The Official LitNet AF homework help thread - get your answers here!

[ulvmane]

thanks baz, my memory fades me and history isn't my strong subject. alot of what i'll add from now on might be more of the literature aspects. Such as the ace played in the end the end of the book. Either man cheated or animal cheated implying one of two things. 1. The animals have become so corupt that they are cheating now, or 2 man has to resort to cheating because animals have become supierior to them (just my personal thought)

[bazarov]

thanks baz, my memory fades me and history isn't my strong subject. alot of what i'll add from now on might be more of the literature aspects. Such as the ace played in the end the end of the book. Either man cheated or animal cheated implying one of two things. 1. The animals have become so corupt that they are cheating now, or 2 man has to resort to cheating because animals have become supierior to them (just my personal thought)

In my country we usually say: The revolution ate her self.

[The Atheist]

thanks baz, my memory fades me and history isn't my strong subject. alot of what i'll add from now on might be more of the literature aspects. Such as the ace played in the end the end of the book. Either man cheated or animal cheated implying one of two things. 1. The animals have become so corupt that they are cheating now, or 2 man has to resort to cheating because animals have become supierior to them (just my personal thought)

Definitely #1. Given the difficulty telling the difference between men and pigs, it's just further reiteration of that point - the differences were only superficial, underneath they were all cheats. The pigs had become men, right down to their worst faults.

[Logos]

Actually The Atheist, I think this topic should be called

The Official LitNet AF homework help thread - get your answers here!



A great idea with lots of great contributions, thank you all so much!

[The Atheist]

Actually The Atheist, I think this topic should be called

The Official LitNet AF homework help thread - get your answers here!



A great idea with lots of great contributions, thank you all so much!

Cheers, go ahead and change it!

[Logos]

Done!

[osamabanana]

hey guys first time posting here so be nice lol. Anyway i have an assignment on animal farm and a movie and one question asks what interpretations does animal farm make about our world? just asking here for some pointers. im thinking along the lines of how power corrupts people. anything else i should be looking at?

thanks in advance

[bazarov]

There should be everything you need. If it's not, please specify your question little more.

http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=25291


People sometimes don't realize that they became something they fought against before, also known as honores mutant mores , ends just the means...

[aldana]

Cheers, go ahead and change it!

HELLO dear Atheist,
i'm from argentina and this is my first year teaching literature. this year we are reading animal farm. i really love it but my students not so much. when we started reading animal farm pretty much all of them thought the book was silly, now little by little they are starting to change their minds...but still...they are not completely captured by it...

since you seem to know so much about Animal Farm...and you're so willing to help with the analysis of it...i was wondering if you could think of some nice and interesting essay topics to use in my class...
i have used all the typical ones referring to theme and characterization as well as historical events...but my students seem to be completely demotivated...how can i make them write passionately about the book and its meanings?
any ideas?

another question i have for you and for anyone who would like to help out is:

why did the pigs accept moses back into the farm? the first time moses was kicked out has to do with the abolishing of religion in russia, right? so if moses returns...can that be related to the re-establishment of religion?

please, i would really appreciate your help

thanks a lot

anyone there? no answers?

NOBODY!! come on!!!!

[The Atheist]

Crikey!

We don't actually live in here, give us at least an hour!

[aldana]

NOBODY!! come on!!!!

??????

NOBODY!! come on!!!!

Crikey!

We don't actually live in here, give us at least an hour!

jajajaja YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! my bad, sorry...

[The Atheist]

HELLO dear Atheist,
i'm from argentina and this is my first year teaching literature. this year we are reading animal farm. i really love it but my students not so much. when we started reading animal farm pretty much all of them thought the book was silly, now little by little they are starting to change their minds...but still...they are not completely captured by it...

It's a difficult book to teach to kids at times. I think the key is engaging their enthusiasm for the story before the book gets opened. Various ploys for this would include the obvious look at the Russian Revolution, but try to avoid just the historical data and make it personal - getting them to imagine something like it happening to their own country. (Whether Argentina's attempts at totalitarianism is appropriate, I will leave to your discretion!) Another way is to introduce them to the idea of imagery beforehand, so they expect the unexpected.

since you seem to know so much about Animal Farm...and you're so willing to help with the analysis of it...i was wondering if you could think of some nice and interesting essay topics to use in my class...

i have used all the typical ones referring to theme and characterization as well as historical events...but my students seem to be completely demotivated...how can i make them write passionately about the book and its meanings?
any ideas?

I have to say that one of the better ones I've seen in recent times is asking kids to prepare a report for the UN, but modified to report for an animal protection agency instead, as it might be be more attractive than the UN which inevitably involves politics. I truly think that the politics is what puts kids off this book, so lots of the old themes mightn't be so appropriate nowadays.

Kids mightn't understand politics, but most of them fully understand cruelty to animals and unfairness and by writing about the conditions and threats to the animals, they will be learning about the conditions of the people anyway.

Another option might be to ask how the animals which witness the ending in the farmhouse might raise a secret rebellion. This is the sort of thing which appeals to kids and while it might miss some of the more obvious political acts of the book, again if it gets them thinking about it, they'll pick it up anyway.

I think the key is to be creative. I've recently watched my own 15 year old be taught the standard curriculum form of the book and I thought the questions were boring.

No doubt Bazarov will put a few ideas up for you and I'll try to come up with more as well.

another question i have for you and for anyone who would like to help out is:

why did the pigs accept moses back into the farm? the first time moses was kicked out has to do with the abolishing of religion in russia, right? so if moses returns...can that be related to the re-establishment of religion?

please, i would really appreciate your help

thanks a lot

By the time Moses returns, he is seen as no threat whatsoever, so letting him return panders to the animals who want to hear his tales. The Russian equivalent is that the church was tolerated under Stalin, but it was so watered down by infiltration by KGB and forced to report on its own parishioners that it was never able to gain any foothold. In the end, it became one more form of ensuring that no resistance is possible - keep it open, but corrupted, rather than in secret, because people will always find a way to worship and it can be a powerful motivating tool.

And good luck! Hope this helps. If not, keep asking, that's what we're here for.

Actually, just a quick note for anyone esle wanting urgent help, because I don't come in here every day, the best way is to send me a PM, becausae that notifies me by e mail, and I check them about every 20 minutes.

I also sleep sometimes!

[aldana]

Thank you so much for such a thorough answer, I really liked the idea of the UN report...i will have a go with that

As regards the question of moses, I agree with you that the pigs didn't see him as a threat...but what about the part when they give him a measure of beer in spite of the fact that he didn't actually do any work around the farm!? It was as a kind of reward? Or maybe they thought that they could actually USE him for something. Could it be that his preachings of a great afterlife actually served a purpose as a sort of hopeful message for the animals to work even harder? If they work hard enough in this life...they would be rewarded on the afterlife...kind of the same message that the catholic church provides: blessed be the poor for they would be rewarded on heaven (something of the sort )

what do you think?

[The Atheist]

Thank you so much for such a thorough answer, I really liked the idea of the UN report...i will have a go with that

As regards the question of moses, I agree with you that the pigs didn't see him as a threat...but what about the part when they give him a measure of beer in spite of the fact that he didn't actually do any work around the farm!? It was as a kind of reward? Or maybe they thought that they could actually USE him for something. Could it be that his preachings of a great afterlife actually served a purpose as a sort of hopeful message for the animals to work even harder? If they work hard enough in this life...they would be rewarded on the afterlife...kind of the same message that the catholic church provides: blessed be the poor for they would be rewarded on heaven (something of the sort )

what do you think?

Yep, I think you've hit it right on the head - because the church is powerless to do any harm, there was no reason not to let the proletariat have their beliefs in god and afterlife. You're also quite right in that the thought of an afterlife can be motivating for people, especially the ones who have little in their life of value.

I think the beer was just affirmation that the church was so under control that even a small reward now and then was appropriate, plus many priests would break their vows to pass on information to the KGB and no doubt they earned rewards for doing so, so again, Orwell is mirroring history.

[bazarov]

Yep, I think you've hit it right on the head - because the church is powerless to do any harm, there was no reason not to let the proletariat have their beliefs in god and afterlife. You're also quite right in that the thought of an afterlife can be motivating for people, especially the ones who have little in their life of value.

I think the beer was just affirmation that the church was so under control that even a small reward now and then was appropriate, plus many priests would break their vows to pass on information to the KGB and no doubt they earned rewards for doing so, so again, Orwell is mirroring history.

Church is actually very strong and have a great influence on proles minds. That was helpful in WWII, people were ready to go to war for their country and they were blessed. Church was always in some misunderstanding with communism because they couldn't be silent with all those murders and disasters around them. Church was always like moral vertical of society so they had to say something and of course, feel consequences. Moses was kicked out of the farm like church was in the start of Stalin's ruling of Party. Later they were accepted back, maybe to give people some false hope, so they can handle with reality easier.
Beer was not a sign of bribe, it was probably showing that church wasn't producing food and they were using it, like Party did. They tried to control the church but it was impossible. Maybe some of them did provide some informations to KGB, but those were exceptions. Thousands and thousands were tortured and killed for not cooperating with KGB.
My brother was reading Animal Farm in time of learning about 18th century history on his History classes. So when I asked him some Orwell's questions who looked me strangely...I really don't see purpose of reading Animal Farm before learning 20th century history.