ANIMAL FARM Background and FAQs WHERE DID ORWELL

ANIMAL FARM Background and FAQs

WHERE DID ORWELL GET THE IDEA FROM? • He once saw a small boy driving a horse and whipping it whenever it tried to turn off the road. • “It struck me, ” said Orwell, “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 proletariat (working class). ”

WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS HE ADDRESSES? • Russian Revolution (Proletariat vs. Aristocracy) • Fascism

Political Purpose! WHY DID ORWELL DECIDE TO WRITE IT? • From his life experiences (two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, the rise of Fascism), Orwell learned to be wary of government control. • He wanted people to remember the errors of the past and learn from history’s mistakes.

BECAUSE OTHERS WERE REWRITING HISTORY • Before • After

SO… • Orwell wrote Animal Farm the year after WWII ended, as an ANTI-UTOPIAN novel (which shows man at the mercy of a force he cannot control).

BUT WHY IS IT ABOUT ANIMALS? • Animal Farm is also an ALLEGORY. • An allegory is a story that can be read on two levels. • Characters and events represent something else, and they are used by the writer to convey a moral or philosophical message. For example: “The Tortoise and the Hare”

IS ANIMAL FARM ANYTHING ELSE? • It is also a SATIRE. • A satire uses ridicule to make certain people, events, or institutions appear foolish.

HOW CAN A BOOK BE A SATIRE? • Animal Farm also uses a lot of IRONY. • There are three major types of irony: • Verbal Irony • Situational Irony • Dramatic Irony

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?