[Orwell’s] greatest accomplishment was to remind people
that they could think for themselves at a time in this
century when humanity seemed to prefer taking marching
orders…His work endures, as lucid and vigorous as the
day it was written. The proper way to remember George
Orwell, finally, is…as a man of letters, who wanted to
change the world by changing the word.
--Paul Gray, Critic
The device of using a character or story elements to
symbolically represent an abstraction in addition to a
literal meaning.
Characters may personify an idea such as freedom or
dignity. The allegorical meaning usually deals with a
generalization about human existence, greed, power,
belonging.
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A short, simple story designed to teach us a
moral lesson.
The characters are often animals who exhibit
human characteristics, both strengths and
frailties. Think Disney films…
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A work uses ridicule to expose wickedness or
stupidity;
A satirist often uses many devices, such as
irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole,
understatement, and sarcasm.
“Power corrupts. Absolute power
corrupts absolutely.”
--Lord Acton, 1887
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Meaning---"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds
of those who possess it...“
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Absolute monarchies are those in which all power is
given to or, as is more often the case, taken by, the
monarch. Examples of absolute power corrupting are
Roman emperors (who declared themselves gods) and
Napoleon Bonaparte (who declared himself an
emperor).
Karl Marx, in his The Manifesto of the Communist Party, attempted to rally the
common man, revolutionaries and workers,
to overthrow the
rich in favor of the equality of the common worker.
In Marxism, the state owns the land and the wealth. Everyone works hard and
everyone gets a reward. There are no rich or poor. Naturally, rich people did
not like his ideas, but it offered the poor people hope.
In 1917, Czar Nicholas II gave up the throne, and the Bolsheviks took power
during the October Revolution of the Russian Revolution.
Vladimir Lenin was one of the leaders of the Revolution, and promised the
people of Russia bread, land, and peace, basing his ideas on the writing of
Karl Marx.
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Political writer and thinker;
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Became a journalist and wrote pamphlets about the
plight of the poor – how poor people did most of
the work, but rich people got most of the rewards;
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Many leaders adopted his ideas, including the former
Soviet Union and China; however, many Marxist
leaders hoarded the wealth just as the old leaders did;
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People could not make choices or disagree with their
leaders.
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Last Czar of Russia
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Ruled from 1894 – 1917 when he was overthrown
in a series of upheavals

Bolsheviks, a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic
Labor Party, killed him and his family in 1918
(Anastasia)
Pravda (Russian: for "The Truth") was a leading
newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official
organ of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party between 1912 and 1991.
During the Cold War, Pravda was well-known in the
West for its pronouncements as the official voice of
Soviet Communism.
The proletariat (from Latin proles, for "offspring") is a
term used to identify a lower social class; a member
of such a class is proletarian.
Originally it was identified as those people who had no
wealth other than their sons; the term was initially
used in a derogatory sense, until Karl Marx used it as a
sociological term to refer to the working class.
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Was Lenin’s assistant and helped create the USSR
and the Communist Party.
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Ruled the Soviet Union for more than 25 years.
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Became one of the most feared dictators in history.
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Believed in Marxism and hated the Capitalist countries of the
West.
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Known for his reign of terror, killing millions in key regions of
the USSR.
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Leader in the Russian Revolution.
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With Lenin and Stalin, helped create the Soviet state.
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Popular with the people, wanting to industrialize the
country.
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After Lenin died, Trotsky and Stalin struggled for power.
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Stalin won, exiled Trotsky. Years later, when Stalin’s policies
failed, he blamed Trotsky.

Trotsky settled in Mexico, but Stalin sent a secret police
agent to kill Trotsky, for fear of being overthrown by him.
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Mr. Jones, the owner of Manor Farm, is a lazy
drunkard who thrives from others’ hard work.

Old Major tries to create a great Rebellion to rid
the farm of Man who steals what the animals
produce and live in luxury.
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All animals must be comrades in the fight
against their enemy, Man.
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1. ) Whatever goes upon two legs is an
enemy.
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2.) Whatever goes upon four legs, or has
wings, is a friend.
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3.) No animal shall wear clothes.
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4.) No animal shall sleep in a bed.
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5.) No animal shall drink alcohol.
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6.) No animal shall kill any other animal.
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7.) All animals are equal.
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Now, refer to the novel and find textual
evidence to demonstrate how each of the
Seven “Commandments” is broken or altered
as the book progresses.
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Provide quotes and page numbers.
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Explain your evidence.