Animal-Farm---World-of-Teaching

AnimalFarmByGeorgeOrwell“Allanimalsareequal,butsomearemoreequalthanothers.”Allegory-Satire-FableGeorgeOrwellBritishAuthor&Journalist1903-1950BorninIndiaAtthattimeIndiawasapartoftheBritishEmpire,andBlair'sfather,Richard,heldapostasanagentintheOpiumDepartmentoftheIndianCivilService.TheBlairfamilywasnotverywealthy-Orwelllaterdescribedthemironicallyaslower-upper-middleclass.Theyownednoproperty,hadnoextensiveinvestments;theywerelikemanymiddle-classEnglishfamiliesofthetime,totallydependentontheBritishEmpirefortheirlivelihoodandprospects.Notedasanovelistandcritic,aswellasapoliticalandculturalcommentatorOneofthemostwidelyadmiredEnglish-languageessayistsofthe20thcenturyBestknownfortwonovelscriticaloftotalitarianismingeneral,andStalinisminparticular:AnimalFarmNineteenEighty-Four“Libertyistellingpeoplewhattheydonotwanttohear.”1984Thenovel,publishedin1949,takesplacein1984andpresentsanimaginaryfuturewhereatotalitarianstatecontrolseveryaspectoflife,evenpeople'sthoughts.ThestateiscalledOceaniaandisruledbyagroupknownastheParty;itsleaderanddictatorisBigBrother.GeorgeOrwellandHisBeliefsOrwellwasapersonwhohadareputationforstandingapartandevenmakingavirtueofhisdetachment.This“outsider”positionoftenledhimtoopposethecrowd.Orwell’sbeliefsaboutpoliticswereaffectedbyhisexperiencesfightingintheSpanishCivilWar.Heviewedsocialists,communists,andfascistsasrepressiveandself-serving.Hewasskepticalofgovernmentsandtheirwillingnesstoforsakeideasinfavorofpower.InterestingFact:GeorgeOrwell’srealnamewasEricBlair.WhyAnimals?InexplaininghowhecametowriteAnimalFarm,Orwellsaysheoncesawalittleboywhippingahorseandlaterhewrote,“Itstruckmethatifonlysuchanimalsbecameawareoftheirstrengthweshouldhavenopoweroverthem,andthatmenexploitanimalsinmuchthesamewayastherichexploitthe[worker].”GeorgeOrwellinIndiaHewasborninIndiaandspenthisearlyyearstheresincehisfatherheldapostthere.Hewasalonelyboywholikedtomakeupstoriesandtalkwithimaginarycompanions.Asanadult,heworkedfortheImperialPoliceinBritishoccupiedIndia.WhatisAnimalFarm?Amasterpieceofpoliticalsatire,AnimalFarmisataleofoppressedindividualswholongforfreedombutultimatelyarecorruptedbyassumingtheverypowerthathadoriginallyoppressedthem.Thestorytracesthedeplorableconditionsofmistreatedanimalswhocanspeakandwhoexhibitmanyhumancharacteristics.Afterextremenegligencebytheirowner,theanimalsrevoltandexpelMr.Jonesandhiswifefromthefarm.ThetaleofthesocietytheanimalsformintoatotalitarianregimeisgenerallyviewedasOrwell'scritiqueofthecommunistsystemintheformerSovietUnion.InterestingFact:OrwellinitiallystruggledtofindapublisherforAnimalFarm.SignificanceTodayButwhy–nowthatSovietCommunismhasfallenandtheColdWarisover–doesAnimalFarmdeserveourattention?Theanswerliesinthepowerofallegory.Allegoricalfables,becausetheyrequireustomakecomparisonsandconnections,canbemeaningfultoanyreaderinanyhistoricalperiod.ThestoryofAnimalFarmwillalwayshavelessonstoteachusaboutthewaysthatpeopleabusepowerandmanipulateothers.Orwell'schillingstoryofthebetrayalofidealismthroughtyrannyandcorruptionisasfreshandrelevanttodayaswhenitwasfirstpublishedin1945.Children’sBook?–No!AfterAnimalFarmwaspublishedin1945,GeorgeOrwelldiscoveredwithhorrorthatbooksellerswereplacinghisnovelonchildren’sshelves.Accordingtohishousekeeper,hebegantravelingfrombookstoretobookstorerequestingthatthebookbeshelvedwithadultworks.Thisdualidentity—aschildren’sstoryandadultsatire—hasstayedwithOrwell’snovelformorethanfiftyyears.TheFableThefableisoneoftheoldestliteraryforms-much,mucholderthanthenovelortheshortstory.Afableisusuallyshort,writtenineitherverseorprose,andconveysaclearmoralormessage.Theearliestfablesstillpreserveddatebackto6thCenturyGreeceB.C.E.Theauthorofthesefables,Aesop,usedanimalcharacterstostandforhumantypes.Forexample,afoxcharactermightembodythehumancharacteristicsofcunningandcleverness.ThoughAesop'sanimalfableswereostensiblyaboutanimals,theywerereallyinstructionaltalesabouthumanemotionsandhumanbehavior.AnimalFablesThemostpopularanimalfablesofthe20thCenturyaretheJustSoStories(1902)writtenbyRudyardKipling.Kipling'sfableswereadaptedbyDisneyinthemovieTheJungleBook.OrwelladmiredKiplingandtheJustSoStorieswouldseemtohaveinfluencedtheformofAnimalFarm.Orwelltooktheshortanimalfableandexpandedittothelengthofashortnovelintheformofanallegory.AllegoryMostfableshavetwolevelsofmeaning.Onthesurface,thefableisaboutanimals.Butonasecondlevel,theanimalsstandfortypesofpeopleorideas.Thewaytheanimalsinteractandthewaytheplotunfoldssayssomethingaboutthenatureofpeopleorthevalueofideas.Anytypeoffictionthathasmultiplelevelsofmeaninginthiswayiscalledanallegory.Allegory(cont’d)AnimalFarmisstronglyallegorical,butitpresentsaverynicebalancebetweenlevelsofmeaning.Onthefirstlevel,thestoryabouttheanimalsisverymoving.YoucanbeupsetwhenBoxeristakenawaybythehorseslaughtererwithoutbeingtooawareofwhathestandsfor.Butatthesametime,eachoftheanimalsdoesserveasasymbol.Thestory'ssecondlevelinvolvesthecarefulcritiqueOrwellconstructedtocommentonSovietRussia.BoxerAllegory(cont’d)Yetthereisnoreasontha