ANIMAL
FARM
BACKGROUND
NOTES
AUTHOR BACKGROUND

George Orwell is the
penname or pseudonym
for Eric Arthur Blair

Born in Bengal, India
in 1903 while it was
under Imperialist rule

His family was of the
lower part of the
upper-middle class
ORWELL’S SCHOOLING

Attended everywhere
on scholarship
because of his
family’s financial
struggles

Went on to Eton, but
instead of continuing
on with university
classes he joins the
Indian Imperial Police

His school experiences taught him about the
inequality/oppression of social classes
IMPERIAL POLICE
(BURMA, INDIA)

Gave him a view from
the top as he enforced
the law over the Indian
citizens

Felt a growing anger
towards his own class
as an imperialist
(continuing the cycle)

Resigns after 5 years
and returns to London
1923
Burma Provincial Police Training School, Mandalay
(Eric Blair standing third from the left)
LONDON, PARIS, & SPAIN

London & Paris
– works as a teacher, tutor, &
dishwasher
– lives amongst the poor by choice
– begins career as writer
– changes name to protect parents
– establishes political viewpoint

Spain
– writes about Spanish Civil War,
joins fight
– sees the ills of communism
“WHY I WRITE”

Orwell wrote in 1946, “every line of serious work
that I have written since 1936 has been written,
directly or indirectly, against Totalitarianism
and for Democratic Socialism.”
MOST KNOWN WORKS

Finished writing
Animal Farm in 1943,
but wasn’t published
until 1945 because the
Soviet Union was an
ally of Britain in WWII

Completed 1984 before
his death in 1950 due
to tuberculosis
ANIMAL FARM LITERARY TERMS
ALLEGORY
– a narrative that can be read on more than one level.
The events and characters have hidden or symbolic
meanings
FABLE
– a narrative that attempts to reinforce a truth or
lesson by using animals as the main characters
PARABLE
– a brief story teaching a moral or lesson
SATIRE
– attacks a serious issue by presenting it in a
ridiculous light or poking fun at it

Animal Farm is a literary metaphor of the
human condition which brings together the
important themes of:
– Politics
– Truth and falsehood
– God and religion
– Human rights
– Class conflict

Animal Farm was written as an allegory of
the Russian Revolution and its aftermath.
ANIMAL FARM
HISTORICAL PARALLELS
PRE-REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA

Nicholas II became Czar in 1884
– Believed he was the absolute ruler anointed by God
– Paid no attention to the Duma

Russo-Japanese War (1904) – defeat led to political
instability

Rapid growth of the discontented working class

Little help from the countryside because they were mainly
impoverished peasants who had no individual land ownership
and were dealing with rural famine

World War I is the last straw for many revolutionaries
– Revealed the ineptitude and arrogance of the country’s
aristocratic elite
– Corrupt military leadership had contempt for ordinary
Russian people
– Average peasants had very little invested in the War
RUSSIAN
REVOLUTION




Began in 1917 as a conflict between the Russian proletariat
(working class) and the bourgeoisie (owners/middle class)
The leaders of the revolution are Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin
The March Revolution – March 12th
– Origins: Food riots/strikes
– Duma declared itself a Provisional Government
– Czar ordered soldiers to intervene; instead they joined the
rebellion…the Czar thus abdicated the throne
The November Revolution – November 17th
– Lenin seized the Winter Palace, the seat of the Provisional
Government
– All private property was abolished and divided amongst the
peasantry
– The largest industrial enterprises were nationalized
– Start of the Communist Party
CZAR NICHOLAS II







1869-1918
Last of the Romanovs
A poor leader at best,
compared to western kings
Cruel – sometimes brutal
with opponents
Sometimes kind – hired
students as spies to make
money
After being forced to
abdicate, he was executed
by the Bolsheviks
Represented by Mr. Jones in
the novel
KARL MARX

Known as the Father of Communism
– Has a vision of ending the exploitation of man by
man
– Wants a classless society
and worker owned factories
and farms

Wrote Das Capital
and Communist Manifesto
– Most famous rallying cry for
communism is the political slogan
from CM: “Workers of the world unite!”

Dies before the Russian Revolution
VLADIMIR LENIN




Lenin adopted Marx’s ideas.
– Believed that the bourgeoisie
exploited workers and must
therefore be overthrown
Involved in the Communist Party
as the leader of the working class
– Leader of Bolsheviks – forces
Czar to abdicate throne
Established Pravda because he
understood the emotional impact
of simple, powerful slogans
Changed Russia’s name to the Union of Sovereign Soviet
Republics (USSR)
THE PIG, OLD MAJOR
Represents both
Vladimir Lenin
Karl Marx
LEON TROTSKY





Led the revolution along with
Lenin and Stalin
Pure communist, followed Marx
He is an idealist
– One that places a high goal over
practical things
– wanted to improve life for all in
Russia
Noted as a brilliant speaker
Represented by the pig Snowball
– A snowball is symbolic of purity
and impermanence
JOSEPH STALIN





Didn’t exactly follow Marx’s
ideas
Average speaker, not educated
like Trotsky
Was ruthless in his desire for
power, even killing those who
would oppose him
Used the KGB and propaganda
– Rewrote history and
communist theories to
benefit himself
Represented by the pig, Napoleon
TROTSKY & STALIN
After Lenin’s death, Trotsky (Leader of Red
Army) and Stalin (Lenin’s mouthpiece)
compete for power
 Stalin wins
 Trotsky is exiled,
deported, and later in
his life assassinated
– The exiled Trotsky
was still very useful to Stalin as he now had
Trotsky to blame for all the problems and
difficulties that Russia suffered.

THE PIG SQUEALER



Part of Pravda, the propaganda
department of the Communist
government
– Means “truth”
Also the name of their
Communist newspaper
Worked for Stalin to support
his image
– Used any lie to convince
the people to follow Stalin
– Benefitted from the fact
that education was
controlled
THE WORK HORSE BOXER


Represents the common man
of Russia or those dedicated,
but tricked supporters
– People believed Stalin
because he was
“Communist”
– Many stayed loyal after it
was obvious he was a tyrant
Considered the hardest
working animal on farm
– Motto: “I will work harder”
THE RAVEN MOSES



Tells the animals of a magical place
called Sugarcandy Mountain, a satire
of heaven.
Represents Rasputin, mystic monk
with hypnotic powers
– Influenced the Czar and his wife,
throwing the government into
chaos
Also represents religion
– Marx said it was the “Opiate of the
people”
– Religion was tolerated because it
was used to make people not
complain and do their work
THE DOGS



Represent the KGB or Secret
Police
– Not really police, but forced
support for Stalin
Used force, often killed entire
families for disobedience
Totally loyal
THE
FARM OWNER,
MR. FREDERICK

Represents German
dictator Adolf Hitler
THE
FARM OWNER,
MR. PILKINGTON

Represents Prime Minister of
England Winston Churchill
Will Animal
Farm ally
with
Frederick or
Pilkington?
• Stalin negotiated with both Germany and Great Britain.
THE HORSE
MOLLIE
THE DONKEY
BENJAMIN



Represents the skeptical
people in and outside of
Russia
Intellectual and Cynical
– Weren’t sure
revolution would
change anything
– Knew Communism
wouldn’t work with
power
Could he
represent
Orwell?

Represents the
bourgeoisie, the luxury
lovers
– Vain, selfish people
– Went to other
countries that
offered more for
them
THE SHEEP THE CAT

Represent the
masses, who
blindly follow the
leader

Represent sneaky
opportunists, who
are people who
take advantage of
others for their
own gain