English Scholarship 2025

Russian Revolution (Animal Farm)

The animals’ rebellion mirrors the Russian Revolution overthrowing the Tsar, showing how revolutions begin with hope for equality.

Bolsheviks & Snowball (Animal Farm)

Snowball represents early idealistic revolutionaries whose goals are crushed by power.

Stalin & Napoleon (Animal Farm)

Napoleon mirrors Stalin’s rise through fear and manipulation.

Soviet Propaganda (Animal Farm)

Squealer represents propaganda shaping truth to control citizens.

Soviet Secret Police (Animal Farm)

The dogs symbolise NKVD terror enforcing obedience.

Rewriting History (Animal Farm)

Changing commandments echo Stalin’s revisionism.

Totalitarianism (Animal Farm)

Pig rule shows the danger of unchecked power.

Nazi Propaganda (The Book Thief)

Shows how words shape loyalty and fear.

Book Burnings (The Book Thief)

Represents censorship and suppression of ideas.

Hitler Youth Indoctrination (The Book Thief)

Shows how children were shaped into regime loyalists.

Holocaust Context (The Book Thief)

Max’s persecution reflects systemic targeting of Jews.

WWII Bombing of Germany (The Book Thief)

Himmel Street bombing reflects real civilian tragedy.

Life Under a Dictatorship (The Book Thief)

Hubermann family shows risks of resisting tyranny.

McCarthyism (Fahrenheit 451)

Reflects fear-driven censorship in 1950s America.

Cold War Paranoia (Fahrenheit 451)

Explains the novel’s anxious, distracted society.

Mass Media Explosion (Fahrenheit 451)

Critiques TV culture replacing deep thinking.

The American Dream (The Great Gatsby)

Shows how ambition becomes corruption.

1920s Consumerism (The Great Gatsby)

Wealth obsession deepens moral decline.

Jazz Age Inequality (The Great Gatsby)

Old vs New Money reveals rigid class barriers.

Linguistic Relativity (Arrival)

Language influences perception and reality.

Post-9/11 Global Tension (Arrival)

Reflects mistrust between nations.

Contact Narrative Tradition (Arrival)

Uses classic alien-contact themes to explore communication.

Zombie Pandemic Imagery (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Mirrors modern pandemic anxieties.

Post-Apocalyptic Genre (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Uses familiar tropes to question humanity’s survival.

Child Soldier Allegory (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Melanie symbolises exploited children shaped by violent systems.

Tsar Nicholas II (Animal Farm)

Mr Jones represents the Tsar’s failed leadership.

Lenin & Marx Ideals (Animal Farm)

Old Major symbolises early revolutionary thinkers.

Trotsky (Animal Farm)

Snowball mirrors Trotsky—idealistic, intelligent, exiled.

Stalin (Animal Farm)

Napoleon allegorises Stalin’s authoritarian rise.

Pravda Newspaper (Animal Farm)

Squealer mirrors state-controlled media.

Five-Year Plans (Animal Farm)

Reflects unrealistic industrial targets.

Soviet Working Class (Animal Farm)

Boxer symbolises exploited loyal labourers.

KGB/NKVD (Animal Farm)

The dogs represent secret police.

Show Trials (Animal Farm)

Echo Stalin’s purges and forced confessions.

Nazi Book Burning (The Book Thief)

Shows fear of ideas and censorship.

Kristallnacht (The Book Thief)

Max’s situation reflects intensifying anti‑Jewish violence.

Hitler Youth (The Book Thief)

Shows how the regime shaped children.

Nazi Censorship (The Book Thief)

Hans’s resistance reveals moral courage.

Nuclear War Fear (Fahrenheit 451)

Reflects global anxiety about destruction.

Television Culture Boom (Fahrenheit 451)

Entertainment replaces thought.

Surveillance State (Fahrenheit 451)

Mechanical hound symbolises invasive monitoring.

1920s Boom Economy (The Great Gatsby)

Wealth excess shows moral decay.

Prohibition (The Great Gatsby)

Gatsby’s fortune mirrors illegal bootlegging era.

Class Divisions (The Great Gatsby)

Shows the Dream is socially rigged.

Linguistic Determinism (Arrival)

Heptapod language changes perception of time.

Cold-War Style Mistrust (Arrival)

Nations fear miscommunication.

Eugenics Debates (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Military dehumanisation mirrors historic abuses.

Children in War (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Melanie represents weaponised youth.

Post-Pandemic Anxiety (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Fungal outbreak reflects real fears.

Human Exceptionalism Questioned (The Girl With All the Gifts)

Hybrid takeover challenges whether humanity deserves survival.

Totalitarianism (General)

Shows how regimes use fear and control.

Language as Power (General)

Shows how communication shapes identity and authority.