Introduction
"Evaluate the role of propaganda in a totalitarian regime."
The above is one of four driving questions that was given to us in World Studies following the announcement of a Totalitarianism Literacy Task. In order to start outlining the Literacy Task, each student was asked to choose a driving question that they felt confident in answering. Both Mr. Jereb, history teacher, and Mrs. Garcia, student [English] teacher, assisted us with everything from reading the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, to reading the Modern World History textbook and researching the rise of Stalin in Russia. They helped us tremendously by explaining the book and creating guidelines for us to make the connection between Animal Farm and the events that occurred in Russia while Stalin was in power.
The following is an excerpt from my literacy task which demonstrates my growth in both Knowledge and Thinking as well as Written Communication;
"This brings me to my third and final point, which is that propaganda was used to persuade people to believe what the government/leader tells them. When Boxer’s lungs were failing [he was a hard-working horse on the farm], Napoleon had [what he told the animals was] a veterinarian come and take Boxer away. None of the animals except for Benjamin realized that the van was owned by the horse slaughterer. Benjamin told the others, “‘Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.’ Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker’s!” (Orwell 123) When the animals questioned why that writing was on the side of the van, Squealer explained to them that, “The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out.” (Orwell 125) The animals believed him because he told them that they “jumped to conclusions” (Orwell 125) and he couldn’t believe “that any animal could be so stupid.” (Orwell 125) Squealer had already created a connection with the animals based off of trust, so they had no doubts about that explanation. Keep in mind that Napoleon is Stalin, and Squealer is Stalin’s propaganda; the animals are the public. If the animals already trust Napoleon, then of course they will trust Squealer. During the harvesting season, the animals were coming back to find that the milk was missing. It was found that “The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs’ mash.” (Orwell 51) When the animals disagreed with the fact that the windfalls [apples that had fallen from the tree] were to be given to the pigs, Squealer explained that “Many of us actually dislike milk and apples” (Orwell 52) and also that “Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig.” (Orwell 52) The animals believe him again because he persuaded them and even told them his reasoning was backed by science. By installing a feeling of trust between himself and others, they’re more likely to believe anything he says. That, coupled with lying that his reasoning is backed by science or some other credible subject is surely going to be able to convince almost anyone. Napoleon uses Squealer to create lies that the animals will believe since they trust him already."
Knowledge and Thinking
Prior to writing this literacy task, my knowledge of World War II was limited. I knew what propaganda was, but I didn't understand it. After researching World War II and reading Animal Farm, I understood what propaganda was and why it was being used. It became clearer to me how leaders were using it to influence the population and what techniques they would use. I also learned about the different types of propaganda and which types were the most effective in persuading its targeted audience. After reading the novel Animal Farm, an allegory of Stalin's rise to power, I was able to better understand who Stalin was and what exactly happened. The novel also explained the roles of other important people during World War II, such as Lenin Trotsky and Karl Marx. The novel answered my questions about World War II and the Soviet Union because of how well each character was represented and how every event was explained in great detail. I was baffled at the idea of Stalin's propaganda actually being represented as a character in the book, but it worked well and I was able to comprehend what it was and what happened.
Written Communication
During the process of writing this literacy task, I had to research numerous techniques and "rules" of writing to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. I learned how to use brackets, how to better incorporate quotes, and how to connect all of my ideas together. I had to ask Ms. Garcia for help with certain areas of my literacy task when I wasn't sure if I had done it right or if I was getting my point across clearly but, once she explained what I needed to fix I was able to understand what I was doing wrong. After attending both History and English workshops and asking my teachers for suggestions, my literacy task was the best it could possibly be.
How did you take ownership over your learning?
I took ownership over my learning by asking my teachers for suggestions and improvements on my literacy task. After having Ms. Garcia for help, I was able to revise my essay and look for areas that weren't necessarily of good quality. In the beginning of this project, I would take the feedback from one of my teachers and then apply it to my literacy task. Towards the end of the project, I noticed myself asking for feedback and not just expecting it or waiting for it. In the Agency Rubric, I had gone from “Consistently shows evidence of accepting and using feedback to revise work to high quality” to “Consistently shows evidence of actively seeking, identifying, and using feedback to revise work to high quality”. This shows that by asking my teachers for help and feedback on my literacy task, I was able to improve my work and have a better paper. I didn’t just expect to be told what to fix, I asked for suggestions and clarifications on what should be changed and why. So, while I needed my teacher's assistance and suggestions around the beginning of the project, I was able to make revisions and conduct more research by myself towards the end of the project.
"Evaluate the role of propaganda in a totalitarian regime."
The above is one of four driving questions that was given to us in World Studies following the announcement of a Totalitarianism Literacy Task. In order to start outlining the Literacy Task, each student was asked to choose a driving question that they felt confident in answering. Both Mr. Jereb, history teacher, and Mrs. Garcia, student [English] teacher, assisted us with everything from reading the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, to reading the Modern World History textbook and researching the rise of Stalin in Russia. They helped us tremendously by explaining the book and creating guidelines for us to make the connection between Animal Farm and the events that occurred in Russia while Stalin was in power.
The following is an excerpt from my literacy task which demonstrates my growth in both Knowledge and Thinking as well as Written Communication;
"This brings me to my third and final point, which is that propaganda was used to persuade people to believe what the government/leader tells them. When Boxer’s lungs were failing [he was a hard-working horse on the farm], Napoleon had [what he told the animals was] a veterinarian come and take Boxer away. None of the animals except for Benjamin realized that the van was owned by the horse slaughterer. Benjamin told the others, “‘Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.’ Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker’s!” (Orwell 123) When the animals questioned why that writing was on the side of the van, Squealer explained to them that, “The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out.” (Orwell 125) The animals believed him because he told them that they “jumped to conclusions” (Orwell 125) and he couldn’t believe “that any animal could be so stupid.” (Orwell 125) Squealer had already created a connection with the animals based off of trust, so they had no doubts about that explanation. Keep in mind that Napoleon is Stalin, and Squealer is Stalin’s propaganda; the animals are the public. If the animals already trust Napoleon, then of course they will trust Squealer. During the harvesting season, the animals were coming back to find that the milk was missing. It was found that “The mystery of where the milk went to was soon cleared up. It was mixed every day into the pigs’ mash.” (Orwell 51) When the animals disagreed with the fact that the windfalls [apples that had fallen from the tree] were to be given to the pigs, Squealer explained that “Many of us actually dislike milk and apples” (Orwell 52) and also that “Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig.” (Orwell 52) The animals believe him again because he persuaded them and even told them his reasoning was backed by science. By installing a feeling of trust between himself and others, they’re more likely to believe anything he says. That, coupled with lying that his reasoning is backed by science or some other credible subject is surely going to be able to convince almost anyone. Napoleon uses Squealer to create lies that the animals will believe since they trust him already."
Knowledge and Thinking
Prior to writing this literacy task, my knowledge of World War II was limited. I knew what propaganda was, but I didn't understand it. After researching World War II and reading Animal Farm, I understood what propaganda was and why it was being used. It became clearer to me how leaders were using it to influence the population and what techniques they would use. I also learned about the different types of propaganda and which types were the most effective in persuading its targeted audience. After reading the novel Animal Farm, an allegory of Stalin's rise to power, I was able to better understand who Stalin was and what exactly happened. The novel also explained the roles of other important people during World War II, such as Lenin Trotsky and Karl Marx. The novel answered my questions about World War II and the Soviet Union because of how well each character was represented and how every event was explained in great detail. I was baffled at the idea of Stalin's propaganda actually being represented as a character in the book, but it worked well and I was able to comprehend what it was and what happened.
Written Communication
During the process of writing this literacy task, I had to research numerous techniques and "rules" of writing to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong. I learned how to use brackets, how to better incorporate quotes, and how to connect all of my ideas together. I had to ask Ms. Garcia for help with certain areas of my literacy task when I wasn't sure if I had done it right or if I was getting my point across clearly but, once she explained what I needed to fix I was able to understand what I was doing wrong. After attending both History and English workshops and asking my teachers for suggestions, my literacy task was the best it could possibly be.
How did you take ownership over your learning?
I took ownership over my learning by asking my teachers for suggestions and improvements on my literacy task. After having Ms. Garcia for help, I was able to revise my essay and look for areas that weren't necessarily of good quality. In the beginning of this project, I would take the feedback from one of my teachers and then apply it to my literacy task. Towards the end of the project, I noticed myself asking for feedback and not just expecting it or waiting for it. In the Agency Rubric, I had gone from “Consistently shows evidence of accepting and using feedback to revise work to high quality” to “Consistently shows evidence of actively seeking, identifying, and using feedback to revise work to high quality”. This shows that by asking my teachers for help and feedback on my literacy task, I was able to improve my work and have a better paper. I didn’t just expect to be told what to fix, I asked for suggestions and clarifications on what should be changed and why. So, while I needed my teacher's assistance and suggestions around the beginning of the project, I was able to make revisions and conduct more research by myself towards the end of the project.
Word Count: 690 (excluding excerpt from literacy task)