ANIMAL FARM
Writing a critical essay
QUESTION
• Animal Farm represents a revolution
that is a failure as a result of those
who would benefit most from it.
Explore who is ultimately responsible
for the downfall of ‘Animal Farm’.
Discuss with reference to
characterisation, key incidents and
theme.
INTRODUCTION
• Name of author – George Orwell
• Name of text – Animal Farm
• Reference to the question – You must explain
what your essay is going to do with reference to
the question.
• ‘Animal Farm represents a revolution that is a
failure as a result of those who would benefit
most from it. Explore who is ultimately
responsible for the downfall of ‘Animal Farm’.
Discuss with reference to characterisation, key
incidents and theme.’
Break the essay up by exploring 3
characters you consider responsible
for Animal Farm’s failure.
I suggest we look at:
• Old Major
• Napoleon
• Boxer
• You can choose to discuss other animals if
you wish.
Let’s start with Old Major
We need to think about the ways in which Old
Major was responsible for the downfall of
‘Animal Farm’ and how he would benefit from it.
We need to examine this by exploring
characterisation (character/personality points
that are developed in the novel), key incidents
(main events that occur throughout the novel)
and theme (theme is a main idea that runs
through the novel, in this case power and
corruption).
Old Major - Characterisation
• What is it about Old Major that drives him
to want the revolution of ‘Animal Farm’?
– He is ambitious for the equality of animals, he
is a communist.
• Statement –
STATEMENT
• “Orwell (when referring to the author always use
his surname) uses the technique of
characterisation to show how Old
Major is responsible for the downfall
of ‘Animal Farm’ as he shows us that
Old Major is ambitious for the equality
of the animals and is a communist,
believes in communism.”
QUOTATION
• Your quotation must support your
statement.
– “The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that’s the
plain truth.”
– “Never listen when they tell you that man and animals
have a common interest.”
– “All animals are equal.”
– “And among us animals let there be perfect unity,
perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are
enemies. All animals are comrades.”
ANALYSIS
• In your analysis you must explain how
your quotation supports your statement
with reference to the question.
– Old Major wants all the animals to be the
same.
– He wants the animals to be friends and all to
be equal, no one to be in charge of anyone
else.
– He initiates the idea of revolution and
identifies man as the enemy.
ANALYSIS – Refer to/answer
question
• How does all of this make Old Major
responsible for the downfall of Animal
Farm?
– It is an impossible concept – all animals can’t
be equal. Some are
advantaged/disadvantaged by default (ability
to read, willingness/ability to learn and belief
in the revolution), Old Major did not consider
this.
ANALYSIS – Refer to/answer
question
• How could Old Major have benefited from
the revolution?
– He would be a ‘legend’, would be
remembered and become an important
historical figure.
– The realisation of his dream
KEY INCIDENTS
• If technique 1 was characterisation,
technique 2 is key incidents (main events
that happen in the novel).
– You need to think of an event in the novel
around Old Major or something Old Major is
involved in that contributes to the downfall of
Animal Farm.
» Barn Speech (his dream)
» His death
STATEMENT
• “A key incident in the novel that involves
Old Major in the failure of Animal Farm is
his death.”
QUOTATION
• “Three nights later Old Major died
peacefully in his sleep.”
You don’t need to say “a quotation which
shows this is…”
Your quotation can just follow your
statement.
Remember, your quotation must be in
quotation/speech marks.
ANALYSIS
• Again, your analysis should show how
your quotation supports your statement.
– Tells us he died
ANALYSIS – Refer to/answer the
question
• How does Old Major’s death mean he is
responsible for the downfall of Animal
Farm?
– He gave them the idea but wasn’t there to
help them interpret the dream properly.
– They understood the dream differently.
THEME
• Technique 3 is THEME
• Although there are several themes in
Animal Farm we are looking at POWER
AND CORRUPTION
So, we are thinking about how power and
corruption, in relation to Old Major,
contributes to the downfall of Animal Farm
STATEMENT
• “The theme of power and corruption
shows us that Old Major is responsible for
the downfall of Animal Farm as he
imagines a world where no animal has
power but forgets that there will always be
corruption and that some animals will be
advantaged and/or disadvantaged in
relation to the other animals .”
QUOTATION
• Old Major clearly states that all animals should
be equal and no one animal should have power
over the others.
• “no animal must ever tyrannize over his own
kind.”
• However, corruption is something that cannot be
avoided, Old Major failed to recognise this.
• “The work of teaching and organising the
others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were
generally recognized as being the cleverest of
the animals.”
ANALYSIS
• We see here that although Old Major
dreams of an ideal where all animals are
equal he has not considered that this is
unable to function practically. As the pigs
are naturally more intelligent than the
other animals they are immediately at an
advantage and are willing and able to
corrupt and take charge of the revolution.
ANALYSIS – Refer to the question
As a result of Old Major not fully
considering the impact of his dream he
contributes to the downfall of Animal Farm
by giving the animals the idea in the first
place and not telling them about, or
recognising the possible problems
associated with it.
NAPOLEON
You are now focusing on Napoleon – forget
about Old Major!
•
•
•
•
•
Start off by thinking about how Napoleon is
responsible for the downfall of Animal Farm.
He’s greedy and selfish
He wants power and to be the leader
He is a dictator
He becomes like man
He is the new Mr Jones – worse!
Characterisation – technique 1
The character point that we are going to look at
is his greed and selfishness.
STATEMENT – The technique of characterisation
is used to show…
QUOTATION – (show Napoleon is greedy and
selfish) – pages 21 – 22
ANALYSIS – Explain why the pigs, particularly
Napoleon, taking the milk and apples shows that
Napoleon is greedy and selfish. How does this
answer the question? How is Napoleon
responsible for the downfall of Animal Farm?
KEY INCIDENTS – technique 2
The second technique is key incidents. Pick a
main event in the novel which shows Napoleon
doing something or being involved in something
which contributes to the downfall of Animal
Farm.
• Windmill
• Lives in the house
• Changes the commandments (would be better
for looking at theme)
• Snowball
• Boxer being taken away
STATEMENT – The technique…
• Windmill
• Lives in the house
• Snowball
• Boxer being taken away
QUOTATION – Must show that Napoleon
has done something that in the end
contributes to the downfall of Animal Farm
ANALYSIS – Explain how your quotation
supports your statement and answers the
question.
THEME – technique 3
Theme of power and corruption
STATEMENT – The technique… (changing the
commandments)
QUOTATION – pages 42, 56 and 76 have useful
quotes
ANALYSIS – Must show how your quotation
supports your statement and how this shows
Napoleon was responsible for the downfall of
Animal Farm
BOXER
First think about the ways in which Boxer
contributes to the downfall of Animal Farm.
• His loyalty to Napoleon (“Napoleon is
always right”)
• He worked himself to the ground
• He is too innocent, too trusting
CHARACTERISATION – technique 1
STATEMENT – Either his loyalty or him
being innocent and trusting
QUOTATION – “Napoleon is always right”
ANALYSIS - Explain how your quotation
supports your statement and answers the
question.
KEY INCIDENTS – technique 2
STATEMENT – His illness, he causes it
himself
QUOTATION – page 69
ANALYSIS - Explain how your quotation
supports your statement and answers the
question.
THEME – technique 3
STATEMENT – power and corruption. How
Napoleon exploits Boxer. Boxer is too
loyal.
QUOTATION –
STATEMENT - Explain how your quotation
supports your statement and answers the
question.
CHARACTER
If you wish you can add another character
to be discussed.
• Mr Jones
• Snowball
• Squealer
You can use all three of the characters we
have discussed or three of your own or a
mixture of ones we have discussed and
ones you have made up.
Please do not look at more than 4
characters
CONCLUSION
• Summarise what you have said in the main body
of the essay.
• Refer to/answer the question
• Who is ultimately responsible? (of the characters
you have discussed).
“It is obvious that … is mostly responsible for the
downfall of Animal Farm because…”
“…contributes most to the downfall of Animal Farm
because…”