Animal Farm by George Orwell Allegory ~ Fable “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” George Orwell British Author and Journalist 1903-1950 • Born in India • Novelist and Political Commentator • Orwell said, “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been … against totalitarianism.” • Totalitarianism is a form of government where the state wants to control all aspects of life. • Known for two novels: Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty Four ~ Both critical of Totalitarianism Why a Book about Animals? • In explaining how he came to write Animal Farm, Orwell says he once saw a little boy whipping a horse and later he wrote, “It struck me that if only such animals became aware of their strength we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the worker.” Animal Farm is like a Fable Fables are usually: • Short • Give a clear message or moral • Use animals that are symbolic of human traits – A fox might be clever – A snake might be sly Allegory (also called an extended metaphor) • Most fables have two levels of meaning: the animal story and then a message for the reader. • The way the animals interact and the way the plot unfolds says something about the nature of people. • Fiction that has multiple levels of meaning are an allegory. • Animal Farm in an allegory. Animal Farm as an Allegory • Animal Farm is a nice story about animals. We will find it interesting. • HOWEVER~ each of the animals is a symbol for something. Each animal is symbolic, and they come together to represent the Soviet Russian Revolution. • The story is also metaphorically more broad, and it may be symbolic of tyranny (an absolute ruler who is VERY mean) Who is Who in Animal Farm • Each animal is symbolic of a figure in the Russian Revolution. • The following website outlines all of the characters and who they represent • http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/goanimal_farm.html