Animal Farm:

Author, Characters, and History

George Orwell Born Eric Arthur Blair in Motihari, India

in 1903, Other works: Down and Out in London and Paris Burmese Days 1984

The Life of Orwell (1903-1950)

Eric Blair (pen name is George Orwell) He thought Eric sounded too snobbish Totally opposed to the way the

government operated and how the poor was always inferior to the rich.

Wrote Animal Farm in 1943

Was convinced that Stalin betrayed the revolution

Saw Stalin as power-hungry assassin with a lack of respect for the truth

Wrote AF to remind people of history and to show how false the notion was that Russia was a socialists state but proved it was actually a communist state

Where did Animal Farm come from?

George Orwell got the idea for his story when he saw small

boy driving a horse and whipping it whenever it tried to

turn in another direction.

Orwell then began to create his fable about the animals

of Manor Farm—

He tried to fuse political purpose with artistic purpose

in one novel.

What is a Novel?A long fictional story, whose

length is normally somewhere between 100 and 500 book pages which use all of the

elements of storytelling: plot, character, setting, theme and

point of view.

Novels… Embrace many conflicts and multiple

themes. Entertain us and tell us something

about the world we live in. Take an enormous amount of time to

write. Are written out of a writer’s belief in a

private vision, is a gift of knowledge about what is going on between people here on earth.

The Form of Animal Farm

1. Beast Fable (brief and humorous stories in which animals speak and act like humans)

2. Allegory- has two different levelsa. Each character stands for something or someone elseb. Writer uses these characters to convey a moral message.

The Form Cont.3. Satire- form of literature that

uses ridicule to make specific people look foolish

a. dramatic irony

b. situational irony

Themes in Animal Farm

1. Freedom and individual dignity must be guarded carefully.

2. Language is a very powerful tool; if used incorrectly, it can enslave and confuse us.

Themes in Animal Farm Cont.

3. Weakness can be dominated by strength, trickery and fear.

4. Hope and vision must be kept alive, or we might live like the animals of Manor Farm.

Historical ThemeRussian Revolution

was not about the proletariat (the working class) ruling themselves, but was simply tyranny under a dictator

Terms to Know

Allegory Fable Satire ANIMAL FARM is both

an allegorical and a satirical

novel.

What is an Allegory? The characters, setting, and events

make sense on the literal level, but are designed to represent OTHER characters, settings and events.

There is a story within another meaning underneath the surface story. Example: Hans Christian Anderson’s Ugly Duckling tells the story of his life.

Allegory

A narrative that acts as an extended metaphor.

Events and people symbolize things not mentioned in the narrative.

Fable A story usually about animals that

have human powers and faults. They usually have the power to talk. The tale is told to teach a moral. The characters teach lessons that can be used in everyday life.

Beast FableA brief, humorous

story, animals speak and act like human beings.

Its purpose is to expose human weakness and teach a moral lesson.

What is Satire?

The intentional degrading of a subject or subjects for comic or dramatic effect

Uses laughter as a weapon It is a allegorical retelling of the Russian

Revolution and the rise of Josef Stalin It is a satire on communism and human

nature

SATIRECombines humor and criticism

(ridicule) to suggest change and reform.

Criticism is constructive rather than destructive - design to inspire correction

More on Satire Animal Farm ridicules communism.

Orwell’s aim is to destroy the justification for totalitarianism (control under one political group) government. He wants people to see the fate of those who allow themselves to be led into the totalitarian state. He believed that it was the destruction of free will and reasoning.

Devices of Satire

Hyperbole - exaggeration or overstatement

Paradox - statement or idea which self-contradiction is true

Devices (Contd.)

Irony - author says the opposite of what he/she means

Understatement - an intentional lack of emphasis in expression

Propaganda: The use of persuasion to further one’s

own cause.

1. Slogans - “catchy phrases”

2. Loaded words - emotional words like peace and patriot.

Propaganda (Contd.) 3. Powerful images - images created

through references to beauty, happiness, fear and terror

4. Appeal to fears - suggestions that something terrible will happen if one doesn’t follow certain instructions

Propaganda (Contd.) 5. Appeal to basic desires and

needs - fulfills the desire for survival (food, clothing, shelter) but also the need for love, belonging and human dignity.

6. Band Wagon - everyone else is doing it, so you should too.

Other Symbols “Beasts of England” – represents the

“Communist Internationale,” a real song penned by supporters of communism in the early 1900’s.

Windmill – stands for Russian industry. (Soviet leaders focused on making Russia industrially modern after the Revolution of 1917.)

Characters

In

Animal Farm

The Pigs:

Communist Party

Loyalists

Squealer Short, fat, twinkle-eyed and

nimble pig “brilliant talker” Very persuasive He is the propaganda apparatus

that spreads the “big lie” and makes people believe it

Old MajorThe wise old pig whose stirring

speech to the animals helps set the Rebellion in motion

Role in novel compares to Karl Marx, whose ideas set the Communist Revolution in motion

Napoleon A “large, rather fierce-looking

Berkshire boar”, not much of a talker reputation for getting his own way Has more power than ideas His name…think of the other Napoleon

(Bonaparte) who took over the French Revolution and turned it into a personal empire.

Compare to Stalin and other dictators

Snowball Energetic, brilliant leader Successfully organizes the defense

of the Farm (like Trotsky with the Red Army)

Eloquent speaker with original ideas

Struggles for leadership with Napoleon after Major’s death

Minimus A pig who composes songs and

poems honoring Napoleon

The Horses:

Uneducated Labor Class

Boxer Believes in the Rebellion and in its

leader Two favorite sayings “Napoleon is

always right” and “I will work harder.” Huge size and strength and untiring

labor saves the Farm again and again Finally collapses from age and being

overworked

Clover Is a hard working mare Is not very intelligent Is loving and maternal towards

other animals Is the only animal whose

thoughts are revealed

Mollie Is a vain white mare Enjoys pretty ribbons, sugar, and

human attention Is the only animal who leaves the farm

willingly May symbolize the White Russians

(opposed the Red Army during the Civil War)

Other

Animals

The Dogs

Vicious killers who protect the pigs and do their bidding

Represent Stalin’s secret police

The Sheep

Bleat whatever slogan they are taught by the pigs

Represent unthinking masses

Muriel

The goat that reads better than Clover

Often reads things (such as the Commandments) aloud to her

Benjamin Donkey Worst-tempered and oldest animal on the

farm A loner who keeps his opinions to himself Skeptical of change Never laughs A hard worker who never shirks his

duties but never volunteers Is devoted to Boxer

The Pigeons

Spread the word of the Rebellion beyond the farm,

much like the Communists spread the doctrine of the revolution beyond the

boundaries of the Soviet Union

Moses A raven Was Mr. Jones’ pet Flees with Jones but is later welcomed back

by the pigs Is given beer by the pigs event though he

does not work Soothes the animals with his story of

Sugarcandy Mountain Represents the Russian Orthodox Church

and religious institutions in general)

The

Humans:

Capitalists who exploit the Weak

Farmer Jones The drunk Represents the Czar Nicholas II Stands for any government that

declines through its own corruption and mismanagement

Mr. Pilkington Owns the neighborhood Foxwood

Farm Spends too much time fishing and

hunting to run his farm Represents England and Allies

Mr. Frederick Owns the neighborhood Pinchfield

Farm Cheats Napoleon and leads the

disastrous attack on the farm Represents Germany

Mr. Whymper Is a lawyer who serves as an

intermediary between Napoleon and the outside world

Is sly and self serving

Background to Animal Farm Published in 1945 In the previous 4 months: Pres.

Roosevelt, Mussolini and Hitler had died; Churchill had been voted out of office.

Germany had surrendered, and the U.S. dropped atomic bombs over Japan.

Of the big three Allied leaders, only Stalin survived.

More Background During WWII, Russia had been an ally of the

U.S. and England. After the Battle of Normandy (1944) Western

nations had a feeling of solidarity with the Russian people. The Russian Army helped protect England from a German invasion.

As a result of the pro-Russian atmosphere, Orwell had a hard time finding a publisher for his novel.

Events Battle of the Cowshed – anti-

revolutionary invasion by the West Battle of the Windmill – German

invasion of Russia during WWII Rebuilding attempts – Stalin’s 5 yr. Plan Drunken party – Teheran Conference

(Stalin sat down for the first time with the west)

Utopia The perfect place. The animals believe that they have

created heaven on Earth Soon that hope is destroyed and replace

by something worse than the original Animal Farm is an anti-utopian novel. Look at the character Benjamin to

understand Orwell’s views on utopias.

Great unrest among the people grew against the Czar.

One opposition group were the Bolsheviks led by Lenin and Trotsky

LENIN

Trotsky

The coming of the revolution

“Bloody Sunday”*January 22, 1905

*Thousands of unarmed striking workers marched to the Czar’s palace to ask for reforms

*Soldiers fired into the crowd and killed/wounded hundreds of marchers

A series of strikes and unrest followed

In 1914, Russia joined England and France against Germany in

World War One.

They suffered tremendous losses

The Czar was fatally weakened at homeTsar Nicolas II

The Revolution of 1917 The Revolutionaries overthrew the Czar in

March of 1917 and, after another revolution in October, the Bolsheviks-led by Lenin-took control of the Russian Government.

The Bolsheviks spent the next few years fighting a civil war

Lenin was the leader and Trotsky was his top military man

Revolutionary Results

* Peasants forced to give everything to government

* Government took control of Russian industry

* Secret police force set up (KGB)

* Russia withdrew from World War I

During this time another man was quietly gaining power behind the scenes. His name was Josef Stalin.

Stalin in 1917

While Lenin and Trotsky concentrated

on the War, Stalin began to take over the complex machinery of the Communist Party

Stalin knew that Trotsky had made many enemies and he used this knowledge to form alliances to serve him in the future.

Power Struggle between Stalin and Trotsky

* Stalin won-he worked against Trotsky behind the scenes

* Stalin took control and became a dictator

Comparing Stalin and Trotsky

TROTSKY Charismatic-Great

Communicator Idealist-Believed in

“True Marxism” Conceited Bored by Politics,

Interested in “Philosophical”

STALIN Quiet, “Brooding” “Hands-On” Worker,

Excellent at Organization

“Gruff”, “Lower-Class” Great at Politics-

Knew how to Manipulate System

Stalin’s Five Year Plan

* Small peasant farms combined into collective farms controlled by government

Rapid expansion of heavy industry

Peasants who opposed communal farming were punished - sent to prison labor camps in Siberia

TRANSITION OF POWER

The Bolsheviks won the war in 1921, but Lenin had become fatally ill and it was soon apparent that he would die

Lenin had seen how powerful Stalin had become and put it in his will that Stalin was not to have a “leadership role” after his death.

Lenin Dies in 1923

Stalin and his allies have his will thrown out

Stalin uses his alliances to defeat Trotsky

Stalin ridiculed Trotsky’s policies

including his ideas of “permanent revolution” and “collectivization” of agriculture

Stalin would later incorporate these ideas and claim credit for himself

Eventually Trotsky was forced into exile and in 1940 he was assassinated in Mexico at Stalin’s command.

Stalin assumed complete, totalitarian control and immediately began to “purge” his former allies.

Stalin would have thousands of his political “enemies” murdered, and his policies would kill millions of Russians

In 1938, Stalin entered into a Non-Aggression Pact with Adolf Hitler in order to stay out of World War Two.

In 1940, both countries invaded Poland.

PACT SIGNING 1938

The USSR in World War Two

Hitler betrayed Stalin and invaded The USSR in 1941

Stalin’s purges on the military enabled the Nazis to almost conquer the USSR

Stalin joined the allies at the Tehran Conference of 1943

Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin at Yalta in 1945

“IF YOU WANT A PICTURE OF THE FUTURE, IMAGINE A BOOT STAMPING ON A HUMAN FACE-FOREVER”- George Orwell, 1984