Animal Farm

A Novella by George Orwell

 George Orwell
British Author & Journalist (1903-1950)

 Pseudonym of Eric Blair

 Political writer who critiqued the rigid class structure
of England
 A proponent of Democratic Socialism
 Mindful of the social ills originating from the
hierarchical divisions of society
 Orwell’s views about politics were shaped by
fighting in the Spanish Civil War
 Aware of the repressive and self-serving aspects of
prevalent ideologies
 Skeptical of governments and their willingness to
forsake ideals in favor of power
 Believed in the right to equality and equal
opportunities for all citizens
 Opposed authoritarian regimes and was a supporter
of democratic values
 George Orwell wrote Animal Farm between November 1943 and February 1944.
 He wrote a preface to this novel that was never published. In the preface, he explained
his purpose in writing Animal Farm.
 He was angry that people in Europe admired Soviet Russia for the wrong reasons.
USSR was being wrongly celebrated as a paradise of liberty and equality for the
masses, where discriminatory hierarchies and oppression did not exist.
 Orwell wanted to write a critical novel about Joseph Stalin.
 George Orwell decided to write Animal Farm in the form of a fairy tale.
• A fairy tale is usually written for children about magical or fantastic events that are
not true.
• Orwell originally subtitled Animal Farm “a fairy story” in order to stress that it was
fantastic, but unfortunately, it was not untrue.
 Orwell and Political Views
 As Orwell witnessed the corruption of
communism in Spain, and in Europe in
general he realized that those in power
take advantage of the citizens
 Those who wield power become agents
of people’s oppression and exploitation
 Though certain ideologies dream of
eliminating discrimination, oppression
and exploitation, they become
instrumental in reinforcing these social
vices
 Orwell’s hatred of totalitarianism and his
discomfort with the abuse of power he
witnessed in the name of communism
prompted him to write the Animal Farm.
 Animal Farm

 A political satire about oppressed

individuals who long for freedom but are
corrupted by the very power that had
originally oppressed them
 The story traces the horrible conditions of
mistreated animals who can speak and
exhibit many other human characteristics
 The novella is Orwell's critique of the
communist regime in the former Soviet
Union.

Orwell initially struggled to find a publisher for Animal Farm.

 Significance of Animal Farm Today

 Soviet Communism has fallen and the

Cold War is long over – Why read and
reflect on Animal Farm?
 Animal Farm is an allegorical fable that
helps us make comparisons and
connections with our present day
realities
 The situations and circumstances
illustrating the abuse of power are
meaningful to any reader in any
historical period.
 Animal Farm will always have lessons to
teach us about the ways in which
power and oppression operate and
how manipulation and propaganda
work
 Themes in Animal Farm
 The powerful have no accountability: They are
not answerable to anyone
 The relationship between absolute power and
corruption
 Those in power can manipulate language to
benefit themselves, especially if no one asks
questions.
 Power, manipulation and propaganda can
destroy an individual’s concept of right and
wrong.
 Human rights can be violated when one group
or class believes it is superior to another.
 The ‘herd’ mentality: Resist it. Do not blindly
follow the crowd. You will not be treated fairly
and respectfully
 Those in power can manufacture truth: facts
can be twisted to become whatever the
powerful wants it to be.
 Words and ideas can be more powerful than
weapons.
 Literal and Figurative Meaning in Animal Farm

 George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an

allegory. Therefore, the novel has
both a literal and figurative
meaning.
 On the surface, Animal Farm tells the
story of farm animals who are tired of
obeying the orders of a cruel master.
This is the story’s literal meaning.
 It is important to understand that
Animal Farm also has a figurative
meaning. This novel also tells the story
of Soviet Russia during the Russian
Revolution.
 Animal Farm
Fable and Allegory

Fable- A usually short narrative

making a cautionary point and often
employing as characters animals
that speak and act like humans.

Allegory-The representation of
abstract ideas or principles by
characters, figures, or events in
narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.
The Fable
 one of the oldest literary forms, it
is a short, instructional tale that
conveys a clear moral or
message.
 earliest fables date back to 6th
century Greece B.C.E.
 The author of these fables, Aesop,
used animal characters to stand
for human "types." For example, a
fox character might embody the
human characteristics of cunning
and cleverness.
 Animal Farm as Allegory
Most fables have two levels of meaning. On the surface,
the fable is about animals. But on a second level, the
animals stand for types of people or ideas. The way the
animals interact and the way the plot unfolds indicate
something about the nature of people. Any type of fiction
that has multiple levels of meaning in this way is called an
allegory.
Animal Farm
 On the first level, the story about the animals is very moving.
It’s upsetting when the animals are treated cruelly.
 At the same time, each of the animals serves as a symbol.
The story's second level involves Orwell’s critique of Soviet
Russia.
 Satire

In a satire, the writer attacks a

serious issue by presenting it in
a ludicrous light or otherwise
poking fun at it. Orwell uses
satire to expose what he saw
Soviet Coat of Arms
as the myth of Soviet socialism.
 Animal Farm as Satire

A satire is a form of literature that

criticizes a subject by making it
seem ridiculous, amusing, or
contemptible.
The Purpose of satire:
 To make a moral judgment
 To correct wrongs
 To criticize injustices
 Subversive and constructive
potential of satire
Animal Farm makes the Soviet Union
seem both laughable and
despicable.
 Irony

 Satire and irony are closely related.

 Irony results when there is a
discrepancy between what an Snowball below the commandments.
audience would expect and what
really happens.
 Orwell uses dramatic irony to
create a subtle satire.
 We as readers see through the
hypocrisy of the pigs and can
understand that the book is deeply
critical of the pigs. But in the book,
the other animals are blindly
obedient to the pigs and don’t
suspect them Napoleon overindulging himself.
 Criticism of Propaganda

The systematic attempt to spread ideas or beliefs. The

information given in propaganda may or may not be
accurate.
You know only what you are allowed/ expected to know
Facts that support the ideas approved by those in power
are promoted. Facts that contradict the ideas being
promoted will be withheld or distorted.
Animal Farm: A Summary
 Animals of the Manor farm, run by Mr. Jones assemble at
the barn to listen to Old Major, an old prize-winning boar
who tells them about his dream wherein human tyranny
comes to an end and animals are leaders and masters of
their own destiny.
 In the meeting, old Major refers to humans as parasites
and teaches the animals a revolutionary song called
‘Beasts of England’. Old major dies soon after the
meeting.
 Animals, inspired by the dream of Old Major and his idea
of animalism, plot a rebellion against Mr. Jones– their
tyrannical and insensitive master. Two pigs, Napoleon
and Snowball assume leadership in this movement.
 One day Jones forgets to feed the animals, and it ignites
the revolution. Jones and his men are chased off the
Manor Farm which was eventually renamed Animal Farm.
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are painted on
the barn wall.
 After the success of the revolution, the animals
completed the harvest and held Sunday meetings to
reflect on farm policy. The pigs become the supervisors of
the farm because they were considered smarter and
more intelligent. Napoleon being a power-hungry leader
steals the cows' milk and apples to feed himself and the
other pigs.
 Napoleon employs Squealer, a pig with the ability to
convince and persuade the other animals that the pigs
are always morally superior, wiser and correct in their
decisions.
Animal Farm: A Summary
 In autumn, the attempts of Mr. Jones and his men to
return to Animal Farm and take it under their control
ended in failure.
 With the tactics of Snowball, the animals defeated Jones
in The Battle of the Cowshed. The animals preserve the
farmer’s abandoned gun as a token of their victory.
 When winter arrived, Mollie, a vain horse still craving for
ribbons and sugar, was lured off the farm by another
human.
 Snowball had plans for building a windmill to produce
electricity that will give the animals more leisure time by
easing their physical labour. He started preparing the
drawings.
 Napoleon opposes the plan pointing out that the
windmill will allow the animals less time for producing
food.
 A Sunday on which the animals had planned to vote on
the question of the windmill, Napoleon summons a pack
of ferocious dogs. No one dared to oppose him. The
dogs chase Snowball away from the farm.
 Napoleon puts an end to further debates; he tells the
animals that the windmill will be built. He takes the
credit for the idea of the windmill and claims that
Snowball had stolen it.
 We see how Napoleon uses Snowball as a scapegoat
blamed for all the hardships and misfortunes of the
animals.
Animal Farm: A Summary
 Building the windmill occupies the animals in the next year.
Boxer, a strong horse, puts his energy and time into the task
 Jones, gives up all hopes of reclaiming the farm and moves
to another part of the county.
 Though it was against the principles of Animalism, Napoleon
hires a solicitor (a human). He also commences trading with
neighboring farms.
 The half-finished windmill collapses in a storm. Napoleon
blames Snowball and orders the animals to start rebuilding
the windmill.
 Napoleon's lust for power increased day by day and he
becomes a totalitarian dictator.
 To generate fearful obedience, Napoleon follows a tactics.
By forcing "confessions" from innocent animals and having
the dogs kill them in front of the entire farm becomes an
exercise to ensure control over the animals.
 Napoleon decides to sell the hens’ eggs. The hens finally
recognize that the pigs are their antagonists, and they rebel.
Their rebellion is brutally crushed and the hens are
executed.
 Napoleon and the pigs move into Jones' house and start
sleeping on beds used by their erstwhile masters.
 The animals receive less and less food, while the pigs grow
fatter. Still the animals are convinced that they are better off
than they were under Mr. Jones
 Squealer has excuses and explanations full of twisted logic
to justify every action and aberration of Napoleon and his
cronies.
 Beasts of England is replaced by an anthem glorifying
Napoleon.
Animal Farm: A Summary
 In August that year, the windmill is completed
 Napoleon sells a pile of timber to humans
 Frederick, a neighboring farmer pays for the timber with
forged banknotes. Frederick and his people attack the
Animal Farm and destroy the windmill. But they are
eventually defeated.
 Since the Seven Commandments of Animalism are
seldom obeyed by the pigs, they decide to revise it by
using a subtle and deceptive play of words.
 The pigs get drunk one night, and consequently the
Commandment, "No animals shall drink alcohol" is
changed to, "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess."
 Boxer the horse again offers his hardwork to help build a
new windmill. When he collapses, in sheer exhaustion,
Napoleon sells his body to a knacker (a glue-boiler).
Napoleon sold his most loyal and long-suffering worker
for money to buy himself whisky.
 Benjamin, the cynical donkey who "could read as well
as any pig“, realizes that the van that takes away
belongs to a knacker, and attempts a futile rescue.
 Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the
hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not
been erased. Squealer tells the animals that Boxer was
taken to a veterinarian and died a peaceful death at
the hospital
 Animals had no choice but to believe Squealer’s version
of events.
 Animal Farm: A Summary
 Years pass and Animal Farm expands its boundaries as Napoleon purchases two
fields from another neighboring farmer, Pilkington.
 Life for all the animals (except the pigs) is harsh. Eventually, the pigs begin
walking on their hind legs and take on many other qualities of their former human
oppressors, including wearing clothes and carrying whips.
 The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single one: "All Animals Are Equal /
But Some Are More Equal Than Others."
 The novel ends with Pilkington sharing drinks with the pigs in Jones' house.
 Napoleon changes the name of the farm back to Manor Farm and quarrels with
Pilkington during a card game in which both of them try to play the ace of spades.
As other animals watch the scene from outside the window, they cannot tell the
pigs from the humans.
 The Commandments
Old and New
Malleable nature of history and ideas

1.Whatever goes upon two legs four legs good two legs
is an enemy. bad
2.Whatever goes upon four no animal shall kill another
legs, or has wings, is a friend. animal without cause
3.No animal shall wear clothes.
no animal shall drink
4.No animal shall sleep in a alcohol to excess
bed.
no animal shall sleep in a
5.No animal shall drink alcohol. bed with sheets
6.No animal shall kill any other all animals are equal but
animal. some are more equal than
7.All animals are equal. others.
 Animal Characters
 Major An old boar whose speech about the evils perpetrated by humans rouses the animals into
rebelling. His philosophy concerning the tyranny of Man is named Animalism by his followers. He also
teaches the song "Beasts of England" to the animals.
 Snowball A boar who becomes one of the rebellion's most valuable leaders. After drawing
complicated plans for the construction of a windmill, he is chased off of the farm forever by Napoleon's
dogs and thereafter used as a scapegoat for the animals' troubles.
 Napoleon A boar who, with Snowball, leads the rebellion against Jones. After the rebellion's success,
he systematically begins to control all aspects of the farm until he is an undisputed tyrant.
 Squealer A pig who becomes Napoleon's mouthpiece. Throughout the novel, he displays his ability to
manipulate the animals' thoughts through the use of hollow yet convincing rhetoric.
 Boxer A dedicated but dimwitted horse who aids in the building of the windmill but is sold to a glue-
boiler after collapsing from exhaustion.
 Mollie A vain horse who prefers ribbons and sugar over ideas and rebellion. She is eventually lured
off the farm with promises of a comfortable life.
 Clover A motherly horse who silently questions some of Napoleon's decisions and tries to help Boxer
after his collapse.
 Benjamin A cynical, pessimistic donkey who continually undercuts the animals' enthusiasm with his
cryptic remark, "Donkeys live a long time."
 Moses A tame raven and sometimes-pet of Jones who tells the animals stories about a paradise
called Sugarcandy Mountain.
 Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher Three dogs. The nine puppies born between Jessie and Bluebell are
taken by Napoleon and raised to be his guard dogs.
 Human Characters
 Mr. Jones The often-drunk owner of Manor Farm, later expelled from his land by his
own animals. He dies in an inebriates' home after abandoning his hopes to reclaim
his farm.
 Mrs. Jones Jones' wife, who flees from the farm when the animals rebel.
 Mr. Whymper A solicitor hired by Napoleon to act as an intermediary in Animal
Farm's trading with neighboring farms.
 Mr. Pilkington The owner of Foxwood, a neighboring and neglected farm. He
eventually sells some of his land to Napoleon and, in the novel's final scene, toasts to
Napoleon's success.
 Jones; Mr. Frederick An enemy of Pilkington and owner of Pinchfield, another
neighboring farm. Known for "driving hard bargains," Frederick swindles Napoleon by
buying timber from him with counterfeit money. He later tries to attack and seize
Animal Farm but is defeated.
 Characters in the Novel: Historical Relevance

 Farmer Jones = Czar Nicholas II

 Old Major= Karl Marx
 Boxer= Unskilled labourers
 Squealer=Russian Newspapers/
Propaganda
 Mollie= Elite class
 Moses=Church/Religion
 Snowball= Leon Trotsky
 Napoleon=Joseph Stalin
 Dogs=KGB
 Pilkington=Winston Churchill
 Frederick= Adolf Hitler

Manor Farm= Soviet Union

Windmill= Industrialization
 Animal Characters: Symbolism
Muriel
A goat who believes in the rebellion, she watches as
Animal Farm slips away from its founding principles.
Benjamin
The most cynical of all the animals, the farm's donkey
doubts the leadership of the pigs but is faithfully devoted to
Boxer. Benjamin represents all the skeptical people in Russia
and elsewhere who weren’t sure revolution would change
anything. Like Benjamin, many of them chose to remain
neutral.
Moses
A tame raven who tells the animals stories about a
paradise called Sugarcandy Mountain. Moses represents
religion.
Sheep
Not tremendously clever, the sheep remind themselves of
the principles of animalism by chanting "four legs good,
two legs bad." They represent the people who blindly
follow their leaders.
 History as Literature

 Critics often consider Animal Farm to be an allegory of the

Russian Revolution.

 In the early 1900s, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II faced an

unhappy population. Czar Nicholas II

 Russian peasants were struggling to survive under an

oppressive government.

 By 1917, amidst the tremendous suffering of World War I, a

revolution began.

 In two major battles, the Czar’s government was

overthrown and replaced by the Bolshevik leadership of
Vladimir Lenin.

Vladimir Lenin
 History and Literature

 When Lenin died in 1924, his former

colleagues Leon Trotsky, hero of the
early Revolution, and Joseph Stalin,
Joseph Stalin
head of the Communist Party,
struggled for power.
 Stalin won the battle, and he deported
Trotsky into permanent exile.

Leon Trotsky
 Joseph Stalin
 Moved the Soviet Union into the
modern industrial age
 Seized land in order to create
collective farms
 Five Year Plan was an attempt to
modernize Soviet industry.
 Many peasants refused to give up their
land, so to counter resistance Stalin
used vicious military tactics.
 Rigged trials led to executions
numerous government officials and
ordinary citizens.
 The government controlled the flow
and content of information to the
people

Joseph Stalin
 Animalism = Communism
 Animalism  Communism
 Taught by Old Major  Invented by Karl Marx
 No rich, but no poor  All people are equal
 Better life for workers  Government owns everything
 All animals are equal  People own the government
 Everyone owns the farm
 Why Animals?
In explaining how he came to write Animal Farm, Orwell
says he once saw a little boy whipping a horse and later he
wrote,
“It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength
we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in
much the same way as the rich exploit the [worker].”
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm
The Corruption of socialist ideals
In the novella, Mr. Jones, the human
oppressor was overthrown by a
democratic coalition of animals. But the
animals’ rule founded on equality and
justice was replaced by the regime of
pigs or a consolidation of power among
the pigs. In a manner similar to the
Soviet intelligentsia, the pigs begin to
consider themselves to be the ruling
class in the new society.
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm
Social Inequalities Prevail and Cannot be
Eradicated Easily
Animal Farm argues that class tyranny cannot be
easily eradicated. It is a human tendency to
maintain and reestablish hierarchical structures
even in societies that claim to uphold equality in
principle. All classes of animals unify to face
their human oppressor. As soon as the enemy is
eliminated, the old hierarchies resurface. The
pigs assume intellectual and political control and
establish totalitarian control. They use other
animals to reinforce their absolute authority.
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm

A majority of the population consists

of ignorant masses - people who do
not think or take decisions on their
own
Although ordinary animals are
hardworking and full of hope about
their new political arrangement, they
are gullible and do not observe the
changes happening about them. The
animals’ ignorance and lack of political
vigilance help the pigs gain easy
control over them. When the masses
are indifferent and have a herd
mentality, it is easier to oppress and
exploit them. They also shy away from
assuming positions of power and
responsibility
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm

Language as a tool for the powerful

In Animal Farm and in 1984, we see how
language can be manipulated as an
instrument of absolute control over the
ignorant masses. In Animal Farm, the pigs
gradually twist and distort a rhetoric of
socialist revolution to justify their behavior
and to keep the other animals in the dark. Old
Major’s ideas are twisted and reinterpreted to
suit the schemes of the pigs. The other
animals are too naïve to see through these
schemes. They don’t even realize the need to
oppose the pigs. If they oppose the pigs, they
are accused of treason and not adhering to
the ideals of the Rebellion.
“The point is that we are all capable of believing things
which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are
finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as
to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to
carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only
check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up
against solid reality, usually on a battlefield.”
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm

Failure of the intellectuals

The intellect of the pigs is non-
productive and channeled towards
manipulating the other animals.
Benjamin the donkey is literate, and
cynical, suggesting that intelligence is of
no use without the moral impetus to
engage in politics and the courage to
act. The other animals are indifferent to
knowledge and intellectual upliftment.
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm
Discrimination, Exploitation and
Oppression
Animals were discriminated against,
exploited and oppressed by the humans.
Though the human regime was over,
some animals are still discriminated
against, exploited and oppressed. They
accept their plight without effective
resistance or dissent.
 Major Ideas in Animal Farm

A Utopic Dream becomes a Dystopic

Nightmare
The revolt sowed the seeds of hope
and determination to build an ideal
commune for the animals, where their
rights are secure. The animals were
willing to work hard so that the animal
farm gives them liberty, protection,
happiness, prosperity, freedom from
exploitation, equality and justice.
Instead, a horrifying nightmare of
more intense and cruel oppression
was in store for them.