Animal Farm

1. Animal Farm

2. Background • Political novel • British farm • Animal society • Allegory

3. Allegory • Characters & events represent something else • Convey a moral or philosophical message • See the handout given to compare characters to Russian Revolutionist

4. Themes • Power corrupts those who possess it • In society individuals are not treated equally • People’s ignorance contributes to their political & social oppression • Revolutions may result in a change of political power, but often the lives of a majority of people stay about the same

5. Corruptive nature of Power • Leaders & followers in society can act in ways that destroy freedom and equality • Napoleon will become more oppressive than Mr. Jones

6. Ignorant are Oppressed • Orwell illustrates the limiting of individual freedom through ignorance and misplaced loyalty of the animals • Boxer blindly follows and says, “If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.”

7. Satire • Satire uses ridicule to make certain people, events, or institutions appear foolish • The story ridicules: • The vanity of humans (Mollie) • Blind followers (sheep) • Powerful people separating themselves (pigs) • Formation of committees creating an illusion of progress or change (pigs) • Accepting simplistic slogans

8. Irony • Orwell uses dramatic, verbal & situational irony. • Dramatic-character believes, reader knows is not • Verbal- someone says one thing , but means something else • Situational-difference between what is expected/appropriate and what happens

9. Conflict • Internal • Animal vs. cruel master (Mr. Jones) • Napoleon vs. Snowball • Animals vs. men on adjoining farms • External • Lack of internal conflict among animals whose doubts & disillusions are so easily smoothed over by Squealer