Animal Farm

Propaganda Group Project

Group 1: The Pigs (Politicians and Military Leaders) Group 5: The Dogs (KGB – Secret Police)

Group 2: The Donkeys (Cynics and Non-Believers) Group 6: The Sheep (Easily Convinced Masses)

Group 3: The Cats (Spies and Informants) Group 7: The Ravens (Religious Leaders)

Group 4: The Horses (Hard-working Citizens) Group 8: The Humans (Capitalists, the West)
 Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to help you understand multiple ways
of interpreting, analyzing, and thinking about George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Requirements: Each group will present a campaign to the class that reveals their platform, based on the animal assigned. Use your animal’s
characterization in Animal Farm to help you determine where they stand, what they would fight for, and how they would appeal to the
masses. You may want to bring in props, costumes, or music to enhance your presentation. Each member of your group must play a role in
presenting this information.

We will mix up your campaign speeches and commercials so that you will do them in different orders; the commercials will be interspersed
between campaign platform presentations. You may film your commercials if you wish, or you may also perform your commercial as a skit.

You will be evaluated on 1) the effectiveness of the message, 2) clear incorporation of propaganda techniques, 3) attractiveness and clarity
of products, and 4) evidence of shared group effort. For the last item, you will need to complete a Peer Group Review and submit it to me
individually.

Your campaign must include the following:

1. Propaganda Poster (you will use this as a prop in your speech and commercial)
a. Your poster should express ONE of the following main ideas from Animal Farm (I will provide each group a sheet of paper):
● The windmill will be a great help to Animal Farm.

● Animals who have worked hard will receive excellent retirement benefits.

● Snowball will be a better leader than Napoleon.

● Napoleon will be a better leader than Snowball.

● Wearing clothes, sleeping in beds, and walking on two legs are contrary to animalism.

● Animalism is superior to the old way of life.

b. Use fewer than ten words; in fact, you may not even need to use words to make your point.
c. Make sure you use and annotate ethos, pathos, and logos and at least one logical fallacy in your poster.
d. Write your heading, the main idea that you have chosen to convey, and each strategy with explanation on the back of your
poster.

2. Political Speech (5-7 minutes long)

 a. Minimum of 5 minutes and no more than 7 minutes long. You must practice!
b. You must ALL share in the preparation and delivery of the speech. You can divide this task how you wish, but I expect equal
participation in speech writing, since it is the most important part of this assessment.
c. Learn the speech. You may only use a short bulleted list so that you speak rather than read. Reading will drastically reduce your
grade!
d. Turn in a copy of this speech, in which you have highlighted and explained ALL uses of rhetorical appeals and propaganda
techniques.

3. Commercial (30-60 seconds long; can be performed live or shown as a video clip that you turn in on Classroom)
a. Present your campaign platform; the class is your audience.
b. Have a clear topic and use persuasive strategies and propaganda techniques to support it.
c. Turn in a copy of the script when you speak, in which you have highlighted and explained ALL appeals and fallacies.
d. Each group member must contribute to the commercial: writing, acting, or both.
Steps to Completion:
Each member must be committed to doing their best; you must work as a team to succeed! Start on this list NOW:
1. Share your contact information with your group members. Stay in touch! Please let me know if you have any issues contacting a
group member.
Via text, Google Doc, or in-person conversation, devise a plan for completing this project ASAP, starting with the Topic Proposal
(this plan will be you answer to #5 on the Topic Proposal.)
2. Figure out who is doing what: are you sharing any of the work? If so, which parts? Or do you wish to divide the work up? This will be
#6 of your topic proposal.
a. Poster: This assignment would be best led or taken on by a group member who likes to draw, make collages, or is artistic.
Just be sure everyone agrees on the vision before the group member puts it on paper.
b. Commercial: This assignment would be best led or taken on by a group member who likes to write stories. I would suggest
brainstorming as a group and then an individual or team writes up the script.
c. Speech: This project would be best led or taken on by a group member who likes to debate issues.
3. Confer, confer, confer! It is key that the three parts of your project are the work of your group and in a single voice. Everyone
should agree on the poster, the commercial, AND the speech prior to the days you deliver them. N.B. You need to BE your animal in
all three parts!

Topic Proposal
1. Personality. What can you tell me about your animal’s personality? Give a paragraph summary of your animal, and find quotations from
Animal Farm as evidence of their personality. What famous people does your animal resemble? What would be its favorite foods or hobbies?
Really brainstorm here.
2. Poster Topic. Which main idea have you chosen for your poster? What makes this main idea a good choice for your animal? Give evidence
from the text to support your answer.

3. Campaign Topic. What does your animal want? WHY? How does this connect with your poster? Why would your animal campaign for this?
Consider what the other animals would campaign for to help you choose your topic!

4. Visuals, etc. What kind of props, costumes, music, etc., will you use for the speech and commercial? What kinds of images will you use for
your poster? Please be specific. How will these enhance your message’s appeal?

5. The Plan. Give me a brief schedule for completion, at least half a page, including days and meeting times. When will you have the poster
done? Will one of you be in charge of the entire project, or will you share the responsibility equally? Do you plan to work together on all
aspects of the project, or will you divide it up so that members can work independently on their own piece of it?

6. The Members. Identify the members of your group and how you expect to divide up responsibilities for producing each part of this
assignment (researcher, writer, editor, fact-checker, gofer, director, actor, project coordinator, designer, and so on). Members should
usually play more than a single role. Note: you can combine questions 5 and 6 if that makes more sense to you.
 Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Nearly Meets Standard Does Not Meet Standard
13-15 Points 10-12 Points 5-9 Points 0-5 Points
Presents a forceful, precise, and interesting Presents a clear thesis statement Presents an implicit or confusing thesis Presents no thesis statement
Message thesis statement

The extent to which your group’s message Shows in-depth understanding, Shows complete understanding, Shows basic or confused understanding, Shows no understanding, interpretation, or
exhibits sound understanding, interpretation, and analysis of the animal and interpretation, and analysis of the animal and interpretation, and analysis of the animal and analysis of the animal and the book
interpretation and analysis of the book as it the book the book the book
relates to this project

Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Nearly Meets Standard Does Not Meet Standard
13-15 Points 10-12 Points 5-9 Points 0-5 Points
Uses substantive and insightful points that Uses appropriate and valid points that Uses vague or implicit points that may not Uses no points relevant to the thesis
Development connect to the thesis connect to the thesis connect to the thesis

The extent to which your group has Uses a wide range of relevant and thought Uses appropriate techniques and evidence Uses limited or irrelevant evidence Uses no supportive evidence
incorporated relevant propaganda provoking techniques and evidence (including quotations from the book and
techniques to develop your message (including quotations from the book and other sources)
other sources)

Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Nearly Meets Standard Does Not Meet Standard
5 Points 3-4 Points 2 Points 0-1 Points
Demonstrates a logical and coherent Demonstrates a logical and appropriate Demonstrates an unclear or inconsistent Demonstrates no logical sequence of ideas;
Clarity and Attractiveness sequence of ideas; visually attractive and sequence of ideas; makes visual sense sequence of ideas; visually lacking lacking visual coherence and/or
robust somewhat attractiveness
The extent to which products exhibit visual Uses transitions to direct argument
and aural direction, sequence, and Skillfully uses a variety of appropriate and Uses few or inappropriate transitions Uses no transitions between thoughts; clarity
coherence seamless transitions to direct argument between thoughts; clarity somewhat lacking of thought lacking

Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Nearly Meets Standard Does Not Meet Standard
5 Points 3-4 Points 2 Points 0-1 Points

Voice / Style Uses engaging voice in addressing audience Uses appropriate voice in addressing Shows inconsistencies in voice in addressing Uses inappropriate voice in addressing
in poster, commercial, and speech audience in poster, commercial, and speech audience in poster, commercial, and speech audience in poster, commercial, and speech
The extent to which the products achieve a
single voice and demonstrate meaningful Project as a whole does not conform to
and precise word choice, structure, and Project as a whole conforms to guidelines Project as a whole mostly conforms to Project sometimes conforms to guidelines guidelines
style guidelines and uses a single voice

Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Nearly Meets Standard Does Not Meet Standard
9-10 Points 7-8 Points 6 Points 0-5 Points

Accountability to Your Group Contributed an appropriate amount of work Contributed somewhat less work to all parts Contributed notably less work to all parts of Did not contribute an appropriate amount of
to all parts of the group project, as argued by of the group project, as argued by self and/or the group project, as argued by self and/or work to the group project, as argued by self
The extent to which you worked with your self and/or other group members. other group members. other group members. and/or other group members.
group to complete the entire project.

In other words, no group member is more

equal than others.