ANIMAL FARM NOTES. English 4 CP Smith

Transcription

1 ANIMAL FARM NOTES English 4 CP Smith

2 Animal Farm Study Guide Study the following: Class Notes Character sheet Russian Revolution Chart Propaganda Notes Discussion questions Know the following: Allegory what an allegory is and how Animal Farm is an allegory Satire Plot Characters Propaganda techniques and how they are used in Animal Farm Themes

3 Also know Satire You will also need to know what satire is and the different techniques of satire. Study your notes!

4 Terms for Animal Farm Satire: art that ridicules people and society Allegory: a story that has more than one level Communism/Totalitarianism: Communism is rule by everyone while totalitarianism is rule by one so they are by definition opposites

5 Allegory/Character/Satire Animalism is a satirical twist on Communism as practiced by the Soviets, for example Napoleon is clearly a satirical portrayal of Joseph Stalin. Old Major is satirical portrayal of Karl Marx, whose work, the Communist Manifesto, was the basis for Vladimir Lenin s ideas. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky and those members of the Soviet Communist party that really wanted Communism to work for the people. There can be no mistaking why Snowball is chased off the farm. For Communism to work and all to be equal, there can be no evil and greed (hence, nobody like Napoleon or Squealer) Boxer represents the masses of Soviet workers and peasants who were betrayed by Joseph Stalin and whose dreams were turned into nightmares.

6 Animal Farm is a satire It ridicules society and those who try to make society better Old Major s ideas are too naïve and create suffering even though they are meant to help (irony) Snowball s attempts to improve life are also brought to ruin, even though he is more clever than Napoleon and clearly a better leader Napoleon only succeeds at making life better for the pigs, at the expense of the other animals

7 Animal Farm is a satire It exaggerates and ridicules Joseph Stalin s reign of power It portrays Stalin and his government as evil pigs (literally and figuratively) It shows that people can be animals in the way that they treat, exploit, and manipulate each other for their own gain

8 Animal Farm is a satire It shows how a lack of literacy, reading, and education makes people easy targets for tyrants, dictators, and those who would use propaganda to manipulate the masses It shows how rhetoric, the art of persuasive writing and speaking, and propaganda are more important to maintaining power than goodness, competence, fairness, and other virtues

9 Technique: Irony The animals on Animal Farm trade one kind of tyrant for another, despite their best effort to get rid of tyrants forever. In working for the good of all, the animals have only succeeded in making things worse for themselves. In trying to prove that the animals can rule themselves, they have proven that they really cannot govern themselves, mostly because most of them are too stupid or slow or cowardly to stand up to those who are trying to exploit everyone else.

10 Technique: Hyperbole You can see hyperbole, or exaggeration, in many instances throughout the story Those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength. You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during the last year? Riches more than mind can picture. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. Napoleon is always right.

11 Technique: Distortion Orwell uses animals instead of human beings and places his animals in human situations. This is a distortion of the everyday world. Orwell does this to: Create his allegory Make his content easily accessible to everyday man Highlight the follies/vices of the system he is criticizing with his novel.

12 Techniques: Oxymoron & Understatement Oxymoron: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. This is a paradox. However, there is also an oxymoron used here. The two words, more and equal are contradictory, yet are placed side-by-side. Understatement: Jones s shot only grazed him. Squealer is minimalizing Snowball s wound in order to slant support for Napoleon.

13 Propaganda Examples of propaganda in the novel include: Old Major's speech. "Vote for Snowball and the three-day work week! ;"Vote for Napoleon and the full manger!" Squealer is full of propaganda! He runs around explaining Napoleon's actions, and praising him. He can justify anything Napoleon does, and usually places all blame and hardships on Snowball. Boxer's maxims: Napoleon is always right! and I must work harder The hens' "duty." There are several examples of propaganda when the pigs are trying to convince the farm that everything is fine, when they are really running out of food, making announcements about productivity and such when the animals are starving

14 A Few Themes Orwell illustrates how human rights and social equality can be subverted even in a society founded on those principles. Class conflict results from the abuse of power; only an informed, watchful populace can prevent corruption.

15 A Few Themes Truth and lies become indistinguishable to the inhabitants of Animal Farm as the pigs rely on propaganda. Without intellectual and moral responsibility, a populace is subject to the whims of tyrants and abuses of power. On the farm, organized religion proves a force for tyranny as it keeps the populace content and backs those in power.