EXTRACT 2 – ANIMAL FARM Setting

The setting of Animal Farm is a dystopia. Animal Farm, takes place on a farm in England during an
None of the other animals on the farm could get further than the undisclosed time. However, the time, location, and events of the novel are satirical of Russia during a
letter A. It was also found that the stupider animals, such as the major period of Russian political upheaval (1917 - 1945).
Purpose of the author when he wrote Animal Farm
sheep, hens, and ducks, were unable to learn the Seven
Argue the need for a true socialist government and warn the world of the ways in which socialist ideas
Commandments by heart. After much thought Snowball declared threatened the will of these in power who wish to control other people.
that the Seven Commandments could in effect be reduced to a What literary devices are used to achieve the author’s intentions?
single maxim, namely: ‘Four legs good, two legs bad.’ This, he said, Allegory
Napoleon/Josef Stalin- Snowball/Leon Trotsky- Old Major/Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin -
contained the essential principle of Animalism. Whoever had
Squealer/Pravda (Russian Newspaper),
thoroughly grasped it would be safe from human influences. The Symbolism: The animal farm symbolizes the internal structure of a nation and basic human society.
birds at first objected, since it seemed to them that they also had The barn symbolizes the memory of a modern nation. The Seven Commandments inscribed on the wall
become gradually altered by the pigs.
two legs, but Snowball proved to them that this was not so. ‘A bird’s
The windmill represents the manipulation of the animals by the pigs.
wing, comrades,’ he said, ‘is an organ of propulsion and not of Themes students can mention:
manipulation. It should therefore be regarded as a leg. The  equality and inequality
distinguishing mark of man is the hand, the instrument with which  The Societal Tendency Toward Class Stratification
he does all his mischief.’ The birds did not understand Snowball’s  The Abuse of Language as Instrumental to the Abuse of Power
 Power, control and corruption
long words, but they accepted his explanation, and all the humbler
 The Exploitation of Animals by Human
animals set to work to learn the new maxim by heart. FOUR LEGS Main idea of the extract:
GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD, was inscribed on the end wall of the barn, The phrase instances one of the novel’s many moments of propagandizing, which Orwell portrays as
above the Seven Commandments and in bigger letters When they one example of how the elite class abuses language to control the lower classes. Although the slogan
had once got it by heart, the sheep developed a great liking for this seems to help the animals achieve their goal at first, enabling them to clarify in their minds the
principles that they support, it soon becomes a meaningless sound bleated by the sheep (“two legs baa-
maxim, and often as they lay in the field they would all start bleating d”), serving no purpose other than to drown out dissenting opinion.
‘Four legs good, two legs bad! Four legs good, two legs bad!’ and
keep it up for hours on end, never growing tired of it. Napoleon took Characters:
no interest in Snowball’s committees. He said that the education of  Old Major: Major, who represents both Marx and Lenin, serves as the source of the ideals
the young was more important than anything that could be done for that the animals continue to uphold even after their pig leaders have betrayed them. He
those who were already grown up. seems to have claimed a false brotherhood with the other animals in order to garner their
support for his vision.
 Snowball: The pig who challenges Napoleon for control of Animal Farm after the Rebellion.
Based on Leon Trotsky, Snowball is intelligent, passionate, eloquent.
 Napoleon: The pig who emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. Based on
Joseph Stalin, Napoleon uses military force (his nine loyal attack dogs) to intimidate the other
animals and consolidate his power.
 Mr. Jones: The often drunk farmer who runs the Farm before the animals stage their
Rebellion and establish Animal Farm. Mr. Jones is an unkind master who indulges himself
while his animals lack food; he thus represents Tsar Nicholas II, whom the Russian Revolution
ousted.
 Squealer: The pig who spreads Napoleon’s propaganda among the other animals. Squealer
justifies the pigs’ monopolization of resources and spreads false statistics pointing to the
farm’s success. Orwell uses Squealer to explore the ways in which those in power often use
rhetoric and language to twist the truth and gain and maintain social and political control.
YOUR OPINON - backup with details from the excerpt QUESTIONS FOR PART 2
1. Meaning - How is language (English) used to communicate the
author's message? The language Orwell uses in Animal Farm is -Why did snowball reduce the seven commandments?
simple, clear and accessible. Description and dialogue are kept to a – Why did the birds respond in such a way (objecting snowball
minimum and Orwell avoids sentimentality - even the most heart- principle)?
breaking sections of the text are very direct in style. He focuses on – How else could the birds have reacted?
telling the story, allowing the reader to concentrate on the lessons – What brought about this situation?
he wants us to learn. Through the pigs, Orwell shows how rhetoric – What happens next?
can be a powerful tool of manipulation. – Why is this scene a key scene in the story?
– What point is the author trying to make?
2. Audience - who would read this work of literature? The author
– How did you react to this scene?
target audience was general public in USSR: people whom he
wanted to inform about the dangers and logical outcome of – What shocked you about this scene?
Communism during World War II. – If you could change anything in the scene, what would it be? What
effect would your change have?
3. Context - when was the work published? How does this help you – What does this scene indicate about the culture of the character(s)?
understand it? – Would this scene be possible in your culture?

First Published: August 17, 1945

4. Purpose - what do YOU think are the author's intentions for QUESTIONS FOR PART 3
writing the work?
 To what extent is language relevant to control or persuade
The novel asks its readers to examine the ways in which political other people’s decisions and actions?
leaders with seemingly noble and altruistic motives can betray the
 To what extent is it important to concern about human rights
very ideals in which they ostensibly believe, as well as the ways in
in order to avoid the infringement of them?
which certain members of a nation can elect themselves to positions
of great power and abuse their fellow citizens, all under the guise of  What is the role of education in a society?
assisting them.

5. Variation - How would this language be different if the work were