Intro to Animal Farm for English 10 students

1. (1903-1950)

2. Real Name: Eric Arthur Blair
British Political Novelist
Born: 1903 Died: 1950
To English parents in India
England

3. After his father
retired, Eric and
his family moved
back to England.

4. He was sent to boarding school at
the age of eight to prepare for
Eton, an exclusive prep school.
Because he had a scholarship, he
was teased and humiliated
frequently.

5. At eighteen, he passed the Empire’s Civil Service Exam
and became a police officer in Burma. Burma was
“added” as a province of India after the British conquest
in 1885, but broke away in 1936.
Orwell was there in 1922.

6. Orwell wrote a famous essay about his experiences in
Burma named “Shooting an Elephant”
Orwell clearly states his displeasure with
colonial Britain: "I had already made up my
mind that imperialism was an evil thing... I
was all for the Burmese and all against their
oppressors, the British."
He returned in Europe in 1927

9. Socialist: someone
who believes that the
government should
own businesses so that
everyone will be equal
Orwell envisioned an ideal “class-
less” society wherein the rich do not
hold power over and oppress the
poor. Much of his work is a protest
against the bastardization of
Socialism by fascists, who used the
language of Socialism to manipulate
and later, oppress people.

12. Shortly after writing
“Animal Farm”,
Orwell completed
“1984” (in 1949)–
probably his most
famous novel.
He passed away, less
than a year later, in
January 1950.

13. Fables are stories intended to enforce a useful truth (they
teach a moral or a lesson). Allegories have at least two
levels of meaning. On the surface, the novel is about
animals. But on a second level, the animals stand for types
of people or ideas. The way the animals interact and the
way the plot unfolds says something about the nature of
people or the value of ideas. Any type of fiction that has
multiple levels of meaning in this way is called an allegory.

14. A composition making fun of
something, usually political.
Animal Farm makes fun of
political society after the
Bolshevik Revolution.

15. Russian society in the early
twentieth century had two social
classes: a tiny minority
(bourgeoisie) controlled the
country’s wealth.
The working class was called the
proletariat.

16. Communism arose in Russia when the
nation’s workers & peasants rebelled
against and overwhelmed the wealthy and
powerful class of capitalists & aristocrats.

18. Similarly, in “Animal
Farm”, Old Major calls
for
“Rebellion!”

27. Animal Farm is written on many levels. It is
already a children’s story in its own right. . . .
[It] is also a lament for the fate of revolutions
and the hopes contained in them. It is a moving
comment on man’s constant compromise with
the truth.
John Atkins, George Orwell

28. What is Truth?
Orwell said…
" If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people
what they do not want to hear. "
" Political language. . . is designed to make lies sound
truthful and murder respectable, and to give an
appearance of solidity to pure wind. "
" Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a
revolutionary act. "

29. Farmer Jones
A drunk and a poor farmer,
his cruelty towards the farm animals
inspires their rebellion.

30. Old Major
An elderly show pig whose
instruction to the animals
about "animalism" becomes
the philosophical basis
for the creation of Animal Farm.
The father of 'Animalism'. He represents Karl Marx, but in
some ways also symbolizes the original communist leader -
Vladimir Lenin. (In the book, Old major's skull is displayed in a
similar manner to the way Lenin's remains were displayed to
the public).

31. Snowball
A clever pig with a head for ideas,
he becomes one of the main
leaders of Animal Farm and
the author of its
central commandments.
Snowball represents Leo Trotsky. Trotsky was one of the original
revolutionaries. But as Stalin rose to power he became one of Stalin's biggest
enemies, and was eventually expelled from the Politburo in 1925 - one year
after Stalin took control of the nation. In the novel, Snowball is exiled from the
farm just as Trotsky had been in 1929. But Trotsky was not only exiled in
body, he was also exiled from the minds of the Russian people - his historical
role was altered; his face cut out of group photographs of the leaders of the
revolution. In Russia he was denounced as a traitor and conspirator and in 1940
a Stalinist agent assassinated him in Mexico City.

32. Napoleon
A pig with a gift for techniques of control,
he establishes most of the
farm’s rules and eventually
becomes its sole leader.
Napoleon is Joseph Stalin, the
second leader of the Soviet Union.
Animal farm skips the short rule of
Lenin (and seems to combine Lenin
with the character Old Major), and
has Napoleon leading the farm from
the beginning of the revolution.

33. Squealer
A pig with the ability to make any
idea sound reasonable,
he is Napoleon's side-kick
and is in charge of communicating
to the animals.
Squealer - This pig represents the Russian
media, which spread Stalin's version of the truth
to the masses.

34. Boxer
A strong and hard-working carthorse,
he shows tremendous
faith in the rebellion and its leaders.
Boxer represents the working class. Boxer is
portrayed as being a dedicated worker, but
as possessing a less-than-average
intelligence. His personal motto becomes, "I
will work harder!"

35. Mollie
A mare (female horse)
Mollie seems to be some sort of representation of Russia's upper classes.
But, since Orwell portrays her as a horse - the same animal used to
represent the 'working class' horses Boxer & Clover - Mollie may simply
represent members of the working class that remained faithful to the
Czar. In either case, Mollie was never really in favor of the revolution.
She went along with it, but she didn't actually engage in the fighting.
Mollie didn't mind being a 'servant' to the humans, since she was
constantly being pampered by them. After the revolution, Mollie begins
to miss the beautiful ribbons (fine clothes) and sugar cane (fine food) she
used to receive from her human masters.

36. The Dogs
The dogs represent the military/police. In the beginning of the book, they
voted against accepting the rats & rabbits as 'comrades'. Shortly after the
revolution, several 'pups' are stolen from their mothers. Later in the book,
these pups (now fully grown - and fully trained) protect Napoleon from a
second potential revolution, and help to enforce his decrees.

37. The Birds - The primary motto of Animalism is "Four legs good,
two legs bad". The birds argued with this saying since it seems to
exclude birds, which have two legs and two wings. Squealer set
them at ease by explaining, "A bird's wing, comrades, is an organ of
propulsion and not of manipulation. It should therefore be regarded
as a leg. The distinguishing mark of man is the hand, the instrument
with which he does all his mischief."
In real life, there were several classes of citizens 'left out' of socialist
rhetoric as well. Most of the communistic slogans dealt with the
'proletariat' - which was primarily a reference to urban factory workers.
The rural farmers, the clergy, the 'intelligentsia', and other 'non-labour
union' types probably felt left out, just as the birds did in the novel. And,
just as in real life, most would be left out - or killed - after the revolution.

38. Mr. Pilkington - Owner of Foxwood (Leader of England). He doesn't
represent one person in particular, but rather is a composite of all of
the leaders of England.
Mr. Frederick - Owner of Pinchfield (Leader of
Germany). Frederick is a composite of the
leaders of Germany. However, throughout most
of the book, Frederick is a representation of
Hitler. It is said that Frederick had ''flogged an
old horse to death (A reference to Hitler's
euthanasia program), he had starved his cows (A
reference to the Jews?), he had killed a dog by
throwing it into the furnace (Most likely a
reference to Night of Knives), and that he
amused himself in the evenings by making cocks
(French? / Children?) fight with splinters of
razor-blade tied to their spurs.''