Lesson 4: Animal Farm, Chapter I

Students discuss the first chapter of Animal Farm, sharing which characters stood out to them.

Turn-and-Talk

Have students take out Animal Farm and their annotations from the previous lesson’s homework.

• Lesson 3 Homework: Students were instructed to read the first chapter (pp. 3–14) of Animal Farm and annotate for key ideas that Old Major communicates in his speech.

Say these Directions: Take out Animal Farm and your annotations from the previous lesson’s homework. Consider the events and characters you read about in Chapter 1 of Animal Farm. Orwell has introduced the farmer and multiple animal characters in this first chapter. Turn and talk to discuss the following questions:

• Which characters besides Old Major stood out to you in Chapter 1? How does Orwell develop those characters?

  • Boxer and Clover stood out to me because they are huge, but so gentle. They “came in together, walking very slowly” (p. 4) to avoid squishing any smaller animals that might be in the straw. Also, the motherless ducklings chose to stay next to Clover, who protected them with her foreleg. These details show how kind Clover is.

Connection to Today’s Learning: 

• Say: Today, you will examine how Orwell sets up the story by analyzing Old Major’s persuasive speech.

Introduce New Words Using Morphology Target Words: comrades, rebellion

Introduce the Words: Present the words comrades and rebellion and pronounce them.

• Ask: Have you seen either word before? Where?

Identify Roots: Tell students that the Latin root of comrade is camera. Explain that in Latin, this word does not mean “a device for taking pictures.” Instead, it means “a private room.” It influenced the formation of several Spanish words, including camerada, or “close friend.” That word entered English as comrade, meaning “friend” or “companion.” Comrade has been used widely within communist and socialist political groups as a substitute for “Mr.” or “Ms.”

Then underline the root bell in rebellion, and tell students that the Latin word bellare means “war.”

Identify Affixes: Write the Spanish word camerada on the board. Circle -ada and explain that it can mean “a group of.” Then circle re- and -ion in rebellion. Explain that one meaning of re- is “against,” and -ion can mean “an action.”

• Ask: How do the Latin root camera and the Spanish affix -ada help create the meaning of comrades?

  • Taken together, they connote a group of people who share something—in the case of communism or socialism, an idea.

• Ask: How do the Latin word bellare and the affixes re- and -ion contribute to the meaning of rebellion?

  • (Taken together, they mean “an act of war against” something or someone.

Language Connection: Similar Spanish words to camerada include compañero (close male friend) and compañera (close female friend). The Spanish word rebelión is similar in both spelling and meaning to rebellion.

Say these Directions: Read this excerpt from Old Major’s speech to the animals of Manor Farm:

• “What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done.”

Turn and discuss these questions with a partner:

• What context clues in this excerpt help you figure out what a comrade might be?

• How do context clues indicate the meaning of rebellion?

• How might the capitalization of the word “Rebellion” be a context clue?

Confirm or explain that comrades are fellow members of a political movement and that a rebellion is a mass resistance to authority.

Connection to Today’s Learning: 

• Say: Knowing vocabulary such as comrades and rebellion helps us understand groups of people who band together to fight oppressive systems. As you reread Old Major’s speech today, pay attention to how he describes life on Manor Farm as it is and what he thinks will happen to make it better in the future.

Part A: Determine a Theme (RL.8.2) (15 minutes)

Transition students into pairs to analyze Old Major’s speech.

Think-Pair-Share

Briefly review the concepts of theme and central idea with students.

• Say: A story’s theme is its central idea, or “main lesson.” A theme is almost never stated plainly. Instead, it is presented indirectly through details of a story’s plot, setting, and character development. To determine a theme, note repeated ideas and descriptions in the text. Consider the main conflict, obstacle, or problem the characters face and note how they react to the problem and how they change as the story progresses. Ask yourself, “What does the author want me to take away from this story?”

Keep in mind that themes develop over the course of the story, but each part of the text contributes to establishing the overarching theme.

Say these Directions: Review Old Major’s speech in Chapter 1 of Animal Farm (pp. 6–13). Use the questions below to analyze the text and then discuss with a partner.

• What idea about the animals’ living conditions does Old Major mention repeatedly? What specific examples does he provide to support this claim within his speech?

  • He repeatedly talks about how all animals endure horrible treatment and harsh living conditions. He describes the animals’ lives as “miserable, laborious, and short” (p. 6). He gives examples of animals barely being fed, being worked nearly to death, and then being slaughtered as soon as they are no longer useful to “Man” (p. 7). An example he gives is that the “produce of our labour” is stolen by human beings since the animals do all the work on the farm but still experience “hunger” (p. 7).

• What conflict does Old Major address in his speech? Who is the enemy, and why are they the enemy?

He directly sets up the conflict between Man and Animals. He says, “Man is the only real enemy we have” (p. 7). Old Major goes on to explain that “Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. . .  Yet he is lord of all the animals” (pp. 7–8). He notes how poorly Man treats animals in return for their production.

• How does Old Major propose that the Animals approach the conflict?

  • Old Major proposes that the animals “get rid of Man” and not allow Man to have authority over the animals anymore (p. 9). Old Major questions and answers, “What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! This is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion!” With this statement, Old Major wants the animals to revolt against human beings.

• What theme or central idea do Old Major’s claims and examples develop? How can you broaden the idea to make a statement about real life?

  • He develops the theme of the need for the Animals to rebel against the mistreatment they receive from Man. In general terms, the theme could be stated as “The only way out of enslavement and mistreatment is rebellion against authority.”

When students finish discussing ideas with partners, reconvene the class for a whole-group discussion. Invite volunteers to share the main conclusions they reached with their partners.

Part B: Analyze Dialogue (RL.8.1, RL.8.3) (15 minutes) 

Students analyze lines of dialogue from chapter 1 for emotional appeal and predict how the speech will impact the animals’ behavior.

Turn-and-Talk

Explain to students that a story’s dialogue and events move the action of the plot forward. Dialogue can also show us important aspects of characters and can cause characters to make impactful and important decisions.

• Say: Authors use dialogue and events to move the action forward in a story. Dialogue—the words that characters speak—can create tension, build conflict, and challenge other characters to make decisions and act upon them. When a character gives a speech like Old Major does in Chapter 1 of Animal Farm, pay attention to what he says and what his words say about him. Consider the impact that his dialogue has on the characters to whom he speaks. This speech is important because it sets up the rest of the book.

Organize students into pairs or groups of three for a turn-and-talk discussion.

Say these Directions: Use Old Major’s speech (pp. 6–13) and the questions below for a turn-and-talk discussion.

• Which lines from Old Major’s speech might appeal to the animals’ emotions (fear, hope, anger)?

One of the lines that might appeal to fear: “You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year” (p. 9). This line appeals to the fear that the young pigs will eventually die. Another line that might appeal to hope: “I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done” (p. 9). This appeal shows that Old Major truly believes the revolution is inevitable and that animals must overtake their enemy, mankind. Another line that appeals to anger: “Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings?” (p. 9). This line supports Old Major’s claim that human beings are the main reason why the animals suffer and why they are treated inhumanely.

• What are some actions Old Major urges the animals to take? What impact do you think his speech will have on the animals?

He tells the animals that the only way out of this enslavement and mistreatment by humans is rebellion. He says, “That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion!” (p. 9). He doesn’t demand that the animals rebel at that very moment, but he urges them to “pass on this message of mine to those who come after you, so that future generations shall carry on the struggle until it is victorious” (p. 9). I think that his speech will inspire the animals to rebel against the human beings and take over the farm.

When students finish discussing ideas with their peers, reconvene the class for a whole-group discussion. Invite volunteers to share the main conclusions they reached with their peers.

3-2-1 Summary

Say these Directions: Use the graphic organizer to develop a 3–2–1 Summary focused on Old Major’s speech and the ideas it contains. Make sure to record:

• 3 important words/phrases (emphasis, repetition, etc.)

• 2 key details or ideas

• 1 sentence explaining what the speech is mostly about (gist sentence)

Use specific evidence from the text in your response.

Provide students with a 3-Column Chart graphic organizer.

Instruct students to write in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Read chapter II (pp. 15–26) of Animal Farm and annotate moments in the text that suggest that the pigs are starting to take charge. Take notes about the text in your Journal.