M3 L21

• Essential Question What is the power of language? 

• Focusing Question How and why is language dangerous? 

• Content Framing Question Reveal: What does a deeper exploration of Squealer’s arguments reveal? 

• Craft Question Experiment:How does acknowledging alternate or opposing claims work?

Trace the techniques Squealer uses in his arguments about pigs sleeping in beds and about “Beasts of England,” and draft a written assessment of the soundness of his reasoning. (RI.7.8)

✓ Compose an evaluation of Squealer’s argument. 

• The animals work through the cold winter, but they do not have enough food and are hungry.

• Napoleon wants to hide the farm’s problems from the humans.

• He decides to sell eggs for profit, but the hens rebel.

• Napoleon starves them. Nine die before they give up.

• Napoleon holds a meeting and executes many animals accused of being traitors.

• Squealer tells the animals they can no longer sing “Beasts of England,” and the song of rebellion is replaced with a new song.

​Describe the most shocking event of chapter VII. Why?

Information or statements of opinion that are deliberately circulated among the public to persuade the population to accept a certain point of view.

Think critically about what reasons and evidence Squealer provides to “prove” that Snowball is a traitor.

Now that the animals are starving and suffering, and the pigs are becoming more human, Napoleon and Squealer want them to focus their energies on a scapegoat like Snowball, rather than looking too critically at their own situation. The pigs are becoming more desperate now that even loyal Boxer is questioning their version of the truth.

Is Squealer’s speech propaganda?

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The structure: If this is true…And this is true…Then this is true.

(1) both the premises are true

and

(2) the second premise is a bridge between the first and the last. That is, both of the ideas have to be true and logically connected.

"It's no longer needed, comrade," said Squealer stiffly. "Beasts of England was the song of the Rebellion. But the Rebellion is now completed. The execution of the traitors this afternoon was the final act. The enemy both external and internal has been defeated. In Beasts of England we expressed our longing for a better society in days to come. But that society has now been established. Clearly this song has no longer any purpose."

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Find the reasons and evidence using sticky notes. ​