SATIRE
Animal Farm is a satire used to point out the flaws of the Soviet Union government during the reign of a very scary and dangerous ruler. But what is satire?
Satire is defined as the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose or criticize people's stupidity or vices. While this might seem like a new concept for you, satire is all around us, especially in many popular television shows on TV today.
Below are several clips and pictures from TV shows, commercials, and comics you may recognize. Your job is to 1.) identify what you think the clip or picture is satirizing. In other words, what are these shows making fun of? What "stupidity" are the writers trying to bring attention to. 2) Are the writers of the show using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose this "stupidity" to the audience.
Your responses should look like this:
TV clip #1
1. What is the clip satirizing? Answer.
2. Are the writers of the show using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose this "stupidity" to the audience? Answer.
Satire is defined as the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose or criticize people's stupidity or vices. While this might seem like a new concept for you, satire is all around us, especially in many popular television shows on TV today.
Below are several clips and pictures from TV shows, commercials, and comics you may recognize. Your job is to 1.) identify what you think the clip or picture is satirizing. In other words, what are these shows making fun of? What "stupidity" are the writers trying to bring attention to. 2) Are the writers of the show using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose this "stupidity" to the audience.
Your responses should look like this:
TV clip #1
1. What is the clip satirizing? Answer.
2. Are the writers of the show using humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose this "stupidity" to the audience? Answer.
EXAMPLE #1
MAC vs PC Commercial- Click here to view
EXAMPLE #2
Homer Simpson- Click here to view
EXAMPLE #3
EXAMPLE #4
30 Rock- Click here to view
DOES SATIRE HAVE TO BE FUNNY AND CAN IT GO TOO FAR?
Watch the YouTube clip that follows. Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, and Rory Bremmer are political comedians who have actually found themselves in hot water for using what some view as inappropriate satire. People like these comedians are hoping to promote social change.
BLOG #1: After viewing this clip, respond to the blog question available on SchoolFusion. Remember, you must make your own response AND respond to a minimum of two of your classmates' posts.
Comedians on satire- Click here to view
BLOG #1: After viewing this clip, respond to the blog question available on SchoolFusion. Remember, you must make your own response AND respond to a minimum of two of your classmates' posts.
Comedians on satire- Click here to view
DAVE BARRY- MASTER OF SATIRE
Dave Barry is a columnist for the Boston Harold. For decades, Barry has taken on a wide variety of topics from recycling to childbirth, shedding light on human flaw and giving a comical spin to some otherwise unfunny topics. You are about to take on a group project centered around some of Barry's funniest columns. Here is your task:
1. You teacher will put you into small groups. Get into your groups and circle your desk up. You teacher will assign your group a Dave Barry column. *No two groups have the same one. Download the document below entitled Best of Dave Barry and scroll to find the column you have been assigned.
2. Have one person from your group read the column aloud (the person you choose should be the one who will read with the most animation). You can alternate readers if you wish.
3. Download the document entitled Dave Barry Group Sheet. Each person needs to fill out their own sheet. Discuss your answers as a group and complete the worksheet individually.
4. Once the worksheet is done, you should choose TWO specific things that Barry makes a joke of. That is, two things within the column in which he is pointing out as a flaw of society. As a group, take the two things and turn them in to two separate satirical cartoons. You can do each one on a piece of clean computer paper. If you are unsure what a satirical cartoon looks like, go to google images and do some research.
5. Print off the Dave Barry Group Sheet (there should be one for each group member) and staple them to your cartoons. Turn in all sheets together.
GRADING FOR THIS PROJECT:
Dave Barry Group Sheet- 20 Points
Satirical Cartoon #1- 15 Points
Satirical Cartoon #2- 15 Points
Individual Contribution and Cooperation- 10 Points
Total Points for this Project: 60 Points
1. You teacher will put you into small groups. Get into your groups and circle your desk up. You teacher will assign your group a Dave Barry column. *No two groups have the same one. Download the document below entitled Best of Dave Barry and scroll to find the column you have been assigned.
2. Have one person from your group read the column aloud (the person you choose should be the one who will read with the most animation). You can alternate readers if you wish.
3. Download the document entitled Dave Barry Group Sheet. Each person needs to fill out their own sheet. Discuss your answers as a group and complete the worksheet individually.
4. Once the worksheet is done, you should choose TWO specific things that Barry makes a joke of. That is, two things within the column in which he is pointing out as a flaw of society. As a group, take the two things and turn them in to two separate satirical cartoons. You can do each one on a piece of clean computer paper. If you are unsure what a satirical cartoon looks like, go to google images and do some research.
5. Print off the Dave Barry Group Sheet (there should be one for each group member) and staple them to your cartoons. Turn in all sheets together.
GRADING FOR THIS PROJECT:
Dave Barry Group Sheet- 20 Points
Satirical Cartoon #1- 15 Points
Satirical Cartoon #2- 15 Points
Individual Contribution and Cooperation- 10 Points
Total Points for this Project: 60 Points
best_of_dave_barry.pages | |
File Size: | 266 kb |
File Type: | pages |
dave_barry_group_sheet.pages | |
File Size: | 77 kb |
File Type: | pages |
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ANIMAL FARM?!
Good question. As I said before, Animal Farm is a satire by one one of the best satirists of all time, George Orwell. What exactly was Orwell trying to ridicule? We'll get to all of that. Let's start reading first. First, we have to acknowledge that this novel has a bunch of talking animals who ban together for revolution against the evil farmer, Mr. Jones. Can animals actually talk? Unless you're talking about a bunch of parrots on this farm, no. So, I'm afraid comments like, "This is so dumb. Animals can't talk, dance, farm, write, read, etc." are wasted. You're going to have to extend your realm of reality and pretend they can! Otherwise you will miss the point altogether, and we wouldn't want that, no would we?!
BEFORE YOU BEGIN READING
BLOG #2: Answer the blog question available on SchoolFusion over leadership. Remember, you must respond to the question for yourself, AND comment on at least two of your classmate's responses.
START READING
Download the document below called AF ch 1-4 vocabulary. You should be filling out this sheet individually as you read chapters 1-4. It will be turned in for points when we are done reading chapter 4.
FOR TOMORROW-- Read chapter 1
FOR TOMORROW-- Read chapter 1
af_ch_1-4_vocabulary_.pages | |
File Size: | 104 kb |
File Type: | pages |
As you continue to read the novel, you will meet many animals on the farm. It will be very important to keep these characters straight since they all play a different role on the farm. Below is a document which has the names of the characters from the novel. If you need to fill this sheet out as you read in order to avoid mixing the characters up, you may. This is a sheet that will not be collected or given credit for. It is only to help you as you read the novel. It is your choice whether to complete it or not.
animalfarccharacters.doc | |
File Size: | 19 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Chapter 2
Get together with a partner of your choice. Download the document below. It is a partner read for chapter 2. Do what the directions tell you to do and turn it in to your teacher before you leave class.
af_partner_read_ch_ii.doc | |
File Size: | 33 kb |
File Type: | doc |
CHAPTERS 3 & 4 WILL BE READ IN CLASS- THERE WILL BE A QUIZ OVER CHAPTERS 1-4 THE FOLLOWING DAY
YOUR CHAPTERS 1-4 VOCABULARY SHEETS ARE DUE ON QUIZ DAY.
YOUR CHAPTERS 1-4 VOCABULARY SHEETS ARE DUE ON QUIZ DAY.
ANIMAL FARM CHAPTERS 5-7
As we begin to read chapters 5-7, download the document below. You should be filling this sheet out as you read through the chapters. It will be due when we are done reading chapter 7. You will also have a quiz over the section once we've read chapter 7.
af_ch_5-7_vocab__chart.pages | |
File Size: | 127 kb |
File Type: | pages |
Below are some review questions for chapters 5-7. You do not have to complete them if you don't want to. They are to ensure you are pulling key elements from the reading.
Chapter 5
Chapters 6 & 7
1. How much work are the animals doing now?
2. How is the windmill destroyed?
3. How doe Napoleon react when the hens’ rebel against his orders?
4. Why does Napoleon order the animals to stop singing “Beasts of England?”
- Why does Mollie run away from the farm?
- What changes have been made in the weekly meetings over the last year?
- Why don’t the other animals protest Napoleon’s decisions?
Chapters 6 & 7
1. How much work are the animals doing now?
2. How is the windmill destroyed?
3. How doe Napoleon react when the hens’ rebel against his orders?
4. Why does Napoleon order the animals to stop singing “Beasts of England?”
CONNECTION TO HISTORY
Now that you're over half way through the novel, it's time to start thinking about what exactly George Orwell was satirizing in history. You're task: Download the document below called Animal Farm Governments. Do some basic research (a Google search will do) and record two things you learn about each government listed on the sheet. ONCE YOU ARE DONE, YOU NEED TO DECIDE WHICH TYPE OF GOVERNMENT ORWELL WAS MAKING FUN OF IN THE NOVEL. NARROW IT DOWN TO TWO AND CIRCLE THEM ON YOUR SHEET.
af_governments.doc | |
File Size: | 27 kb |
File Type: | doc |
BLOG
Respond to the blog question (available on SchoolFusion). Remember: you must respond to the questions AND comment on a minimum of two of your classmates' posts.
Reign of Terror
Hopefully you have decided with confidence which type of government the author of Animal Farm was showcasing the flaws of. Below is a Keynote for you to download. Record 10 things you learn from this keynote. You will turn these in tomorrow.
government_satire.key | |
File Size: | 269 kb |
File Type: | key |
MOVING ALONG IN THE NOVEL
Today we will continue reading the novel beginning with chapter 8. Below is a list of review questions to help you, but it is not required that you fill them out.
Chapters 8 & 9
Chapter 10
Chapters 8 & 9
- How is Napoleon becoming more and more like a typical dictator?
- Why do the men blow up the windmill?
- Describe the whisky incident.
- What happens to Boxer and how do the animals accept it?
Chapter 10
- What changes have the years brought to the farm?
As you Read
Below is a document called AF Ch 8-10 Vocab & Chart. Download the document. You should be completing this sheet as you read chapters 8-10. It will be collected and graded once we complete chapter 10.
af_ch_8-10_vocab__chart.pages | |
File Size: | 114 kb |
File Type: | pages |
ONCE WE HAVE FINISHED THE NOVEL, YOU WILL HAVE A TEST. I WILL LET YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THAT WILL BE. THE TEST WILL INCLUDE ALL OF THE VOCABULARY YOU HAVE BEEN FILLING OUT FROM THE READING.
YOUR FINAL TASK
DECIDE WHO YOU THINK THE BEST CHARACTER WOULD BE TO LEAD THE ANIMALS ON ANIMAL FARM. MAKE A CAMPAIGN POSTER ENCOURAGING PEOPLE (AND ANIMALS) TO VOTE FOR THIS CHARACTER TO PRESIDENT OF THE FARM. COME UP WITH AN EFFECTIVE CAMPAIGN SLOGAN (SOMETHING CATCHY THAT READERS WOULD REMEMBER). MAKE SURE YOUR POSTER HAS:
*AT LEAST ONE PICTURE REPRESENTING THIS CHARACTER
*A LIST OF QUALITIES THAT WOULD MAKE THEM A GREAT PRESIDENT
*A LIST OF THINGS THEY WOULD DO TO MAKE THE FARM BETTER
*A CATCHY SLOGAN
IN ADDITION, YOU SHOULD DECIDE WHO WOULD MAKE THE BEST VISE PRESIDENT AND INCLUDE A PICTURE REPRESENTATION OF THEM WITH THEIR NAME AS WELL. YOU CAN CREATE THESE POSTERS IN PAGES BY CLICKING ON POSTERS ON THE TEMPLATE PAGE. THESE ARE DUE ON MONDAY.
*AT LEAST ONE PICTURE REPRESENTING THIS CHARACTER
*A LIST OF QUALITIES THAT WOULD MAKE THEM A GREAT PRESIDENT
*A LIST OF THINGS THEY WOULD DO TO MAKE THE FARM BETTER
*A CATCHY SLOGAN
IN ADDITION, YOU SHOULD DECIDE WHO WOULD MAKE THE BEST VISE PRESIDENT AND INCLUDE A PICTURE REPRESENTATION OF THEM WITH THEIR NAME AS WELL. YOU CAN CREATE THESE POSTERS IN PAGES BY CLICKING ON POSTERS ON THE TEMPLATE PAGE. THESE ARE DUE ON MONDAY.