George Orwell's 'Animal Farm'

Animal Farm
Anticipation Guide and Pre-Reading Material
Directions: We will read each of the following statements at the beginning and at the end of our unit on Animal Farm. Read each statement and circle the number that corresponds with how much you agree. We will see if your opinion changes after the novel.

1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3. No Opinion 4. Agree 5. Strongly Agree

Before Reading: After Reading:
1 2 3 4 5 Literacy is important to freedom 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 All humans are equal 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 The best and brightest people are usually the leaders 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 Some people are smarter than others 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 Political leaders usually tell the truth 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 Political leaders always want the best for their citizens 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 Rules should be bent or thrown out for some people 1 2 3
The book fires shots at the Soviet Union, especially its leader Josef Stalin, who was a communist. Orwell was a socialist, which in simple terms, means that he believed that the means of production (like factories or businesses) should be controlled by the workers for the good of everyone, rather than controlled by a tiny subset of owners for their own profit. In other words, Wal-Mart should be owned by Wal-Mart employees, rather than by the Walton family. (Does that sound crazy? There are co-ops and employee-owned business today that operate in just that