ANIMAL FARM by G. Orwell … the bare basics – Literature GCSE Paper 2 – Friday 26 May 9:00
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AO1 - PLOT
1
Mr J – drunk. BIG meeting of the
animals led By OM discuss vision.
Animals sing.
2
OM dies. Pigs discuss speech. Mr J
forgets to feed animals – UPRISING.
3
Animals run farm – harvest best ever.
Lots of meetings and committees.
Education tried. Sheep learn song.
Puppies taken. Milk and apples taken
for pigs.
AO 1 – CHARACTERS
Mr Jones
Drunken owner of Animal Farm.
Embodies the tyranny of man.
Mr Pilkington
Owner of Foxwood . Sells land to
Napoleon and praises his
methods.
Mr Frederick
Cutthroat businessmen. Trades
with and manipulates Napoleon.
Mr Whymper
Sly, greedy and self interested.
Solicitor who aids Napoleon’s
tyranny.
4
Farmers F, J & P complain about farm’s
success. Try to take it back – fail –
battle of cowshed.
Moses
Tamed raven of Jones. Spreads
the idea of Sugarcandy Mountain.
Snowball
5
Mollie leaves. Windmill idea is born.
Vote scheduled. S chased off farm by
dogs. N declares windmill to be built.
Devoted to animalism and the
education of lesser animals. Hero
at the battle of the cowshed.
6
B = strong worker. N trades with
humans and hires Mr W.
Commandments start to change – pigs
sleep in beds. Storm topples windmill
– S blamed by N.
7
Animals starving. Hens protest eggs
being taken. N starves them. S blamed
by N. Meeting called and traitors
confess and are executed.
8
Squealer
Mouthpiece of Napoleon. Uses
propaganda to control the
animals.
Mr Jones
Drunken owner of Animal Farm.
Embodies the tyranny of man.
Boxer
Devoted citizen and immensely
strong. Innocent and naïve.
Clover
Maternal , caring and loyal.
Senses hypocrisy but cannot
articulate it.
Commandments keep changing. Sq
keeps proving more food – animals still
hungry. N plays F and P off against
Mollie
each other. F cheats N and then
invades with men. Windmill blown up
and animals killed. B hurt. Pigs get
Benjamin
drunk then ban alcohol next day.
9
Rebuilding windmill starts again.
Rations reduced again. B injured. ‘Vet’
called. A slaughter truck arrives for B.
Sq convinces animals B is fine. B is
never seen again!
10
Years pass. Lots of animals have died
never retired. Commandments
completely replaced. Pigs start walking
on 2 legs and wearing clothes. Humans
visit farm and difference between
them and pigs is non existent.
Dogs + Sheep
Napoleon
Old Major
Shallow and childish. Craves
ribbons and sugar. Deserts the
farm
Stubborn, cynical and apathetic.
Only stirred to passion by Boxer’s
removal
Instruments of fear and control,
educated by Napoleon.
Expels Snowball. Executes
animals. Establishes himself as
dictator. Controls with fear.
Becomes Jones.
Wise, old pig. Inspires the
rebellion with his rhetoric.
AO1 - KEY QUOTATIONS
OM - Why then do we continue in this miserable condition?
Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen
from us by human beings.
Nobody stole, nobody grumbled over his rations, the quarreling
and biting and jealousy which had been normal features of life
in the old days had almost disappeared.
AO3 - CONTEXT
An allegorical tale with direct links to the
history of the Soviet Union in the early 20th
century.
I have no wish to take life, not even human life,' repeated
Boxer, and his eyes were full of tears.
The book charts the corruptions of
Communist ideals of equality, where
workers are promised equality and
freedom and are eventually repressed and
treated as bad, if not worse, as under the
previous rule of the capitalist ‘Tsar’.
At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine
enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding
into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only
sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping
jaws.
Old Major represents Karl Marx, putting
forward the communist ideals which will
free them from the tyranny of capitalism
(represented by Jones).
Sq - No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that
all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you
make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might
make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should
we be?
Snowball represents Trotsky, a passionate
component of Animalism (Communism)
who is expelled by Napoleon (Stalin).
B - I will work harder! /// Four legs good, two legs bad.
Napoleon is always right.
AO3 – THEMES
N - Comrades, do you know who is responsible for this? Do you
know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown
our windmill? SNOWBALL!
Totalitarianism
"Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they
were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not
fail to point out.“
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than
others.
The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man
to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible
to say which was which.
Revolution and Corruption
Class Warfare
Language as Power
The Soviet Union
AO2 – LANGUAGE
Imagery
Painting a picture with words
Detached narrative
voice
No opinions but detached narrative perspective
Simile
Comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’
Propaganda
Information, that is biased or misleading
nature, used to promote a point of view.
Metaphor
Comparison by saying something is
something else
Anthropomorphism
Giving an animal human qualities and
characteristics
Alliteration
Words beginning with the same
sound in the same sentence.
Allegory
A ‘simple’ story with a hidden meaning,
message or moral.