Univeridad

de Buenos Aires Instituto Libre de Segunda Enseanza

English Project
Animal Farm
By

George Orwell

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others
Professor: Mara Luz Garca Tun Students: NAKASONE, Adrin; TOLLIO, Guido; ZUCCHINI Toms Presentation Date: 03/08/12

About George Orwell

Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell, was born on 25th of June 1903, in a British colony in India and was brought by his parents back to England when he was a year old. About what regards of his education, he attended a small school in Henley before attending Eton, where it is recorded that some of his teachers thoroughly disliked him because he had little time for those in authority. The reports of his achievements at school vary: some say that he was a poor student, other disagree with this. It was clear that Orwell would not be able to attend university due to the inability to pay the fees. Orwell joined the police in Burma, where he had family connections. In 1924 he was promoted. In 1927 he contracted Dengue fever: in light of this he was allowed to return to England. It was at this time that he resigned from the police force with the intention of focusing on writing. It was this time in Burma that provided the inspiration for Orwells first novel, Burmese Days, published in 1934. Orwell took a job as a teacher in England, after living in Paris for a short time. It was a small school and allowed Orwell to focus on his writing. He was contributing on a regular basis to the magazine New Adelphi, where his essay "A Hanging" first appeared. By 1944 Animal Farm was ready to be published, but Orwell had difficulties finding the support for it as many felt it was an attack on the Soviets who were allies in the war. Animal Farm would finally be published in 1945 and was the work that propelled Orwell to new heights of fame. Orwell became seriously ill around 1949, suffering with tuberculosis. Orwell had been courting Sonia Brownell and married her while in hospital in October 1949. By Christmas Orwell was very weak and in January of 1950, aged 46, he died. In accordance with his wishes, Orwell was buried. He lies in All Saints Churchyard in Oxford, as it was impossible for him to be buried in London. Orwell's prose is realistic and narrative. In 1968 he published volumes Full Test: Journalism and Letters. His other critical works include studies conducted on C. Dickens. His essays on social policy issues and vision have a candor unprecedented in English literature. His work has been momentous in the field of political connotations.

Plot Summary
The story is set in The Manor Farm, or Animal Farm, depending on the moment. At the begining, the farms owner is Mr Jones, a man that likes drinking a lot (he is always drunk) and didnt take care of the animals. Old Major, the old boar of the Manor Farm, calls the animals of the farm for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and teaches the animals a revolutionary song, 'Beasts of England'. After Old Major dies, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, replace him as a leader. The animals decide to make a revolution, and taking advantage of Mr Jones state (he was drunk), overthrown him and take control of the farm. They rename it Animal Farm and adopt the Seven Commandments of Animalism: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. No animal shall wear clothes. No animal shall sleep in a bed. No animal shall drink alcohol. No animal shall kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership and set aside special food items, like milk or apples. They explained that they didnt like these things, but that it was their responsibility to maintain their health. Also Napoleon steals the pups from the farm dogs and start training them separately. Mr Jones tries to retake his farm, but is defeated by the animals in what they call "the Battle of the Cowshed". The victory isachieved thanks to the tactics of Snowball, who then gives himself a prize: "Animal Hero, First Class. Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership. This tension came to its climax when the animals are listening Napoleons and Snowballs speeches about the possibility of building a windmill. Snowballs speech was superior, but before the vote, Napoleon uses his now grown up dogs to attack Snowball and drive him out of the farm. Napoleon takes control of the farm and changes the structure of the government. He replaces the meetings with a committee of pigs, who will run the farm. Using a young

pig named Squealer as a mouthpiece Napoleon announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find that the windmill was destroyed. Napoleon and Squealer convince the animals that Snowball destroyed the windmill, although the neighbouring farmers suggest that the windmill's walls were too thin. Napoleon begins purging the farm with his dogs, killing animals he accuses of consorting with Snowball. He and the pigs abuse their power, imposing more control while reserving privileges for them. Squealer justifies every statement Napoleon makes, even the pigs alteration of the Seven Commandments of Animalism. "No animal shall sleep in beds" is changed to "No animal shall sleep in beds with sheets" when the pigs are discovered to have been sleeping in the old farmhouse. "No animal shall drink alcohol" is changed to "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess" when the pigs discover the farmer's whiskey. 'Beasts of England' is replaced by an anthem glorifying Napoleon, who appears to be adopting the lifestyle of a man. The animals, though cold, starving and overworked, remain convinced that they are better off than they were under Mr Jones. Squealer abuses the animals' poor memories and invents numbers to show their improvement. Mr Frederick, one of the neighbouring farmers, cheats Napoleon by buying old wood with forged money, and then attacks the farm, using dynamite to blow up the restored windmill. Even though the animals won the battle, many were wounded, like boxer, a very hard- working horse. Despite his injuries, Boxer continued working, until one day he collapsed. Napoleon said he was going to send Boxer to a veterinary hospital. Benjamin, the donkey, who could as well as the pigs read; noticed that the van belonged to a knacker. The animals attempted to rescue Boxer, but his efforts were in vain. Squealer reports that the van was purchased by the hospital and the writing from the previous owner had not been repainted. He tolda tale of Boxer's death in the hands of the best medical care. Shortly after Boxer's death, it is revealed that the pigs have purchased more whiskey. Years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others".

 Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area, who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working but least fed animals in the country. Napoleon announces an alliance with the humans, against the labouring classes of both "worlds". He abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and change the name of the farm to "The Manor Farm". The animals, overhearing the conversation, notice that the faces of the pigs have begun changing. During a poker match, an argument breaks out between Napoleon and Mr Pilkington when they both play the Ace of Spades and the animals realise that the faces of the pigs look like the faces of humans, and no one can tell the difference between them.

Analisis
The book describes in general how humans react under oppression and how power corruption is inevitable, as the leaders of the Rebellion become similar in character as the originals oppressors. Specifically, we can tell that the novel addresses Communism and how it reached its peak through the Russian Revolution in 1917. Despite the author not making any direct mention of this, its animal, representing the rebels, take Major's Farm and proclaim the "Animalism", term used as a representation of communism. Also, we have previously explained that each character represents a specific person, social class or Institution in relationship with Russia. As stated, power corruption is vastly treated in Animal Farm. As the pigs gain power, they find it even harder to resist the temptations of human habits, like drinking alcohol, wearing clothes, gambling and sleeping in beds with sheets. Slowly, Napoleon and its dogs drive the place into tyranny, killing every animal that doesn't like his deceptions on the dally life of the farm. This is a clear representation of Stalin and the police he used, called "People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs." One of Napoleon first bad seen decision was that he claimed food control and taking the puppies to make them grow into the strong dogs that would make later his repressive police. After a while he aborts debates, silencing the voices of the animals and thus violating the "All animals are equal" rule. This statement was then changed to "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Another important thing is Squealers role, representing the Communism media. He manipulates the information making it more favorable to Napoleon and subtly changes the Animalism principles so that apparently no rules are being broken by the pigs. Some animals begin to doubt him, but Boxer, the powerful horse, is always in accordance and encourages the others to work better and harder in the farm.

Main Interpretations and Characters

Benjamin: The donkey. He is the oldest animal on the farm and stereotypically stubborn and crotchety. He is also intelligent, being the only animal (aside from the pigs) that can read fluently. He never laughs, preferring to make cynical comments. Despite Benjamins unfriendly nature, he has a special affinity for Boxer. The Rebellion does not change Benjamins personality. Benjamin represents the human (and also stereotypically Russian) tendency towards apathy; he holds fast to the idea that life is inherently hard and that efforts for change are futile. Benjamin bears a similarity to Orwell himself. Over the course of his career, Orwell became politically pessimistic and predicted the overtake of the West by totalitarian governments. Boxer: The male of the two horses on the farm. Boxer is a painfully ironic character. He is strong enough to kill another animal, even a human, with a single blow from his hoof, and the dogs cannot manage to overpower him in Chapter VII. Still, Boxer lacks the intelligence and the nerve to sense that he is being used. Boxer represents the peasant or working class, a faction of humanity with a great combined strength-- enough to overthrow a manipulative government--but which is uneducated enough to take propaganda to heart and believe unconditionally in the governments cause. Clover: The female of the two horses on the farm. Clover is Boxers faithful companion as well as a motherly figure to the other animals. Like Boxer, Clover is not intelligent enough to read, so she enlists Muriel to read the altered Seven Commandments to her. She sees the incongruities in the governments policies and actions, but she is not smart or defiant enough to fight for the restoration of justice. Clover represents those people who remember a time before the Revolution and therefore half-realize that the government is lying about its success and adherence to its principles, but are helpless to change anything. The Dogs: Nine puppies, which Napoleon confiscates and secludes in a loft. Napoleon rears them into fierce, elitist dogs that act as his security guards. The dogs are the only animals other than the pigs that are given special privileges. They also act as executioners, tearing out the throats of animals that confess to treachery. The dogs represent the NKVD and more specifically the KGB, agencies Joseph Stalin fostered and used to terrorize and commit atrocities upon the Soviet Unions populace. Frederick: The owner of Pinchfield, the small farm adjacent to Manor Farm. He is a hard-nosed individual who is known for his frequent legal troubles and demanding business style. He cheats the animals out of their timber by paying for it with fake banknotes. Frederick represents Adolf Hitler. Rumors of the exotic and cruel animal tortures Frederick enacts on his farm are meant to echo the horror stories emerging from Nazi Germany. Fredericks agreement to buy the timber represents the Nazi- Soviet non-aggression treaty, and his subsequent betrayal of the pact and invasion of Animal Farm represents the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. Jones: The owner of Manor Farm and a drunkard. He represents the kind of corrupt and fatally flawed government that results in discontent and revolution among the

populace. More specifically, Jones represents the latter days of imperial Russia and its last leader, the wealthy but ineffective Czar Nicholas II. Minimus: A pig with a remarkable gift for composing songs and poems. Minimus composes propaganda songs and poems under Napoleons rule. Though we never hear Minimus complain about his duties as propaganda writer, he represents the Soviet Unions artists, who were forced to use their talents to glorify communism rather than express their personal feelings or beliefs. Mollie: The white mare that draws Mr. Joness trap. Her personality is superficial and adolescent. Mollie is the only animal not to fight in the Battle of the Cowshed, instead hiding in her stall. She eventually flees the farm and is last seen, bedecked in ribbons, eating sugar and letting her new owner stroke her nose. Mollie represents the class of nobles who, unwilling to conform to the new regime, fled Russia after the Revolution. Moses: A tame raven that is Mr. Joness especial pet. He is a spy, a gossip, and a clever talker. He is also the only animal not present for Old Majors meeting. Moses gets in the way of the pigs efforts to spread Animalism by inventing a story about an animal heaven called Sugarcandy Mountain. Moses disappears for several years during Napoleons rule. When he returns, he still insists on the existence of Sugarcandy Mountain. Moses represents religion, which gives people hope of a better life in heaven. The pigs dislike Mosess stories of Sugarcandy Mountain, just as the Soviet government opposed religion, not wanting its people to subscribe to a system of belief outside of communism. Though the Soviet government suppressed religion aggressively, the pigs on Animal Farm let Moses come and go as he pleases and even give him a ration of beer when he returns from his long absence. Muriel: The white goat. Muriel can read fairly well and helps Clover decipher the alterations to the Seven Commandments. Muriel is not opinionated, but she represents a subtle, revelatory influence because of her willingness to help bring things to light. Napoleon: One of the leaders among the pigs, Napoleon is a large, rather fierce- looking Berkshire boar that is up for sale. He is the only Berkshire boar on the farm. He is not much of a talker and has a reputation for getting his own way. Napoleon expels Snowball from the farm and takes over. He modifies his opinions and policies and rewrites history continually to benefit the pigs. Napoleon awards special privileges to the pigs and especially to himself. As time goes on, Napoleon becomes a figure in the shadows, increasingly secluding himself and making few public appearances. Eventually, Napoleon holds a conciliatory meeting with the neighboring human farmers and effectively takes over Mr. Joness position as dictator. Napoleon represents the type of dictator or tyrant who shirks the common good, instead seeking more and more power in order to create his own regime. Orwell reflects Napoleons greed for power with a name that invokes Napoleon Bonaparte, the very successful French leader who became Emperor and brashly invaded Russia before being defeated by Russia. But Napoleon the pig more directly represents Stalin in his constantly changing policies and actions, his secret activities, his intentional deception and manipulation of the populace, and his use of fear tactics and atrocities.

Old Major: A prize Middle White boar that the Joneses exhibited under the name Willingdon Beauty. Major is highly respected among his fellow farm animals. His age is twelve years, which makes him a senior among them, and he also claims to have had over four hundred children. He is the one who calls the meeting in the first chapter to discuss his strange dream. Months after his death, the pigs disinter his skull and place it at the base of the flagpole beside the gun. Major symbolizes two historical figures. First, he represents Karl Marx, the father of Marxism. Marxs political hypotheses about working-class consciousness and division of labor worked infinitely better in theory than in practice, especially when corrupt leaders twisted them for their personal gain. Second, Major represents Vladimir Lenin, the foremost of the three authors of the Russian Revolution and the formation of the Soviet Union. Lenin died during the Soviet Unions early years, leaving Trotsky (Snowball) and Stalin (Napoleon) to vie for his leadership position. Pilkington: The owner of Foxwood, the large, unkempt farm adjacent to Manor Farm. Pilkington can be seen to represent the Allies. Allied countries explored the possibility of trade with the Soviet Union in the years leading up to World War II but kept a watchful distance. Pilkingtons unwillingness to save Animal Farm from Frederick and his men parodies the Allies initial hesitance to enter the War. Napoleons and Pilkingtons poker game at the end of the book suggests the beginnings of a power struggle that would later become the Cold War. Frederick: The owner of Pinchfield, the small farm adjacent to Manor Farm. He cheats the animals out of their timber by paying for it with fake banknotes. Frederick represents Adolf Hitler. Rumors of the exotic and cruel animal tortures Frederick enacts on his farm are meant to echo the horror stories emerging from Nazi Germany. Fredericks agreement to buy the timber represents the Nazi-Soviet non-aggression treaty, and his betrayal of the pact and invasion of Animal Farm represents the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union The Sheep: The sheep are loyal to the tenets of Animal Farm, preventing the free thought making noise, being loud and over all, preventing other animals to be heard. They represent those people who have little understanding of their situation and thus are willing to follow their government blindly. Snowball: One of the leaders among the pigs, Snowball is a young pig. He is more intelligent than Napoleon but lacks Napoleons depth of character. He is also a brilliant orator. Snowball, who represents Leon Trotsky, is a progressive politician and aims to improve Animal Farm with a windmill and other technological advances, but Napoleon expels him before he can do so. In his absence, Snowball comes to represent an abstract idea of evil. The animals blame misfortunes on him, including the windmills destruction, and entertain the idea that he is lurking on one of the neighboring farms, plotting revenge. Napoleon uses the animals fear of Snowball to create new propaganda and changes history to make it seem as though Snowball was always a spy and a traitor. Snowball can more generally be said to represent systems of belief outside of communism, which the government distorts in order of their use.

Squealer: The best known of the porker pigs is a brilliant talker who is talented in the art of argument. Under Napoleons rule, Squealer acts as the bridge to the other animals. He lies to them, rewriting history and reading them encouraging, but false, statistics. Squealer is especially good at playing on the animals ignorance and gullibility. He represents the propaganda machine of a totalitarian government. Whymper: A solicitor in Willingdon who acts as Animal Farms intermediary to the human world. He visits the farm every Monday to get his orders and is paid in commissions. Mr. Whympers business-minded attitude towards Animal Farm, which allows him to ignore the injustices and atrocities committed there, make him a parody of nations that conducted business with the Soviet Union while turning a blind eye to its internal affairs.

Conclusion
In conclusion we can say that Orwell was trying here to teach us that power leads to corruption, stating that revolutions fail because of their leaders. Killing enemies and fooling the mass was their main ways to keep everything going as they become more and more tyrants. Each character in the story takes an important role that makes them play a function. No character has an evolution, like the Soviet Union, they got stuck in time, as if they could not find a way to progress. To sum up with, he makes a crystal clear analogy about control over the intellectually inferior. As the sad, but true, thought that egoism is the weakest point in a society looking for equality, Orwell embodies in his book, all shortcomings in a modern society through a historical event as it is the Bolshevik Revolution.