Chapter I Questions and Answers Study Questions 1. What is the setting for the story? 2. What four characteristics are noted about Boxer the horse? 3. What comment does Benjamin the donkey make that shows his cynicism and bad temper? 4. How does Clover help the other animals at the meeting? 5. What does Old Major say is the reason the animals have such miserable lives? 6. What is Major’s prediction about Boxer. 7. What decision is made concerning the status of wild creatures such as rats and rabbits? 8. What is the name of the song Old Major teaches the animals? 9. What are the main ideas expressed in Major’s speech? 10. What indications does Orwell give in this chapter that indicate the pigs may be superior to the other animals? Answers Chapter II Questions and Answers Study Questions 1. What happens to Old Major? 2. Who are Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer? 3. What qualities do they each possess? 4. What are some of the problems the pigs have to face in organizing the other farm animals? 5. Who is Moses and what role does he play on the farm? 6. What is Sugarcandy Mountain? 7. What is the immediate cause of the Rebellion? 8. What are the immediate results of the Rebellion? 9. What are the Seven Commandments? 10. What early indication does Orwell give to show that not all of the animals are treated equally? Answers 1.

Animal Farm Sample paper

This is a sample Animal Farm paper. Some of the formatting may have been messed up in the upload. Consult Perdue OWL online if you have questions. A. Good Student Mr. Neill 10th Grade Literature 25 April 2014 Two Possible Futures Under Snowball and Napoleon Snowball and Napoleon, the pigs who represent Trotsky and Stalin, respectively, in the novel Animal Farm, struggle for leadership of the farm after the animals revolt. Though Napoleon succeeds in taking power - with dire results - the animals could have enjoyed a better society if Snowball had ruled. Immediately after the animals revolt, Snowball and Napoleon begin to disagree on how Animal Farm will be ruled. But it is Snowball who seems determined to create the best possible society for the animals. It is he who first sets out to paint the new Seven Commandments on the side of the barn (Orwell 24). He also seems determined to make the animals successful when he tells them to go “to the hayfield! Let us make it a point of honor to get in the harvest more quickly than Jones and his men could do” (25). But readers of the novel quickly learn that Napoleon does not have the animals’ best interests at heart when he throws himself in front of the pails of milk and tells them, “Never mind the milk, comrades! That will be attended to,” and then sends them, along with Snowball, off to work (26). Later it is learned that Napoleon, along with his chosen pigs, plan to keep all of the milk and apples for themselves under the pretense of needing it for all the brain work they have to do. During the second attack on Animal Farm by the humans, the Battle of the Cowshed, it is Snowball who leads the attack by the animals to defend the farm (40). Even after being shot with pellets from a shotgun, Snowball demonstrated his bravery by continuing to run at the farmer, Mr. Jones, and knocking him down with all of his weight (42). Later in the novel, however, these efforts by Snowball are erased by the lies and propaganda of Napoleon and his chief propaganda officer, the pig Squealer. Snowball’s greatest gift to the animals is his plan to build a windmill. He promises the animals that the windmill will create a better environment for the animals by providing heat for the stalls and electricity to run various tools and implements on the farm. Napoleon, on the other hand, showed self-centeredness and did virtually nothing to plan for the future success of the animals. Instead, he was planning his overthrow of Snowball and takeover of the farm to benefit himself. As the novel states, “Napoleon produced no schemes of his own, but said quietly that Snowball’s would come to nothing, and seemed to be biding his time” (Orwell 48). The power struggle between Snowball and Napoleon comes to a head when the issue of whether to build a windmill, according to Snowball’s plans, goes to a vote. When the sheep’s repetitive bleating of “four legs good, two legs bad” isn’t enough to distract the animals from hearing Snowball’s speech supporting the windmill, Napoleon sends his attack dogs – his own KGB essentially – to run Snowball off from the farm (53). Then the lies begin. Squealer, the pig that serves as Napoleon’s propaganda machine, tells the animals that Snowball had stolen the plans for the windmill from Napoleon. The sly pig tells the animal that Napoleon had wanted to build the windmill all along, but just needed Snowball out of the way so he could carry out his plan. Although the animals seem skeptical, they are forced to accept the lie through the cunning and brute force used by those loyal to Napoleon. Squealer tells the animals that Snowball’s expulsion from Animal Farm was simply a matter of “tactics,” as a way of duping the animals into believing that Snowball was a bad influence on the farm. “The animals were not certain what the word meant, but Squealer spoke so persuasively, and the three dogs who happened to be with him growled so threateningly, that they accepted his explanation without further questions” (Orwell 58). What ensues after Snowball is kicked off the farm is a series of harsh rule changes and a life that gets progressively worse for the animals, who are forced to work longer hours for less food, and are told that they will have to sell their eggs and the various commodities grown on the farm to the humans in order to build “Napoleon’s” windmill. All of these things completely contradict the principles on which the animal rebellion was founded. The whole idea of a new society on Animal Farm has its roots in Animalism, an idea that came to the pig Old Major in a dream. Animalism is an allegorical representation of the system of government founded by Karl Marx called Communism. The idea of communism was that all people would be equal in society and equally share in the fruits of their labors. Old Major, who represents Marx in the novel, sees an Animal Farm that would mirror such a system. He tells the animals, “No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is a lie. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself” (Orwell 10). Old Major tells the animals that they are all equal and none should consider themselves more important than the other. “And above all,” Old Major says, “no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers” (11). Unfortunately, Old Major dies early in the novel, and is not able to guide his idea to fruition. But Snowball seems the most interested in making sure the ideas of Animalism survive and the animals have a better future. One of the most important things Snowball does for the animals is teach them to read. “By the autumn almost every animal on the farm was literate to some degree” (32). This is important, since many of the animals are fooled or tricked when rules and commandments that are painted on the side of the barn are constantly revised and repainted. But Snowball’s efforts are not enough to prevent the ruthless Napoleon from using his propaganda and brute force to take over the Animal Farm for his own benefit. Animals are put to death, the riches go to the ruling class, and ordinary “comrades” of Animal Farm are trampled under Napoleon’s trotter. Looking back in the novel, it is a shame that the struggle between Napoleon and Snowball didn’t come out a different way. It is too bad for the animals that Snowball couldn’t have stepped into the shoes of Old Major and carried on his wonderful vision for the future of Animal Farm. Then again, maybe it is appropriate that Napoleon came to power and oppressed the other animals. It’s closer to the truth in a world that is frequented by power struggles and inequality. Works Cited Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: New American Library, 1996. Print.

Brave New World questions

Chapter 1 Questions Study Questions 1. What is the World State’s motto? 2. Why is the Director leading the students through the Hatchery? 3. What is the year? When would this be, using our present dating system? 4. How are people classified? 5. What is the Bokanovsky Process? 6. How are the bottled embryos moved during their gestation periods? 7. Why are some females allowed a normal, sexual development? What percentage? 8. What had happened when the maturation process had been shortened? 9. How does the introduction of Henry Foster give a businesslike feeling to the Hatchery procedure? 10. What does Lenina’s reaction to the Director’s familiarity show about their relationship? Chapter 2 Questions Study Questions 1. What is the age and social group of the infants being conditioned? 2. What is the first conditioning mechanism used? The second? 3. Why must the lower groups be conditioned to go to the country? 4. What words have become “dirty words”? 5. How is Reuben Rabinovitch able to repeat the G. B. Shaw lecture? 6. Why were early sleep-teaching experiments abandoned? 7. When was hypnopaedia first used successfully? 8. How often is each hypnopaedic lesson repeated to be successful? 9. The Director says that wordless conditioning is crude and wholesale. What reasons does he give for this? 10. Whose suggestions are incorporated into the children’s minds? Chapter 3 Questions Study Questions 1. What are the only new games the Controllers now approve? Why? 2. Who is the stranger who appears and startles the Director? 3. Why is Bernard Marx upset with Henry Foster’s talk? 4. What has been advised for Fanny Crowne to relieve her depression? 5. What other name is Our Ford known by? When is this name used? 6. What does Controller Mustapha Mond talk about that shocks the students? 7. Why is Fanny worried about Lenina’s dating habits? 8. Why is Bernard shunned by most people? 9. What is the purpose of Lenina’s Malthusian belt? Why must she wear it? 10. What is soma?

Animal Farm chapter 3 questions

Chapter III Questions and Answers Study Questions 1. What is the result of the harvest after the Rebellion and why? 2. What part do the pigs play in the harvest? 3. What is Boxer’s personal motto? 4. What is the attitude of Mollie and the cat toward work on the farm? 5. What is Benjamin’s attitude after the rebellion? 6. What is Benjamin fond of saying and what does it mean? 7. What committees does Snowball organize on the farm? 8. What is the maxim that Snowball teaches the sheep? 9. How does Napoleon deal with “the education of the young”? 10. What happened to the milk taken from the cows, and how does Squealer explain this to the other animals?

Compare and contrast the arguments made by Creon and Haimon in Scene III of Antigone to analyze how each character uses rhetoric* to advance his purpose. Make an argument for who you think has the stronger argument (Creon or Haimon) for his beliefs about Antigone’s actions. *(((Rhetoric – The art of using words effectively in speaking or writing.)))

ESSAY BODY MUST HAVE: - At least three arguments between Haimon and Creon, with line references. - A clear point of view from you, but written in third person, about which of the characters you feel has the best argument. - This will likely take you at least three paragraphs.

Conclusion example: The argument between Creon and Haimon in Antigone provides many lessons in the art of persuasion and the principles of law. Many of these lessons can be applied to the present day. If we are to be good citizens and effective leaders, we can learn a lot from these arguments and the drama Antigone. ((((Also, you are only really writing your essay from two or three pages (670-672 or 673. You have to read each of their arguments to make your case))).

Zinsser reading questions for journalism

What does Zinsser say is the secret good writing?

What must writers continually ask themselves?

Why does Zinsser say writing is one of the hardest things to do?

What does Zinsser say is the length of attention span for the average person?

What does Zinsser compare fighting clutter to?

Writing improves in direct ratio to ...

What are three examples of phrases we use today that are clutter speak?

10th Grade paper due soon

10th Grade Research Paper: Due Oct. 17 Topic: Compare the motivations of Tim O’Brien from the short story “On the Rainy River” and any character from Lord of the Flies that lead each character to compromise their moral integrity. 1. Final product must be two pages (not including Works Cited page) typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman 12-point font. 2. Must include at least four in-text citations in MLA style. 3. Must have a formal introduction and conclusion. 4. Must have paragraphs that correspond to transitions or new ideas. 5. Must have a Works Cited page in proper MLA format.

1. On pages 76 through 81, what pressures does Ralph face heading into the meeting, or assembly? What things are going through his mind at the beginning of the chapter? 2. On page 89, Simon became inarticulate (hmm, what does that word mean?!) in his effort to explain “mankind’s essential illness” in reference to the beast. What does that mean? 3. Briefly sum up what the following line at the top of page 91 means: “The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. Once there was this and that; and now – and the ship had gone.” 4. What important turning point occurs on page 91? (A turning point is a significant plot development that changes the outcome of the story and the characters). 5. What is it that Ralph, Piggy, and Simon begin to long for on page 94?

Lord of the Flies, Chapter 1 1. How did the boys end up on the island? 2. What object do Piggy and Ralph find in the water? 3. What does that object symbolize? 4. What does Piggy suggest has happened to their families back home? 5. What is the “platform” that is mentioned in the book? 6. Why does jack argue that he should be chief instead of Ralph? 7. What does Ralph decide the boys should do in the first expedition? 8. What argument does Piggy posit as to why he should go on the expedition, too? 9. What does Ralph tell Piggy his job is? 10. How does the author describe the coral reef enclosing a part of the island (p29)? 11. When Jack is about to stab the piglet, he realizes “what an enormity the downstroke would be”. What does that mean? 12. What does Jack say after failing to stab the pig?

Thursday, September 5

These are the words for the next 10th grade Literature vocabulary test: Foray, Regime, Emit, Conscientious, Venture, Indelible, Adept, Cantankerous,Rejuvenate, and Tranquil. Mr. Neill

Thursday, August 29

I have been really slammed, trying to get our new online gradebook system mastered and getting to know students and starting the year off.

I know I need to do better at updating this site daily and I will do my best.

Sophomores: We are finishing up "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe. The students will have a test Friday and we will finish watching clips of the movie version of the story.

Seniors: We are wrapping up the Anglo-Saxon period, which included Beowulf and some other short stories. We will have a test on Friday and get ready to begin the Medieval Period, which will include the Canterbury Tales. If students aren't already reading their novels for their Capstone Project, they really need to get busy on that. We are already almost halfway through the first nine weeks. The first part of the Capstone project is due Sept. 22 and the last part of Part I, which is a three-page paper, is due Oct. 3.

Journalism: We are learning about journalism ethics and libel law. We are working on setting up an online newspaper and will be working toward that goal in coming weeks. Students will have a test next week over basic terms and concepts we have covered in class. They will also take the Student Learning Objective Test for journalism next week.

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Thursday August 22

Sophomores: Today we read the short story "The Monkey's Paw" on page 14 in our text. Students are responsible for the following vocabulary words: Amiably Presumptuous Maligned Prosaic Attribute Avaricious Inaudible Torrent Broach Liability

Seniors: We worked on essays today. Students chose between these two prompts: 1. While Beowulf predates Christianity in England, the version we have today has Christian elements. Discuss the Christian elements of the epic and explain their significance. How would the Christian elements relate to the depiction of Grendel as a monster rather than just a human being? Use textual evidence to support your assertions. 2. How does the writer of Beowulf use the themes of good versus evil and light versus darkness? Use textual evidence to support your assertions.

Mr. Neill

Tuesday, August 20

Sophomores: Today we are taking a quiz on the short story "On the Rainy River". Tomorrow we will start a new story in the Mirrors and Windows text called "The Monkey's Paw.

Seniors: This is what we are working on today in Beowulf: 12th Grade Advanced Lit. - Independently read Cantos 32-38 - Do questions 1b-5b on page 54 - From the beginning to where you stopped reading, identify: 3 examples of kennings 3 examples of alliteration 3 examples of Christian references

Journalism: Today we have a quiz on the history of news and what comprises news. Finishing up the movie "All the President's Men" about the reporting of the Watergate scandal.

Mr. Neill

Friday August 16

Sophomores:We are wrapping the reading of a short story called "On the Rainy River" in our textbooks. We will finish the story Monday and have a quiz on the story and 10 vocabulary words associated with it on Tuesday. Students were assigned the vocabulary words for homework and should study them prior to the test

Seniors:We are working on the epic Beowulf and most of the students have already selected the novels they want to read for the important Capstone Project. This Tuesday we will have a quiz over the first part of the epic.

Journalism:Journalism students will have a quiz Tuesday on news definitions and the history of news from notes they took in class. We have also been watching the movie "All the President's Men" about the two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate story.

Mr. Neill

Wednesday Aug. 14

Sophomores: Currently, we are reading a short story called "On the Rainy River" which deals with the Vietnam War. Students are taking notes and studying things like author's point of view and themes in literature. It is important that they bring me their spiral notebook for their in-class journal by Friday, if they haven't done so already.

Seniors: We're going over background for Beowulf and getting ready to start the epic. We will start in-class reading of the story on Thursday.

Journalism: We are going over the history of journalism and what comprises news. Students will likely have a quiz over the topics being covered on Friday.

Mr. Neill

First Day Done

It was a smooth first day of class and students should be bringing home a course syllabus to parents to be signed and returned to me.

Seniors: In addition to a syllabus, I sent home a listing of tasks that are required to complete their Capstone Project, a major project we'll be working on throughout the year. Both forms need to be signed and returned

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I plan to distribute books to 10th- and 12th-grade literature students by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Students will bring those books home and are responsible for them. We will be using class sets so they won't have to carry their books to school each day

. Mr. Neill

Welcome back

Summer never lasts as long as we'd like it to, and here we are at the start of a new school year.

And it should prove to be a good year, as we strive to constantly improve our instruction to produce students who are better prepared for this increasingly complex world.

I am trying to meet that demand by creating an outlet to communicate more effectively with students.

This blog will serve to inform parents and students about daily assignments they may have missed due to unplanned absences. It will also keep parents informed about the various topics we are studying in class.

Please check in here frequently, and I will do my best to update the blog daily.

Let's make this a great year!

Mr. Neill