ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell

1. ANIMAL FARMbyGeorge Orwell Major Themes & Terms Review

2. MAJOR OBJECTIVES TO DISCUSS AND ANALYZE: • Allegorical Significance • Elements of Socialism & Communism • Elements of Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism • Elements & Effects of Propaganda, Logical Fallacies, & Rhetorical Appeals • Elements/ Use of Irony • Elements/ Use of Satire • Development of Napoleon • Boxer as Proletariat Symbol • AF as a critical commentary on flaws in Human Nature • AF as a critical commentary on dangers of distorted Socialism & Soviet Communism • Fable Format for conveying social & political communism • Social Theories of Locke & Hobbes

3. RUSSIAN REVOLUTION REVIEW TWO MAIN REVOLUTIONS Czar Nicholas  Protest of Workers Feb Revolution of 1917 Provisional Government take-over March 2, 1917 Which battle is represented by this in AF? • October Revolution of 1917 Bolshevik Party (Lenin based on socialist ideas of Marx) promised redistribution of the land to the peasants & guarantee of democratic liberties • Lenin dies 1924 Leon Trotsky & Stalin Bolshevik party = Communist Party

4. Socialism vs. Communism SOCIALISM • Focused on general welfare rather than individualism, on cooperationrather than competition • Wealth distributed among ALL members of society • Community control over citizens’ possessions & means of production • Maintained/ Administered by small councils or government on behalf of the people GOAL: A classless society… ending the war between classes

5. Socialism vs. Communism COMMUNISM • The idea that all property is owned by the community as a whole, and all people enjoy equal social and economic status • United all means of production… focus on commerce So is Communism a TERRIBLE Idea? How do you think ORWELL felt about Communism? Stalin’s communism = a perversion & misinterpretation of the communist and socialist ideas of Marx

6. Totalitarianism vs. Authoritarianism TOTALITARIANISM • The government has firm control of the public & private lives of its citizens and usually follows a particular ideology (i.e. Communism, Socialism, etc). • Led by dictators who retain STRICT control over their subjects.

7. Totalitarianism vs. Authoritarianism AUTHORITARIANISM • Almost identical to Totalitarianism • Strictly controls population, often through overt oppression, elimination of democratic rights, & propaganda • Government alone writes and enacts laws Typified by: • Oversimplification of ideas • False & exaggerated patriotism • Promotion of group mentality • Censorship • A leadership cult Hitler and Stalin are great examples Can we find allusions to all of these in Animal Farm?

8. PROPAGANDA REVIEW • Affect behavior rather than simply communicating • Rely on emotion rather than logic OFTEN: -Intentionally misleads - Relies on ½ truths - Generalizes - Uses logical fallacies - INCORRECT & DANGEROUS - Outright Lies USED: • To promote political agendas • During war times or times of crisis to stir hate against a country or group • To create a false sense of FEAR or EUPHORIA The MANIPULATION OF LANGUAGE is at the core to this novel!!!

9. COORELATIONS ANIMALISM = Totalitarian Government • The oversimplification and falsification of the 7 Commandments • Spreading Slogans even the stupidest of animals can remember • Creating a sense of collective belonging & group mentality • Promoting blind acceptance • Eliminating dissent & rebellion • Exploiting stupid • Denying education to the majority • Elaborate Ceremonies • Ritualistic flag-raising NAPOLEON… Leader Cult • Revered as all-knowing • Unapproachable • God-like Why did Orwell write this book?

10. ALLEGORY • Thinly veiled SYMBOLS are used to represent ideas or concepts that can’t be discussed directly • Use characters for the SYMBOLIC meaning they carry… not for their own sake Major Jones Napoleon Snowball Squealer Boxer Moses Pilkington Frederick The Windmill

11. FABLE • Incorporates animals or objects from nature (plants, rivers, mountains) as major characters • Conveys a definite moral lesson • Animals can speak, think, reason, etc • Animal characters are designed to represent particular aspects of human nature • End lesson sheds light on the character or behavior of humans • Often critical of a group of humans or the human race • Fancy term… ANTHROPOMORPHISM

12. Why use the Fable Format? • Easier for readers to take a critique or consider the moral • Don’t feel personally critiqued • Blame is not put directly on reader and/or humans • Retain a sense of humor & light-heartedness • Easy to read on a literal level… so easier to use for a moral

13. IRONY • Discrepancy between what a writer, speaker, or narrator says and what is understood by reader or other characters Situational • Event= completely unexpected • Vengeance= Friendship • Good Deed= Disaster Verbal • Use of words to mean one thing when the author really means • Sarcasm Dramatic • Words or actions that reveal a character’s ignorance to informationthe reader or audience has & the character does not • Most frequent in Animal Farm • i.e. Napoleon DYING!

14. SATIRE • Relies heavily on irony • Uses humor or wit to voice criticism • Disguised critiques In what way is AF ridiculous? Animals? People?

15. Any Questions? • Allegorical Significance • Elements of Socialism & Communism • Elements of Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism • Elements & Effects of Propaganda, Logical Fallacies, & Rhetorical Appeals • Elements/ Use of Irony • Elements/ Use of Satire • Development of Napoleon • Boxer as Proletariat Symbol • AF as a critical commentary on flaws in Human Nature • AF as a critical commentary on dangers of distorted Socialism & Soviet Communism • Fable Format for conveying social & political communism • Social Theories of Locke & Hobbes