FIRST, SOME IMPORTANT TERMS…
• Totalitarianism: A kind of dictatorship where one political party
has total control and all opposition is ruthlessly suppressed.
• Fable: A humorous story in which animals speak and act like
humans in order to expose some human weakness.
• Satire: A form of literature that uses ridicule to make fun of
people or events in order to bring about change.
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Allegory: a story that can be read on two levels
1.
Animal Farm can be read
as a funny fable about
animals who rebel
against their owner and
take over a farm in
England, only to allow
corruption to ruin it.
2.
Animal Farm can be read
as an allegory that
satirizes the events of
the Russian Revolution of
1917 with animals
representing characters
from Russian history.
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Farmer Jones
Czar Nicholas II
•Irresponsible with his
animals
•Poor leader in comparison
to other monarchs
•Sometimes cruel: beats
them; letting them starve
•Cruel: sometimes brutal
with political opponents
•Sometimes kind; mixing
milk in the animals’ food
•Sometimes kind: hired
starving students to work
as spies
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Old Major
Karl Marx
•Taught Animalism
•Invented Communism
•Workers do the work, rich
keep the money, animals
revolt
•“Workers of the World
Unite”- take over the
economy (factories and
farms) and thus the
government
•Dies before the revolution
takes place
•Dies before the Russian
Revolution
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Animalism
Communism
•No social classes – no
rich, but no poor
•No social classes – no
rich, but no poor
•Workers get a better life;
all animals are equal
•All people are equal
•Animals own the farm
•Government owns
everything and the people
own the government
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Snowball
Leon Trotsky
•Young, smart, good
speaker, idealistic
•One of the leaders of the
revolution
•Really wants to make life
better for all
•Pure Communist, followed
Marx
•One of the leaders of the
revolution
•Wanted to improve life for
all in Russia
•Chased away into exile by
Napoleon’s dogs
•Chased away by Lenin’s
KGB (secret police)
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Napoleon
Joseph Stalin
•Not a good speaker, not
as smart as Snowball
•Not a good speaker, not
as educated as Trotsky
•Cruel, brutal, selfish,
devious, corrupt
•Didn’t follow Marx’s ideas
•Ambition for power, killed
opponents
•Used the dogs, Moses the
Raven, and Squealer to
control the animals
•Cared for power only;
killed his opponents
•Used KGB, allowed the
Church, used propaganda
– all for control
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Squealer
•Convinces animals to
believe and follow
Napoleon
•Changes and manipulates
the commandments
Propaganda / The Ministry
of Information
•Worked for Stalin to
support his image
•Used any lie that would
support Stalin
•Benefited from
government control of
education
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
The Dogs
KGB, The Secret Police
•A private army that used
fear to force the animals to
work
•Not really police, but
enforcers used to support
Stalin
•Killed or intimidated any
opponent of Napoleon
•Used force; often killed
entire families for
disobedience
•Essential part of
Napoleon’s strategy to
control the animals
•Totally loyal to Stalin, even
more so than the military
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Moses the Raven
•Tells Animals about Sugar
Candy Mountain (heaven)
•Animals can go there if
they work hard
•Snowball and Old Major
were against him
• They thought Sugar
Candy Mountain was a
lie to make the animals
work.
• Napoleon let him stay
because he taught the
animals to work and not
complain.
Organized Religion
•Designed to teach people
to not complain about their
circumstances (why
complain when you’ll be in
heaven soon?)
•Stalin allowed religion to
calm down the discontent of
the people.
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Mollie
•Vain; loved her beauty and
herself
•Didn’t think about Animal
Farm
•Went with anyone that
gave her what she wanted
Vain people of Russia &
the world / Bourgeoisie
•Some people didn’t care
about the revolution
•Only thought of their own
self interest
•Escaped to other
countries that offered
more for them
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Boxer
•Strong, loyal, hard working
horse; believed in Animal
Farm
•“I Will Work Harder”
•“Napoleon Is Always
Right”
•Gives his all, but is
betrayed by Napoleon who
sells him to the glue
factory.
Dedicated, but tricked
supporters of the
Revolution
•People believed Stalin
because he was
“Communist”
•Many stayed loyal even
after he was revealed as a
tyrant
•Betrayed by Stalin who
ignored or killed them
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Benjamin
•Old, wise donkey who is
suspicious of Napoleon
•Thinks “nothing ever
changes” – he was right
•Cynical, stubborn mindset
•His suspicious about Boxer
being sent to the glue
factory and the
commandments being
changed were proved true.
•“Donkey’s live a long time”
Skeptical people of Russia
and the outside world
•Weren’t sure Revolution
would change anything
•Realized that a tyrant could
call himself a Communist,
but knew Communism
wouldn’t work with tyrants
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ANIMAL FARM vs. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
Overall details of the
revolution:
Overall details of the
revolution:
•Was designed to make life
better for the animals
•Supposed to fix the
problems that existed
under the Czar’s rule
•Life ended up being far
worse under the animals
as compared to the
humans they rebelled
against
•Life was worse (under
Stalin’s control) after the
revolution than before
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