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Jason Mrkonich
AP Literature
Animal Farm
DATA SHEET
Title:
Animal Farm
Biographical Information about the Author
Author: George Orwell
Date of Publication: August 17, 1945
Genre: Political satire
Historical Information about the period and place of
publication – what was happening in the world the
author lived in and how might that have influenced
him?
Orwell wrote the novel during World War II and it was
published at its conclusion. The novel is satirical and
that satire is aimed at the Soviet Union. It describes
the rise of communism after the Russian Revolution in
the early 20th century and how that communist
government evolved. The Soviet’s communists
pursuits seemed noble at first and it appeared this
system of government would help most people
greatly, but over time the nation became a
dictatorship. This evolution of the Soviet government
from the early 20th century up until World War II was
the primary influence on
Animal Farm.
Orwell was born in India but lived for most of
his life in Great Britain. He went to Eton
College and enjoyed writing literature and
poetry. He was shot when he was in the
Spanish Civil War which caused him to focus
more on his writing. His most well known
novels are
Animal Farm
and
1984
.
Characteristics of the Genre
Political satire is characterized by a negative
portrayal of a certain type of government, a
specific nation’s government, or government
in general. The author can choose to make
fun of and point out the weaknesses of a
system of government and leave it at that, or
he or she can suggest an alternative that he
or she believes is a better system. In
Animal
Farm
, Orwell suggests that communism is not
inherently bad, but is only able to be
successful in a utopian society, so it is not
realistic. Furthermore, in
Animal Farm
Orwell
does not suggest that any other form of
government such as a capitalistic democracy
would be any more successful.
Plot Summary
The plot of
Animal Farm
revolves around a group of farm animals that are owned by a man named Mr.
Jones. One day, a pig named Major decides that the animals would be more prosperous if they could
drive Mr. Jones off the farm, and he rallies the other animals towards this cause. They are then able to
drive out Mr. Jones and take control of the farm. Initially, the animals have great success under
co-leader pigs Snowball and Napoleon. They make sure to distribute work and wealth evenly amongst
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the animals such as in a communist system. However, Napoleon makes a grab for power and drives out
Snowball and becomes the dictator of the farm. He takes advantage of whatever he can so that he is
better off, which results in the rest of the animals having terrible lives. At the end of the novel,
Napoleon walks around on two feet which shows how he has become the new Mr. Jones.
Describe the author’s style
Orwell writes in prose and he does not
show his direct feelings through the
narrator. Everything is told plainly as a
story and he allows the reader to come
to conclusions about his motives
through the actions of the characters.
An example that demonstrates that style
The symbolism that Orwell uses to show how Napoleon has
evolved into the new Mr. Jones is typical of his style. Orwell
doesn’t explicitly state that this is a good or bad thing, just
that it occurs, and trusts that the reader draws the
conclusion from this event that he wants he or she to.
Memorable Quotes
Quotation
Significance
“All animals are equal, but some
animals are more equal than
others.”
This quote is important because it marks the end of the
communist era at the Animal Farm. Initially the most important
concept was that all animals are equal, but this was twisted so
that Napoleon would be able to treat himself and his
colleagues better than others.
“Man is the only creature that
consumes without producing. He
does not give milk, he does not lay
eggs, he is too weak to pull the
plough, he cannot run fast enough to
catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the
animals. He sets them to work, he
gives back to them the bare
minimum that will prevent them
from starving, and the rest he keeps
for himself.”
This is an important quote because it is essentially Orwell’s
description of a dictatorship. The leader becomes a dictator
and has rule over all of the other people or animals in the state.
This system is clearly negative and results in the majority of the
population living poorly.
“All men are enemies. All animals
are comrades”
This is an interesting quote because it uses the animal analogy
of government systems to touch on nationalism. United States
citizens believe that their system of government is the best and
view those who have similar systems to them as friends.
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Likewise, the Soviet citizens believe that communism is the
best and are friendly with other communist nations because
they don’t have experience with any other system of
government. Orwell is describing how one naturally views
those that are similar to oneself more as friends than those
that are different.
Characters
Name
Role in the Story
Significance
Adjectives
Major
oldest leader of the farm
animals
inspires the initial resistance
to Mr. Jones
determined,
tough
co-leader and then leader of
the animals on Animal Farm
Is used to show the harsh
reality of communism as it can
evolve into a dictatorship
narcissistic,
selfish, greedy
Napoleon
Snowball
Boxer
was a co-leader with Napoleon
before being driven out
horse that provided the brute
force allowing the farm to
operate
Setting
A farm out in the country in the early 20th century. A
small town is nearby with pub, general store, etc.
Napoleon used him as the
scapegoat for bad things
happening to the farm
represented the hardworker
who wanted communism to
succeed but never benefited
from that work
noble, kind,
brave,
hardworking
optimistic,
loyal,
hardworking,
honest
Significance of opening scene
Major gives a speech outlining his vision for a
utopian society in which all animals have
equal responsibility and reap equal reward. It
describes the vision that people had for why
communism would be a great idea.
Significance of ending/closing scene
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Symbols
1. Two feet- The most important motif on Animal Farm
was “four feet good, two feet bad” so when Napoleon
became a two-footed pig, it was very important
symbolically.
Napoleon walks around on two feet as a
human does. This completes his transition
from an animal into a human, which is the
most hated creature of the animals. It
emphasizes Orwell’s belief that communism
leads to a dictatorship which leads to
communism and a dictatorship again in a
neverending cycle.
2. Dogs- Napoleon trained them to listen to him and
he used them as a threat of force against those who
might oppose him like a human would guns/military.
3. Apples/Eggs- They were like money and were
hoarded by Napoleon and not given to any of the
other animals even though they produced/gathered
them.
4. Neighboring farms- The other farms were always
considered the enemy because they weren’t operated
by “free” animals. They represent nations that operate
differently.
5. Snowball- He was the scapegoat for everything that
didn’t go well just as Hitler blamed the Jews, Gypsies,
or various other groups.
Old AP Questions
Leave Blank for Now
Possible Themes
1. Those who become leaders are those that are the most aggressive, not necessarily the best or most
qualified.
2. Utopian societies will never be practical even on a relatively small scale.
3. People can be persuaded into believing or doing nearly anything if the change takes place gradually