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Animal Farm

George Orwell

Fable - Allegory - Satire

What is Animal Farm?

An allegorical fable and masterpiece of political satire that uses parody,

irony and other techniques to create humor while calling for change

It is a tale of oppressed individuals who long for freedom and trust-worthy

leaders

IT IS A CAUTIONARY TALE ABOUT THE NATURE OF

POWER

It is Orwell's critique of the communist system in the former Soviet

Union.

Interesting Fact: Orwell initially struggled to find a publisher for Animal Farm.

Significance Today Now that Soviet Communism has fallen and the

Cold War is over why does Animal Farm deserve

our attention?

The power of allegory require us to make

comparisons and connections

In that process we can’t help but compare the

events and themes to the world of today

Abuse Tyranny Power

Betrayal Idealism Corruption

3 Main Traits of a Fable

1. They teach a moral or lesson

2. The characters are most frequently talking animals

who behave like humans

3. Authors expose human follies (stupidity or mistakes)

through the use of animals

“I could end this with a moral, as if this were a fable about animals, though no fables are really about animals.”

― Margaret Atwood, The Tent

Fable

The choice of title was perhaps an attempt to deflect attention away from the book

England was on good terms with Russia

They didn’t want to appear to be supporting a view critical of Stalin

The original title was Animal Farm: A Fairy Story

Children’s Book? Published in 1945 Orwell discovered with horror that booksellers were

placing his novel on children’s shelves He began traveling from bookstore to bookstore

requesting that the book be shelved with adult works This dual identity — as children’s story and adult

satire — has stayed with Orwell’s novel for more than sixty years.

“An allegory is not meant to be taken literally. There is a great lack of

comprehension on the part of some readers.”

-Naguib Mahfouz

Allegory

On the literal level, the story about the

animals is very moving

They are suffering in cruel conditions

On the symbolic level it’s a critique of

Soviet Russia, and abuse of power in

general

Each of the animals serve as a symbol

Allegory

Avatar—Native American extermination for

riches

Fight Club— Extends metaphors about

consumerism, modern views of masculinity,

conformity, and nonconformity

The Matrix—Neo represents a Christ-like

figure

X-Men—Heros represent minorities, teens,

and anyone who feels out of synch with the

mainstream

Allegory in Film

“Satire is focused bitterness.” --Leo Rosten

Satire

Satire

Satire occurs when the writer ridicules (makes fun of) an

issue often to provoke change or make a comment on

some element of society

Satire is not always funny

Sometimes it hits “below the belt”

Uses sarcasm, irony, parody, wit

Can be light and humorous—”Simpsons”

More serious and “biting”—Animal Farm

Orwell writes a satire to expose what he saw as

the myth of Soviet socialism

He wants to show the faults of the system

He wants to criticize the leadership

"Every line of serious work that I have written since

1936 has been written, directly or indirectly,

against totalitarianism...Animal Farm was the first

book in which I tried, with full consciousness of

what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and

artistic purpose into one whole." –George Orwell

Satire

Parody (or spoof) is a type of satire

Piece of art designed to be funny by ridiculing

something through imitation and exaggeration

Can be used as a tool within a satirical piece

Parodies make fun of existing beliefs or

accepted views about someone or something

Parody

Orwell uses a particular type of irony – dramatic

irony

Dramatic irony —occurs when the audience

knows something the characters in the story

do not know

In Animal Farm the dramatic irony emerges quickly

Be able to identify it

Dramatic Irony

In a caricature certain features or mannerisms

are magnified for satirical effect

Notice how the characters in Animal Farm

exhibit extreme behavioral characteristics

Hard work

Greed

Manipulation

Blind devotion

Caricature

The presentation of a world or society that is supposed to stand for all of humanity

When a small (micro) world stands for a large world (macro)

Note how Manor Farm becomes a microcosm of the problems

faced in communist Russia

Microcosm

Micro

Macro

The position or vantage point from which a story is

presented to the reader

First-person POV

The author writes from his/her own view and

uses “I”.

The narrator is a part of the action

Third-person Omniscient POV

The narrator relates the thoughts and feelings of

any of the characters in an all-knowing

(omniscient) manner

Point Of View