Political Themes of TNT's ANIMAL FARM

REVOLUTION

Throughout history, when people have chosen to radically change the government under which they live, there is revolution. While revolutions have always occurred where there is discontent, over the past 300 years, they have been more pronounced. In order to understand the world in which we live today, we need to understand how, when and why revolutions begin and what happens when they are over. This is one of the most enduring gifts of Orwell: Animal Farm presents his audience with a tool to explore this dynamic of revolution.

• How do students define the word Revolution? What makes people participate in a revolution? Are revolutions always political? Can they be social?
• Have students research different revolutions throughout history and come up with a list of common causes to compare with those in ANIMAL FARM. How do the outcomes of historical revolutions compare with that presented in ANIMAL FARM? How do they account for the similarities or differences? After viewing, explore how ANIMAL FARM can be used to explain and understand revolutions?
• To help students understand the underlying causes of revolution, have them research the fighting in Kosovo. What motivates the Serbs? Who makes up the Kosovo Liberation Army and what do they want? Does NATO, though attacking Serbia, truly support the aims of the KLA? How do ancient conflicts play into the war? What kept these conflicts suppressed since the end of the Second World War? Why have they arisen now? Could this revolution have been predicted? As they watch ANIMAL FARM, they should consider how they can use ANIMAL FARM as a tool to explore the dynamic of this specific revolution.

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