For my further study, I have studied the play text Animal Farm. I have compressed a wide variety of sources (e.g. my own views, school guidance, online resources) to form this thorough set of full book annotations. This text is also examined in the AQA English Literature specification. I have given...
Allegory 1T¥ ;) -
political satire : the use of irony to promote political arguments or criticise the regime
Issues : powers and regime's relationship between the rich and the poor, wealth disparity, capitalism Vs communism
characters
Allegorical fable
II ) cruel + manipulative ( exploiting the animals of Major farm with his poor managem
Mr. Jones ( Tsar Nicholas
→
↓ ↓ .
( a leader that
appeals -6 the mass with spe
the of animals old Major ( Karl Marx -1 Vladimir Lenin I → respectable
convey message use -
'
of Animal committees
life with a clear moral snowball Cheon Trotsky ) → educated + idealistic ( advocated the formation
in real passage .
-
characters of animals
( symbols ) ( animal Stalin ) twisted Animal is my execution
Napoleon ( Joseph
→
-
( mass
↓
Mollie C skilled middle class ) →
apathetic -1 materialistic train
human behaviours )
-
cruel , thirst for power the safety of Napoleon )
-
Napoleon 's guard dogs → KGB → (
guarding
stereotypes -
squealer →
Russian newspaper → loyal , persuasive lemon-1h piece of Napoleon )
-
Pigs selfishness gluttony
:
cynical , skeptical
, -
Benjamin → →
horses : slow witted, strong gentle, loyal
-
manipulated by
-
loyal , dim-witted more educated classes )
'
,
class in the revolution (→
-
Boxer →
working → hard -
working ,
-
sheep brainless without individual thinking
:
,
Themes
Gumption of communist ideals
-
in the Soviet union
the societal tendency toward wealth
-
disparity
-
the danger of a naive working class
-
abuse of language as power and abuse of power Orwell 's unique critique of the communist s
,
Animal Farm
George Orwell
0M mentor )
( political
, Animal Farm
Table of Contents
Animal Farm....................................................................................................................................................
George Orwell.......................................................................................................................................
I.............................................................................................................................................................
II............................................................................................................................................................
III...........................................................................................................................................................
IV..........................................................................................................................................................
V............................................................................................................................................................
VI..........................................................................................................................................................
VII.........................................................................................................................................................
VIII........................................................................................................................................................
IX..........................................................................................................................................................
X............................................................................................................................................................
, Animal Farm
George Orwell
•I
• II
• III
• IV
•V
• VI
• VII
• VIII
• IX
•X
Etext by Roderick da Rat
(
I ☆ old Major 's speech techniques )
MR. JONES, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen−houses for the night, but was too drunk to remembe
shut the popholes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across th
yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery
and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring.
As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm
buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a
strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agre
that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way. Old Major (so h
always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so hig
regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to
old Major respelled leader
At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw
under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but
was still a majestic−looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tush
never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable afte
different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who se
down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The hens perched themselves on the window−sil
the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters, the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew th
, Animal Farm
grazing side by side and never speaking.
The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the
barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trod
Humans : bourgeoisie / capitalist clay
on. Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down in
Animals : proletariat / working class and promptly fell asleep. At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jon
Exploitation of animals
:
exploitat /◦not working class by capitalist) trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began fli
class her white mane, hoping to draw attention doesn't to the red ribbons it was plaited with. Last of all came the cat, w
Mollie vain materialistic
- :
the sufferings of fellow animals
care about her
looked round, as usual, for the warmest place, and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clo
, ,
overthrowing Mr Jones : ultimate goal of Marxism : overthrow the
capitalists
there she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech without listening to a word of what he was sayin
All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back doo
When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared
throat and began:
create suspense
"Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last- night. But I will come to the
dream later. I have something else to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for m
months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. I ha
had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I -
understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living. It is about this that I wish t
speak to you.
Rhetorical question I make them realise humans is the root cause of suffering , Rule of Three ( arouse desire for
"Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious
short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us
allegory poor working conditions of the working class
of
are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our useful
has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of
allegory of the working class being fired after injured / old
happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in Englandi is free. The life of an animal is misery a
slavery: that is the plain truth. Negation /Repetition Anaphora
reinforce of exploitation ) 1 ( idea
"But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot affo
decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is fert
climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals
now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of she
all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do w
continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from
by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word
Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and
'
overwork is abolished for ever. Imperatives rebellion ) ( call to action on
'
he ' ( diction ) ( highlight how I idleness of the bourgeoisie
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