1. Introduction to Animal Farm
Mrs. Queen

2. ( )

3. Real Name: Eric Blair
British Political Novelist
Born: To English parents in India

4. After his father retired, Eric and his family moved back to England.

5. 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.
                                     

6.                                           At eighteen, he passed the Empire’s Civil Service Exam and became a police officer in Burma.          

7. 1927
Returned in Europe

8. 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.

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

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

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

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

13. His second
famous book:

14. 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.

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

16. 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.

17. Communism arose in Russia when the nation’s workers & peasants rebelled against and overwhelmed the wealthy and powerful class of capitalists & aristocrats.

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

19. This was based
on Karl Marx and his

20. The call for
action was . . .

21. Tsar Nicholas II’s reign (and demise)

22. 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.”

23. 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.”

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

25. 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.

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

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

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

29. 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.

30. 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 million

31. 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

38. 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.

39. 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.

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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.