Mrs. Snyder
English 9
January 8, 2013
Who Was George Orwell?

 Born as Eric Blair in 1903 in India,
which was part of the British
Empire at the time
 Became a socialist (he believed in
social ownership of production
and economy), and fought in the
Spanish Civil War in 1936
 He wrote literary criticism,
poetry, fiction and was a
journalist under the penname
George Orwell
George Orwell

 He did not approve of the
Soviet Union during the
1930’s and 1940’s (now known
as Russia and surrounding
areas), which was under
control of the Communist
party
 He was a critic of both
capitalism and communism,
and became an advocate of
freedom
 He is mostly known for his
anti-communist novels
Animal Farm and 1984
What Orwell was Against

 Communism: is a social, political and economic
ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless,
moneyless, stateless society which is based upon
common ownership of the means of production.
 Capitalism: an economic ideology that includes
private ownership of the means of production,
creation of goods or services for profit or income,
competitive markets, voluntary exchange and wage
labor.
What Orwell was Against

 Totalitarianism: a government that concentrates all
the power in the hands of the state, suppress the
individual, and control every aspects of people’s
lives through coercion (threats or intimidation).
Animal Farm

 Animal Farm, written
in 1945, is an
allegorical fable used
to tell the history of
Soviet communism
 Certain animals in the
novella are based
directly on Communist
Party leaders
Wait…what’s an allegory?

 A story, poem, or picture that can
be interpreted to reveal a hidden
meaning, typically a moral or
political one.
 An example of an allegory that you
may be familiar with is the Disney
Pixar film Wall-E.
 It is an allegory about how the
human race is ruined by our
dependence on technology, and is
redeemed by a robot that refuses to
follow our orders.
Well, what’s a fable?

 A fable is usually a tale
about animals who are
personified (given
human-like qualities) and
behave as though they
were humans
 A moral--a rule of
behavior--is woven into
the story
 An example of a fable is
Disney’s The Lion King
Allegorical Fable

 Put them together and
you get an allegorical
fable- A short narrative
making a moral point,
traditionally by means
of animal characters
who speak and act like
human beings.
History Behind Animal
Farm

 Russia was under control of a dynasty.
 In the early 1900s, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II faced an increasingly
discontented populace. Freed from feudal serfdom (bondage and
slavery) in 1861, many Russian peasants were struggling to survive
under an oppressive government.
 By 1917, amidst the tremendous suffering of World War I, a
revolution began. In two major battles, the Czar’s government was
overthrown and replaced by the Bolshevik leadership of Vladimir
Lenin.
 When Lenin died in 1924, his former colleagues Leon Trotsky, hero
of the early Revolution, and Joseph Stalin, head of the Communist
Party, took over and established a new government based on the
tenets of communism, which included the equal distribution of
wealth and the promotion of atheism and gender equality.
Stalin’s Uprising

 Eventually, Trotsky and Stalin struggled for power. Stalin won the battle,
and he deported Trotsky into permanent exile, where he had Trotsky
executed.
 Once in power, Stalin began to move the Soviet Union into the modern
industrial age. His government seized land in order to create collective
farms.
 Many peasants refused to give up their land, so to counter resistance,
Stalin used vicious military tactics. Rigged trials led to executions of an
estimated 20 million government officials and ordinary citizens.
 The government controlled the flow and content of information to the
people, and all but outlawed churches.
Stalin’s Control

 To protect himself and his government from
treachery, Stalin not only increased the government’s
spying, carried out by the KGB (secret police) but he
turned Soviet citizens against one another.
 Terrified of imprisonment, torture, work in the
Gulags (labor camps) and execution, people spied on
and turned in their coworkers, neighbors, and even
family members. In total, tens of millions of people
experienced Stalin’s terror firsthand.
Stalin’s Control

 In the 1930’s, Stalin gave Soviet support to Spain in
the Spanish Civil War, in which the country was
trying to defend itself against the German and
Japanese forces of fascism. (This is the war in which
George Orwell fought, against fascism but also
against the Soviets.)
 Stalin remained in control of the Soviet Union until
his death in 1953.
Animal Farm’s Debut

 Orwell began writing
Animal farm in 1944,
and a few months later,
the novella hit the
bookshelves in England
and recounted,
allegorically, much of
this history.
Napoleon = Joseph Stalin
Napoleon
 Boar who leads the rebellion
against Farmer Jones
 After the rebellion’s success,
he systematically begins to
control all aspects of the farm
until he is an undisputed
tyrant.

Joseph Stalin
 The communist dictator of the
Soviet Union from 1922-1953
who killed all who opposed
him.
 He loved power and used the
KGB (secret police) to enforce
his ruthless, corrupt antics.
Farmer Jones = Czar
Nicholas II

Farmer Jones
 The irresponsible owner of
the farm
 Lets his animals starve and
beats them with a whip
 Sometimes shows random
kindness
Czar Nicholas II
 Weak Russian Leader
during the 1900’s
 Often cruel and brutal to his
subjects
 Showed isolated kindness
Snowball = Leon Trotsky

Snowball
 Boar who becomes one of the
most valuable leaders of the
rebellion
 After drawing complicated
plans for the construction of a
windmill, he is chased off of
the farm forever by
Napoleon’s dogs and
thereafter is blamed for the
animals’ troubles.
Leon Trotsky
 A pure communist leader
who was influenced by the
teachings of Karl Marx
 He wanted to improve life
for people in Russia, but was
driven away by Lenin’s
KGB.
Old Major = Karl Marx

Old Major
•
•
•
•
An old boar whose speech
about the evils perpetrated by
humans rouses the animals into
rebelling.
His philosophy concerning the
tyranny of Man is named
Animalism.
He teaches the animals the song
“Beasts of England”
Dies before the revolution
Karl Marx
 The inventor of communism
 Wants to unite the working
class to overthrow the
government
 Died before the Russian
Revolution
Who was Karl Marx?

 Many of the ideas behind the Soviet revolution were
based on the writings and teachings of Karl Marx.
 A German intellectual who lived in the mid-1800s, Marx
believed that societies are divided into two segments, a
working class and an owner class. The working class
creates all the products, while the owner class enjoys all
the benefits of these products. This class division leads to
inequality and oppression of the working class.
 Marx’s objective was to create a classless society in which
the work is shared by all for the benefit of all, and he
believed revolution was the way to achieve this goal.
Other Important
Characters

Squealer
• A big mouth pig who
becomes Napoleon’s
mouthpiece.
• He has the ability to
manipulate the animals’
thoughts through the use
of hollow, yet convincing
rhetoric.
• Represents the
propaganda department
that worked to support
Stalin’s image; the
members of the
department would use
lies to convince the people
to follow Stalin.
Boxer

A dedicated but dimwitted
horse whom aids in the
building of the windmill but is
sold to a glue-boiler after
collapsing from exhaustion.
Represents the dedicated, but
tricked communist supporters
of Stalin. Many stayed loyal
even after it was obvious Stalin
was a tyrant. Eventually they
were betrayed, ignored, and
even killed by him.
Jessie and Bluebell

• The farm's sheepdogs, they
keep tabs on the pigs and
are among the first to
suspect that something is
wrong at Animal Farm.
 Represent the KGB
(secret police) that kept
tabs on the Russian
citizens

Moses
• A tame raven and
sometimes-pet of Jones who
tells the animals stories
about a paradise called
Sugarcandy Mountain.
• Moses represents religion.
Stalin used religious
principles to influence
people to work and to avoid
revolt.
Other Characters

 Pilkington
Jones' neighbor, he finds a way to profit from Animal Farm by
forming an alliance with the pigs.
 Muriel
A goat who believes in the rebellion, she watches as Animal
Farm slips away from its founding principles.
 Mollie
A vain horse who resists the animal rebellion because she
doesn't want to give up the petting and treats she receives from
humans. Mollie represents vain, selfish people in Russia and
throughout the world who ignored the revolution and sought
residence in more inviting countries.
More Characters

 Benjamin
The most cynical of all the animals, the farm's donkey doubts the
leadership of the pigs but is faithfully devoted to Boxer. Benjamin
represents all the skeptical people in Russia and elsewhere who
weren’t sure revolution would change anything.
 The Sheep
Not tremendously clever, the sheep remind themselves of the
principles of animalism by chanting "four legs good, two legs bad.“
 The Dogs
Napoleon’s private army that used fear to force the animals to
work; they killed any opponent of Napoleon. The dogs represent
Stalin’s loyal KGB (secret police). The KGB were not really police,
but mercenaries used to force support for Stalin.
Animalism =
Communism

Animalism
Taught by Old Major
No rich, but no poor
Better life for workers
All animals are equal
Everyone owns the farm
Communism
Invented by Karl Marx
All people are equal
Government owns
everything
People own the
government
Animal Farm Rebellion =
Russian Revolution

Animal Farm Rebellion
Was supposed to make life
better for all, but . . .
 Life was worse at the
end.
 The leaders became the
same as, or worse than
the other farmers
(humans) they rebelled
against.
Russian Revolution
Was supposed to fix the
problems created by the
Czar, but . . .
 Life was even worse
after the revolution.
 Stalin made the Czar
look like a nice guy.
Seven Principals of
Animalism

1. Whatever goes on two
legs is an enemy
2. Whatever goes on four
legs, or has wings, is a
friend
3. No animal shall kill any
other animal
4. No animal shall sleep in
a bed
5. No animal shall wear
clothes
6. No animal shall drink
alcohol
7. All animals are equal

Any questions or
comments?