Transcript Orwell, Satire, and Russian Revolution

George Orwell
AKA Eric Arthur Blair
George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair)
June 25, 1903- January 21, 1950
Initially supported socialism
Fought for Franco in Spanish Civil War
Produced propaganda for BBC
Publication of Animal Farm was delayed
because publishers were afraid it would
offend the Soviet Union
Allegory:
• Characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas
about human life or for a political or historical situation
Russian Revolution: People
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Czar Nicholas II
Vladimir Lenin
Leon Trotsky
Josef Stalin
Animal Farm Terms
• Communism- a totalitarian system of government that controls
production and all property
• Socialism- a stage of society in which major industries and
property are owned by the government
Animal Farm Terms
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Marxist (Karl Marx)- the belief in a classless
society
-Bourgeoisie- wealthy middle class
-Proletariat- working class
Fascist- government ruled by a dictator
Totalitarian- total government control
Indoctrination- the act of brainwashing
Animal Farm Terms
• Allies
• Axis
• Big Three- Franklin D. Roosevelt (US), Winston Churchill (Britain),
and Josef Stalin (Russia)
• Tehran Conference- first meeting of the Big Three
• Pravda
• KGB/NKVD
Russian Civil War
• Red (Bolsheviks/Communist)
• White (Anti-communist/Capitalists- some supported Czar)
Animal Farm
• Fairy tale- a (happy) children’s story about magical and imaginary
beings and lands
a fabricated story intended to deceive
• Fable- a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying
a moral
Satire
A way of using humor to point out the
foolishness, weaknesses, or bad qualities of a
person, government, society, etc.
Stalin’s Five-Year-Plan
• Main goal was to rapidly industrialize the nation so that it could catch up
with the West (1929-1933)
• Stalin’s decision to collectivize agriculture
Great Purge
• Stalin had executed or sent to Gulag labor camps many of those who could
claim association with Trotsky (1936-1938). 500,000- 2 million.
Non-Aggression Pact
• Signed with Hitler
• Hitler broke it.
• Mr. Frederick broke the pact in Animal Farm.
• Mr. Frederick was afraid the rebellion would spread to other farms so he started rumors
about Animal Farm. Frederick was supposedly conspiring with Snowball according to
Squealer, but then Napoleon sold Frederick the timber (after promising it to
Pilkington). Napoleon was playing them both to drive up the price, but then Frederick
paid with forged bank notes.
Other Symbolism
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The Russian Civil War- The Battle of the Cowshed
World War II- The Battle of the Windmill
Betrayal of the Proletariat- Boxer’s death
The Tehran Conference- the meeting between pigs and humans in ch. X
The Cold War- simultaneous playing of the ace of spades
Propaganda
• Ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that
are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a
government, etc.
• Scapegoat- a person who is unfairly blamed for something that
others have done.
Newspaper Article Assignment:
• Create a newspaper article that could be published by the pigs on Animal
Farm. Your newspaper should mimic the writing style and design of real
newspapers. Your articles could touch on important events in the novel such
as The Battle of the Cowshed or the disappearance of Snowball. Remember
that your newspaper should be thinly disguised propaganda, promoting the
idea that Napoleon is a good and just leader. Your article should be written
from Squealer’s point of view. It may be submitted digitally or on paper but
should not be submitted on notebook paper. More points will be given for
articles that include artwork/images and creativity. Due: Monday 1/9.