection they’re making. 

Prompt Student Thinking:

Target word: capitulate

• Ask: When you hear the word capitulate, what images come to mind?

  • I think of a white flag someone is waving to show they are giving up.

• Ask: What feelings might people experience if they are capitulating?

  • They might feel conflicted or even upset that they had to surrender and give up.   

• Ask: If capitulate means to surrender or stop resisting, what would be its opposite?

  • The opposite would be to stick to your ideals and keep fighting or doing the thing you set out to do.

Part B: Scapegoat 

• Discussion: Repeat the routine with the target word scapegoat 

Prompt Student Thinking:

Target word: scapegoat

• Ask: When you hear the word scapegoat, what emotions do you associate with it?

  • I think about shame and anger because when someone is mad about something, they often want to find someone to blame.

• Ask: Why might a leader target someone as a scapegoat?

  • A leader might target someone as a scapegoat to get everyone else on their side and against someone they can all blame.

• Ask: What kind of person would be the opposite of a scapegoat?

  • Someone who is the opposite of a scapegoat might be someone who everyone trusts.

Have students add capitulate and scapegoat to their Personal Dictionaries.

Tell students that this vocabulary will be further analyzed in this lesson's text analysis work. Allow students to share their work.

• Ask: Explain to a partner how identifying the word associations helped you to understand the word.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: We will use these words and the associations you discussed to further understand the events that unfold in Chapter VII.

Part A: Scapegoating as Propaganda (RL.8.3, SL.8.1.d) (20 minutes)

Students learn about scapegoating as a propaganda strategy while analyzing how Napoleon and Squealer use Snowball as a scapegoat to consolidate their power.

Teach: Scapegoating as Propaganda

Display a definition of the propaganda strategy of scapegoating and read through it for the students:

• Scapegoating: a propaganda strategy that involves detracting attention from a leader’s failure by unjustly blaming an individual or group for any and all problems

Explain that scapegoating works in various ways when using it for propaganda. Display and review the following list:

Scapegoating:

• diverts public attention away from the real cause of a problem.

• creates a common enemy.

• builds fear and hatred.

• targets a vulnerable person or group.

Say these Directions: Oftentimes, scapegoating means creating and spreading stories about others that are not true, and these stories become propaganda that controls the public perspective. In the end, scapegoating can sometimes lead to excessive violence toward those targeted.

Academic Talk Stems

Display and provide this question to students: Who is the target of scapegoating in this chapter? How do you know?

Introduce the routine of Academic Talk Stems in which students will discuss ideas with each other using sentence frames.

Model for the students how to use the routine. When a volunteer answers, model using an Academic Talk Stem to add on to the comment.

• Say: I want to add on to what ____ said because I think it is important that we consider why Snowball is targeted. Snowball was a well-liked leader before Napoleon chased him away. Clearly, Napoleon saw him as a threat. Now, Snowball is an easy target because he cannot defend himself.

• Ask: Who would like to add on to synthesize the information about scapegoating?

Display this sentence stem to support academic talk.

• In addition to _____, the scapegoating builds when _____.

Have a few students try out the sentence frame and add ideas to what was already discussed.

Pair students and have them continue the discussion about scapegoating. Encourage them to use these stems to spur Academic Talk. One student should complete the given stem, and the other should add on or provide a synthesis of information.

If students need support, provide topic-specific frames:

• In addition to Napoleon using his authority to scapegoat Snowball, the scapegoating builds when _____.

• Another idea to consider is Squealer’s contribution to public opinion about Snowball by _________________________.

• Napoleon and Squealer create a scapegoat of Snowball by _____.

• In Chapter VII, Napoleon strengthens his power by _________.

Reconvene the class and allow students to share any new ideas they have synthesized. Make sure students understand that scapegoating Snowball distracts from Napoleon’s failures, creates a common enemy, and elevates the animals’ fear of and reliance on Napoleon’s protection, among other results.

Part B: Analyzing Dramatic Irony (RL.8.6) (10 minutes)

Students analyze the dramatic irony that is created by Squealer and Napoleon scapegoating Snowball.

• Say: Dramatic irony is a literary device in which the reader has a better understanding of what is actually happening than the characters do. In Chapter VII, Orwell relies heavily on dramatic irony to depict the corruption of the pigs and their use of scapegoating.

Remind students that they were introduced to dramatic irony in Lessons 8 and 19.

Provide students with a model of dramatic irony from their previous reading in Chapter VI.

• Say: In the previous chapter, Snowball was blamed for the destruction of the windmill. As readers, we know that the powerful storm that blew the roof off the barn was the cause of the destruction, not Snowball. But the animals believe the account that Snowball is to blame. From this dramatic irony, readers recognize that the pigs are manipulating the animals and creating a scapegoat of Snowball.

Think-Pair-Share

Have students independently identify an example of dramatic irony in Chapter VII.

• Ask: What do you, as a reader, know that the animals don’t understand?

Then, instruct students to discuss their examples of dramatic irony with partners.

• Readers know that Snowball is not frequenting the farm every night. He is not the one who is stealing the “corn” or upsetting the “milk-pails” or trampling the “seedbeds” (p. 78). We, the readers, also know that Napoleon cannot actually smell Snowball’s scent everywhere he snuffs.

After a brief discussion, invite pairs to share key ideas from their discussions.

• Ask: What central idea is highlighted through the use of dramatic irony?

  • Dramatic irony highlights the corruption of the pigs and the animals’ inability to think for themselves, except the hens, who are forced to capitulate to Napoleon’s rule. Readers’ deeper understanding reveals Napoleon’s and Squealer’s scapegoating tactics and the steps they are taking to secure total authority over the animals.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: We studied how scapegoating is used as a propaganda technique and how Orwell creates dramatic irony as Napoleon and Squealer scapegoat Snowball. Keep these ideas in mind as you draft a Quick Write response to the following prompt:

Write three to four sentences explaining how Snowball is used as a scapegoat. Include one quoted phrase or sentence from Chapter VII as evidence.

• Snowball is made a scapegoat when Napoleon blames him for every problem on the farm. Squealer tells the animals that Snowball was “in league with Jones from the very start,” even though Snowball had been called a hero earlier (p. 79). By blaming Snowball, Napoleon gives the animals someone to hate instead of questioning his decisions. This keeps the animals afraid and loyal to him.

Instruct students to finish reading Chapter VII, pp. 82–89, beginning with the paragraph “‘That is the true spirit, comrade!’ cried Squealer” and then review the chapter again as a whole. Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

As you finish reading Chapter VII, take notes on the following prompt in your Journal:

• What feelings come up for the animals throughout the chapter? Why do they still go along with Napoleon in the end?