Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution D. Maldonado

George Orwell ( )  Eric Blair  Educated at private schools  Resulted in hating the class system  disapproved of Communism  a socialist  Communism was not pure socialism because:  gulf in society  control of the peasants  Hypocritical  used his writings to communicate a political message

Orwell and Satire  Orwell was a socialist as well as a satirist  Orwell became a critic of capitalism and communism  Animal Farm is a Fable, a Satire, and an Allegory

Fable - A short story that has a moral and has animals as characters Brainstorm: Fables?

Satire -The use of ridicule to attack ideas/failures/evil action Brainstorm: Satirical cartoons?

Modern Examples

Allegory  emblem: a visible symbol representing an abstract idea  uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor

Wall-E as an Allegory “Allegorically, two metallic robots and a tiny green plant growing out of a discarded shoe appear prophetic, perhaps hyperbolically representing the concept of love for another, the necessity for community and the fragility of the balance of nature.”

Why an Allegory?  Provides for a greater audience  Easy way to spread a complex idea to the masses  Less “in your face” type of persuasion; provides a way to talk about something without REALLY talking about it To understand how Animal Farm is an allegory, you must have knowledge of the Russian Revolution.

Allegory in Animal Farm  Farmer Jones – Czar, Aggressive & Brutal  Old Major – Karl Marx; philosopher  Snowball – Lenin; democracy and industrialism  Napoleon – Stalin; controlling, terrorism  Squealer - propaganda

Allegory in Animal Farm  Beasts of England – Song of Rebellion  Windmill – Industrialization; hope that things will improve/life will get easier  Dogs – Secret Police (KGB); kill enemies and enslave those who threaten ruling class  Pigs – government (“smarter” than everyone else)  Boxer – proletariat (working class); loyal & hardworking  Mollie – upper class; lazy elitist  Moses – Russian Orthodox Church (heaven = Sugar Candy Mountain)  Benjamin – Older generation; things never change