Animal Farm

And

The Russian Revolution

Web Quest

Introduction and Task:

The novel Animal Farm is an allegory for the Russian Revolution. This means that the characters and events symbolize actual people and events in history. The task of this web quest is to research who and what happened so that you can understand the “story underneath the story,” so to speak.

Your task is simple: visit the websites throughout the web quest, and fill in the answers in Google Docs.

Part I: George Orwell

Use the following site to find information to answer questions about Animal Farm's author, George Orwell. Although we could spend an entire Web Quest on George Orwell, his life, and his writing, we are focusing on Russian history today. A brief overview is all we need.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jorwell.htm

If you want to know more, you can also visit:

http://www.george-orwell.org/l_biography.html

Part II: Nicholas II

Use the following pages to find information about Tsar Nicholas II.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWtsar.htm

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/AlexPalaceNRbio.html

Part III: Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, and Communism

Visit the following sites to answer questions about these men.

History/Biography of Marx: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/karl_marx.htm?&0=

A famous quote from Marx:

http://www.whatquote.com/quotes/Karl-Marx/24493-Workers-of-the-world.htm

A succinct explanation of Communism: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-communism.htm

Trotsky: http://www.answers.com/topic/leon-trotsky

More Trotsky: http://www.marxist.net/trotsky/life/life.htm

Part IV: Joseph Stalin

Stalin….What a guy……

A pretty succinct page on Stalin:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stalin_joseph.shtml

A little more in depth, but still pretty succinct and easy to understand:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/stalin/

Stalin and Propaganda (Scroll down to #4): http://www.johndclare.net/Russ12.htm

Secret Police: http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/soviet.exhibit/secret.html

E / Jericho
High
School
English / name ______
period ______
date ______/ Ms. Fischer
English 2
Animal Farm
George Orwell

Directions: Answer the questions in your own words. Do not cut and paste the information. Be thorough and thoughtful.

Aim: How does literature (and Animal Farm specifically) help us to better understand the world around us?

1.  What is an allegory?

2.  What is George Orwell’s real name? Why do you think he wrote under a pseudonym?

3.  What is the name of the first book he published?

4.  In what year was Animal Farm published?

5.  What is democracy? How did Nicholas II feel about democracy?

6.  What were working conditions in Russia like with Nicholas II as a leader?

7.  What was Bloody Sunday? Why might this be significant?

8.  Was Nicholas II an effective or poor leader? Explain.

9.  Karl Marx said what about religion? Why might this be significant?

10.  Marx helped to write The Communist Manifesto, which stated that all men were born free but that society had got to such a state that the majority were ______. What does this mean?

11.  Marx had ten points. Name two:

12.  Write out the famous quote from Marx. Explain the quote.

13.  What is the phrase that explains Communism in a “nutshell”? What does it mean?

14.  According to the site (and common sense), Communism would probably function well if humans did not have the unfortunate tendency toward ______.

15.  Leon Trotsky wanted to improve life in Russia; he used his pen to oppose what leader? Why or why not was Trotsky effective?

16.  Who ordered Trotsky’s assassination? Why?

17.  What title was Stalin given in 1922?

18.  By the late 1920’s, what was his role? What does this suggest about the nature of power?

19.  What happened in the 1930’s during the Great Terror or Great Purge?

20.  What did children learn about Stalin from their mothers?

21.  What are some of the forms of propaganda that Stalin employed?

22.  Stalin used a secret police force to force support of him and to kill the disobedient. We, in recent years, think of the KGB, but what four letter acronym were they called in his time?

23.  Finally, reflect on the Aim statement: How does literature (and Animal Farm specifically) help us to better understand the world around us?