A fictional George Orwell book, “Animal Farm” continues its impact in the world with a new movie coming out May 1. The book includes animals on a farm who are trying to overtake humans because they believe they are superior to humans. For sophomores at FHN, Animal Farm is a required book when taking honors English II, teaching students lessons about the role of leadership in society. With the new movie coming out, there is hope that the message will be similar to the book.
“I think it’s good,… seeing that different leaders have different strategies and abilities and the good and the bad of both of those,” English teacher Tara Beveridge said. “I think Animal Farm does a good job of having those different leaders…I would still want that to be a part of [the movie].”
Animal farm is taught in a unit meant for the argumentative side of English, teaching ethos, pathos and logos. The point of reading Animal Farm is to not only learn about argumentative writing, but to also be able to support claims with evidence. Messages can be kept from that book that can be used for a lifetime.
“I would like people to remember that you shouldn’t just believe someone for what they say,” Beveridge said. “Be aware of the other things going on, make your own judgment”
Currently, students watch an outdated version of the movie while reading the book, but since there’s an animated version coming soon, teachers may transition to playing that movie for students instead. Some students don’t think the book was necessary and thought it was more complex and confusing than other choices would have been, leading to thoughts that the movie may not make an impact on students as they don’t feel the book was necessary.
“I think the book shows a good message, sophomore Makenzi Foley said. “I just think if we’re going to read it in school, we need more guidance to make sure everyone’s fully understanding the purpose of the book.”
