Transcript animal-farm-autosaved

By George Orwell
Predictions
 Look at the cover and discuss the following:
 What do you think the story will be about?
 What kind of character do you think the pig might be?
 Does anything strike you as odd about the pig?
Opening chapter
 This is significant as is introduces the characters,
setting and establishes the relationship between the
humans and the animals.
 We learn that the animals are exploited by Mr Jones
and he is a negligent farmer.
 Old Major is the philosopher and he sets out the
problems and the solution (revolution).
 The animals learn their revolutionary anthem: ‘Beasts
of England’
Chapter 1
 Look at the character descriptions for the animals in
this chapter. What details do we learn about:
 The 3 dogs
 Boxer, Clover, Mollie, Muriel, Benjamin
 The cat
 The pigs
 Look closely at these descriptions. Explain why these
details are significant—what might it reveal about
their character?
Characters
Anthropomorphism is when animals are described as
behaving like humans. They talk and think, for example.
Make note of the following anthropomorphic descriptions of
the following animals:
The dogs:
 first in to the meeting,
 When Old Major declares ‘All animals are comrades’ the rats
creep out of their holes. The dogs attack them
 they are the only ‘dissentients’ to the vote about rats being
comrades (meaning they disagree with the vote and feel they
are not)
 Considered one of the ‘clever’ animals
Characters
The pigs
 Second into the meeting
 ‘settled down in the straw immediately in front of the
platform.’ They take the best seats in the house which
sets up the impression of their self-importance and
greed.
 Considered one of the ‘clever’ groups of animals
Characters
Boxer (cart-horse…a working farm animal)
 Both he and Clover walk ‘very slowly’ and set ‘down
their vast, hairy hooves with great care lest there
should be some small animal in the straw’ Sets him up
to be caring, concerned with protecting the weak and
looking after everyone’s best interests
 Has a ‘somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was
not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally
respected for his steadfastness of character and
tremendous powers of work’
Characters
Clover (cart-horse)
 ‘a stout, motherly mare approaching middle life’
 When the ducklings wander in: ‘Clover made a sort of wall
round them with her great foreleg’ She’s protective and
looks after the weak. Compassionate
Mollie
 ‘pretty, foolish mare who drew Mr. Jones’ trap’ She caters to
the owner, is not an animal who works like the rest.
 ‘mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar’
 She has red ribbons plaited into her mane—again, a link to
humans rather than the working animals
Characters
Benjamin
 Donkey (animals associated with stubbornness),
oldest animal on farm.
 ‘worst-tempered’ ‘He seldom talked, and when he did
it was usually to make a cynical remark’
 ‘devoted to Boxer
Character
The cat
 Last in the room
 Doesn’t listen
 ‘voted on both sides’ about the rats—not to be trusted
Chapter 1
 Re-read this chapter again. There are subtle clues that
all animals are not equal, despite what Old Major
suggests.
 Find examples of this and please be sure to quote!
 Pigs take front row
 Dogs refuse to see the rats as comrades
 Mollie’s description and behaviour suggests she thinks
she’s better than the rest
Keeping track
 The chapter seems to end on a very upbeat note. Why and
how can the animals be said to be optimistic and happy?
 Are there any signs that the future may not be so rosy? Give
a quotation
 Foreshadowing: a warning or indication of a future event
 Group task- draw a line down the middle of a large sheet of
paper. On the left, make a list of the lofty principles
formulated by Old Major. As you read the book make a
note on the right when these principles are ignored or
broken
Principles of Animalism (look at
p17 and 18)
Starter: vocabulary builder
 Idealism is a key concept in the novel
 Find the definition of idealistic
 Write down as many synonyms and antonyms as you
can
 Synonym: a word that has a similar meaning
 Antonym: a word that has the opposite meaning
 Idealism (noun)the unrealistic belief in or pursuit of perfection.
 "the idealism of youth"
 synonyms: utopianism, wishful thinking, romanticism, fantasizing,
quixotism, daydreaming, impracticability
 "the Liberal Party had about it the idealism of youth“
 antonyms: realism, cynicism, defeatism
Chapter 1 Reflection
 Explain in what way(s) Old Major’s speech is idealistic
 ‘perfect unity’ ‘perfect comradeship’
 Without human beings they won’t have to work as hard,
that everything will be perfect and this will happen
overnight
 Harvest will be better
 Project this further: do you believe idealism is a good
thing in politics or should we be realists instead? Why
do you think this?
 Idealism is a complex notion. In itself it should be a
force for good as we should not just accept the world as
it is with all its faults. However, it can become a
warped belief system where people try to force their
world view on the rest of the population.
 “The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity”.
 W.B. Yeats: The Second Coming
So, it’s just a fairy story...
 Wrong!
 Allegory: a story that can be interpreted as having a
hidden meaning often a political or moral one
 In what ways do you think that Animal Farm is an
allegory
Homework task
 You will choose one of the tasks and research information
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on this topic
You will then produce a presentation to teach the class
what you have learned
This should be: informative, interesting and creative
You should also evaluate the information (give an opinion)
Make a note of sources and do not go straight to wikipedia
Be as imaginative as possible: film, play, song, working
model, court room drama...
Research
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George Orwell’s life. Investigate his experience in the Spanish Civil War and
identify how this led to his writing ‘Animal Farm’
What led up to the Russian revolution? Who was the Tsar? Was the
revolution a just response?
Lenin, the Bolsheviks and their role at the start of the revolution
Stalin and Trotsky: who were they and what was their relationship? What
were the main ideological differences between them? What happened to
them in the end?
Who was Alexander Stakhanov? What did Stalin’s secret police do? Who was
Molotov and what was his role?
When were Churchill and Stalin allies? What happened to wreck this? What
was the Cold War?
Who was Karl Marx and how is Old Major’s speech similar to the
Communist Manifesto?
Orwell’s life
 Born Eric Arthur Blair in 1903 in India. Highly educated (went to
Eton) and worked for Indian Imperil Police during the British
occupation of India. Developed a strong sense of social justice
through this experience (see ‘The Hanging’).
 Resigned and moved to Paris and London where he lived as a
homeless vagabond and further developed his socialist
principles. Wrote ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ based
upon these experiences.
 Both ‘Animal Farm’ and ‘1984’ are savage indictments of
totalitarianism and how dictatorship crushes the humanity of
the individual in society
 Lived on the Island of Jura (where he wrote ‘1984’) but died from
tuberculosis in 1950
Spanish Civil War
 Like many young socialists and leftists, Orwell went to fight for
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the young Spanish republic against Franc’s fascists.
He ended up joining the P.O.U.M (broadly Trotskyist in
outlook)rather than the Communist International Brigades
(supported by Soviet USSR)
Orwell therefore witnessed the brutal repression of the POUM
and other non-Soviet factions of the republican forces
He was wounded in Spain and was smuggled out of the country
before he could be arrested by the Stalinist forces who betrayed
the republic for there own political expediency
This was crucial in turning Orwell against conventional
Communist ideas of the time
Orwell stated he had “come to Spain to join the militia to fight
against Fascism."
Trotsky
 Built up the Red Army which defeated the Anti-
Communists in the Russian Civil War
 After Lenin’s death he was a possible leader but was
opposed by Stalin (who was a dictator)
 Assassinated by Stalin
 Trotskyism a democratic form of communism
Stalin
 Dictator
 Removed any threats to his rule—imprisonment,
murder, exile, re-teaching programme
 Ordered Trotsky’s assassination, along with all
Trotsky’s family members
 Focused on communism in Russia rather than
promoting it outside the country…led to a brutal
regime
Tsar
 Tsar Nicholas II was removed from power in 1917 by
the Bolsheviks
 Reasons for revolt: poverty, food shortages, and defeats
in previous conflicts/wars. The people were unhappy
and wanted a more democratic system of rule
Molotov
 Stalin’s key supporter/mouthpiece
 Stalin’s Prime Minister (but really Stalin is in charge)
 Member of the revolutionary committee that pushed
Stalin to power
Stakhanov/Stalin’s secret police
 Stakhanov was a miner but became a national celeb.
Was put forth as a model worker for the people—to
inspire them to work hard for the state. Boxer
 Secret Police were used to stamp out any people who
might rebel or have rebelled against the system. Brutal
instruments of Stalin’s regime
Churchill, stalin and the cold war
 Allies in WW2, but when Stalin started to push into
Eastern Europe, the friendship broke down. Which
led to…
 The Cold War (1945-1991). No battles were fought but
it was a period where Britain/US and USSR built up
their weapons and armies to act as a deterrent to the
other side. Years of intimidation
Karl Marx
 German philosopher who wrote the Communist
Manifesto which supported the idea that everyone
should be treated equally…should be considered as
equal
 Railed against the class system which divided people
and led to unfair treatment
 Animalism: ‘all animals are equal’
Chapter 2
What are the main plot developments?
2. How does Orwell develop the characterisation of the
animals?
3. Look at the description of the farm after the
rebellion. How does Orwell describe it ? In what
way is it symbolic?
4. How does Orwell use foreshadowing at the end of
the chapter(quote) and what is he hinting at?
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Old Major dies and the three pigs develop his ideas into a “complete
system of thought” (a doctrine called Animalism). They use
education classes to destroy what Marx called false consciousness
(where the exploited believed in the capitalist system). There is a
spontaneous act of revolution and they take over the farm and the
humans are driven out. The animals destroy all the symbols of
humanity and change the name from “Manor Farm” to “Animal
Farm”. They are joyful at their success and work together to gather
the harvest.
Mollie is superficial, she asks “will there be sugar after the
Rebellion?”; Moses spins lies and talks of “Sugarcandy Mountain”; the
pigs’ personalities become clearer: Snowball is clever and idealistic
“quicker in speech and more inventive” than Napoleon who has a
“reputation for getting his own way” (23). Squealer is a “brilliant
talker” who “could turn black into white.”
3. After the Rebellion: it is idyllic—lots of words that have
positive connotations: “they gambolled round and round,
they hurled themselves into the air in great leaps of
excitement. ” Use of list to show how splendid the farm is
“surveyed with speechless admiration the ploughland, the
hayfield, the orchard, the pool, the spinney. (27)”It sounds
like a paradise now the humans have been banished and
the animals see the farm in a new way.
4. “It was noticed the milk had disappeared” (30) Hints that
everything is not as great as it initially seems after the
Rebellion. Where do you think the milk has gone?
When they awoke at dawn and looked at the farm, ‘It
was as though they had never seen these things before,
and even now they could hardly believe it was all their
own.’
Chapter 2 homework
Propaganda is information that is not impartial and
used primarily to influence an audience and further an
agenda, often by presenting facts selectively (thus
possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular
viewpoint, using loaded messages to produce an
emotional rather than rational response to the
information presented.
Find at least one piece of propaganda and explain why it
is so. Paste in jotters
Propaganda
In what way are these Russian posters examples of
propaganda? Reflect on:
 Impartiality
 What information they are trying to convey
 What they are influencing the audience to think
 What emotions they play on
Chapter 3
1. The beginning of this chapter portrays the
rebellion as a great success. What clues does
Orwell give you to show this?
2. What character acts as a foil to Mollie’s
behaviour?
3. Have these animals achieved equality? Give
evidence to prove your response
Harvest is a success, animals happy to work hard because
they know the benefits are for themselves—they will be
rewarded (well fed, have leisure time). Less quarrelling
between the animals
2. Boxer: he’s set up as the hardest worker, self-sacrificing
3. Not really although it is better than before. Pigs do not
work, they direct and supervise others. ‘It was always the
pigs who put forward the resolutions’ The windfalls and
milk only go to the pigs. Boxer: ‘There were days when
the entire work of the farm seemed to rest upon his
shoulders’. Not all the animals are equally
educated/intelligent
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Education, education, education…
 What degrees of success do the animals have in
learning to read?
 Look at each animal/grouping of animals. What does
this tell us about their characters?
 What lessons will this have in general about the
importance of education in society?
 Important! Education will be key to the animals
achieving real equality. If some animals are less
educated then they can be manipulated more
easily by the clever ones.
 “Four legs good, two legs bad”: a key quote where
the seven commandments have been reduced to a
simple maxim that even the stupidest animals can
remember
Chapter 4: Battle of the Cowshed
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Who organises the battle? What are the battle
strategies? Look forward to later events in the text.
How might Snowball’s actions be manipulated by
another animal at a later date?
How is Snowball both a capable leader and ruthless?
Which character do we sympathise most with in this
chapter? Why does the writer build up this empathy
for the character?
What is Napoleon’s role in the battle?
 Ambush/distraction involving pigeons; initial charge; retreat
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(planned); retreat leads the rest of the animals to come out and
ambush the enemies
His organised retreat becomes a betrayal of the animals rather
than a strategy for defeating the humans.
‘The only good human being is a dead one’
Boxer—he shows that the animals can be caring/thoughtful—
gives a human quality that the reader cares about.
minor
Chapter 5: Snowball is deposed
Why does Mollie disappear?
How would you describe Napoleon and Snowball’s
relationship in the 1st half of the chapter? Give a quote to
show this.
3. How do we know Napoleon has been planning this for a
while?
4. How do the animals react to Snowball being deposed?
Give a quote.
5. What changes on the farm after Napoleon becomes the
leader and what is the atmosphere amongst the other
animals?
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She defects (goes over to) the humans.
They are engaged in a power struggle. Napoleon really does not like
Snowball: “These two disagreed at every point where disagreement
was possible.” (50); “he lifted his leg, urinated over the plans”(52)
He had been training the puppies as attack dogs “reared privately”
(54)
The animals are shocked and scared: “Silently and terrified, the
animals crept back into the barn” (54)
Everything changes! Napoleon becomes a dictator and all decisions
are made by him (explained by Squealer) and enforced by threat of
violence. He has abolished democracy: “meetings would come to an
end…wasted time” and “no more debates” (55)The animals are
confused but accept it through Squealer’s propaganda: “Do not
imagine, comrade, that leadership is a pleasure” (heavy dramatic
irony). Boxer: “Napoleon is always right”(56) “they accepted his
explanation without further questions” (58)
Keeping track
 The power struggle between Napoleon and Snowball
has been developing for some time. What are the
main points of conflict between the two pigs?
 Why was Snowball defeated by Napoleon? Track the
reasons and be sure to look back over the previous
chapters
 Answers here will be important to your first critical
response on the text
 Snowball was defeated by Napoleon because Napoleon
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had created a system of oppression and driving
through his own ideas with force (the dogs).
Snowball had been too idealistic?
He is forced into exile.
Main points of conflict:
The windmill; belief in democracy; Snowball’s desire
to spread the revolution and Napoleon's desire to
consolidate power for himself on the farm.
Corrupting nature of power
 How do we see that there is an imbalance of power on
the farm?
 Is there equality?
 Give specific examples to back this up.
 Boxer does more work than any other animal
 The pigs do no manual labour
 Pigs make all the resolutions
 Other animals cannot read
 Mr Jones uses violence (the gun) to enforce power
 Napoleon uses threat of violence to enforce his power
Power Struggle
Critical Reading: typical question
Choose a novel or short story that explores the theme of
power.
By referring to appropriate techniques, show how the
author has explored this theme.
Do you remember how to structure a Critical Essay/
What should go in the introduction?
Chapter 6
“Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a
common interest, that the prosperity of one is the prosperity of
others”
What doors to the human world have been opened in this chapter
and give the explanation for each one.
 Trade with the human farms: because they aren’t 100% selfsufficient
 Mr Whymper: solicitor hired to transact business. He will deal
with money transactions…Napoleon will deal with him so the
other animals won’t have to come into contact with the human
 Pigs move into the farmhouse and sleep in the beds: they aren’t
sleeping under sheets, so they aren’t breaking rules and as they
are the brains behind the farm, they need a quiet place to rest
Changes:
 Pigs create a more and more privileged position for
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themselves:
“get up an hour later in the mornings”
Sleep in “very comfortable beds”
Windmill is blown down in a storm. Used as
propaganda to further discredit Snowball:
“Do you know the enemy who has come in the night
and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL!”
“I pronounce the death sentence upon Snowball”
Chapter 6
 Track all the methods Squealer uses here to persuade.
 Think about persuasive techniques here
 Rhetorical questions: “Are you certain that this is not
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something you have dreamed?” they instil doubt
Undermining opposing views: see rhetorical questions
Squealer’s body language: very animated and gives the
impression of energy/passion
Repetition: “Surely none of you wishes to see Jones back?”
Manipulating written records: “No animal shall sleep in a
bed with sheets”
Chapter 7
The dictatorship is cemented in this chapter! It begins
with the confusion over the battle of the Cowshed.
Make a note of main developments in this chapter
We see a small rebellion from Boxer. What challenge
does he make and how does this fit in with his
character?
What are Squealer’s methods of confusion?
There is a significant food shortage: “starvation seemed to stare them in
the face” (71) use of personification and alliteration illustrates how dire
their situation has become and contrasts with the idealistic optimism at
the start of the novel
There is a rebellion by the hens which is dealt with “swiftly and
ruthlessly” by Napoleon.
Snowball is blamed for any setback. (74)
Squealer rewrites history and claims Snowball was against them at the
battle
There is a purge of perceived opposition to Napoleon. He sets the dogs on
dissenting pigs and Boxer (77)
Boxer still believes in Snowball’s bravery and brings this up to Squealer.
Shows he’s honest willing to challenge things he feels are wrong
 The mass slaughter of “traitors” is particularly brutal and disturbing. It is
described in graphic detail with strong word choice: “the dogs promptly tore
their throats out” Powerful word choice with violent connotations and
alliteration. Napoleon is described as having a “terrible voice”: he is a violent
dictator who has betrayed the principles of Animalism.
 ‘Beasts of England’ is banned to emphasise the absolute betrayal of the original
revolutionary ideals.
 Squealer's methods of confusion: Brings up the threat of Snowball (all animals
fear this)
 Says the evidence is written in documents (knows animals can’t read). Shows
how important education is.
 Retells the battle, this time with a detailed story about how Napoleon was a
hero
 Examples of oppression, terror and propaganda
Important terms
 Dramatic irony: where the reader is aware of
information that the characters are unaware of
Chapter 8
No animal shall kill any other animal
Think back to chapter 7. How is it possible that the
animals allow such brutal treatment?
What does Squealer do to the Commandments? How is
this an example of dramatic irony?
What is the animals’ perception of this?
How does this trust influence the understanding of the
battle of the windmill?
Why is there a celebration afterwards?
 Fear, it could happen to them; feel it’s fair because
there has been a trial of sorts and confessions; they
don’t have confidence in their understanding of the
commandments; trust that their leaders are being fair
and honest
 The reader knows that when Muriel reads the
commandment, that it has been altered by Squealer
Blind Trust:
What is the animals’ perception of this?
They have no way of being sure that Squealer is changing the
commandments as they can’t read/remember the originals
How does this trust influence the understanding of the battle of the
windmill? The animals are fed the line that they’ve won because the
humans are once again driven off the land (even though the human
intention was to destroy the windmill which they successfully did).
Because the animals trust their leaders, they are willing to believe
they are victorious. Leaders make out that the purpose was to drive
away humans rather than save windmill
 Why is there a celebration afterwards? Keeps up
morale it makes it seems as if Napoleon and his regime
are powerful and victorious—hard to rebel against
something that seems to being going well
 Keeping track: look back at the principles of
animalism and make a note on when and how they
have been broken or altered as the novel progresses
Dictatorship
 A totalitarian state that is ruled by an absolute leader
with absolute power.
 Can you think of any specific examples of
dictatorships?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpJga0UeLIw
Dictatorships
How has Napoleon managed to keep his power?
Think of at least 4 things his regime has done to keep
him in control.
Find a specific example from the first 8 Chapters which
SHOWS each method.
Terror: dogs/violent purging of any dissenters
Propaganda: Squealer/cult of personality (creation of Napoleon as
the infallible leader)/humans + Snowball are out to destroy the
farm (easy to be unified if you fear a common enemy)
Control of information: animals can’t read, no written info that can
be studied (they burn everything), lots of reference to official
documents, but reminders that the animals won’t understand it
Removal of democracy: no more Sunday meetings, only pigs put
forth/vote on the resolutions
Chapter 9
Find quotes to show the inequality of life on the farm.
With this in mind, why are there parades and songs?
What is the significance of Moses and his tales of the afterlife?
What member of society does he represent and what do you think
Orwell is trying to say about him and his role with the animals?
How does this contrast with the view of Moses at the start of the
novel?
What happens to Boxer and how does Benjamin react to this?
How does this make you feel?
“all rations reduced except for the pigs and the dogs”
Pigs are given a ration of beer (made from the barley
from the field which the older animals were meant to
retire to).
The piglets are educated, they don’t mix with the others
and all animals stand aside for pigs
They reinforce Napoleon’s power, the are distraction
from the real problems of the farm
Represents organised religion: his tales of the afterlife are
meant to give the animals hope…gives the regime an excuse
for working the animals so hard—if they accept that the
afterlife is their reward, they will permit suffering in life
He was vilified and rejected by the young revolutionary
regime at the start but now they see that the church is useful
to control the animals
Boxer is sold for slaughter: this represents the ultimate
betrayal of the revolution as Boxer embodied the spirit
of cooperation and working for the betterment of the
entire society.
Sad and angry that he would be treated in this way.
Chapter 10
 How has the farm changed over time? What do these
changes tell us about the state of the revolution? What
has become of Old Major’s dream?
 What does the new slogan really mean?
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal
than others
 Who profits from this farm?
 What is the significance of Napoleon returning to the
original title, Manor Farm?
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Most of the original animals have died
There are many more new animals
It is more prosperous and organised
They built the windmill
Pigs and humans are in a cosy relationship
Ideas of equality, equity and justice have been forgotten: “three
day week...no longer talked about” Napoleon claims, “happiness,
he said, lay in working hard and living frugally” The rebellion has
been betrayed.
Still a dream, because the animals still have a vague sense of hope
A slogan that sounds like it’s good, but actually promises
nothing/means nothing: doublespeak
Pigs (and perhaps dogs)
Nothing has changed!
 Doublespeak: language that deliberately obscures,
disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. It
is primarily meant to make the truth sound more
palatable.
 A neologism created by collapsing
 newspeak and doublethink (from ‘1984’)
Chapter 10
 What is Napoleon’s whip a symbol of? What does it
suggest about the future?
 How do the sheep prove that a mob can prop up a
tyrant?
 What is the significance of the last paragraph? How
does it make you feel?
 It can be argued that the pigs are worse than
man…explain.
 Symbol of oppression and suggests the future won’t get
better
 They interrupt people with meaningless slogans—so
no change can occur, they unquestionably allow
themselves to be manipulated, to support their cruel
leader. There are so many of them, peer pressure
 The difference between man and pigs (capitalist bosses and party
bosses) is indistinguishable.
 A feeling of melancholy and frustration that sacrifice and
struggle of the ordinary animals would come to this
 Betrayed their own kind/they are not only working for profit but
power/ they lie/they betrayed a noble ideal to grasp and hold
power.
 The closing paragraph is particularly poignant: “The
creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to
pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was
impossible to say which was which”
Writing task: what if…?
 Do you think that the rebellion was always doomed to end
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in failure? Think about:
Was there ever a possibility of the animals succeeding in
creating an equitable world?
What could they have done differently to make it work?
Are there any points in the narrative when it could have
worked (think about Snowball and power of education)?
Back up your opinions with specific evidence from the text
(quote and explain)
Why is ‘Animal Farm’ as relevant now as it was when it was
first written? Try to refer to specific examples of tyranny
and the abuse of power in the modern world
What will the exam ask me?
Key types of questions often asked about PROSE…
Themes
 The theme is the main idea (message) behind a text
 A good critical essay will always refer to a key theme
and how the writer explores the theme
 What do you think some of the key themes are in
‘Animal Farm’?
Key Themes
Learning Intention
To develop expertise in critical
essay writing
Beat The Teacher
Choose a novel in which the reader understands an
important message about life/the way the world
works.
By referring to appropriate techniques, show how this
message is portrayed by the writer’s description of
character and/or setting and/or events
Beat the Teacher: standard
Introduction
‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell is an allegorical
tale about farm animals who strive for a life of equality
and freedom from the tyranny of humans. The story is
meant to represent the story of the Russian Revolution:
its ideals followed by the country’s progressive descent
into abuse of power and inequality. Through this book
the reader learns that power and ambition lead to
corruption.
Beat the Teacher: Creative
Introduction
It is very easy to have ideals, the difficulty is preserving them
from the influences of corruption and greed. ‘Animal Farm’ by George
Orwell exposes the dark side of power and how it can lead to oppression.
Through his allegorical tale, the animals of Manor Farm overthrow their
owner and briefly live in an equal society where everyone works for the
common good of all. Sadly, this ideal life is not to last as, just like the
Russian Revolution, characters become selfish and only interested in
preserving their own power and lifestyle. Fidel Castro once stated that “A
revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past,”
which can be seen as ironic because, for all the progress Cuba made under
communism, it was still a dictatorship where power was concentrated in
the hands of a few party leaders. Ironically, they stifled free speech just
like the Batista dictatorship they overthrew in 1959 thus recreating the
past rather than a truly progressive future. Perhaps all revolutions are
doomed to fail and rather than working towards the common benefit of
all a select few grab all the power for themselves and, as in ‘Animal Farm’
,dominate the common animals—parallels of which we can see today.
Beat the Teacher Spot the mistakes
This book explores how power can be corrupt. It
is a story about farm animals who rise up against their
owners. They work hard throughout the book but the
pigs, especially Napoleon, become dictators and make
the lives of everyone else really difficult. This is unfair
and leads to alot of hardship. I feel that what the
animals went through was really brutal and I’m glad that
the revolution was exposed as a failure.
Beat the teacher model Paragraph
2
 Topic sentence stating where you are in the book and a
link to the task/link back to the last idea in the
previous paragraph (statement)
 At least two quotes which are fully explained and link
to the task (quotations, understanding, analysis)
 If your quotation is six words or more then you should
introduce it with a colon and indent the quotation. If it
is less than six words then just incorporate it into your
main text
 Concluding sentence which sums up your ideas and
you feelings on what the part of the story (task)
Beat the teacher model Paragraph
2
Orwell begins his novel with a sense of hope but quickly things
being to disintegrate. The expulsion of Jones at the Battle of the Cowshed
leads to the start of equality but there is evidence early on their ideals will
never be fulfilled. Because all animals aren’t educated many of them lack
the confidence to speak up for themselves, allowing the pigs to take
control. When ideas are put forward, they:
“could never think of any resolutions of their own.”
This is significant as it allows those in power to make all the decisions.
This entitlement is also shown in what Orwell considered to be the
turning point of the novel when Napoleon steps in front of the milk and
says:
“Never mind the milk comrades, that will be attended to.”
The suggestion here is that the pigs keep it for themselves which is the
start of the inequality. We begin to see that the better educated and
selfish characters look after themselves and rise to power. 166 words
Completing the task
You have a complete intro!
You have nearly completed a full paragraph 2 on the
beginning of the book and should have:
 A strong topic sentence that introduces where you are
in the book and the ideas this paragraph covers (giving
a nod back to the previous paragraph)
 Analysis of the text (2 x quotes+exploration)
 A final summarising sentence
Body Paragraphs and Conclusion
Body Paragraph:
 A strong topic sentence that
introduces where you are in
the book and the ideas this
paragraph covers (giving a
nod back to the previous
paragraph)
 Analysis of the text (2 x
quotes + exploration)
 A final summarising sentence
Check: are you referring to
description of character and/or
setting and/or events
Conclusion:
 Summarise the main points
you made throughout the
body paragraphs
 Link back to the task: how
does the description of
character and/or setting
and/or events lead you to an
understanding about life?
 Your thoughts: do you see
parallels between this text
and government today? What
was your feeling about
Orwell’s view of life/the
world after reading this text?
Essay Practise
Choose a novel in which you feel there is an
incident of great importance.
Briefly describe the incident and go on to highlight its
importance in the story as a whole.
Essay Round Robin
Choose a novel or a short story which has a character
who affects you emotionally.
Describe how you feel about the character, and show
how the writer leads you to feel this way.
Essay Round Robin