William Olsen, Period 9, 4/28/20 Blogger#24
Sophomores 2020
Aim: How does Orwell criticize society through Boxer and Benjamin?
In today’s lesson we talked about the tragic hero, and their characteristics. Boxer’s story, being
a tragic hero himself, is one of pity and sorrow. His work ethic led him to work all day with all of
his effort. He never questioned anything, whether it be the rule of Napoleon, or what they are
even working for. This is his hamartia, his tragic flaw. His countless hours of hard work led him
nowhere, since as soon as he was unfit for work he was sold to the slaughterhouse for money.
Through Boxer, Orwell shows that you should always be questioning things. He shows that the
senseless following of a ruler will always lead to bad things, and you have to be conscious of
what is actually happening. Throughout the book Benjamin remained quiet. We knew that he
actually did know what was happening, the changing of the commandments, and the pigs
dishonesty, but he didn’t speak up about anything. In today’s reading, we see as Boxer is being
taken away Benjamin speaks up. He reads that the side of the car says that it belongs to a
slaughterhouse and he tells everyone. However, it was too late. Boxer was taken away and
there was nothing the other animals could do about it. Through the story of Benjamin, Orwell is
criticizing those who know something wrong is occurring, but don’t speak up about it. Through
the characters of Boxer and Benjamin, Orwell is showing that you should always be mindful of
everything around you, and you should never be afraid to speak up if you know something is
unjust.
Class Content:
Do Now:
In today’s Do Now we discussed authority, and whether it is acceptable to fully trust authority,
The class discussion all seemed to agree that you should never blindly follow a ruler, and that
you should always be questioning. You should be thinking of who the decision benefits, and
whose interest it is really in. As we have seen throughout history, bad people sometimes fall into
a high position and vulnerable people blindly follow them, whether it be out of hope for a better
life, or out of fear. We see this throughout Animal Farm, in Napoleon’s rule. The animals blindly
follow Napoleon, and they are made to believe that life under Napoleon is much better than life
under Mr. Jones. The second part of the Do Now asked if you would speak up against
something that is wrong even though that means you would get into trouble.Most people agreed
that in most circumstances we would speak out and do what is right. This relates to Benjamin,
who had the opportunity to speak up but didn’t until it was too late.
Classwork:
First we discussed advertisements and how they persuade the consumer to participate in
certain activities, whether it be buying a product or supporting a movement. We see through
these posters that they appeal to rhetoric, whether it be pathos, ethos, or logos. For example,
the two PETA ads shown appeal to pathos. It pictures the animals, and they themselves are
trying to tell you to not eat them and that you should go vegan to stop hurting animals like them.
This clearly makes you feel bad for the animals, and makes you rethink your actions.
Next we discussed the tragic hero and how it is represented in Animal Farm. We learned that a
tragic hero is a hero who, because of his flaws, is doomed to fail. The characteristics of a tragic
hero include:
Hamartia- a tragic flaw that causes the downfall of a hero
Hubris- excessive pride and disrespect for the natural order of things
Peripeteia- the reversal of fate that the hero experiences
Anagnorisis- a moment in time when hero makes an important discovery in the story
Nemesis- a punishment that the protagonist cannot avoid, usually occurring as a result of his
hubris
Catharsis- feelings of pity and fear felt by the audience, for the inevitable downfall of the
protagonist
In Animal Farm a clear representation of the tragic hero is Boxer. His hamartia is his work ethic,
and his failure to question authority. He is doomed to fail in the society that he lives in, and as
soon as he can no longer work he is shipped to the slaughter house. As a result the audience
experiences catharsis when he is sent away.
Blog Content and Online Learning
Working from home is like any other work, but just under different circumstances. The work is
generally the same, we still have to be aware of the due dates of certain assignments, and we
still overall have to stay diligent with our work. The difference, however, is that in this
circumstance we can’t really leave our homes due to the pandemic. Being stuck inside all day
and doing work is not the ideal situation but we have to adapt and do our best with the cards we
are being dealt. As for the world as a whole, I am learning that when times are tough we can
truly join together and fight for our common goal. However, I see that in some cases people are
not coming together. Protests are popping up, and I recently saw a video where a girl is
protesting because she “wants her prom back”. In these times it is important to put our needs
behind us and to work as one to get through the situation.
Reflection:
From today’s lesson I have learned about how we as a society should act. We need to learn
from Orwell’s criticisms in Animal Farm and relate that to our society. It is never okay to blindly
follow a ruler’s orders, and we should always question authority. I have learned about the tragic
hero in literature, and how it relates to the real world.
By learning about these things, we now can be better aware of what is going on around us. If we
see something going wrong, it is important to speak up or things will only get worse.
I will use what we learned today to be mindful of everything around me. Knowing about these
things will lead to a better, safer life.
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