Transcript Animal Farm

Opening Question
• In your notebook, take a few minutes to
discuss why you think revolutions occur?
What circumstances would lead people to
overthrow the daily political and
economical structure of their lives?
George Orwell and Animal Farm
• Orwell viewed socialism, communism as
repressive and self-serving
• Always questioned big government
• Finally published in 1945
• Satire: demonstrating serious issue in a
ridiculous, often darkly funny way
Main Allegorical Characters
• Karl Marx (Old Major)-wanted to create a
classless society-everyone equal (inspiration for
Russian revolt)
• Leon Trotsky (Snowball)—the Revolutionist who
battled Stalin after Lenin’s death
• Joseph Stalin (Napoleon)—the Communist who
won the battle for the leader of the Soviet Union.
Deported Trotsky into permanent exile
Literary Terms for AF
Define the following using your lit book – For each
term, write one example from something we have
read this semester (or from everyday life).
• Fable
• Allegory
• Propaganda
• Satire
• Theme
• Motif
• Symbol
• Anecdote
Chapters I-II
• 1. The novel opens with a remarkable scene. A big old pig is
waiting for Manor Farm’s animals to assemble in the barn.
According to old Major, why is Man the enemy of the
animals? What does Major urge the animals to do?
• 2. In Chapter II, what objections do some of the animals raise
to the principles of Animalism?
• 3. Describe the events leading up to the Rebellion at Manor
Farm.
• 4. Orwell’s animals are immediately humanized. How would
you describe the characters of old Major, Clover, Boxer,
Benjamin, and Mollie?
• 5. How are Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer characterized?
What traits set them apart from the other animals? Which of
old Major’s warnings seems particularly important to keep in
mind?
• 6. Why is the promise of Sugarcandy Mountain a threat to the
Rebellion and to the principles of Animalism? How is Mollie’s
behavior also a threat?
Fables
• A fable is a story that features animals with
human characteristics, and the story
teaches a moral lesson.
• Ex. Tortoise and the Hare
• 3 Little Pigs
• Finding Nemo
Allegory
• Allegory is when characters in a piece of
literature stand for/represent something or
someone else, story written on more than
one level (extended metaphor).
• Ex. Characters in Animal Farm represent
real players in the Russian Revolution of
1917.
Propaganda
• Plain Folks—often used with simplified
words and recognizes the struggles of the
“common” man
• Appeal to basic needs/desires—food,
shelter, fairness, freedom, dignity
• Appeal to fear—plays on the idea that if
you don’t comply with the power,
something horrible will happen
Themes
1. Power Corrupts:
In the novel, the more power Napoleon gets,
the more he wants.
2. Violence against human ideals, language,
logic:
3. Society’s tendency towards systems of
class:
4. Danger of the Naïve working class:
Motifs
• Songs, poems, and slogans as
propaganda: ex. “Beasts of England”
• State rituals: (parades, awards) in AF?
Symbols
• Animal Farm: society and its internal structure
(ex. Pigs=government, dogs=police)
• The Barn:
• The Windmill:
Anecdote
• Boy whipping horse anecdote by Orwell
– “I saw a little boy, perhaps ten years old,
driving a huge carthorse along a narrow path,
whipping it whenever it tried to turn. It struck
me that if only such animals became aware of
their strength we should have no power over
them, and that men exploit animals in much
the same ways as the rich exploit the
[worker].”
Chapter 3-4 Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
During the 1st summer after the rebellion, why are the
animals so happy? Id ways their lives have improved.
List 4 inequalities that are noticeable amongst the
animals.
How do Snowball and Napoleon differ in their reeducating the animals?
Describe the conflict over power that is taking place
between Snowball and Napoleon. Who are you
rooting for and why?
What human ceremonies mark the animals’ victory
celebration?
Think of 3 possible ways the story may end.
Theme
• Power Corrupts: In the novel, the more power Napoleon
gets, the more he wants.
• Violence against human ideals, language, logic: In the
novel, the Seven Commandments are changed to fit the
needs/desires of the leader
• Society’s tendency towards systems of class: In the
novel, regardless of Old Major’s intentions (total
equality), the tendency is to establish and maintain a
system of social class
• Danger of the Naïve working class: The novel looks at
the loyal, hard-working, common animals as a whole and
how Napoleon controls them through propaganda and
withholding information
Motifs
• State ritual: parades, awards. The working class begins
to rely on the power to define their identity, worth, and
values
Symbols
• Animal Farm: society and its internal structure (ex.
Pigs=government, dogs=police)
• The Barn: (The White House) Paint the 7
Commandments here—the collective memory of a nation
can be altered by power
• The Windmill: the manipulation of the working class for
the benefit of the owning class