Animal Farm By George Orwell George Orwell Born

Animal Farm By George Orwell

George Orwell �Born in 1903 as Eric Arthur Blair (he adopted George Orwell as a penname because it had a “manly, English, countrysounding, ring” �Grew up in India before going to England at age 8 for boarding school �Instead of going to university, he worked in Burma with the Indian Imperial Police which he wrote about in Burmese Days and “Shooting an Elephant. ”

George Orwell �Orwell said that he “theoretically – and secretly, of course…was all for the Burmese and all against their oppressors, the British. ” �For the next two decades, he wrote newspaper columns, novels, essays, and radio broadcasts which mostly grew out of his personal experience.

George Orwell �He viewed socialists, communists, and fascists as repressive and self-serving. �He patriotically supported England during WWII, but was skeptical of governments and their willingness to forsake ideals in favor of power. �Had a reputation for standing apart and this outsider position often led him to oppose the crowd

Orwell’s Animal Farm � Orwell spoke his mind in Animal Farm, in which he criticized the Soviet Union despite its role as an ally of Great Britain. � At first no one would publish it, but when it appeared in 1945, it was a success,

Orwell on Animal Farm � In explaining how he came to write the novel, he says he saw a little boy whipping a horse: � “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). � He said it was the first book in which he consciously tried to blend artistic and political goals.

Orwell on writing � His final novel, 1984, continued that effort with a grim portrayal of a world totally under government control. � “Writing…is a horrible, exhausting struggle…One would never understand such a thing if one were not driven…”

What is Animal Farm? ? ? �A fairy story �A fable �A satire �An allegory

Fairy Story… CHARACTERISTICS OF A FAIRY STORY COMMON EXAMPLES

Fairy Story… CHARACTERISTICS OF A FAIRY STORY • • • Magic A villain Damsel in distress Handsome hero Happy ending COMMON EXAMPLES

How does this apply to Animal Farm? ? ? Notice the subheading! Notice the subtitle!!! Keep this in mind as you read the text. Clearly Orwell did this for a reason. Read introduction and pay attention to page viii – xii

Fable �A fable is a narration intended to enforce a useful truth. �Two important characteristics: • They teach a moral or lesson • Characters are most frequently animals

Who is Aesop? � Aesop’s Fables “Some may say that Aesop is infamous for the life he led over 2000 years ago and mostly for the hundreds of fables that have been attributed to his name since. Aesop’s fables have reached countless generations since he is reported to have been alive, and they continue to be a part of the lives of many. Not every fable, however, that has been linked to Aesop is his own original material. In actuality, there are many fables attributed to Aesop that, for a variety of reasons, couldn’t possibly be his own. In many ways the unclear authorship of the fables is at the fault of the storytelling tradition, many details are naturally lost and/or altered. However the storytelling tradition is also responsible for the survival of the Aesop Fables—if story telling didn’t exist, neither Aesop nor his fables would have survived” (UMASS Amherst homepage/Aesop’s Fables)

The Dancing Monkeys A PRINCE had some Monkeys trained to dance. Being naturally great mimics of men's actions, they showed themselves most apt pupils, and when arrayed in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers. The spectacle was often repeated with great applause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took from his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage. The Monkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as indeed they were) Monkeys instead of actors. Pulling off their masks and tearing their robes, they fought with one another for the nuts. The dancing spectacle thus came to an end amidst the laughter and ridicule of the audience. � � � -"Not everything you see is what it appears to be. "-

James Thurber �James Thurber – author and cartoonist who was known for his celebrated wit �From Columbus, OH and began his writing career writing for the Columbus Dispatch �Wrote over 75 fables which were satirical in nature and served as punch lines rather than advice to the reader �http: //4 brightminds. info/thurber_fables. htm

The Little Girl and the Wolf � ONE AFTERNOON a big wolf waited in a dark forest for a little girl to come along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally a little girl did come along and she was carrying a basket of food. "Are you carrying that basket to your grandmother? " asked the wolf. The little girl said yes, she was. So the wolf asked her where her grandmother lived and the little girl told him and he disappeared into the wood. When the little girl opened the door of her grandmother's house she saw that there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on. She had approached no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she saw that it was not her grandmother but the wolf, for even in a nightcap a wolf does not look any more like your grandmother than the Metro-Goldwyn lion looks like Calvin Coolidge. So the little girl took an automatic out of her basket and shot the wolf dead. � Moral: It is not so easy to fool little girls nowadays as it used to be.

The Fairly Intelligent Fly � One day a fairly intelligent fly buzzed around the web so long without lighting that the spider appeared and said, "Come on down. " But the fly was too clever for him and said, "I never light where I don't see other flies and I don't see other flies in your house. " So he flew away until he came to a place where there were a great many other flies. He was about to settle down among them when a bee buzzed up and said, "Hold it stupid, that's flypaper. All those flies are trapped. " "Don't be silly, " said the fly, "they're dancing. " So he settled down and became stuck to the flypaper with all the other flies. � Moral: There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else.

Satire � In a satire, the writer attacks a serious issue 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 � Therefore, it tells a story that all ages can understand, but it also tells a second story – that of the real life Revolution � Many critics have matched the characters to real life historical persons (more on that later )

Allegory �An allegory, is a narrative that can be read on more than one level. �Animal Farm is considered to be am allegory of the Russian Revolution

What Animal Farm is not… �A Children’s Story � When published the book was published in 1945, Orwell discovered that booksellers were placing it in the children’s section. � According to his housekeeper, he traveled from bookstore to bookstore requesting the book be placed in the adult section. � This dual identify has stayed with the book ever since.

Homework Tonight Read the introduction pg. xv - xxvii Make sure you note the following: �Historical Context �Why Animal Farm does and does not fit into the categories of fairy story and fable. �Read Chapter 1

Are Pigs Really Smart? �What evidence is presented in the two articles to support that pigs are smart and a good choice as the leaders in Animal Farm?

Old Major’s Speech � What was the purpose in delivering the speech? � Who was his intended audience? � What claim is he making in the speech? � How does he develop his argument? � How does he appeal to his audience?

Purpose of Argument �To Inform �To Convince �To Explore �To Make decisions �To Meditate or Pray From Everything’s an Argument

Occasions for Argument �Aristotle classified the purposes of arguments based on issues of time: �Past – forensic arguments �Present – contemporary values �Future – deliberative arguments

Parts of Argument �A good argument includes the following: �Claim: The overall thesis the writer will argue for. �Data: Evidence gathered to support the claim �Warrant: Explanation of why or how the data supports the claim, the underlying assumption that connects your data to your claim.

Rhetorical Situation ARISTOTLE’S THREE KEY WAYS WRITERS CAN APPEAL TO AUDIENCES: � � � Pathos – emotional appeals or appeals to the heart Ethos – ethical appeals or appeals based on the writer/speaker’s authority and credibility (persona) Logos – logical appeals or appeals to reason RHETORICAL TRIANGLE:

Devices to emphasize important points �Rhetorical Questions: questions that the speaker does not expect people to answer verbally �Restatement: restates an idea in a variety of different ways �Repetition: restates an idea using the same words �Parallelism: the use of repeated grammatical structure

Parallelism � Parallelism refers to the repeated use of phrases, clauses, or sentences that are similar in structure or meaning. � Careful use of parallelism adds emphasis, and clarity to sentences and paragraphs. � “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” From the opening paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities “It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled” – Lebron James

Old Major’s Speech RHETORICAL DEVICES � � Rhetorical Questions Restatement Repetition Parallelism QUESTIONS � Where can you find them? � What effect does it add to the speech?

Animal Farm Vocab �Cannibalism – n. practice of eating one’s own kind �Cryptic – adj. intended to be mysterious or obscure �Gambol – v. to skip about in play �Ignominious – adj. shameful, dishonorable �Indefatigable – adj. untiring �Parasitical – adj. like a parasite; gaining injuries from a host it injures

Animal Farm Vocab � Canvass – v. to request support � Coccidiosis – n. parasitic disease � Dynamo – n. electric generator � Embolden – v. to instill with courage � Malignity – n. an example of evil behavior � Manoeuvre (maneuver) – n. strategy to gain a particular item � Perpendicularity – n. the state of being perpendicular (at right angles) � Superintendence – n. the act of directing

Animal Farm Vocab � Beatifically – adv. in a manner suggesting bliss � Demeanor – n. outward manner � Deputation – n. a group appointed to represent others � Devotees – n. ardent followers � Inebriates – n. those who are habitually drunk � Interment – n. the act of burial � Machinations – n. scheming actions � Taciturn – adj. not inclined to talking

Vocab on test � Vocab on test: - match word to definition - use correct word in a sentence (fill-in) * 28 points of the test are from Vocab

Do your happy dance! �Test is moved to Thursday!

Review Homework In your reading journals, define the following and explain how Animal Farm is an example of each: - Fairy Story Fable Satire Allegory

Russian Revolution � In the early 1900’s, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II faced an increasingly discontented populace (many were struggling to survive under the oppressive government) � By 1917, amidst WWI, a revolution began. � In two major battles, the Czar’s government was overthrown and replaced with the Bolshevik leadership of Vladimir Lenin � When Lenin died, his former colleagues Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin struggled for power

Trotsky and Stalin � Leon Trotsky was the hero of the early revolution � Trotsky was deported into permanent exile � Joseph Stalin was the head of the Communist party � Stalin won the battle

Stalin’s reign � Once in power, Stalin began to move the Soviet Union into the modern industrial age. � His government seized land in order to create collective farms � Many peasants refused to give up their land Stalin used vicious military tactics. � Rigged trials led to executions of an estimated 20 million government officials and ordinary citizens � The government controlled the flow and content of information to the people and all but outlawed churches.

Karl Marx � Many ideals behind the Soviet revolution were based on the writings and teachings of Karl Marx – a German intellectual who lived in the mid 1800’s. � Marx believed that societies are divided into two segments, a working class (who creates all of the products) and an owner class (who enjoys all of the benefits) � Marx’s objective was to form a classless society in which the work is shared by all for the benefit of all, and he believed revolution was the way to achieve this goal

Satire �The former Soviet Union had captured the attention of the world with its socialist experiment �It had some supporters in Britain and the U. S. , but Orwell was against the system �Orwell used satire to expose what he saw as the myth of Soviet Socialism

The characters can be matched to these political figures Power struggle of Napoleon and Snowball to Stalin and Trosky � Old Major represents Karl Marx who dies before realizing his dream (his speech reflects Marxist ideals from the opening “Comrades” to the revolutionary song) � Farmer Jones would then be Czar Nicholas II � Moses – Russian Orthodox church � Boxer and Clover – workers � Squealer – Stalin’s government news agency � Dogs – Stalin’s military police � Pilkington and Frederick – Great Britain and Germany � Mollie – old Russian aristocracy which resists change �