Ordinary people, ordinary jobs, ordinary life. According to George Orwell it's the ordinary that should be the focus of literature. Introduce readers to this extraordinary writer with a short video that details how his life experiences shaped his ideas and his writings.

Concepts

george orwell, animal farm, injustice, social injustice

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Have class members view the video out of class, prepare questions, and return for a whole class discussion of Orwell's ideas
• Give bonus points to viewers who can identify the famous people and events pictured in the photos used in the film
• Most appropriate for honors or AP level language arts and history classes
• Introduce the video after reading one of Orwell's books
• Have individuals create their own allegory and select animals to represent current political figures and groups

Classroom Considerations

• The close captioning often misrepresents the narration; turn it off 
• Viewers may be confused by the reference to English private schools as the public school system
• Show the video in full screen mode to avoid the comment section

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• The images used can be seen as allegorical and add a level of humor to the video

Cons

• None