The Allegory of Animal Farm Created by Sierra

The Allegory of Animal Farm Created by Sierra Fisher For Teachers For Students

Teacher’s Page • Audience – Grades 9 -10 – Students should be on a proficient reading level – Students should have completed reading Animal Farm by George Orwell • Environment – Individual study – Quiet, uninterrupted environment Continue

Teacher’s Page • Objectives – Given a list of characters, students will be able to give the real-world person the character represents with 100% accuracy – Given a literary device, students will be able to match the word to the definition with 100% accuracy – Given an event in the novel, students will be able to write the real word event with 100% accuracy Home

Welcome! • In this lesson we’ll be using a few buttons to get around. Click on each one to find out what it does, then click Start when you’re ready.

Welcome! • In this lesson we’ll be using a few buttons to get around. Click on each one to find out what it does, then click Start when you’re ready. Next: moves to the next slide Start!

Welcome! • In this lesson we’ll be using a few buttons to get around. Click on each one to find out what it does, then click Start when you’re ready. Previous: moves to the previous slide Start!

Welcome! • In this lesson we’ll be using a few buttons to get around. Click on each one to find out what it does. Home: takes you back to the beginning of the presentation Start!

So you’ve read Animal Farm? • What now? – This may seem like a pretty simple story about a bunch of crazy farm animals, but do you really think that’s all George Orwell meant to tell us? Authors take a lot of time planning out their stories, and nothing is ever as simple as it seems. If you’ve wandered about a deeper meaning to a story, the author probably has wandered about it too.

First, let’s review some main characters and events

Watch this short video to review

So what does it all mean?

Do you remember? • Symbolism? – A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself or – A symbol is something that represents something else, usually by convention or association, a material object used to represent something abstract

Do you remember? • Allegory? – An allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of ideas. or – An allegory is the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generalizations about human existence.

So what’s the big deal? • Without symbols and allegory, nothing would be the same! – A stop sign would just be an octagon – A cross would be two pieces of wood – The flag would be a piece of fabric

Some of you favorite stories… • Are allegories! – The Wizard of Oz – Horton Hears a Who! – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Alice in Wonderland – And of course… Animal Farm!

Things to Know • Animal Farm is an allegory centered around the events of Russia during the time of World War I. Watch this video for some background information.

Now lets do some discovering! On the next slide, you can click on a character to explore. You’ll be asked some practice questions, but this is not a quiz. After each character you can go back to the Character Main Menu. Once you’ve explored every character, click Continue to move on. Make sure you explore every character, so you can answer those questions when the quiz comes.

Click on a character to explore! Moses Old Major Napoleon Snowball continue squealer

Old major • Old Major describes his vision of Utopia on the farm and teaches the animals the song “Beasts of England. ” When Major dies, he leaves the pigs to struggle for his legacy.

Old major • So who does Old Major remind you of? Click on a name to continue – Joseph Stalin? – Karl Marx? – The Church?

You’re right! • Did you see the similarities? – Both Marx and Old Major provided the foundation for rebellions to come, only Marx laid down the ideas of communism, and that led to things like the Russian Rebellion and World War II Character main menu

Try again! • The Church was focused on religion and having their own voices heard, not spreading the ideas of communism. Try again!

Try again! • Stalin came after the idea of communism developed. Old Major was around before the rebellion that let the animals take over the farm. Try again!

Napoleon • Napoleon emerges as the leader of the farm after the Rebellion. He uses his attack dogs to implement military force. Later, Napoleon begins to have relations with the humans, and changes the Seven Commandments for his own benefit.

Napoleon • Do Napoleon’s military tactics remind you on anyone? – Trotsky? – Stalin? – Marx?

You’re right! • Both Stalin and Napoleon used ideology to win over the people, but when it came down to it, they used military force to take over, leading to further wars Character main menu

Try again! • Marx was one of the founders of communism, but Napoleon wasn’t the one who came up with the idea of Animal Farm, though surely he would have liked people to think he did… Try again!

Try again! • Trotsky held a lot of power at the beginning of the people’s take over, but it didn’t take long for others to overthrow him. Napoleon would never let that happen to him Try again!

snowball • Snowball must challenge Napoleon for control of the farm after the Rebellion. Snowball more easily wins the allegiance of the other animals. Snowball is full of ideology and grand ideas, like the windmill, but he lacks the physical strength of Napoleon.

snowball • Does Snowball’s situation sound familiar to you? – Trotsky? – Mr. Jones? – Molotov?

You’re right! • Snowball and Trotsky have a lot in common. At first, Trotsky held the same communist beliefs, but he didn’t agree with Stalin’s military ways and was exiled and killed by Stalin. Character main menu

Try again! • Mr. Jones is who Snowball was rebelling against, but who is the real world person that Snowball resembles? Try again!

Try again! • Snowball wasn’t a master of propaganda like Molotov was, though the two were both allies of the same powerful man at one point. Who could that be…? Try again!

squealer • Squealer is the pig that spreads Napoleon's propaganda to the other animals. He uses false statistics and a large vocabulary to convince the other animals of the farm’s success. He is later guilty of changing the words of the Seven Commandments.

squealer • Who does Squealer sound like to you? – Stalin? – Molotov? – Nicholas II?

You’re right! • Squealer is modeled after Molotov, Stalin’s right hand man. Molotov was a skilled diplomat and politician involved in many negotiations just like Squealer was skilled with his words and statistics. Character main menu

Try again! • Squealer dealt with a lot of things behind the scenes like writing the Seven Commandments, while Stalin was more of a leading man Try again!

Try again! • If Squealer was like Nicholas II he would have to be allied with Mr. Jones. Instead, Squealer is a close ally of Napoleon. Try again!

moses • Mr. Jones’ favorite pet, and a clever talker, Moses first stands in the way when the pigs come to power. He speaks of a mysterious “Sugarcandy Mountain” where all the animals suffering will come to an end. However, the pigs allow him to remain on the farm.

moses • Moses sounds a lot like something we have today, doesn’t he? – Communism? – The Church? – The President?

You’re right! • Moses is supposed to be a symbol for the Church, and his Sugarcandy Mountain represents heaven. He asks the animals to blindly follow him, but doesn’t back up his words with actions. We never see him doing any hard work. Character main menu

Try again! • The idea of a President wasn’t a part of Russia at this time. They didn’t have a democracy like the United States does Try again!

Try again! • Moses does not agree with the ideas that Old Major and Napoleon have. Instead, he is constantly spouting his own ideas Try again!

So there is more to this story after all! Keep going to discover more!

Click on an event to explore! Seven commandments Battle of cowshead Fall of mr. jones continue Battle of the windmill

The battle of the windmill • The whole farm is deeply divided on the subject of the windmill. Snowball wants to rebuild and expand while Napoleon works against him.

The battle of the windmill • Two guys arguing…what do you think this actually represents? – The Russian Civil War? – The Trotsky-Stalin conflict? – The Russian Revolution?

You’re right! • The Battle of the Windmill is like the overall conflict between Stalin and Trotsky, or Snowball and Napoleon. It was all about fighting over land, whether it was on the farm, or over Russian expansion policies, Event main menu

Try again! • Think on a smaller scale. A civil war would have to be between two completely opposing sides like the Red Army and the White Army Try again!

Try again! • Think on a smaller scale. No one is trying to usurp anyone here. The animals already have control of the farm. Try again!

The battle of cowshead • In this battle, Mr. Jones and his men try to retake Animal Farm with the help of some neighboring farms.

The battle of cowshead • What does this remind you of? – The Russian Civil War? – The Russian Revolution? – World War II?

You’re right! • This was just like the Russian Civil War which was fought between the Red Army (Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin)and the White Army (landowners, middle class, old army generals) Event main menu

Try again! • The animals have already rebelled, and Mr. Jones has been exiled from the farm. Revolution wouldn’t be the right word here. Try again!

Try again! • Think on a smaller scale. World War II was fought between many different countries. This is just a conflict between two sides—humans on one and animals on the other. Try again!

Seven commandments • The Seven Commandments, created to keep order and ensure Animalism (e. g. All animals are equal; Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy) are in reference to the Seven Laws of Noah. These laws were followed by the Jews as a set of moral imperatives given by god like: prohibition of murder and prohibition of theft Event main menu

Fall of mr. jones • After Old Major dies, the animals are left with his wild new teaching ideas, so they mount a rebellion and chase Mr. Jones and the men off the farm one night after the men have been drinking.

Fall of mr. jones • What event do you think this is supposed to symbolize? – The Russian Revolution? – The Fall of Communism? – World War II?

You’re right! • The exile of Mr. Jones represents the Russian Revolution. Nicholas II had long been out of touch with the people and in the October Rebellion, the Russian people rose up and Lenin came into power, just as the animals decided to take the farm for themselves. Event main menu

Try again! • Communism was just coming into being during the events that Animal Farm centers on. The Fall of Mr. Jones was all about the animals dissatisfaction. Try again!

Try again! • Think on a smaller scale. World War II was fought between many different countries. This is just a conflict between two sides—Mr. Jones on one and animals on the other. Try again!

So now that you know… • A simple story about farm animals that learn how to talk becomes an epic tale about a moment in world history! • And none of it would have been possible without allegory! Event main menu Character main menu

Review • Watch this one last video to recap on the characters Take the Quiz!

Quiz 1. What is a person, place, or thing that stands for something beyond itself? a. b. c. d. Metaphor Allegory Symbol Hyperbole

Correct! The answer is symbol Next question

Try again! Remember that these are often material objects Try again

Quiz 2. What is the importance of an allegory? a. Compares two unlike things b. Helps to develop characters c. Uses figures to convey underlying meanings and generalizations d. Is a material object that stands for something else

Correct! The answer is to convey underlying meanings and generalizations Next question

Try again! Remember that an allegory has moral, social, or religious significance Try again

Quiz 3. Animal Farm is classified as a(n) a. b. c. d. Symbol Allegory Archetype Simile

Correct! The answer is an allegory Next question

Try again! Remember that Animal Farm makes generalizations about human actions Try again

Quiz 4. Which character represents the founders of communism? a. b. c. d. Napoleon Old Major Snowball Squealer

Correct! The answer is Old Major Next question

Try again! Remember that the founders were the ones that held the principles that led to the rebellion Try again

Quiz 5. Napoleon is a figure for Joseph Stalin because a. They were both the leaders of their party and had major roles in beginning rebellions b. Napoleon is the villain and founder of the ideas of the rebellion c. Napoleon gets exiled like Stalin d. Napoleon is a right hand man and master of propaganda

Correct! The answer is they are both leaders with major roles in rebellions Next question

Try again! Remember that Napoleon rallied the animals together against Mr. Jones Try again

Quiz 6. Which historical figure is representative of Snowball? a. b. c. d. Stalin Lenin Molotov Trotsky

Correct! The answer is Trotsky Next question

Try again! Remember that Snowball was scapegoated by Napoleon Try again

Quiz 7. Who is the only character to represent an establishment rather than a person? a. b. c. d. Mr. Jones Old Major Moses Squealer

Correct! The answer is Moses Next question

Try again! Remember that one character represents the ideals of the Church Try again

Quiz 8. Which event epitomizes the conflict between Napoleon and Snowball? a. b. c. d. Battle of the Windmill Fall of Mr. Jones Battle of Cowshead Writing of the Seven Commandments

Correct! The answer is the Battle of the Windmill Next question

Try again! Remember that the two differ in their opinion on expansion of the farm Try again

Quiz 9. The Battle of Cowshead is representative of which event? a. b. c. d. The exile of Trotsky The Trotsky-Stalin Conflict Russian Civil War World War II

Correct! The answer is the Russian Civil War Next question

Try again! Remember that the animals fought against Mr. Jones and the previous men of the farm Try again

Quiz 10. The Seven Commandments are based of what? a. b. c. d. The Ten Commandments The Seven Laws of Moses The Bible The Seven Laws of Noah

Correct! The answer is the Seven Laws of Noah finish

Try again! Remember that these laws originated with the Jewish faith Try again

Congratulations you finished! Further resources

resources • If you would like more information on Animal Farm and it’s history, check out these sites – The Allegory of Animal Farm – The History of Animal Farm – The Soviet Union