An old boar whose speech rouses the animals

An old boar whose speech rouses the animals into rebellion. His philosophy is called Animalism. He teaches the animals the song of freedom “Beasts of England. ” He is a young boar who becomes one of the rebellion’s most valuable leaders. He develops ideas to make the animals’ lives easier.

A porker pig who becomes Napoleon’s mouthpiece. He uses his ability to manipulate the animals. A dedicated hard worker. He keeps believing that hard work solves all problems. A boar, who with Snowball, leads the rebellion against Jones. He uses power to have his way. A motherly horse who tries to take care of Boxer and who silently questions Napoleon’s decisions.

A tame raven who tells the animals stories about a paradise called Sugarcandy Mountain. A vain horse who prefers ribbons and sugar over ideas and rebellion. A cynical, pessimistic donkey who continually undercuts the animals’ enthusiasm.

The often drunk owner of Manor Farm, later expelled by the animals. The farmer’s wife who flees from the farm after the rebellion. The puppies that are raised in secret with the pigs.

The owner of Foxwood, another farm. An enemy of Pilkington and owner of Pinchfield, another farm. A solicitor hired by Napoleon to act as an intermediary in Animal Farm’s trading with other farms.

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol. 6. No animal shall kill another animal. 7. All animals are equal.

George Orwell British Author & Journalist • 1903 -1950 • Real name: Eric Blair • Born in India – At that time India was a part of the British Empire, and Blair's father, Richard, held a post as an agent for the British government – Orwell’s family had no wealth and he was treated like a “charity case” so he resented abuse of wealth or power. • Best known for two novels critical of totalitarianism in general, and Stalinism in particular: – Animal Farm – Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell and His Beliefs • Orwell’s beliefs about politics were affected by his experiences fighting in the Spanish Civil War of 1937. He saw what Russia’s revolutionaries were doing to spread Communism (it wasn’t pretty). • Orwell loved Democratic Socialism but despised the actions of the Russian Communists. He hated how Europe and America romanticized the Russian revolution. – “It taught me how easily totalitarian propaganda can control the opinion of enlightened people in democratic countries. ” • He was skeptical of governments and their willingness to forsake ideas & individual rights in favor of power.

• “Since 1930 I had seen little evidence that the USSR was progressing toward anything that one could truly call socialism. ” • According to Orwell, the USSR was a “hierarchal society, in which the rulers have no more reason to give up their power than any other ruling class. ”

The Anti-Soviet Book and the Hardships of Publication • The United Kingdom was still enamored with the USSR and considered them “politically decent” in 1943 (when Animal Farm was completed). Stalin seemed like a nice guy until world leaders properly met him. • Not until two years later would a publisher be willing to publish Orwell’s book because no one wanted to print an Anti-Soviet story.

Why Animals? • In explaining how he came to write Animal Farm, Orwell says he once saw a little boy whipping a horse and later he wrote: – “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 way as the rich exploit the [worker]. ”

What is Animal Farm? • A masterpiece of political satire, Animal Farm is a tale of oppressed individuals who long for freedom but don’t realize that when they are told they are “free” they really aren’t. • The story follows mistreated farm animals. After extreme negligence by their owner, the animals revolt and expel Mr. Jones and his wife from the farm. • The tale of the society the animals form into a totalitarian regime is Orwell's critique of the communist system in the former Soviet Union. – An FYI: Soviet Union = USSR = Russia

Children’s Book? – No! • After Animal Farm was published in 1945, George Orwell discovered with horror that booksellers were placing his novel on children’s shelves. According to his housekeeper, 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 fifty years.

The Fable – The fable is one of the oldest literary forms - much, much older than the novel or the short story. A fable is usually short, written in either verse or prose, and conveys a clear moral or message. The earliest fables still preserved date back to 6 th Century Greece B. C. E. The author of these fables, Aesop, used animal characters to stand for human "types. " For example, a lion character might embody the human characteristics of pride and leadership. Though Aesop's animal fables were ostensibly about animals, they were really instructional tales about human emotions and human behavior.

“The Ant and the Dove” by Aesop • An Ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning. A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her. The Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank. Shortly afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches. The Ant, perceiving his design, stung him in the foot. In pain the birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove take wing. • What is the moral?

Allegory – Most fables have two levels of meaning. On the surface, the fable is about animals. But on a second level, the animals stand for types of people or ideas. The way the animals interact and the way the plot unfolds says something about the nature of people or the value of ideas. Any type of fiction that has multiple levels of meaning in this way is called an allegory. – Animal Farm is an ALLEGORY of Stalinist Russia. =

Allegory (cont’d) • Animal Farm is strongly allegorical, but it presents a very nice balance between levels of meaning. On the first level, the story about the animals is very moving. But at the same time, each of the animals does serve as a symbol. The story's second level involves the careful critique Orwell constructed to comment on Soviet Russia. Boxer

Allegory (cont’d) • Yet there is no reason that allegory must be limited to two levels. It is possible to argue that Animal Farm also has a third and more general level of meaning. For instance, the pigs need not only represent specific tyrannical Soviet leaders. They could also be symbols for tyranny more broadly: their qualities are therefore not simply the historical characteristics of a set of actual men but are the qualities of all leaders who rely on repression and manipulation. Squealer, Snowball, & Napoleon

Satire • In a satire, the writer attacks a serious issue (a human weakness or injustice) by presenting it in a ridiculous light or otherwise poking fun at it. Orwell uses satire to expose what he saw as the myth of Soviet Socialism. • Animal Farm is a SATIRE because it ridicules: abuse of power, weakness caused by ignorance, & unequal “equality”. Soviet Coat of Arms

What are some examples of satirical titles, old or new? ü Gulliver’s Travels ü Lord of the Flies ü Nineteen Eighty-Four ü The Onion ü American Psycho ü The Daily Show ü Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ü Lysistrata ü Huckleberry Finn ü The Boondocks ü Oliver Twist ü The Colbert Report ü South Park ü Dr. Seuss