Animal Farm by. George Orwell

Animal Farm is a…1. Fable - has 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.

2. Allegory - Any type of fiction that has multiple levels of meaning.

3. Satire - A work making fun of something, usually political. Animal Farm makes fun of political society after the Bolshevik Revolution (Russian Revolution).

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution occurred in March 1917.

It was brought on by economic hardship and the injustices of Russian czars, and was encouraged by the Communist Manifesto of Karl Marx.

The czar of Russia was overthrown and revolutionaries assumed leadership of the country. They tried to transform the country through communist principles.

• Under Joseph Stalin, the country fell under totalitarianism—a form of government with strong central rule that tries to control individual freedoms.

• Stalin instituted “Five-Year Plans” to increase economic growth, but ordered farms to give most of their products to the government.

• Peasants who opposed Stalin were sent to labor camps, deported, or executed.

Not everyone wanted a Communist country. In 1920, peasants revolted against the government’s efforts to turn their individual farms into collective farms.

By 1938, Stalin began to use what become known as the “Moscow purge trials” to control workers.

Many peasants were killed, tried for treason, or sent to labor camps.

How it’s related to Animal Farm: Many of the characters represent political

leaders of the Russian Revolution: Joseph Stalin – Napoleon (pig) Leon Trotsky – Snowball (pig) Karl Marx / Vladimir Lenin – Old Major (pig) Peasants – Boxer (horse) Tsar Nicholas II – Mr. Jones (human) Adolph Hitler – Mr. Frederick (human)

Themes1. Freedom and individual dignity must be

guarded very carefully.

2. Language is a powerful tool and can enslave us if used improperly.

3. Weakness can be dominated by strength and fear.

4. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.