Assignment

I would advise you to brainstorm and organize your ideas as you did in your opinion essay outlines
(it is not necessary to send it in a written way, but it may help you organize yourself):

-You’ve already chosen the topic. Now, it’s time to think of some brief background information
related to the topic you’ve chosen (author’s life and perspectives, and political, social or economic
context in which the novella was written); then you can provide reasons why you chose that topic
or your opinion before introducing your thesis statement. Then you develop those ideas
mentioned in the thesis statement either implicitly or explicitly, and support them by providing
examples (quotes from the book, your personal experience or any other sources you may have
consulted), details or explanations.

-It is not necessary to provide a counterargument or opposing viewpoints, but your opinion must
be restated in the conclusion.

-Time yourself: no more than 5 minutes.

-Get ready to make relevant contributions to your classmates’ topics.

-Some of you may have chosen a comparison or contrast way of expressing your ideas; it won’t be
a problem as long as you organize and support your ideas coherently.

Activity 1

Look up the meaning of allegory, satire, irony and fable, and the difference between a novel and
a novella.

Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a
moral or political one.

Satire: the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity
or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

Irony: the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite,
typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Fable: a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.

Novel and novella are not the same. Novel is a fictional prose narrative of book length, typically
representing character and action with some degree of realism, while Novella is a fictional prose
narrative that is longer than a short story and shorter than a novel. Novel generally contains more
than 200 pages, while Novella is shorter than a novel.

Activity 2

Find out about the cultural, social, economic and political background of the 1917 Russian
Revolution (focus on the leaders and actors).

The Russian Revolution took place in 1917, during the final phase of World War I. It removed
Russia from the war and brought about the transformation of the Russian Empire into the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), replacing Russia’s traditional monarchy with the world’s first
Communist state. The revolution happened in stages through two separate coups, one in February
and one in October. The new government, led by Vladimir Lenin, would solidify its power only
after three years of civil war, which ended in 1920.

Although the events of the Russian Revolution happened abruptly, the causes may be traced back
nearly a century. Prior to the revolution, the Russian monarchy had become progressively weaker
and increasingly aware of its own vulnerability (and therefore more reactionary). Nicholas II—the
tsar who led Russia in the years leading up to the revolution—had personally witnessed
revolutionary terrorists assassinate his grandfather and, subsequently, his own father respond to
the assassination through brutal oppression of the Russian people. When Nicholas II himself
became tsar in 1894, he used similarly severe measures to subdue resistance movements, which
were becoming bolder and more widespread every year. As Nicholas’s newly imposed oppressions
in turn incited still more unrest, he was forced to make concessions after each incident: it was in
this manner that Russia’s first constitution was created, as was its first parliament. These
concessions continued gradually until Nicholas II’s grip on power became very tenuous.

Activity 3

Provide examples using different quotes from the novella, and a conclusion based on your
personal opinion.

“No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the pain truth”
P28.

-Animalism / Socialism

“All animals are equal.”

“Reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments.” P42

“Four legs good, two legs bad.”

-Totalitarianism

“Napoleon is always right”

“There would be no more debates”

“Discipline, comrades, iron discipline

The dog were his soldiers which kill everyone who opposed to Napoleon´s ideas.

-Classism

“The work of teaching and organizing the others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were generally
recognized as being the cleverest of the animals”: (they represents the liders)

“These two (the two horses -Clover and Boxer.) had great difficulty in thinking anything out for
themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything that
they were told. (they were influenced easily and they represents the working class)
 Activity 4

Choose one the following themes (explain, provide details and examples to justify your ideas):

Animal Farm is a political allegory on Russian Revolution, but it can also be applied on every
revolution. This work attacks generally the quest for power. It observes the psychological
foundation of revolution, it’s processes and the irony of displacement of an oppressive regime by
the new revolutionary order. If we observe the farm as Russia, then Mr. Jones represents Czar
Nicholas II, the last Russian ruler. Old Major (Marx/Lenin) gave his noble idea of equality of all
animals and actuated the animals to unite and rebel against common enemy, and so they did. His
philosophy is called Animalism, it represents the ideas of socialism/communism, but this ideology
got perverted and misused by Napoleon (Stalin) – an individual greedy for power, without regard
for fellow animals. He exiled his partner Snowball (Leon Trotsky) who had a good way of realizing
socialism (he builds, educates…). Napoleon gained the absolute power step by step. He got control
over food and suffocated every idea or debate. The working-class animals got gradually
brainwashed with Squealer’s propaganda, which “could turn black into white”. The history is being
rewritten, so the next generations would believe a lie, due to Squealer’s persuasion, the animals’
memories become less and less reliable. Napoleon also uses sheep, who are there to outvote
every different opinion, Moses and Minimus (the official poet) to additionally brainwash the
animals. Finally, tyranny becomes extreme when Napoleon starts to evoke fear with the dogs
(KGB), whom kill everybody who try to disagree. Via their intelligence, pigs gain power and exploit
the less intelligent animals. But Orwell doesn’t only criticize the authority, but also the types of
citizens who allow such tyrants to do so.

https://schoolworkhelper.net/animal-farm-characters-political-allegory-power-of-language/#

---

Relationship between the author and the story

Because Animal Farm is so critical of Soviet Communism, some readers may be surprised to learn
that Orwell was a committed socialist. As a result of his experiences as a colonial policeman in
Burma and while living in working-class areas of London and Paris, Orwell became a fierce
opponent of colonialism and unchecked capitalism. Eventually he joined the Socialist Independent
Labor Party, and he documented the development of his political beliefs in a series of essays and
books. In 1936, Orwell travelled to Spain in order to oppose the Fascist faction in the Spanish Civil
War. While in Spain, Orwell was caught up in the conflict between the Stalinist and Trotskyist
factions in the Communist forces, and he was lucky to escape with his life. This experience shaped
his lifelong hatred of Stalinism and totalitarianism in general. He was disgusted by the extent to
which British socialists were willing to defend Stalin, and one of his main goals in writing Animal
Farm was to expose the cruelty and hypocrisy of Stalinism to other British socialists. The novella
also portrays capitalism—represented by the regimes of Jones and Pilkington—as cruel. The
book’s kindly portrayal of Boxer and the other “lower animals” has its roots in Orwell’s sympathy
for oppressed people.

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/context/historical/orwells-politics/
 MY TOPICS

Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and
their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include private property and the
recognition of property rights, capital accumulation, wage labor, voluntary exchange, a price
system and competitive markets.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism#:~:text=Capitalism%20is%20an%20economic%20system,
price%20system%20and%20competitive%20markets.

Socialism is a political, social, and economic philosophy encompassing a range of economic and
social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production and workers' self-
management of enterprises. It includes the political theories and movements associated with such
systems. Social ownership can be public, collective, cooperative or of equity. While no single
definition encapsulates many types of socialism, social ownership is the one common element.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism

Classism is differential treatment based on social class or perceived social class. Classism is the
systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant
class groups. It’s the systematic assignment of characteristics of worth and ability based on social
class. That includes: individual attitudes and behaviors; systems of policies and practices that are
set up to benefit the upper classes at the expense of the lower classes, resulting in drastic income
and wealth inequality; the rationale that supports these systems and this unequal valuing; and the
culture that perpetuates them

https://classism.org/about-class/what-is-classism/

Totalitarianism, form of government that theoretically permits no individual freedom and that
seeks to subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority of the state. Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini coined the term totalitario in the early 1920s to characterize the new fascist state
of Italy, which he further described as “all within the state, none outside the state, none against
the state.” By the beginning of World War II, totalitarian had become synonymous with absolute
and oppressive single-party government.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/totalitarianism
 Outline

I Introduction: Animal Farm is an allegorical novella written by George Orwell in 1945. The book
tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a
society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. As a result of his experiences as a
colonial policeman in Burma and while living in working-class areas of London and Paris, Orwell
became a fierce opponent of colonialism and unchecked capitalism. Eventually he joined the
Socialist Independent Labor Party, and he documented the development of his political beliefs in a
series of essays and books. In 1936, Orwell travelled to Spain in order to oppose the Fascist faction
in the Spanish Civil War. While in Spain, Orwell was caught up in the conflict between the Stalinist
and Trotskyist factions in the Communist forces, and he was lucky to escape with his life. This
experience shaped his lifelong hatred of Stalinism and totalitarianism in general. He was disgusted
by the extent to which British socialists were willing to defend Stalin, and one of his main goals in
writing Animal Farm was to expose the cruelty and hypocrisy of Stalinism to other British socialists.
The novella also portrays capitalism—represented by the regimes of Jones and Pilkington—as
cruel. The book’s kindly portrayal of Boxer and the other “lower animals” has its roots in Orwell’s
sympathy for oppressed people.

Thesis statement: Animal Farm is a political allegory on the Russian Revolution since it talks about
the irony of the displacement of an oppressive regime by a new revolutionary order.

Body Paragraphs

II FIRST MAIN IDEA: The novella represents the process of the Russian revolution in a very critical
way.

A. First supporting idea: Some characters in the story represent historical Russian
characters such as Nicholas II and Stalin.

1. First supporting detail: If we observe the farm as Russia, then Mr. Jones
represents Czar Nicholas II, the last Russian ruler. Old Major (Marx/Lenin) gave his noble
idea of equality of all animals and actuated the animals to unite and rebel against common
enemy, and so they did. His philosophy is called Animalism, it represents the ideas of
socialism/communism, but this ideology got perverted and misused by Napoleon (Stalin) –
an individual greedy for power, without regard for fellow animals. He exiled his partner
Snowball (Leon Trotsky) who had a good way of realizing socialism (he builds, educates…).
Napoleon gained the absolute power step by step. He got control over food and
suffocated every idea or debate. Napoleon also uses sheep, who are there to outvote
every different opinion. Finally, tyranny becomes extreme when Napoleon starts to evoke
fear with the dogs (KGB), whom kill everybody who try to disagree. Via their intelligence,
pigs gain power and exploit the less intelligent animals.
III. SECOND MAIN IDEA: During the novel different political systems are manifested.

A. First supporting idea the word animalism is an allegory to socialism.

1. First supporting detail: Socialism, which is a political, social, and economic

philosophy encompassing a range of economic and social systems characterized by social
ownership of the means of production and workers' self-management of enterprise, is behind the
word animalism. Animalism has the motto “all animals are equal” and “two legs good, two legs
bad”.

B. Second supporting idea. Totalitarianism is reflected in Napoleon´s government.

1. First supporting detail the novella portrays the rise and fall of socialism, along
with the farm’s transition from a democratic socialist farm (state) to a totalitarian one.
Napoleon's lust for power increases to the point where he becomes a totalitarian dictator,
forcing "confessions" from innocent animals and having the dogs kill them in front of the
entire farm.

2. Second supporting detail There are many quotes that refer to this political
system in the book such as “Napoleon is always right”, “There would be no more debates”,
“Discipline, comrades, iron discipline”.

C. Third supporting idea. Capitalism and Classism is generally displayed through the abuse
of the animals (representing the workers) for profit.

1. First supporting detail. From the view of employment, the pigs have sole
control over the number of rations provided to the other animals. They further assert their control
over the “wages” (food rations) — a key tenet of capitalism —when they claim all the milk and
apples for themselves. “The work of teaching and organizing the others fell naturally upon the
pigs, who were generally recognized as being the cleverest of the animals”: (they represent the
leaders). “These two (the two horses -Clover and Boxer.) had great difficulty in thinking anything
out for themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything
that they were told. (they were influenced easily and they represent the working class)

2. Second supporting detail. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single

law: "All Animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others."

IV Conclusion

To conclude, Animal Farm is a political allegory on the Russian Revolution since it the novella
represents its process in a very critical way. Moreover, during the novel, different political systems
such as socialism, capitalism classism and totalitarianism are manifested to explain all forms of
government before and after the Russian Revolution. I consider this story a great piece of work
since it painted a realistic picture of the Soviet Union in the past and despite of being written so
long ago, this book still connects with the society we have today. Furthermore, it is really
interesting how the author uses satire to create this story to warn against Stalinism, which was
prevalent at the time the novella was written.
Why do I choose this topic?

I chose this topic because I consider that it is crucial to know about political order since the novella
talks about the changes in the political and economical system before and after the revolution.
Moreover, this topic is really interesting for explaining and there are a lot of quotes and examples
about it in the book.

ESSAY

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella written by George Orwell in 1945. The book tells the story of
a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where
the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Orwell became a strong opponent of colonialism and
unchecked capitalism, that´s why he joined the Socialist Independent Labor Party. In 1936, Orwell
travelled to Spain where he was caught up in the conflict between the Stalinist and Trotskyist
factions in the Communist forces, and he was lucky to escape with his life. This experience shaped
his lifelong hatred of Stalinism and totalitarianism in general. He was disgusted by the extent to
which British socialists were willing to defend Stalin, and one of his main goals in writing Animal
Farm was to expose the cruelty and hypocrisy of Stalinism to other British socialists. The novella
also portrays capitalism—represented by the regimes of Jones and Pilkington—as cruel. The
book’s kindly portrayal of Boxer and the other “lower animals” has its roots in Orwell’s sympathy
for oppressed people. Because of that, Animal Farm is a political allegory on the Russian
Revolution since it talks about the irony of the displacement of an oppressive regime by a new
revolutionary order.

The novella represents the process of the Russian revolution in a very critical way. Some
characters in the story represent historical Russian characters such as Nicholas II and Stalin. If we
observe the farm as Russia, then Mr. Jones represents Czar Nicholas II, the last Russian ruler. Old
Major who share Marx and Lenin ideologies gave his noble idea of equality of all animals and
actuated the animals to unite and rebel against common enemy, and so they did. His philosophy is
called Animalism, it represents the ideas of socialism, but this ideology got perverted and misused
by Napoleon who represents the figure of Stalin – an individual greedy for power, without regard
for fellow animals. He exiled his partner Snowball who represents Leon Trotsky, a man who had a
good way of realizing socialism since he aspired to a better education. Napoleon gained the
absolute power step by step. He got control over food and won every debate. Napoleon also uses
sheep, who are there to outvote every different opinion. Finally, tyranny becomes extreme when
Napoleon starts to evoke fear with the dogs, whom kill everybody who try to disagree. Via their
intelligence, pigs gain power and exploit the less intelligent animals.

During the novel different political systems are manifested. Firstly, the word animalism is
an allegory to socialism which is a social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than
private ownership or control of property and natural resources as well as, individuals do not live or
work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another. Furthermore, Animalism has different
mottos such as “all animals are equal” and “two legs good, two legs bad” which are clear ideas of
socialism. Secondly, totalitarianism is reflected in Napoleon´s government. The novella portrays
the rise and fall of socialism, along with the farm’s transition from a democratic socialist farm to a
totalitarian one. Napoleon's lust for power increases to the point where he becomes a totalitarian
dictator, forcing "confessions" from innocent animals and having the dogs kill them in front of the
entire farm. Moreover, there are many quotes that refer to this political system in the book some
examples are: “Napoleon is always right”, “There would be no more debates” as well as
“Discipline, comrades, iron discipline”. Thirdly, Capitalism and Classism is generally displayed
through the abuse of the animals the ones who represent the working class for profit. From the
view of employment, the pigs have sole control over the number of rations provided to the other
animals. They further assert their control over the “wages” (food rations) when they claim all the
milk and apples for themselves, which is a key tenet of capitalism. There are many quotes in the
story that refer to capitalism and classism, some of them are the following ones: “The work of
teaching and organizing the others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were generally recognized as
being the cleverest of the animals” and that is the reason why they represent the leaders. “These
two (the two horses -Clover and Boxer.) had great difficulty in thinking anything out for
themselves, but having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything that
they were told. So, they are influenced easily and they represent the working class. In addition,
throughout the story, the Seven Commandments were reduced to a single law: "All Animals Are
Equal, but Some Are More Equal Than Others."

To conclude, Animal Farm is a political allegory on the Russian Revolution since it the novella
represents its process in a very critical way. Moreover, during the novel, different political systems
such as socialism, capitalism classism and totalitarianism are manifested to explain all forms of
government before and after the Russian Revolution. I consider this story a great piece of work
since it painted a realistic picture of the Soviet Union in the past and despite of being written so
long ago, this book still connects with the society we have today. Furthermore, it is really
interesting how the author uses satire to create this story to warn against Stalinism, which was
prevalent at the time the novella was written.
 CHECK PRONUNCIATION

Rebel: /rɪˈbel/

Stalinist

Trotskyist

Factions

Hatred

Totalitarianism

Extent

Hypocrisy

Regimes

Portrayal

Philosophy

Perverted

Misused

Fellow

Debate

Outvote

Evoke

Manifested

doctrine

Totalitarian

Lust

Discipline

Comrades

Profit

Rations

Tenet