Paragraph Assignment

Animal Farm Paragraph Assignment

Directions: Answer the following questions in paragraph form. The paragraph MUST begin with a topic sentence to answer the question and be supported with paraphrasing or direct quotes from the text. Using imbedded quotes will give you extra credit so practice that skill.

1. What does Old Major say is the problem with the animal’s lives? What do they need to do to make life better?

2. What is the general message of the Seven Commandments and what is their purpose?

3. How does Napoleon gain control of Animal Farm? What does this suggest about him as a ruler?

4. The pigs become the leaders and the other animals accept them because the pigs are the cleverest. Should intelligence be the primary qualification for leadership? What other qualities are important for a leader to have?

5. One of the themes of the novel is that people’s ignorance can contribute to their political and social oppression. How does the animals’ behavior in the novel support this theme?

6. The characters in Animal Farm are examples of personification, the assigning of human qualities to things that are not human (don’t be insulted that I added this definition if you already know this). Give at least three examples of personification in the first two chapters with examples of how Orwell creates it.

7. Another theme of Animal Farm is that power corrupts those who possess it. How does Orwell bring out this idea through the character of Napoleon?

8. The animals rebel against Jones because he made them work long, hard hours and generally neglected or abused them. How is all of this ironic in light of the end result?

9. One of the commandments in Animal Farm is “All animals are equal.” What happens in the novel to show that the pigs do not believe this?

10. What is happening in the last scene of Animal Farm? What do Clover and the other animals notice?