Handout
Animal Farm Notes
Summary
George Orwell’s 1945 novella, Animal Farm, is the story of an animal revolution. The animal residents of
Manor Farm, spurred on by the dream of the pig, Old Major, decide they will change their “miserable,
laborious, and short” lives. They overthrow Mr. Jones, their master, and take over the management of the
farm. Rather than living under the heel of their human master, the animals of Manor Farm decide that
they will take control of the products of their labor, working for the good of the farm and other animals,
rather than for the good of humans. This is an allegory of the Russian Revolution, 1917
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was triggered by a combination of economic breakdown, war weariness,
and discontent with the autocratic system of government, and it first brought a coalition of liberals and
moderate socialists to power, but their failed policies led to seizure of power by the Communist
Bolsheviks. Their history goes through a period of building varied socialism governments, mixed
economy and diverse society and culture of the 1920s, to the command economy and repressions of the
Joseph Stalin era. From its first years, government in the Soviet Union was based on the one-party rule of
the Communists, as the Bolsheviks called themselves.
Orwell’s Vision
Orwell’s Animal Farm is often cited as works that are designed to show the weaknesses of Communism.
Orwell targeted tyranny, in whatever form it appeared. He was as much concerned with the repression of
rights and the injustice of the economic system in his own England as he was about Stalinist Russia.
As an allegorical tale about the dangers of tyranny, Orwell’s Animal Farm uses the story of Napoleon,
Snowball, and Boxer as a form of rhetoric. In the case of Animal Farm, Orwell is using the story of
Manor Farm’s animal rebellion to caution people against the encroachment of tyranny.
Terms to Know
Allegory - a figurative representation conveying a meaning other than the literal. It can be interpreted to
reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Rhetoric - the use of language to persuade an audience of a belief or point of view
Propaganda – the information of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular
political cause or point of view
Tyranny - cruel and oppressive government or rule
Communism - a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in
which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and
needs
Dictator - A ruler with total power over a country, typically one who has obtained power by force
Aristocracy - A form of government in which power is held by the nobility
Bourgeois - (according to Marxist thought) being of the property-owning class and exploitive of the
working class
Peasants /Proletariat - A poor farmer of low social status who owns or rents a small piece of land for
cultivation; unsophisticated person; a person of low social status; the workhorse of s country
Characters in Animal Farm
Many of the characters in Animal Farm are clearly meant to represent historical figures. The human
inspiration for Orwell’s fictional characters can often be found in the characters’ parallel actions, and
sometimes even in their names. As an important structural component of the novel as an allegorical tale,
each of the characters in the story is representative of players in the historical narrative the story
represents. See chart about characters.
Poetry Comparison
Martin Niemoller was a church pastor in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. He shifted from an early
support of Hitler to being very outspoken against the Nazi agenda and practices. He was arrested and held
in concentration camps throughout World War II, and barely escaped execution. He is now perhaps best
known for his cautionary poem:
In Germany they came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Student Work (independent or group work as asked)
Question 1: What importance and symbolism is contained in Orwell’s choice of names? Look especially
at Napoleon and Boxer.
Question 2: What is the metaphor at the heart of Orwell’s allegorical tale? (the additional or alternative
meaning contained in Orwell’s story of animal rebellion)
Question 3: How is this allegorical tale also a rhetorical tale?
Question 4: How does the story of Boxer act as a persuasive argument against tyranny?
Question 5: What are the lessons to be learned from Napoleon’s behaviour?
Question 6: What is the lesson contained in the final, single commandment: All animals are equal but
some animals are more equal than others?
Question 7: Compare Niemoller’s cautionary poem with Orwell’s allegorical story of the Manor Farm.
How are their messages similar or different? How is the method of delivering that message similar or
different?
Question 8: Focus: Forms of Government Rule. Method: Discuss the seven basic principals first
established on the farm. What does each say about the philosophy of the original government? How did
the rules change over time and what political views reflect each stage? Use comparisons of current and
former governments to explain each law development and change.
Animal Farm Character Review
Student Name _________________________________________ Date ________________
Historical
Figure
Character
Describe Parallel
Karl Marx
Old Major
Old Major is the originator of the idea that becomes the basis of the animal rebellionhowever, like Marx, the ideals behind it are soon forgotten.
Czar Nicolas
II
Mr. Jones
Old Major describes Mr. Jones, and humans he represents as the only animals who
consumes without producing. The Czar who fell to the communists and the aristocracy
he represents collected rent from the peasants who tilled their fields without actually
laboring themselves.
Josef Stalin
Napoleon
Exemplary of the tyranny that overtakes all humans when they accumulate too much
power. His greed for more power and wealth overtakes any ideals he may have initially
had- much as it did with Stalin, who ultimately can be connected to the deaths of
millions of his own fellow citizens.
Note Orwell’s choice of names. In pre-WWII Europe, Napoleon was considered the
arch-villain.
Leon
Trotsky
Snowball
Leon Trotsky escaped from the Soviet Union after losing a power struggle with Stalin.
Trotsky went into exile in Mexico, where he was later murdered by Stalin’s agents.
The
“Proletariat”
(the laboring
or working
class)
Boxer
Boxer is symbolic of the working class who does not have enough information or
education to understand the ramifications and implications of decisions made by their
bosses or leaders. Boxer believes Napoleon, and his refusal to question what doesn’t
seem right ultimately costs him his life. Orwell saw this as parallel to the fate of much of
the working class.
Note that the use of a ‘workhorse’ to parallel the Soviet Union’s workers, and the name
which references the Boxer Rebellion of China- which marked the beginning of the
process that eventually led to China’s turn to communism.
Pravda- the
Squealer
Pravda was the propaganda arm of the Communist Party prior to the entrance of radio
and television. Information was both highly controlled and highly managed, or ‘spun’. It
was also the public face of Party policy.
Dogs
The KGB was the enforcer of the Communist Party, and was deeply feared for their
ability to carry out orders, no matter how odious.
newspaper that
worked as the
propaganda
organ of the Party
The KGB, or
secret police