Animal Farm – George Orwell Mrs. Dingley’s Classes
It’s a Genre: Type of Literature Theme: the main idea of the novel, usually expressed in one sentence Setting: the time and place of the action of the novel Plot: the events in the novel Point of View: Personal, Objective, Omniscient Conflict: the struggles in a novel
Characters: the personalities in a novel Developing Character (Dynamic/Round): a character who changes in some way during the course of the story; usually a major character who has several sides or traits to his personality Static Character (Flat): a character (usually a minor character) who does not change during the story; this kind off character generally has only one or two personality traits. Protagonist: a character who is trying to achieve some goal (usually the main character). Antagonist: a character who is trying to stop the protagonist
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Real Name: Eric Blair British Political Novelist Born: To English parents in India
After his father retired, Eric and his family moved back to England.
He was sent to boarding school at the age of eight to prepare for Eton, an exclusive prep school. Because he had a scholarship, he was teased and humiliated frequently.
At eighteen, he passed the Empire’s Civil Service Exam and became a police officer in Burma.
Returned to Europe
Socialist: someone who believes that the government should own businesses so that everyone will be equal
GEORGE ORWELL Believed that basis for society was human decency and common sense. This conflicted with societies at that time: socialism, capitalism, communism, and fascism. Believed governments were encroaching on freedom of choice, love of family, tolerance for others.
The world of 1984 is a totalitarian world. The Party tries to control everything, even thought and emotion. Winston, protagonist, develops his first unorthodox thoughts. Loves Julia, someone with whom he can share his private emotions. They are betrayed by someone whom Winston thought was a rebel like himself, who in reality is a chief inquisitor of the Party. Winston is punished and finally comes to love Big Brother.
Fable is a narration intended to enforce a useful truth. They teach a moral, a lesson - Orwell’s views about Soviet politics. Characters are most frequently animals – usually pointing out follies of humans. Capitalizes also on traits usually associated with particular animals.
On a second level, the animals stand for types of people or ideas. The way the animals interact and the way the plot unfolds says something about the nature of people or the value of ideas. Any type of fiction that has multiple levels of meaning in this way is called an allegory.
Struggle to get published; many admired Soviet experiment; hesitant to publicly criticize Soviet allies. Publication in 1945, after Germany surrendered. Orwell discovered with horror that bookstores placed novel on children’s shelves.
A composition making fun of a serious issue, usually political, presenting it in a ridiculous light. Animal Farm makes fun of political society after the Bolshevik Revolution, the myth of Soviet socialism.
Russian society in the early twentieth century had two social classes: a tiny minority (bourgeoisie) controlled the country’s wealth. The working class was called the proletariat.
Communism arose in Russia when the nation’s workers & peasants rebelled against and overwhelmed the wealthy and powerful class of capitalists & aristocrats.
WHO IS MARX? German intellectual, living in mid- 1800’s. Societies divided into two segments: working class and owner class. Worker Class: creates all the products. Owner Class: enjoys all the benefits of them. Leads to inequality & oppression of working class. Objective: Create a classless society – work is shared by all for benefit of all. Revolution is way to achieve this objective.
“From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.” Urged people to abandon religion – it gave them false hope for better life in heaven, he believed.
Farmer Jones A drunk and a poor farmer, his cruelty towards the farm animals inspires their rebellion.
Snowball A clever pig with a head for ideas, he becomes one of the main leaders of Animal Farm and the author of its central commandments.
Napoleon A pig with a gift for techniques of control, he establishes most of the farm’s rules and eventually becomes its sole leader.
Old Major An elderly show pig whose instruction to the animals about "animalism" becomes the philosophical basis for the creation of Animal Farm.
Squealer A pig with the ability to make any idea sound reasonable, he is Napoleon's side-kick and is in charge of communicating to the animals.
Boxer A strong and hard-working carthorse, he shows tremendous faith in the rebellion and its leaders.