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Animal Farm

Animal Farm. George Orwell. George Orwell (1903 –1950). Journalist, novelist, and essayist Also wrote 1984 , a famous dystopian novel Lower-upper-middle class: educated as a scholarship student in expensive and exclusive English boarding schools

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Animal Farm

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  1. Animal Farm George Orwell

  2. George Orwell (1903 –1950) • Journalist, novelist, and essayist • Also wrote 1984, a famous dystopian novel • Lower-upper-middle class: educated as a scholarship student in expensive and exclusive English boarding schools • Purposely bought ragged clothes so he could live in the poorest areas of London, so he could write about it later • Observed the atrocities of the Spanish civil war, WWII, and Stalinist Russia

  3. Animal Farm is… • An allegory: a story that carries on a second meaning. The whole story is an extended metaphor • A satire: the literary ridicule of a subject, philosophy, idea, etc. by trying to make it seem ridiculous or lower.

  4. Marxism • Political and social theory developed by Karl Marx in the 19th century • Eventually leads to classless society or communism where the workers communally own everything, including the rights to production • Communism, up to this point, has never achieved a classless society

  5. Literary Criticism • Marxist Criticism • Champions the working class or downtrodden of society • Criticize works that focus positively on the elite • Historical Criticism • Concerned with historical context • Concerned with cultural/philosophical context • Concerned with literary influences on the author

  6. Russian Revolution of 1917 • February Revolution: army and people overthrew the inept Nicolas II, Tsar of Russia, in a nearly bloodless revolution which resulted in Provisional government • Vladimir Lenin led the October revolution, which overthrew the provisional government and based his political philosophies on those of Karl Marx • Led eventually to Stalin rising to power in 1924

  7. Stalin • Succeeded Lenin as leader of Russia • Fought against another Communist, Leon Trotsky, because of deep philosophical differences • Tried to modernize Russia but did so at the expense of the people • Is responsible for the deaths of millions during his political “purges” • Created a totalitarian state in which the government controls every aspect of the lives of the citizens

  8. Propaganda • See handout

  9. Something to Think About • Life in the USA would be perfect if everyone were totally equal. Do you agree? Why or Why not? • You are designing a society in which everyone is equal. What are the laws? • What problems can you foresee that might arise in a society with enforced “equality for all”? How would you handle those problems? • Do you believe that total equality is possible, or would human nature assure that some people would eventually dominate others?

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