Grade VII Debates Animal Farm

A long-standing staple of the seventh-grade reading list, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, never fails to provoke passionate discussions.  The boys of VII Merrill assembled in the teaching theater this afternoon to debate the question:  “Were the animals better off under Napoleon than they were under Farmer Jones?”  The two teams of five boys were divided:  One side argued that the animals were better off under Napoleon, the other that they were better off under Farmer Jones.  Each side gave opening statements, took questions from the opposing team and judges, and drew together their side’s arguments in a conclusion.

Animal Farm is a story of violence, hardship, and political machinations.  The debate rocked back and forth over whether death at the hands of Farmer Jones for his and his family’s profit was preferable to death under the rule of Napoleon, a pig on the farm, who assassinated supposed political rivals.  Which deaths were more justifiable?  Which leader better served the greater good of the farm?  Were power and greed at the root of the leaders’ corruption?  Such was the serious nature of the discussion.

As the debate came to a close, the air was thick with the smell of argument.  In the judges’ final tally, the team supporting Farmer Jones managed a narrow victory.  Well argued, all.