Pseudonym: George Orwell
Real Name: Eric Blair_
Became disillusioned with Communism when he fought in
The Spanish Civil War.
Another satirical novel he wrote about tyranny and
oppression with “Big Brother” as the government was
called: 1984.
Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution
and the rise of Soviet Communism.
Allegorical Identification:
Animal? Person
Shared Characteristics
Pilkington:
Man
Allies (the capitalistic West)
Frederick:
Man
Hitler
Windmill: Industrialization of the Soviet Union
Animalism
Marxism/Communism
Mr. Jones:
Man
Czar Nicholas II
Napoleon:
Pig
Stalin
Squealer:
Pig
The Soviet Propaganda Machine
Snowball:
Pig
Trotsky
Porkers Pigs
Followers/Soviet Elite
Old Major Pig
Marx/Lenin
Boxer
Workhorse Proletariat
Clover
Workhorse Proletariat
Moses
Raven
The Orthodox Church
Muriel
Goat
The intelligensia
Bluebell/Jesse
Dogs Middle class
Mollie
Show horse
Aristocrats who leave
Old Major’s dream: The Communist Manifesto
Execution of the animal traitors: Stalin’s purges
Dogs trained by Napoleon: KGB
What kind of animal
Characteristics
Napoleon:
Pig
A ruthless tyrant. Political.
Only out for his own power.
Squealer:
Pig
Skips from side to side. Lies.
Explains away the
changes. Persuasive.
Snowball:
Pig
Smart, Decorated War Hero,
excellent debater, inventor
Porkers:
Pigs: Feeders
Smart, literate,
Napoleon’s special people, but they
are executed if they challenge him.
Old Major:
Pig:
Prize Boar, “Pride of
Willingdon,” Dies in first chapter.
Boxer:
Work Horse
Mentally Dull, hard worker,
trust Napoleon.
Clover:
Work Horse
Mare. Never quite got her
figure back after having four
foals. Wonders why they never attained the dream of
being completely equal, of not being enslaved.
Moses:
Raven
Talks of Sugarcandy Mountain.
Muriel:
Goat
Smart, can read almost as well
as the pigs.
Bluebell:
Dog
Mother of the puppies
Jessie:
Dog
Father of the puppies
Mollie:
Horse
Vain, pretty, foolish white
mare: left for ribbons and sugar. Benjamin:
Donkey
Wise, cynical, “Nothing ever changes”:
How can you tell the difference between Mollie and
Clover?
Mollie is a pretty, white, spoiled show horse and
Clover is a motherly workhorse who has had four foals.
Who planned and surveyed a small knoll for the
windmill?
Snowball planned and surveyed a small knoll for the
windmill.
Who organizes and plans committees?
Snowball plans and organizes the committees.
Who explains and re-explains the commandments as they
are revised?
Squealer explains and re-explains the commandments.
Who became so drunk that he fell off the ladder? What
was he doing at that point?
Squealer became drunk and fell off the ladder while he
was painting the changes in the commandments.
Who repeats “four legs good, two legs
end?
The sheep repeat “four legs good, two
Who educates the nine puppies? Why?
Napoleon educates the nine puppies in
them loyal to him.
bad for hours on
legs bad.”
Where?
the loft to make
What goes wrong with the sale of timber?
Napoleon sells it to Fredrick who pays with counterfeit
money.
Who talks about heaven and what is it called? Why does
this bother anyone?
Moses talks about Sugarcandy Mountain, which represents
heaven. At first the pigs hate it because it takes the
lesser animals’ minds off of the rebellion. Later the
pigs begin to tolerate Moses and even give him beer.
He keeps the animals’ minds off their suffering.
What happens to the small paddock behind the orchard?
What was it supposed to be?
The small paddock was planted to barley for beer. It
was supposed to be put aside for retirement.
Places in Review: Where does the following happen?
The novel: England countryside.
The town near the
novel: Willingdon
Pigs sleep here: House
Originally intended to be a museum: Jones’ house.
Stones for the windmill are taken from here: Quarry
Education of the different animals: Napoleon (dogs and
pigs) and Snowball (Education committees.)
There will be a section on quotes. You can identify
these by thinking about the animals characters. For
example which animal would talk about wearing ribbons
or not wearing ribbons, which animal would talk about
tactics, which animals knew how to read well and notso-well, which animal changes the subject, which one
blames Snowball, which one talks of oppression.
Plot Analysis:
What are the battles called, what happened, who leads
them, and who is honored?
The Midsummer Rebellion was against Jones, all animals
were rebelling and pulling together. The Battle of
Cowshed was against Jones and his men, and Snowball led
the rebellion.
Why is the windmill built, who plans it, how is it
destroyed, and what do they do then?
The windmill is planned by Snowball to generate
electricity and reduce the animals’ workload. It is
destroyed first by a storm, (Napoleon blames Snowball),
and the second time it is destroyed by Fredrick and his
men. It is finally rebuilt and used mill corn.
Who is Mr. Whymper? What does he do?
He is a man who works as the “go-between” for Napoleon
and businessmen.
What happens to Boxer?
He gets hurt in the Battle of the Windmill, then he
gets sick from overwork (lung problems). For his
loyalty he is rewarded with begin sold to the knackers
(horse glue maker).
What happens to the song, “Beasts of England”?
It is forbidden and replaced with “Animal Farm, Animal
Farm” and “Comrade Napoleon.”
What happens between Napoleon and Mr. Pilkington?
Napoleon tries to take advantage of Pilkington and then
sells the timber to Fredrick instead of Pilkington.
When Fredrick attacks, Pilkington will not help. In
the end they played cards together and both Mr.
Pilkington and Napoleon cheated each other.
What happens between Napoleon and Mr. Fredrick?
Napoleon tries to take advantage of Mr. Fredrick and
instead Mr. Fredrick cheats him by paying him with
counterfeit money.
What is the last commandment? How is it changed?
“All animals are equal” is changed to “All animals are
equal, but some are more equal than others.”
What do the pigs look like in the end?
They look exactly like the humans. There is no
difference.
WORDS TO KNOW:
Purge: a cleansing--killing off those people who are
undesirable.
Propaganda: Information spread to promote biased ideas
Chaos:great disorder or confusion
Allegory: A fiction story that represents true life.
Utopia: a perfect place
Proletariat: Lower class workers who have nothing to
sell but their own physical labor.
Moral: lesson or point of the story
Pseudonym: Fake name
Persona: the character the author speaks his opinions
through
Tyranny: a rule of absolute authority
Satire: A work that makes fun of society or people in
order to change it (them).
Oppression: To be under someone else's control to the
extent that you can't do what you want
Communist Manifesto: From each one according to his
abilities, To each one according to his needs.
Corrupt: To destroy goodness
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