Hello and welcome to the lesson.

I'm Mrs. Butterworth, and I will be guiding you through the learning today.

We are focusing on chapter nine of "Animal Farm," which is a really memorable chapter of the novella.

I won't spoil it too much, but this is called "Boxer's Betrayal." So should we get started? By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain what happens in chapter nine of "Animal Farm." So before we begin the lesson today, there are a few key words to be aware of as we go through.

These are superannuated, readjustment, reduction, and unscrupulous.

Here is the outline of today's lesson.

So we're going to start by reading chapter nine and just thinking about the events and what happens in that chapter.

And then the second part of the lesson, we are going to be focused all on the character, Boxer.

So let's start by reading chapter nine.

Before we start reading the chapter, I'd like you to discuss this question.

Is Boxer important to the plot and why? You may wish to pause the video to give you time to discuss or gather your thoughts.

Some excellent answers coming out there.

So let's just share some of the things I heard.

So I heard that someone thought that Boxer was important because he represents the dedicated and hardworking labour force on the farm.

Absolutely, that's a really great answer.

Someone else remembered that he was injured during the "Battle of the Windmill," so he fought really bravely.

And then finally, someone was saying that he is a symbol of the sacrifices made by the working class and their unwavering commitment to the cause despite the pigs' exploitation and betrayal, which is an excellent comment on everything that Boxer symbolise and represents in this novel.

So thinking about those excellent comments, we can see that Boxer is incredibly important not only to the plot of "Animal Farm," but also in terms of everything he represents and symbolises.

Now, chapter nine is a very, very big moment in Boxer's storyline, and tells us a lot about how the pigs view the animals.

So think about this as we read the chapter.

So before we do any close reading, let's read the start of the chapter together.

Boxer's split hoof was a long time in healing.

They had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended.

Boxer refused to take even a day off work and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain.

In the evenings, he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal.

Clover treated the hoof with poultices of herbs which she prepared by chewing them, and both she and Benjamin urged Boxer to work less hard.

"A horse's lungs do not last forever," she said to him.

But Boxer would not listen.

He had, he said, only one ambition left, to see the windmill well underway before he reached the age of retirement.

At the beginning when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated, the retiring age have been fixed for horses and pigs at 12, for cows at 14, and for dogs at nine, for sheep at seven, and for hens and geese at five.

liberal old-age pensions had been agreed upon.

As yet no animal had actually retired on pension, but of late the subject of being discussed more and more.

Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley, it was rumoured that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into grazing ground for superannuated animals.

For a horse, it was said, the pension would be five pounds of corn a day and, in winter, 15 pounds of hay with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays.

Boxer's 12th birthday was due in the late summer of the following year.

Meanwhile life was hard.

The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter.

Once again, all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs.

A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of animalism.

In any case, he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were not in reality short of food, whatever the appearances might be.

For the time being, certainly, it had been necessary to make a readjustment of rations.

Squealer always spoke of it as a readjustment, never as a reduction.

But in comparison with the days of Jones, the improvement was enormous.

Boxer states he has only one real ambition left.

What is it? Well done, everyone that said C.

He says he only wants to see the windmill complete before his retirement age, which really shows how dedicated Boxer is, not only to the rebellion, but the construction of the windmill.

So let's look at this start of the chapter in a little bit more detail.

So what does box's determination to work through pain reveal about him? So it really shows his unwavering dedication to the cause and his willingness to make personal sacrifices for the greater good of the farm.

It also highlights how easily he has been manipulated, and Boxer does not have the intelligence to challenge what is happening.

And I guess by not showing pain, he wants to set a good examples for the animals.

He doesn't want 'em to worry about him.

He wants to still be seen as this strong capable horse.

So in this section, it mentions that as yet no animal had actually retired on pension.

So there were all these promises on pensions, but no one seems to have retired.

So what does this tell us about the pigs' leadership? Well, it continues to show, as ever, that the pigs move away from those original ideas, and, even more, it demonstrates how the pigs have not lived up to the promises of the revolution.

So all of these promises of a better life, a more comfortable life for the animals have not yet come to fruition at all.

No one has retired.

And it shows this continued manipulation of the animals because even though these things aren't happening, the animals are still happy to hear these empty promises.

The empty promises are enough to motivate the animals and guarantee their loyalty.

And what happens to the rations and what does this tell us about life on the farm of the animals? So what we find out is that the rations are continuing to reduce, which shows the failings of the farm.

But what is key here is that, actually, the pigs and the dogs never go without, which again emphasise that increasing inequality between the animals and the pigs.

The animals continue to suffer.

They have these harsh winters, they work really hard, and yet they receive less rations than the dogs and the pigs who always ensure that they are taken care of.

And then we have Squealer with one of his persuasive speeches again, and he talks about a readjustment of rations, and it says he never talks about a reduction.

So what do you think is the difference between the readjustment and a reduction? So interestingly, Squealer uses the word readjustment to make the changes sound positive and necessary, while a reduction simply means a straightforward cutback.

So it's so clever, and we see again how good Squealer is at manipulating language because that readjustment makes something so serious actually sound okay.

They're not reducing the rations.

They're readjusting them.

True or false time.

The pigs and animals have the same amount of rations.

Well done.

Absolutely, that's false.

Now let's justify your answer.

Yes, we find out that all rations are reduced except for the pigs and the dogs, although Squealer spins it that it's not a reduction, it's actually a readjustment.

So again, we see that inequality really building between the pigs and dogs and the other animals.

So we have reached our first practise task, and this will require you to do some reading.

So what I would like you to do is to read from reading out the figures to the end of chapter nine, "Another Case of Whiskey." As you read, pause to answer the following questions.

So number one, the animals can no longer remember life under Jones.

What is the effect of this? Who is Moses and what does he describe to the animals? The animals' lives are described as laborious and hungry.

Who originally used these words? What happens to Boxer? Who looks after him? What does Benjamin alert the other animals to? How does Squealer describe Boxers final moments? And finally, number seven, where do you think the pigs received the money for another case of whiskey? Pause the video so you can complete your reading and I look forward to hearing your reactions to chapter nine.

Well done, everyone, some really good reading there.

It is such an emotional chapter, isn't it? I always find myself getting really tearful when Boxer is taken away.

It's just devastating.

So let's just talk through the answers to our questions so the animals can no longer remember life under Jones.

What is the effect of this? So the inability to remember life's under Jones makes them more accepting of their current conditions and the pig's leadership.

Because they're losing that connection to the past, they lack a direct comparison.

So the passing of time is working directly in the favour of the pigs.

Who is Moses and what does he describe to the animals? So Moses is the tame raven.

He describes this paradise called Sugarcandy Mountain to the animals, and it offers them this kind of comfort and illusion of a better life after death.

Orwell uses him to represent the role of religion in the revolution.

The animal's lives are described as laborious and hungry.

And who originally used these words? So well done, all of you that remembered that these were originally used by Old Major in his speech.

So Orwell is purposely repeating that language to make us understand that actually the revolution has failed, that we're going back, the animals are going back to what they fought against.

So this language is initially used by Old Major in his speech to inspire the animal's rebellion, and it highlights the harshness of their lives under human rule, but now the harshness of their lives under the pigs.

And then what happens to Boxer and who looks after him? So Boxer goes back to work after his hoof has healed and he collapses and says it's his lung.

And then Clover and Benjamin stay loyally by his side and look after him.

And then what does Benjamin alert the other animals to? So Benjamin alerts the other animals to the true nature of Boxer's fate, recognising that he is been being sent to his death when the pigs claim he's going to a hospital.

So in that moment, Benjamin is able to read the side of the van.

So what's really interesting about Benjamin is, up until this point, he has refused to read.

So even though he can read, he says, "I don't wanna read.

Life is always bad.

There's no point to reading." So he's refused to kind of engage with anything that's been going on.

And it's at this point when it's almost too late that he finally reads and finally figures out what's going to happen to Boxer.

How does Squealer describe Boxer's final moments? So Squealer falsely describes Boxer's final moments as peaceful and stress-free, concealing the harsh truth of his fate to maintain the animals' loyalty to the pigs.

So we know that Boxer has been sold to the glue factory or they call it the knackers.

And then Squealer gives this speech to make out that it was this lovely ending, and, actually, we know that that's false.

And where do you think the pigs received the money for another case of whiskey? So it is likely, and this is what it is hinted at, that the money comes from the sale of Boxer.

And this really reveals the pigs' unscrupulous nature and how they view the animals as dispensable.

All of that hard work that Boxer has done, they have no qualms about selling him off and using the money to buy whiskey.

So well done.

We've reached the second part of the lesson.

So we are now going to focus on Boxer.

So this is Boxer's journey in "Animal Farm." So along this line, you will see a selection of quotes, and I'd like you to answer this question.

What do these quotes tell us about his character and what message do you think Orwell is trying to convey? So here are the quotes.

"He was not a first-rate intelligence, that he was universally respected." "I will work harder," which he had adopted as his personal motto.

"I have no wish to take life, not even human life." He adopted the maxim, "Napoleon is always right." "But the other animals found more inspiration in Boxer's strength and his never-failing cry of, 'I will work harder.

'" Finally, "Three of them had their heads broken by blows from Boxer's hoofs." So what do these quotes tell us about the character and what message do you think Orwell is trying to convey? So this first quote, Orwell establishes Boxer's intelligence straight away, which suggests that he will be easily manipulated.

Boxer's maxims show how powerful language can be.

So Boxer keeps repeating these maxims over and over again to keep himself motivated and focused on the cause.

We know that Boxer is absolutely dedicated, and he uses these simple statements to continue to motivate himself.

And these two quotes are interesting because, initially, Boxer is too gentle and kind to consider the killing of a human.

However, by the Battle of the Windmill, he is so committed that he actually commits multiple murders.

And then at the end, we see how influential Boxer is.

He is completely unaware of the power he has.

True or false.

Boxer has a lot of power on the farm, but is completely unaware and lacks the intelligence to exploit it.

Yes, that's true.

Now let's justify your answer.

Great, well done, everyone who noticed it was B.

So not only does Boxer have physical strength, but he also has the respect and dedication of the other animals.

So Boxer is a really interesting character because he has physical strength.

He could crush most of the animals on the farm, and all of the animals look up to and respect him, and yet he doesn't have the intelligence to do anything with this power.

So something that's interesting to explore is how complicit some of these animals are in enabling the pigs to maintain their control and power.

Read the following contextual information.

As we do, I want you to see what similarities you notice between Alexei Stakhanov and Boxer.

So let's read it together.

In 1935, a coal miner named Alexei Stakhanov became famous for digging an impressive 102 tonnes of coal in just six hours.

The Russian government used him as an example to influence their citizens.

This inspired many Russians to follow his example and work even harder, leading to a movement known as Stakhanovism.

Stakhanovites aim to boost productivity by working diligently and finding better ways to do their jobs.

So you may want to pause the video just to discuss those similarities between Stakhanov and Boxer.

Excellent, so let's share some ideas.

So you may have noticed that both are known for their dedication to hard work.

Stakhanov's productivity inspired other Russians to work harder, just as Boxer's tireless efforts and maxims motivated the other animals.

In Stakhanov's case, the Russian government used his work ethic as an example to influence citizens.

Napoleon exploits Boxer's loyalty to his advantage to maintain control over the animals.

That's a really key similarity there.

And then finally, both Stakhanov and Boxer become symbols of obedience to authority.

Stakhanovites and other animals in "Animal Farm" follow their respective figures without questioning for orders demonstrating blind loyalty.

So let's answer this question.

Boxer's unwavering commitment to hard work shares a similarity with which real life figure from Soviet history? Yes, well done.

Of course it's D, Alexei Stakhanov.

Well done.

You have reached the second and final task in the lesson today.

So what I would like you to do is I would like you to answer the question, what does the death of Boxer show us about Napoleon as a leader? Now, there are some sentence starters here to help you.

So you may wish to comment on Orwell's attitude and viewpoint.

So these sentences will help you.

"Orwell presents the death of Boxer as," and "This is one of the most important moments in the novella because." Another good thing to do when you are answering these types of questions is to link to other parts of the text.

So where else can we see this happening in the text? So this is similar or different to because, and then another good thing to do is to link to context.

So we have looked at some pieces of context today.

So furthermore, this episode reflects Orwell's view that.

In light of, think about the context, this episode can be read as a commentary on.

Okay, so pause the video, and I look forward to seeing what you have achieved.

Good luck.

Well done, everyone.

Really fantastic work.

I really enjoyed seeing and hearing how you had consolidated all the events from the chapter and all the ideas from the lesson.

Really great work.

So let's just run through some feedback.

Here, I have used those sentence starters to create the answer to the question.

So hopefully you will see how those sentence starters can be utilised to make really detailed effective answers.

You may have something slightly different, which is absolutely fine.

Use this feedback to compare to your own work and potentially add to any answers that you have.

So let's just go through.

So let's start with our first sentence starter.

So Orwell presents the death of Boxer as a tragic and heartbreaking event symbolising the exploitation of loyal workers.

And the next sentence starter in green.

This is one of the most important moments in the novella because it illustrates the pig's betrayal and the true nature of their rule, as well as the sacrifices made by the working class.

This is similar to other instances in the text, such as the manipulation of the commandments, which reveal the pigs' dishonesty and control over the animals.

It is different from moments of initial hope and idealism on the farm.

And then furthermore, this episode reflects Orwell's view that power corrupts and those in authority often prioritise their interests over the welfare of the working class.

And then my final comment on context.

In light of the historical context of the Russian Revolution, this episode can be read as a commentary on the mistreatment of workers and the broken promises of the ruling classes.

So you can see how I have used those really useful sentence starters to answer that question in a detailed and interesting way.

Well done, everyone.

We have made it to the end of the lesson.

I hope that wasn't too emotional for you.

It really is a tragic chapter when we see that end to Boxer's life, especially after all that hard work that he has put in.

So let's just remind ourself of what we have learned.

We've learned that the animal's lives on the farm are no better than under Jones.

Rations are reduced, but not for the pigs or dogs.

Boxer dies and is sent to the glue factory.

Boxer is unaware of the power he has in his physical strength and the respect he commands from the other animals.

And Boxer is an allegory for Alexei Stakhanov.

So again, thank you so much for joining me today.

I really look forward to seeing you again in another lesson.

So until then, goodbye.