It's always a pleasure to rediscover the joy in something as it's even better the second time around. This is certainly the case with George Orwell's Animal Farm. I first studied this as a student of fourteen, many moons ago. I had pretty much forgotten everything about it, bar the fact that it was a cracking story about revolutionary animals. The reason I've become reacquainted with this classic allegory is because it is a new text that I am teaching to my older students. My English department has changed exam boards this year, which means a host of new literature texts to choose from (yay!). Since this forms part of a GCSE qualification, I have to make sure that I'm up to speed on every aspect of the novella. This is where the joy comes in; my in depth research has woken me to its sheer brilliance. I'd forgotten what a wonderfully woven satire it was and how cleverly Orwell ridiculed totalitarianism and communism through it. The shenanigans of the pigs (so brilliantly named), as they go about betraying their own revolutionary principles, makes for fantastic reading. It also paves the way to teach youngsters the importance of democracy and integrity (as well as riotous activities like recreating the Battle of the Cowshed!). Last but not least, Orwell is responsible for crafting some of the most famous quotes, derived from literature. I certainly hope my students enjoy studying it as much as I enjoy teaching it.
