"Richard, the third son, of whom we now entreat, was in wit and courage equal with either of them, in body and prowess far under them both; little of stature, ill-featured of limbs, crook-backed, his left shoulder much higher than his right, hard-favoured of visage, and such as is in states called warlike, in other men otherwise. He was malicious, wrathful, envious and from afore his birth ever froward ... He was close and secret, a deep dissimuler, lowly of countenance, arrogant of heart, outwardly coumpinable [friendly] where he inwardly hated, not letting to kiss whom he thought to kill; dispiteous and cruel, not for evil will always, but after for ambition, and either for the surety and increase of his estate."
And so on. This is the portrait of Richard that was taken up by the chroniclers Hall (The Union of the Two Noble and Illustre Families of Lancastre and Yorke) and Holinshed (Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland). Where More charts Richard’s rise to the throne, the chroniclers add his descent into disgrace and defeat, providing history in a more medieval sense than we are used to today – a pageant of the lives of great men and houses, exemplifying moral lessons: the Wheel of Fortune is relentless, pride must have a fall, the evildoer eventually meets with his just deserts. In this mentality, even the alleged physical deformities have a moral significance, as outward signs of inner ugliness. For a dramatist, then, More and the chroniclers provided a fully worked-out cartoon villain, complete with motives (‘not for evil will always, but after for ambition’), and vivid details: for example, Shakespeare’s depiction of the scene in which Richard entraps Hastings and orders his execution - ‘Talk’st thou to me of ifs?’ (3.4.75) – closely follows the account of the same scene in More.
i. use appropriate and varied vocabulary, sentence structures and forms of expression ii. write and speak in a register and style that serve the context and intention iii. use correct grammar, syntax and punctuation iv. spell (alphabetic languages), write (character languages) and pronounce with accuracy v. use appropriate non-verbal communication techniques.
On November 14 some stuudents will be taking a test which will assess strands i, iii and iv of this criterion.
In order to practice for it here are a few links you can use
Error correction: Work on YOUR common errors by going through your corrections. Try and see what kind of mistakes you always make. You may also check out this link for errors Spanish speaking learners tend to make. At the bottom of the page you have the key.
The form of a novel is the type of text and genre
the writer chooses to write in. Animal Farm has a number of elements
to its form and genre.
Animal Farm could fit into the genre of a fairy
story, fable, allegory or satire.
On the surface the novel is very simple, a
narrative with a lesson that is suitable for children. When seeing the
narrative as a metaphor or allegory it becomes more complex, the
reader needs prior knowledge to appreciate the novel on this level.
Genre
·Fairy story - the idea of talking animals and the simple
written style are elements that fit this form.
·Allegory - the farm and the animals are an extended
metaphor. The farm represents Russia and its experience of revolution in the
1900s. Mr Jones and the animals represent the Russian leaders and people of the
time.
·Fable - a fable is a story that teaches a lesson
or moral. Orwell uses the actions of the animals to teach the reader
lessons about equality, power, corruption and freedom.
·Satire - Orwell satirises the political leaders of
Russia in the 1900s.
The narrator
The novel has a third
person omniscient narrator, we see and know everything that happens
and hear the characters' thoughts. This gives the reader an overview which
allows us to come to our own conclusions about events on the farm.
How to analyse form
Question
Explain
how Animal Farm is allegorical.
·On the surface Animal Farm is a
simple story.
·If the reader has knowledge of the events of the
Russian Revolution in 1917 it can be read as an allegory.
·This means that each character and event has a real
life equivalent
·Orwell uses this form to express his opinions about
the events and people who were involved in this period of history
Use of
language in Animal Farm
The
language Orwell uses in Animal Farm is simple, clear and
accessible. Description and dialogue are kept to a minimum and Orwell
avoids sentimentality - even the most heart-breaking sections of the text are
very direct in style. He focuses on telling the story, allowing the reader to
concentrate on the lessons he wants us to learn. Through the pigs, Orwell shows
how rhetoric can be a powerful tool of manipulation.
When
analysing the language Orwell uses, you could use this structure:
What
has Orwell done?
How and why has he done it?
What effect does it have on the
reader?
How could the words you have chosen
to look at be interpreted differently?
Use a quote to back up your
point.
Avoid explaining what language
devices mean eg no need to say 'a simile is a way of comparing one thing
to another'.
Evidence
and explanation of the language used
What
How
Why
Effect
Persuading questions
"Now,
comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours?"
To make
the other animals question their positions on the farm.
This
rhetorical device is used to encourage the animals to rebel. Old Major asks
the question and then he provides the animals with the answer he wants,
persuading them that he is right.
Controlling questions
"Are
you certain that this is not something that you have dreamed, comrades? Have
you any record of such a resolution?"
Squealer
controls the others by questioning their memories.
This
rhetorical device is used to make the animals doubt themselves. Orwell
shows how rhetoric can be used negatively.
Repetition
"Long
live the windmill! Long live Animal Farm!"
Here
Napoleon uses repetition to reinforce his message.
Repeating
‘Long live’ helps emphasise Napoleon’s point that he wants Animal Farm to
continue forever. Whilst this appears to be positive, here Napoleon uses the
sentiment to make a scapegoat (an individual irrationally blamed) of
Snowball.
Emotive language
A cry
of horror burst from all the animals.
The scene
when Boxer is taken away is very emotive.
The fact
that the ‘horror’, in itself an emotive word, ‘burst’ from the animals gives
a clear indication that their fear was so great it almost exploded from
within them.
Direct style
Boxer
was never seen again.
Orwell
uses very plain language to describe Boxer’s disappearance.
In
contrast to the emotive language seen above, Orwell uses direct and
understated language. This helps to make Boxer’s treatment more
tragic.
How to analyse language
In order to
analyse language you must:
choose a section from the text
to analyse
select a quote from the text
that is relevant to the question and the point you want to make
consider how the quote reflects
character/theme/context
explore in detail the impact
specific words or phrases have upon the reader
evaluate how effective the
author’s choice of language is
Below is an
example section from the novel. In this section Napoleon is speaking to the
farm animals. He blames Snowball for the damage the bad weather has done to the
windmill.
'Comrades',
he said quietly, 'do you know who is responsible for this? Do you know the
enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!' he
roared in a voice of thunder. 'Snowball has done this thing! In sheer
malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his
ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and
destroyed our work of nearly a year' (Napoleon)
Question
Analyse the language used in this quotation. How do
the pigs use language to control the other animals?
Use of personal pronouns - Napoleon uses
'Comrades' and 'our' to get the other animals on his side.
Emotive language - he uses words
like 'malignity' and 'traitor' - these emotive words help make
the animals react emotionally to what he is saying meaning they are more
likely to be angry.
Use of questions and repetition - 'Do you know who is
responsible for this?', 'do you know the enemy..?'. Napoleon repeats the
question and gives them his own answer 'SNOWBALL'. Here questions
are used to control.
Uses of expressive verbs and
adjectives -
Orwell explains that Napoleon 'Roared in a voice of thunder'. Explosive
words which add a sense of sound to of the section as well as the mood.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Martin Luther King Jr., Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C., August 28, 1963
Do you know the answer to the following questions? If you don't, why don't you find out?
How do great speakers address and engage their audience?
A: Rethorical appeals: ethos, logos and pathos
B: Rhetorical devices
1. Alliteration: The repetition of a sound in the first syllable of each phrase. In the first example below, you will see one string of three words beginning with “f,” and another with three words beginning with “d.” In the second example, you will see Dr. King’s riff on the letter “t.”
“They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different, and difficult places.” – President Barack Obama
“With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Anadiplosis: The last word or phrase is repeated to begin the next.
“Suffering breeds character; character breeds faith.” – Rev. Jesse Jackson
“Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda
3. Antimetabole: The repetition of words or phrases in successive clauses, but in reverse order.
“Not all schooling is education nor all education, schooling.” – Economist Milton Friedman
“Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” – Scientist Carl Sagan
4. Antithesis: A word, phrase, or sentence opposes the original proposition.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” – Neil Armstrong
5. Asyndeton: Omits conjunctions, which helps to increase the tempo and highlight a specific idea.
“…and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln
“He was a bag of bones, a floppy doll, a broken stick, a maniac.” – Jack Kerouac
6. Diacope: A repeated word or phrase split up by other words; typically used to express a strong emotion.
“Put out the light, and then put out the light.” – William Shakespeare, Othello
“For the love of God, man, for the love of God.” – Me, all the time
7. Litotes: You’ve probably heard this if a friend ever told you her first date was “not bad.” Litotes is essentially a double negative, expressed by denying an opposite idea; often used ironically.
“She’s no dummy” (she’s smart)
“This is no small problem” (this is a big problem)
8. Metaphor: An analogy that compares one thing or idea to another, using a term or phrase it literally isn’t to suggest similarity.
“Homeowners are the innocent bystanders in a drive-by shooting by Wall Street and Washington.” – Sen. John McCain
“It’s raining men.” – The Weather Girls
9. Simile: A comparison between two unalike things, usually using the words “as” or “like.”
“We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“You’re as cold as ice.” – Foreigner
NOW OVER TO YOU!!!
Martin Luther King made one of the most memorable speeches ever. Why not use the framework of his "I have a dream speech" to make our own speech and share our dream for Argentina? "I Have a Dream Too!" I have a dream that one day this nation will __________________ I have a dream that one day ______________________________ I have a dream that one day ______________________________ I have a dream that _____________________________________ I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day ______________________________ I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day ______________________________ This is my hope and faith. With this faith we will be able to ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This will be the day when _________________________________
Click here for a thorough analysis of Adichie's speech in terms of appeals, devices, tone and language.
