Introduction to Animal Farm Mrs. Queen

(1903-1950)

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.          

1927 Returned in Europe

He chose to live in poverty because he felt guilty for the job he had done in Burma - for having been a part of an oppressive government.

oppressed and helpless He saw poverty as a way to understand the problems of the oppressed and helpless by becoming one of them.

Orwell was a Socialist Socialist: someone who believes that the government should own businesses so that everyone will be equal

Two Things That Influenced Orwell To Write Animal Farm: His hatred for: Injustice Political Lying

in which separate classes He desired a society in which separate classes would not exist.

His second famous book:

It's a Fable It's an Allegory Most fables have two levels of meaning. On the surface, the fable is about animals. But 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.

It's a Satire A composition making fun of something, usually political. Animal Farm makes fun of political society after the Bolshevik Revolution.

Historical Context 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.

Communism vs. Socialism Communism=(economic and political) distribution of goods & services takes place according to individual needs Socialism=(economic) “ ” according to individual efforts

This was based on Karl Marx and his

The call for action was . . .

Tsar Nicholas II’s reign (and demise)

Bloody Sunday In January of 1905, Father Gapon led a sizable but peaceful demonstration of workers in St. Petersburg. Nicholas II troops opened fire, killing more than a thousand people in what would come to be called the infamous “Bloody Sunday.”

WWI and the Tsar Nicholas II Shortage of guns and ammo. Tsar Nicholas II promised to send troops to fight on Eastern front but sent them to battle w/o guns and ammo “Pick up the weapons of your fallen countrymen and use them to fight.”

WWI and Tsar Nicolas II cont. Lost popularity due to poor leadership throughout war. Russia begins collapsing and revolution is inevitable.

Results? 1918: Nicholas II & family were murdered by Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin. Historians have long speculated as to whether Nicholas II’s daughter, Anastasia, might have survived the shooting.

Lenin, a Russian revolutionary, took power in the name of the Communist Party.

When Lenin died, Joseph Stalin & Leon Trotsky competed for control of the Soviet Union.

Stalin banished Trotsky & took control. He began his brutal killings, overseeing the deaths of approximately twenty million Soviet citizens.

Stalin’s Reign of Terror Does not follow communism as intended (created upper/more powerful class that dominates others) Created labor camps for “traitors” and resulted in killings.

Results? Stalin personally signed 357 proscription lists condemning approx. 40,000 executions Forced workers to send majority or all of harvests to support others Soviet Union Famine killed est. 1-1.5 million

Impact of Stalin Regime Russian write Badim Erlikman made the following estimates: Executions: 1.5 million Gulags (labor camps): 5 million Deportation: 1.7 million POWs and German civilians: 1 million Total: approx. 9 million victims of repression

Themes 1. Freedom & individual dignity must be guarded very carefully.

Themes 2. Language is a powerful tool; used improperly, it can enslave and confuse us.

Themes 3. Weakness can be dominated by strength, fear, and trickery.

Themes 4. Hope & vision must be kept alive, or we might live like the animals of Manor Farm.

Themes 5. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Characters Farmer Jones A drunk and a poor farmer, his cruelty towards the farm animals inspires their rebellion.

Characters Snowball A clever pig with a head for ideas,                                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.

Characters Napoleon A pig with a gift for techniques of control,                        Napoleon A pig with a gift for techniques of control, he establishes most of the farm’s rules and eventually becomes its sole leader.

Characters Old Major An elderly show pig whose                        Old Major An elderly show pig whose instruction to the animals about "animalism" becomes the philosophical basis for the creation of Animal Farm. Represents: Karl Marx and Vladamir Lenin

Characters Squealer A pig with the ability to make any                        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.

Characters Boxer A strong and hard-working carthorse,                        Boxer A strong and hard-working carthorse, he shows tremendous faith in the rebellion and its leaders.