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Animal Farm

Animal Farm. George Orwell. George Orwell (1903 –1950). Journalist, novelist, and essayist Also wrote 1984 , a famous dystopian novel Lower-upper-middle class: educated as a scholarship student expensive and exclusive English boarding schools

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Animal Farm

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  1. Animal Farm George Orwell

  2. George Orwell (1903 –1950) • Journalist, novelist, and essayist • Also wrote 1984, a famous dystopian novel • Lower-upper-middle class: educated as a scholarship student expensive and exclusive English boarding schools • Purposely bought ragged clothes so he could live in the poorest areas of London, so he could write about it later • Observed the atrocities of the Spanish civil war, WWII, and Stalinist Russia

  3. Animal Farm is… • An allegory: a story that carries on a second meaning. The whole story is an extended metaphor *literal level: book about farm animals *allegorical level: book about Stalin and Bolsheviks • A satire: the literary ridicule of a subject, philosophy, idea, etc. by trying to make it seem ridiculous or lower. • Satires can be explicitly, or directly ridiculing/mocking. ex. SNL episode with the different Of Mice and Men ending http://www.hulu.com/watch/35498 <

  4. Marxism • Political and social theory developed by Karl Marx in the 19th century • Eventually leads to classless society or communism where the workers communally own everything, including the rights to production • Communism, up to this point, has never achieved a classless society

  5. Russian Revolution of 1917 • February Revolution: army and people overthrew the inept Nicolas II, Tsar of Russia, in a nearly bloodless revolution which resulted in Provisional government • Vladimir Lenin led the October revolution, which overthrew the provisional government and based his political philosophies on those of Karl Marx • Led eventually to Stalin rising to power in 1924

  6. Stalin • Succeeded Lenin as leader of Russia • Fought against another Communist, Leon Trotsky, because of deep philosophical differences • Tried to modernize Russia but did so at the expense of the people • Is responsible for the deaths of millions during his political “purges” (approx. 20 million Russians died) • Created a totalitarian state in which the government controls every aspect of the lives of the citizens • Ruled with an “Iron fist”

  7. Questions to consider while reading Animal Farm… • How are the simple-minded animals manipulated? • What actions and beliefs between the animals mirror humans? • How do aspects of the novel mirror a modern society? • Are “hidden agendas” revealed prior to the animals obtaining power? • How could the animals have prevented the outcome?

  8. Something to Think About and Discuss • Life in the USA would be perfect if everyone were totally equal. Do you agree? Why or Why not? • You are designing a society in which everyone is equal. What are the laws? • What problems can you foresee that might arise in a society with enforced “equality for all”? How would you handle those problems? • Do you believe that total equality is possible, or would human nature assure that some people would eventually dominate others?

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