1. A rhetorical study of:
George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” …who is George Orwell, why is the novel poignant, and what basic background “stuff” to know before reading…

2. "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." -- George Orwell

3. First: Who is George Orwell?
Eric Arthur Blair ( ) London
Worked various jobs, penned “George Orwell” to avoid family embarrassment and to protect himself from scrutiny
Enjoyed politics & joined militia for Spanish Civil War
Blair & his wife were indicted on treason charges in Spain; he & wife fled to England
“Animal Farm” (pub. 1945)- anti Soviet satire & allegory
“1984” (pub. 1949)- complete gov’t control dystopian novel
Huge success from AF & 1984!
Suffered demise from tuberculosis, just 47 years young

4. Second: AF’s Significance
As animal story, appeals to children & teenagers (i.e. fables)
Adv. Readers  serious political import
Orwell’s expression of views & convictions in disguise
Accounts of social injustices, persecutions & cruelties
**Characterization (development of animals)
**Allegorical connections (accurate historical events)
**Rhetoric (appeals and strategies of leaders and media)
**Banned in 126 countries (after Russian translation, Stalin’s gov’t banned in all Soviet-ruled areas)

5. Third: Basic Background “Stuff”
In short: The Russian Revolution (1917) deposed the czar, created the Bolsheviks (The Communist Party), who then established Soviet Union in 1922.
** VERY IMPORTANT! ** Do NOT feel intimidated by all of the allegorical references! Understand the basic elements and appreciate the literary ART Orwell creates throughout “Animal Farm.”

6. Basic Background People to Know
Czar Nicholas II executed
Karl Marx & Marxist Ideals
Vladimir Lenin’s brother allegedly plotted to kill previous czar; therefore, Lenin was exiled to Siberia for 3 years, returns and regains control, implements Bolsheviks & Marxist ideas. Illnesses hinder his “power”
Joseph Stalin wants total control (poor orator)
Leon Trotsky also wants control (strong orator)
1922 USSR established
1924 Lenin dies- Stalin named successor…Stalin v. Trotsky!
Woodrow Wilson = U.S. Winston Churchill = U.K. Adolf Hitler

7. Basic Background “Miscellaneous”
Russian Newspapers
LOOK FOR: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
“Gulags” = Soviet Forced Labor Camps ( s)