Animal Farm

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Animal Farm

• George Orwell

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Chapter 1

• All of Orwells writing focused on destroying
  totalitarianism
• Published in 1945
• Animal Farm is a Fable
• A story where the characters are less important
  for individual characteristics and more important
  for the characters/people which they represent
• Many of the characters in Animal Farm represent
  real figures from the Russian Revolution

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Chapter 1 Characterization

• Orwell begins the novel with the third person
  narrator, why does he do this?
• Show Mr. Jones as a failed leader corrupt,
  flawed, complacent
• Pg. 25, 34
• Jones is symbolic of a leader ripe for take-over
• Indirectly, Orwell also uses personification to
  foreshadow their downfalls pgs 26-27
• Major wise, benevolent He will not last (27)
• Clover Motherly and loyal (26)
• Boxer Focus on strength, not intelligence.
  Represents lower class attitude (26)
• Benjamin cynical, doesnt talk. Represents those
  who wont help or oppose (26)
• Mollie Looks are everything (27)

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Chapter 1 Orwells Style

• Uses plain language and cumbersome paragraphs to
  indirectly plant the seeds of the revolution
• Old Majors mottos and rules are bought by most
  animals but they cannot all be followed
• Satire
• writing that ridicules a person, a group or an
  idea
• Allegory
• a narrative in which the characters and setting
  stand for abstract ideas
• Fable
• a story that teaches a moral usually short

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Chapter 1 Theme

• The concept of a Revolution
• Old Major says it is necessary
• Old Majors one sided facts (28-29)
• Comrade a direct link to R.R.
• Majors rules solidify the revolt and they are
  the reason that it fails!
• The Rules
• No animal shall live in a house
• No animal shall sleep in a bed
• No animal shall wear clothes
• No animal shall drink alcohol
• No animal shall smoke
• No animal shall engage in trade
• No animal shall tyrannize another animal

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Chapter 2

• Old Majors Death
• Very important because it allows the younger
  figures to take control
• He is an idealist and one would always wonder how
  the revolution would have gone with him there
• The Hesitant Animals
• These animals represent the peasants in Russia
  (26)
• Dont want to give up the security of their
  current government for the unknown

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Chapter 2

• The Importance of Persuasion-Squealer
• Squealer could turn black into white
• Squealer is persuasive and cunning
• Through Squealer, Orwell shows that charisma and
  persuasive speakers are very important
• He tells animals what they want to hear Raven
  tells tales Snowball is very firm with Mollie
• How would Squealer have handled Mollie?

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Chapter 2

• Shakespearean Influence
• Power of three (major dies three nights later,
  three pigs in control)
• Buried in the orchard
• Rebellion begins on a midsummers eve (ala
  Midsummer Nights Dream)

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Chapter 2

• The commandments
• 2 legs bad
• Four legs-wings good
• No clothes
• No bed
• No alcohol
• No killing
• All animals equal
• Mollie tries on ribbons on pg 31
• If the leaders single items out and say NO then
  the peasants will want them more!
• The pigs turn into hypocrites later because of
  these commandments
• In 2, friend is spelled friend and looks
  like Fiend
• Lies and corruption have already begun because
  the milk is gone (34)

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Chapter 2

• The commandments
• 2 legs bad
• Four legs-wings good
• No clothes
• No bed
• No alcohol
• No killing
• All animals equal
• These are written in parallel begin and end with
  commandments aimed at uniting the animals and
  establishing basic beliefs
• 3-5 are big mistakes based on psychology, these
  items make the citizens what to do these things
  more

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Chapter 3

• Moving Away from Old Majors Vision
• Classless society?
• Squealer destroys this society when he says that
  Jones would come back without the pigs (42)
• The pigs do no work (35)
• A class system is beginning to emerge

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Chapter 3

• The New Vision
• Squealer always uses fear to solidify the pigs
  place and this fear is used to persuade others
  into submission (41-43)
• The new system of manipulation is based on fear
  and psychology
• Old Major would have opposed all of this

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Chapter 3

• Snowball vs.. Napoleon
• A great divide is forming
• Snowballs committees is a different way of
  leading (39)
• Wants to establish ownership of Animalism among
  all animals
• Keep all animals busy and they wont rebel
• Whether any of the committees actually produce
  good/useable ideas does not matter
• Napoleon wants to do everything himself and
  establish a tight control over the other animals
• Takes the puppies and raises them himself (41)

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Chapter 3

• Orwells Style
• The book is narrated from the unquestioning point
  of view of the animals
• This perspective is used to create irony
• Even though the narrator is not questioning, the
  reader should beWhy?
• Napoleon takes the puppies
• The animals forget about them
• The milk disappears
• The apples preserved only for pigs
• The pigs do no work
• All of this should raise suspicion in the reader,
  even if it doesnt in the animals (35, 36, 43)

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Chapter 3

• Evolution of Animalism
• Ironic that the narrator calls the animals
  parasites on page 36.
• What are the pigs, then?
• Arent they doing the same things that the humans
  did?

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Chapter 4

• Napoleon
• He is not mentioned in this chapter
• This is the only post-revolution chapter where he
  is not mentioned
• This contrasts with Snowballs bravery
• Napoleon did not fight, is he dedicated to the
  revolution?

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Chapter 4

• Snowball
• Leads the charge
• Planned defense and military strategies
• Snowball studied Julius Caesar (47)
• An allusion that shows his scholarship and
  intellect
• Snowball earns a medal (49)
• Huge gap now between Napoleon and Snowball

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The Townspeople

• This chapter shows the first reactions to the
  revolution
• Apathy - Disbelief - Fear - Self-interest
• This attitude represents the attitude of other
  countries towards rebellion
• As the townspeople spread rumors of cannibalism,
  infidelity, and torture, it shows their feelings
  of being threatened
• This is a parody
• The propaganda the farmers use in their
  discussions is the same as the propaganda other
  nations use as a weapon

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Chapter 5 Napoleon vs.. Snowball

• A. Snowball is pure - his name is symbolic
• He is an intellectual and an idealist and his
  political ideas reflect this
• Napoleon is a tyrant and is named after Napoleon
  Bonaparte (allusion)
• Napoleon is economically minded, authoritarian,
  and a dictator
• The dogs are very allegorical
• He takes the dogs (the resources of the farm) and
  uses them against the farm animals (like a
  totalitarian dictator would)

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The Windmill

• Napoleon disagrees with Snowball over the
  windmill
• Why does he disagree, then want to build it
  anyway?
• Pages 56-57 show the difference in oratory
  skills
• Napoleon is very direct - rules through fear
• Snowball is very eloquent and wants everyone to
  agree and work together and believe in the
  windmill

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The New Rules

• Snowball is eliminated
• Napoleon ironically stands where Old Major once
  stood to deliver his speech
• Very authoritarian Ill decide and tell you
• No debates, only private meetings
• Napoleon seized control through power and will
  rule through fear, confusing ideas, etc

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The Characterization of Squealer

• Characterization
• Has some of Snowballs traits
• Persuasive and eloquent speaker
• Unlike Snowball, however, Squealer is shallow and
  a propaganda machine of the government
• Squealer would never express his own opinions,
  even if he had them
• He is exactly what Napoleon needs, but he is very
  detrimental to Animal Farm as a whole

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Squealer in Action

• B1 Page 59
• Everything Squealer says contradicts the truth
• No more meetings, but all animals are equal?
• Extra Labor - Napoleon makes all the decisions
  but does not work
• B2 Page 60
• Completely discounts Snowballs role in the
  battle
• Even though the animals saw Snowball fight, they
  believe Squealer
• B3 Pages 60 - 61
• The pigs are guarded by the dogs
• Them vs.. Us mentality

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Mollie Vs. Boxer

• C1 Mollie (51, 52)
• symbolic of the rich, pampered class during a
  revolution
• Just like Zaroff described in Game they leave
  because they are interested only in luxury and
  their way of life
• C2 Boxer (60)
• symbolic of the blind and trusting followers who
  follows the leader no matter what

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Chapter 6

• A. A Tyrants Trade
• Reintroduced by Napoleon and dissolves the
  remaining parts of Old Majors plan (66
• Mr. Whymper comes to Animal Farm and humans
  reemerge (66, 67)
• After trade begins, the pigs move into the
  farmhouse (69)
• Squealer reasons this out with the animals
  through repetition (67, 69, 70)
• Double standards concerning work continue to
  manifest but are dismissed right away (63, 65, 70)

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The Rewording of the 4th Commandment

• B. Napoleons Leadership
• Napoleon loves to take very general ideas and
  narrow them
• His changes are so slight that there appears to
  be no change at all
• He changes
• The commandment (69)
• Ideas on work (63)
• The interpretation of Snowballs work (72)

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The Windmill

• C Napoleon refuses to believe that the project
  is difficult (63)
• Napoleon uses his intelligence after the windmill
  is destroyed
• Many psychologists say man needs something to
  love and something to hate
• Educational psychology says that people who are
  kept very busy are easily controlled
• Napoleon uses both of these ideas to rebuild the
  windmill (71, 72)
• Snowball is blamed and this unites the comrades
  against a common enemy (someone to hate)
• Ironically, the animals unite against the true
  leader of the revolution

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Chapter 7 Napoleons Decisions

• A Napoleons Leadership
• When he lies to save face he is hurting his own
  people (82)
• Orwell uses this to satirize the authoritarian
  governments and how they never reach for outside
  help because it would show weakness in govt! (83)
• Put citizens welfare at risk to save face (75,
  76)
• Where are some examples of Napoleon doing this in
  chapter 7?

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Squealers Propaganda

• B Napoleon desires to sever all remaining ties
  with the original revolution- but not before he
  gets a medal (83)
• Snowball is the subject of most of the
  propaganda- Most of this is ironic and really
  refers to Napoleon
• He was a traitor from Day 1 (77, 78)
• He was never concerned with the welfare of the
  animals (75)
• Napoleon needs to discredit the early days of the
  revolution (79)
• Napoleon wants to change their ideology so that
  they will accept future changes

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The Beasts of England

• C Napoleons final act of chapter 7 is simple,
  yet difficult for the animals (86-87)
• The animals can accept laws, killings, food
  rations, and lies but have trouble with the song
  being abolished
• It is a low-level need, deeply rooted in their
  psyche It is a cultural tradition
• Why would Napoleon do this?

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Chapter 8 The Poem

• A. Full of ironic statements
• Friend of fatherless, faithful, etc
• Napoleon lives in almost complete seclusion, lies
  to the animals and kills them
• He is neither a friend nor a help

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Complete Success

• B Napoleons persona has been built up too much,
  a common mistake in authoritarian govt.
• He can never be wrong, which is why
• The gun is fired after the attack by Fredrick
• A new war decoration is created to hide the
  forged notes Napoleon accepted from Fredrick
• Plinkington refuses to help and Napoleon chose
  the wrong farmer to give the wood to
• Every time the pigs break a commandment, Squealer
  goes out at night and alters it
• Traitors are murdered

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The Effectiveness of Propaganda

• Shows effectiveness of propaganda
• A theme of Reliability of Memory is emerging
• Later, Orwell would continue to explore this in
  1984
• Muriel, through Orwells description of his
  mannerisms, seems to know something that the
  others do not
• Remembering wrong is what the animals call
  their incorrect interpretations
• Orwell uses propaganda, humor, and comedy to
  satirize how a nations collective memory can be
  called into question

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Chapter 9

• A. The Republic?
• Social commentary
• Many totalitarian governments implement dummy
  democracies
• Animal Farm does this and the citizens are so
  brainwashed that they cannot see that one choice
  is no choice!
• This is meant to be a chilling parallel to Old
  Major and the days when everything was decided by
  majority vote

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Chapter 9

• B. Squealers use of language
• Very important because it plays a huge part in
  his ability to successfully brainwash the
  citizens
• Repetition in many of his speeches is significant
• If one hears things over and over again, it will
  be believed
• A better life now is contrasted with the
  narrator saying and Orwell showing the opposite
• The sheep and Boxer are the best examples of
  blind followers

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Chapter 9

• C. Boxers Final Days
• Very ironic
• Several things become apparent
• There has been foreshadowing of this
• Dogs attack him, Clover warns him, injury
• Squealer and the narrator are in constant
  competition and this comes out in
• chapter 9
• Muriel finally reads

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Chapter 9

• D. Ignorance
• Boxers death brings the ignorance of the animals
  to the forefront
• Boxer was the hardest worker and was killed when
  his usefulness ran out
• This should make it clear that no one will retire
  and that Animalism is a farce
• This deductive reasoning hits Muriel, but no one
  else
• Squealers lies about being at Boxers bedside
  and Boxers last words accentuate this concept

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Chapter 10

• A. Theme Reliability of memory
• Few animals remain who remember Old Major, Jones,
  or Snowball
• Orwell is commenting on the effect of time and
  brainwashing on memory
• If something is not remembered, does it matter if
  it really happened?
• The elimination of the characters, flag, and
  meetings makes it seem like none of this ever
  happened

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Chapter 10

• B. Bureaucracy
• Squealer invents important work for the growing
  number of pigs to do
• The files convince the animals, but the
  audience knows that these ate lies!
• Totalitarian governments of ten do this because
  they favor one class of citizens over another

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Chapter 10

• The Ending
• The pigs have slowly been assimilating into human
  culture
• Hind legs, houses, beer, visits with humans
• Now it is too late
• They realize that the revolution is a joke but it
  is too late to do anything about it
• Basically, they have traded on totalitarian
  government for another

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