key literary forms in animal farm - george orwell
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Animal Farm
George Orwell
Fable - Allegory - Satire
What is Animal Farm?
An allegorical fable and masterpiece of political satire that uses parody,
irony and other techniques to create humor while calling for change
It is a tale of oppressed individuals who long for freedom and trust-worthy
leaders
IT IS A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT THE NATURE OF
POWER
It is Orwell's critique of the communist system in the former Soviet
Union.
Interesting Fact: Orwell initially struggled to find a publisher for Animal Farm.
Significance Today Now that Soviet Communism has fallen and the
Cold War is over why does Animal Farm deserve
our attention?
The power of allegory require us to make
comparisons and connections
In that process we can’t help but compare the
events and themes to the world of today
Abuse Tyranny Power
Betrayal Idealism Corruption
3 Main Traits of a Fable
1. They teach a moral or lesson
2. The characters are most frequently talking animals
who behave like humans
3. Authors expose human follies (stupidity or mistakes)
through the use of animals
“I could end this with a moral, as if this were a fable about animals, though no fables are really about animals.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Tent
Fable
The choice of title was perhaps an attempt to deflect attention away from the book
England was on good terms with Russia
They didn’t want to appear to be supporting a view critical of Stalin
The original title was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story
Children’s Book? Published in 1945 Orwell discovered with horror that booksellers were
placing his novel on children’s shelves He began traveling from bookstore to bookstore
requesting that the book be shelved with adult works This dual identity — as children’s story and adult
satire — has stayed with Orwell’s novel for more than sixty years.
“An allegory is not meant to be taken literally. There is a great lack of
comprehension on the part of some readers.”
-Naguib Mahfouz
Allegory
On the literal level, the story about the
animals is very moving
They are suffering in cruel conditions
On the symbolic level it’s a critique of
Soviet Russia, and abuse of power in
general
Each of the animals serve as a symbol
Allegory
Avatar—Native American extermination for
riches
Fight Club— Extends metaphors about
consumerism, modern views of masculinity,
conformity, and nonconformity
The Matrix—Neo represents a Christ-like
figure
X-Men—Heros represent minorities, teens,
and anyone who feels out of synch with the
mainstream
Allegory in Film
“Satire is focused bitterness.” --Leo Rosten
Satire
Satire
Satire occurs when the writer ridicules (makes fun of) an
issue often to provoke change or make a comment on
some element of society
Satire is not always funny
Sometimes it hits “below the belt”
Uses sarcasm, irony, parody, wit
Can be light and humorous—”Simpsons”
More serious and “biting”—Animal Farm
Orwell writes a satire to expose what he saw as
the myth of Soviet socialism
He wants to show the faults of the system
He wants to criticize the leadership
"Every line of serious work that I have written since
1936 has been written, directly or indirectly,
against totalitarianism...Animal Farm was the first
book in which I tried, with full consciousness of
what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and
artistic purpose into one whole." –George Orwell
Satire
Parody (or spoof) is a type of satire
Piece of art designed to be funny by ridiculing
something through imitation and exaggeration
Can be used as a tool within a satirical piece
Parodies make fun of existing beliefs or
accepted views about someone or something
Parody
Orwell uses a particular type of irony – dramatic
irony
Dramatic irony —occurs when the audience
knows something the characters in the story
do not know
In Animal Farm the dramatic irony emerges quickly
Be able to identify it
Dramatic Irony
In a caricature certain features or mannerisms
are magnified for satirical effect
Notice how the characters in Animal Farm
exhibit extreme behavioral characteristics
Hard work
Greed
Manipulation
Blind devotion
Caricature
The presentation of a world or society that is supposed to stand for all of humanity
When a small (micro) world stands for a large world (macro)
Note how Manor Farm becomes a microcosm of the problems
faced in communist Russia
Microcosm
Micro
Macro
The position or vantage point from which a story is
presented to the reader
First-person POV
The author writes from his/her own view and
uses “I”.
The narrator is a part of the action
Third-person Omniscient POV
The narrator relates the thoughts and feelings of
any of the characters in an all-knowing
(omniscient) manner
Point Of View