Core Standards Addressed through this webquest are:
Introduction
Animal Farm is an allegory based on the Russian Revolution. In addition to being an allegory on that specific event, it is a cautionary tale about the influence of power and the power of language. Propaganda is a serious tool in the political toolbox, and Orwell knew that all too well.
Your job involves several steps.
1. Discover the history of the story and the author.
2. Match the sequence of events from the Revolution with the events of Animal Farm. Address the allegory!
3. Analyze the propaganda within the novel, and in the world in which you live.
GO LOOK AT THE TASKS!
Task
TASK #1--RESEARCHING THE HISTORY
To understand the book properly, you need to know the history that inspired Orwell to write it. Use the links provided to complete a series of questions that will help you understand what happened and how it relates to the story. There are several web pages you will visit. And there are many questions you will answer. The document you will need for this task and task #3 is located HERE.
TASK #2--MATCH THE ALLEGORY WITH THE HISTORY
The events of the tale match up with the events of the revolution. Your task is to match up the events with their mirrored counterparts from the history. That way, you will see the allegorical relationship between what is written and what is history. The document you will need is located HERE.
TASK #3--PROPAGANDA!
A major element of the text that still applies today is the use of propaganda. Our society is heavily influenced by media. You are going to research types of propaganda and find examples from the text and from the real world. There is literature to read and annotate on your way to propaganda mastery. You will need specific documents here. Look for them in the process page.
ALL of this is meant to increase your understanding of Animal Farm, Allegory, Propaganda, and Literature.
GO LOOK AT THE PROCESS AND GET STARTED, YO!
Process
TASK #1--RESEARCHING THE HISTORY
Look up and answer the following information on your handouts.
For questions #1-2, please refer to this website:
http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/opinion/essays/rhodi.html
1.What was George Orwell’s personal experience of Stalin’s government?
2. How did this experience become the motivation/basis for Animal Farm?
For questions #3-6, use this website: http://ireadmrsdale.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/animal_farm_parallels_with_russ_rev2.pdf
Or get the document HERE!
3. What is an allegory?
4. What is a fable?
5. Animal Farm is an allegorical fable, which parallels the events of what historical event?
6. Orwell wrote Animal Farm to speak out against what?
For question #7, refer to the following site (“Similarities and Failures”): http://members.tripod.com/~GOPcapitalist/socialistmyth.html#socialism
7. What are the common goals/failures of socialism and communism? (hint: utopia means “an ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects”)
Use the following link for question #8: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Democratic+government
8. What is democracy?
Use the following link to answer questions #9-12: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtsar.htm
9. How did Czar Nicholas II feel about democracy?
10. What were the working conditions in Russia like with Nicholas II as a leader?
11. What was Bloody Sunday? Why might it be significant?
12. Explain why Nicholas II was either an effective or poor leader?
13. What became of this Czar and his family during/after the Revolution?
For questions #14-16, visit the following site: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/karl_marx.htm?&o=
14. Karl Marx said what about religion? Why might this be significant?
15. Marx helped to write The Communist Manifesto, which stated that all men were born free, but that society had got to such a state the majority were _____________________. What does this mean?
16. Marx had ten points. List two of the ten.
For questions #17-19, read the information at the following site: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-communism.htm
17. What is the phrase that explains the essence of Communism?
18. What does the phrase identified in question 17 mean?
19. According to the site, Communism would probably function well if humans did not have the unfortunate tendency toward__________.
For questions #20- 25, please use the following webpage and links shooting off of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution (“The Russian Revolution”)
For question #20, under the “Contents” box click on “February Revolution.” Read the introduction, “long-term causes,” and “short-term causes.”
20. What happened during the February Revolution of 1917 (first phase of the Russian Revolution)?
For question #21, go back to the “Russian Revolution” page and select “October Revolution.” Read the introductory paragraphs.
21. What happened during the October Revolution of 1917 (second phase of the Russian Revolution)?
For question #22, click on the link from “October Revolution” page.
22. Who were the Bolsheviks?
For questions #23 & 24, follow the “Vladimir Lenin” link from the Bolshevik page and read the introductory paragraphs; then select the “Leninism" link. read the introductory paragraphs; then, scroll down to "Leninist Theory - The Vanguard Party."
23. Who was Vladimir Lenin?
24. What were the major ideas of “Leninism”?
Questions 25 has been removed from the WebQuest. ( :
For questions #26-28, consult the following site: http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95aug/napoleon.html
26. Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
27. What was Bonaparte's basic personality?
28. What was his style/method of ruling?
For questions #29-35, process the information found at the following site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin
29. Who was Josef Stalin?
30. What kind of ruler was he?
31. What was Stalin’s relationship to Leon Trotsky?
32. Why did Trotsky leave Russia?
33. What are the differences between Trotskyism and Stalinism? (click on “Leon Trotsky” link; under "Rise to Power," there are links to these terms)
For questions #34-37, use the following site: http://www.marxist.net/trotsky/life/life.htm
34. Leon Trotsky wanted to improve life in Russia; he used his pen to oppose what leader?
35. Why do you think Trotsky was effective or ineffective with his pen?
36. Who ordered Trotsky's assassination?
37. Why was the assassination ordered?
For questions #38-42, peruse the the following site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stalin_joseph.shtml
38. Stalin is one of the most _________________ and _______________________ _______________ in history. His regime of terror caused the ______________ and ___________ of tens of _______________.
39. What title was Stalin given in 1922?
40. By the late 1920's, what was Stalin's role?
41. What does his role suggest about the nature of power?
42. What happened in the 1930's during the Great Terror or Great Purge?
For question #43 use this web site: http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1905/dec/03.htm (focus on paragraphs 2 and 3)
43. Why does Lenin (a communist) view religion as a negative influence in the lives of common people?
For question #44, please use the following web site: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=0807827363
44. According to the "product description" for this book found by clicking "Look Inside," why did Stalin reintroduce religious institutions that had previously been banned in Russia?
TASK #2--ALLEGORY!
You will read the book and use the history of the Russian Revolution to study the allegory. Use the handout to fill in the events of the Revolution on one side of the box, and then add the corresponding mirror events from the book as you read on the other side of the box. Try to keep the events as balanced as possible, matching the two groups side by side for a clear comparision. You can and will include more than one event per box, but only the major stuff.
TASK #3--PROPAGANDA!
Use the following site for question #1: http://www.thematzats.com/propaganda/prop/index.htm
1. What is propaganda?
The following site will provide you with information relevant to question #2: http://www.johndclare.net/Russ12.htm
2. What are 2 forms of propaganda that Stalin employed?
Use the following site for questions #3-14 the final questions of this knowledge hunt: http://www.thematzats.com/propaganda/prop/index.htm
(Your examples should be current. You may locate and print them, but you must provide annotation and explanation for each example)
3. Explain the propaganda technique of bandwagon.
4. Provide an example of bandwagon.
5. What is the propaganda technique of testimonial?
6. Provide an example of testimonial.
7. Outline the propaganda technique of glittering-generalities.
8. Provide an example of glittering generalities.
9. What is the propaganda technique of name calling?
10. Provide an example of name calling.
11. What is the premise behind the propaganda technique of rewards?
12. Provide an example of rewards propaganda.
13. What is the propaganda technique of plain folks?
14. Provide an example of plain folks.
Use this link for more information on propaganda.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/man_the_guns/man_the_guns.html
Use the document at THIS LINK (Squealer's Speech) to complete a study of propaganda in the book.
Evaluation
Your grade for this assignment will come in waves!
FIRST WAVE...the initial handout pertaining to the history and definitions, including propaganda.
SECOND WAVE...the matching for allegory--will come when the book is done on FRIDAY.
THIRD WAVE...PROPAGANDA!
Conclusion
At the end of the webquest, you will have
a. many references to the history and allegory of Animal Farm.
b. a handout of the sequential events of the revolution and their mirrored allegorical moments from Animal Farm.
c. an understanding of propaganda and how it works in our society.
Credits
Shout out to all the webquest creators I used for inspiration to complete this webquest.
http://terryenglish.weebly.com/-webquest-for-animal-farm.html