DUE SEPT. 8 (1st DAY OF SCHOOL)

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1 Name: DUE SEPT. 8 (1st DAY OF SCHOOL) 8 TH Grade Humanities Summer Assignment: Part 1 (Literature) STEP 1. READING Animal Farm by George Orwell Animal Farm by George Orwell: This is an allegory* about an uprising of farm animals against their human masters. Tired of serving the humans, a group of farm animals revolt and establish their own society. Don t be fooled by the fact that it s written about animals! Orwell is using the characters and events in this farmyard to comment on the very real problems we face in our own human society. o *allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. In an allegory, the author writes about one situation (ex: animals on a farm) that is supposed to represent and make a statement about human nature or society. o Helpful hint: Read the questions ahead of time! You will be looking for examples of abuse of power and of resistance. When you find these examples as you read, mark the example in some way (place a post-it note, jot down the page number, fold the corner if you own the book, etc.). STEP 2. ANALYSIS See next page for directions. Your teachers will read your responses carefully and grade them. Remember, this is our first impression of you. Put forth your best work! Optional: If you enjoy books about the abuse of government power, here are some great suggestions of other books you might want to read this summer by George Orwell: Even though the year 1984 seems long ago to us today, when the book was published in 1949, 1984 seemed futuristic. The book offers Orwell's nightmare vision of a totalitarian, bureaucratic world and one poor person s attempt to find individuality. The brilliance of the novel is Orwell's forethought of modern life--the ubiquity of television, the distortion of the language--and his ability to construct such a thorough version of hell. Required reading for students since it was published, it ranks among the most terrifying novels ever written. 2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of objects, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television family. But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. 3. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd: A powerful graphic novel about loss of freedom and individuality, V for Vendetta takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom and precious little faith in anything comes a mysterious man in a Guy Fawkes mask known only as V who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts. It's a gripping tale of the blurred lines between good and evil, as the reader is forced to question whether V is a terrorist or a freedom fighter. 4. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow: Marcus, a.k.a w1n5t0n, is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems. But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they re mercilessly interrogated for days. When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself. Doctorow continues Marcus s story in a sequel: Homeland.

2 STEP 2. ANALYSIS QUESTIONS Be sure to answer all parts of questions #1-3. **DO NOT FILL IN THE CHART ON THIS SHEET.** You should either neatly recreate the questions and chart on your own paper, or download the document from the school s website and type in your responses, then print it to turn in on the first day of school. 1. What are THREE ways the pig(s) ABUSE POWER over the other animals (this may be how they got their power or how they kept and used their power) Ways the pig(s) abuse power (Just name it in a word or phrase.) book that shows this type of abuse of power. Analysis about why the pigs use this type of power. Consider: How does it help them get or hold onto their power? (By doing this, they will be able to ) Why does it work? Why do they get away with it? This means that This shows The author is trying to show What are THREE ways the animals RESIST (fight back or go against) the pigs abuse of power? [These can be: a) out in the open and obvious to everyone AND/OR b) hidden or not obvious to everyone, but resistance all the same. These may be carried out by an individual or a group.] Type of resistance (Just name it in a word or phrase) book that shows this type of resistance. This may be any text from the book; it does not just have to be dialogue!) Analysis about why the animals use this type of resistance: Consider: Why are they upset? What are they trying to change? How do they resist? What message do they send by carrying out this resistance? 3. PARAGRAPH RESPONSE: The animals are extremely committed to making a better world, and the pigs are even outnumbered by the other animals. So, why does the animals resistance ultimately fail? Write a formal paragraph in which you: make a claim with a broad answer about why the other animals resistance fails. support your claim with at least two pieces of evidence from the text (examples and/or quotations, but use with page numbers for each) explain how each piece of evidence supports your claim. SEE NEXT PAGE FOR SAMPLE CHARTS BASED ON ANIMAL FARM

3 Here is a sample of what the chart should look like, using information from George Orwell s Animal Farm. We used examples from early in the book when Farmer Jones abuses his power over the animals and then all the animals resist. Your task is to choose examples from when the pigs abuse their power over the rest of the animals and some animals (sometimes even individual pigs) resist them. **None of your evidence can come from the sections of Chapters 1 or 2 that deal with Farmer Jones s abuse of power over the animals or the animals rebellion against Jones since we used that for the sample.** Remember, we want you to choose the STRONGEST evidence from the book to show abuse of power and resistance, not just the first three examples that you find in the book. 1. What are THREE ways Farmer Jones abuses his power over the animals? Ways Farmer Jones abuses power (Just name it in a word or phrase) book that shows this type of oppression. Analysis about why Farmer Jones uses this type of oppression: Consider: How does it help him get or hold onto his power? (By doing this, he will be able to ) Why does it work? Why does he get away with it? This means that This shows The author is trying to show... Violence Neglect, or denial of basic needs Exploitation (taking advantage of their labor) Then they raced back to the farm buildings to wipe out the last traces of Jones's hated reign. The harness-room at the end of the stables was broken open; the bits, the noserings, the dog-chains, the cruel knives with which Mr. Jones had been used to castrate the pigs and lambs, were all flung down the well. The reins, the halters, the blinkers, the degrading nosebags, were thrown on to the rubbish piles which were which was burning in the yard. So were the whips (20-21). June came and the hay was almost ready for cutting. On Midsummer's Eve, which was a Saturday, Mr. Jones went into Willingdon and got so drunk at the Red Lion that he did not come back till midday on Sunday. The men had milked the cows in the early morning and then had gone out rabbiting, without bothering to feed the animals (19). We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth (6-7). Even though this quote is from a scene when the animals rebel, it shows the tools Jones used to control the animals. He used nose rings and chains to take away their freedom and physically control them. This typically made the animals afraid of getting hurt so that they did not think about working together to fight back. The animals rights to reproduce are taken away when Jones uses his sharp knives for castration. When the animals eventually fight back and take over the farm, all of these tools are removed so this former condition will not be allowed to return. There is an obligation that a farmer has to feed his animals, which Jones does not fulfill. In failing to hold up his duty the animals are left on their own. The irony is that those who provide the food are not being allowed to share the bounty. If the animals are not fed, they will be weakened and not able to gather the necessary strength to fight back. Living in a state of slavery affords the animals with no free time. The humans are able to enjoy their lives and can experience leisure (doing things in their free time). The animals are aware that they are being used up completely for the benefit of their human captors. Their lives are allowed only to continue so long as they can prove worthy to the needs of Jones.

4 2. What are THREE ways the animals RESIST (fight back or go against) Farmer Jones s abuse of power? Ways the animals resist Farmer Jones (Just name it in a word or phrase) book that shows this type of resistance. Analysis about why the animals use this type of resistance: Consider: Why are they upset? What are they trying to change? How do they resist? What message do they send by doing this resistance? Giving a speech to unite citizens Violent opposition to being mistreated Singing a song in protest Old Major to the animals: Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word--man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever (7). The next moment he and his four men were in the store-shed with whips in their hands, lashing out in all directions. This was more than the hungry animals could bear. With one accord, though nothing of the kind had been planned beforehand, they flung themselves upon their tormentors. Jones and his men suddenly found themselves being butted and kicked from all sides (19). I will sing you that song now, comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves. It is called Beasts of England. Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing The singing of the song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major had reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. Even the stupidest of them had already picked up the tune and a few of the words, and as for the clever ones, such as the pigs and dogs, they had the entire song by heart within a few minutes. And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into Beasts of England in tremendous unison (12-13). The animals have always accepted their bad treatment from Farmer Jones without question. They never think about rebelling. But in the opening chapter, Old Major, one of the oldest pigs on the farm, has a dream that shows him a future without man in charge. He sparks the idea of fighting back against Farmer Jones when he gathers all the animals and gives a speech that inspires them to unite against a common enemy and in a common hope for a future without Man in charge of them. This speech helps them come together for their eventual rebellion. After being left without food when Farmer Jones gets drunk, the animals break into a storehouse, take food, and when the farmer tries to whip them, they rise up against him and his men and attack back. This attack is unplanned and spontaneous and they manage to surprise Jones and chase him off the farm. They let the farmer know that they resent his mistreatment and show him that they are willing to do whatever it takes to defend themselves against hunger and mistreatment. This is the animals first open revolt. The song itself is stirring because music can sometimes have the ability to tap into emotions in a way that even the spoken word sometimes fails to do. Also, the act of singing is something that all the animals can participate in. Because of this, the song itself becomes a rallying cry, expressing their views of a better life in the future when they do not have to listen to Farmer Jones, and joining all the animals together in their cause.

5 Name: DUE SEPT. 8 (1ST DAY OF SCHOOL) 8th Grade Humanities Summer Assignment: Part 2 (Election) STEP 1. THE ISSUE: Pick an issue of the campaign that you care about. Possible options: immigration, health care, education, gun control, the economy, foreign policy, environment, abortion, and more. STEP 2. INFORMING YOURSELF: Read at least three articles addressing this issue. Your reading should outline both candidates platforms or views. This means that you should not pick three articles only presenting one candidate and his or her views. Choose articles from trustworthy publications. (These might include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Slate.com, Atlantic Monthly, New York Magazine, Time magazine, Newsweek magazine, and more.) Avoid personal blogs (URLS might include blogspot, blogger, weebly, wordpress, and more). Highlight the specific parts of the article on your chosen issue. Don t hesitate to look up any words that you don t understand! That s a great skill to practice. In your own words, write in the margins what the candidates stances are. Attach all three articles to your written response (see below). STEP 3. WRITE!: In paragraph form, express: Why you care about this issue (Is there something in your own life that makes you connect to it? Is there something you ve witnessed in your own life or seen in the news that impacted you?) On your chosen issue, with which candidate you are most closely aligned or do you most strongly agree? (If you don t align or agree with either candidate, that s fine! Just say so.) Cite at least two pieces of specific evidence from your articles to support your alignment (or lack of alignment)