Difference between revisions of "Animal Farm"
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| − | '''Animal Farm''' is a book written by [[George Orwell]] in 1946. The story portrays animals taking over a farm, satirizing to the [[communist]] takeover of [[Russia]] and the betrayal of the people by their leaders, who impose a totalitarian system consolidating and perpetuating the power of those leaders. | + | '''''Animal Farm''''' is a book written by [[George Orwell]] in 1946. The story portrays animals taking over a farm. The book is controversial, with one side downplaying comparisons to the [[USSR]] and playing up Orwell's support for [[socialism]]. The other side seeing the stori as satirizing to the [[communist]] takeover of [[Russia]] and the betrayal of the people by their leaders, who impose a totalitarian system consolidating and perpetuating the power of those leaders. |
==Characters== | ==Characters== | ||
Revision as of 13:22, January 5, 2008
Animal Farm is a book written by George Orwell in 1946. The story portrays animals taking over a farm. The book is controversial, with one side downplaying comparisons to the USSR and playing up Orwell's support for socialism. The other side seeing the stori as satirizing to the communist takeover of Russia and the betrayal of the people by their leaders, who impose a totalitarian system consolidating and perpetuating the power of those leaders.
Characters
Old Major: A pig, and the leader of the animals before the revolution. He dies of old age before the revolt begins.
Boxer: A very strong horse who is characterized by the phrase: "Napoleon is always right!" His attitude is very simplistic and uncaring, simply determining that, no matter how maniacal, the leadership on the farm is always right.
Mollie: A female horse who is vain and shallow. Her low intelligence is seen in whatever she does, and she is easily led astray by flattery.
Snowball: A pig who struggled with Napoleon for power. Possibly the most intelligent animal on the farm, he envisioned the windmill and much of the governance structure of the farm.
Napoleon: Another pig whose lust for power will stop at nothing. While taking a stand against Snowball's ideas every time they come up, Napoleon rarely presents any of his own.
Squealer: A porker who manages to convince, using lies, everyone on the farm to accept whatever Napoleon declares.
Farmer Jones: The owner of Manor Farm before the animals revolt. A drunkard, but not a bad farmer, Jones was often negligent in caring for the animals.
Farmer Frederick: The owner of the neighboring Pinchfield farm.
Farmer Pilkington: The owner of the neighboring Foxwood farm.
Mr Whymper: The 'face' of Animal Farm to the outside world.
Representations of Characters
Old Major: Karl Marx and V.I. Lenin
Boxer: The proletariat
Mollie: The czarist aristocracy
Snowball: Leon Trotsky
Napoleon: Joseph Stalin
Squealer: Propaganda newspaper Pravda
Farmer Jones: Czar Nicholas II
Farmer Frederick: Adolf Hitler
Farmer Pilkington: Winston Churchill
Mr Whymper: George Bernard Shaw
Online version
The text is now in the Public domain, and may be found at the Orwell library.