George Orwell

In his story of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality, Orwell gave us one of the most scathing satiric fables ever written. As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, Animal Farm is a parable about would-be liberators everywhere. As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals through the lens of our own history, we see the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organizations; and in our charasmatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors.

George Orwell's classic masterpiece on the dangers of tyranny and oppression came out during a time when socialism and communism were on the rise overseas. When the farm animals decide that the oppression of men over them is too much to bear, they rise to arms with slogans and propaganda to rival any country of men. Orwell's brilliant satire chronicles their rise from idealism to tyranny to totalitarianism. Originally directed against communist Russia, Orwell's piece has evolved into a timeless lesson for all places where freedom is attacked. 140 pages, softcover.

Animal Farm is the most famous by far of all twentieth-century political allegories, and its account of a group of barnyard animals who revolt against their vicious human master and then submit to a tyranny erected by their own kind can fairly be said to have become a universal drama for our time. Taking as his starting point the betrayed promise of the Russian Revolutioni, Orwell lays out a vision which, in its bitter wisdom, gives us the clearest understanding we possess of the possoble consequences of our social and political acts.

War is Peace.
Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.

Big brother is watching. Always watching. And always alert for the first sign of thoughtcrime.

George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, 1984 looks at the world once it's been divided into three superstates that wage a perpetual war; even though the enemy and allies may change, the war continues. A resident of Oceania, protagonist Winston Smith works revising history to remove references to vaporized "unpersons" as well as any indicator that Big Brother has ever been wrong, or that Oceania may have ever been fighting against someone else.

A tale of what occurs when freedom isn't even a concept, when 2+2=5 when the authority says so, and of unquestioning belief valued above knowledge, 1984 provides a reminder of the value of freedom and of the ability to act in accordance with human nature. 294 pages, softcover, with afterward by Erich Fromm.

Totalarianism provoked George Orwell into writing "1984", the harrowing, cautionary tale of a man trapped in a political nightmare. A book that for a time seemed to be passing into oblivion has had the opposite fate, and its relevance and power to disturb our complacency seem to grow decade by decade. In Winston Smith's desperate struggle to free himself from an all-encompassing, malevolent state, Orwell zeroed in on tendencies apparent in every modern society.

A few pre-reading activities are included to gauge a student's familiarity with the context of the novel. Once the student has began reading the novel, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, review and comprehension questions, quizzes, a final test, puzzles, project and essay ideas, and a line-listed answer key are included. Exercises help students focus on literary and character analysis, as well as critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Including a number of teacher's helps, exercises, discussion questions, assessment tools, graphic organizers, writing and art ideas, critical thinking challenges, extension activities, glossary and more, this is a convenient guide to facilitating discussion. Background information includes a summary of the book, information about the author and ideas for initiating activity; the discussion questions follow the chapters in the book.

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This guide to Animal Farm provides an introduction to the novel as well as a chapter-by-chapter summary, critical commentary, and glossary. Character analysis, critical essays, a Q-and-A review, and a short author biography are also included, providing readers with critical background information and comprehension tools. Icons integrated throughout will help students to see the underlying themes, discover the depths of a character, identify literary devices, and understand the language used in the work. 80 pages, indexed, softcover.

A few pre-reading activities are included to gauge a student's familiarity with the context of the novel. Once the student has began reading the novel, vocabulary activities, graphic organizers, review and comprehension questions, quizzes, a final test, puzzles, project and essay ideas, and a line-listed answer key are included. Exercises help students focus on literary and character analysis, as well as critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Including a number of teacher's helps, exercises, discussion questions, assessment tools, graphic organizers, writing and art ideas, critical thinking challenges, extension activities, glossary and more, this book is a convenient guide to facilitating discussion. Background information includes a summary, information about the author, and ideas for initiating activity; the discussion questions follow the chapters in the book.