Animal Farm Flashcards
What three types of story is Animal Farm?
- Fable
- Allegory
- Satire
What does Animal Farm as a whole represent?
The Russian Revolution
What figure does Mr Jones represent?
The Tsar.
Describe how Mr Jones represents the monarchy of Russia before the revolution.
He lives off the produce of the animals - The Tsar didn’t provide for his people.
He is brutal and doesn’t look after the animals - The Tsar was despotic.
He indulges himself with his friends - The Tsar supported the rich.
What figure does Old Major represent?
Karl Marx
Describe how Old Major is parallel to his real life counterpart.
- He dies before the revolution just as Karl Marx did.
- He believes in unity and equality between workers which is representative of Marx’s -communism.
Which figure does Snowball represent?
Leon Trotsky
Describe how Snowball is parallel to his real life counterpart.
- He wants to make life better for everybody.
- His views are idealistic.
- He is chased into exile by a new leader, just as Trotsky was by Stalin.
Give an example of how Snowball tries to improve the lives of all the animals.
-He devises a wind turbine in order to reduce the work of the animals.
Who does Napoleon represent?
Josef Stalin
Describe how Napoleon is parallel to his real life counterpart.
- He is devious and corrupt.
- He works behind the scenes for his gains.
- He isn’t intellectual so kills opponents using minions.
What role does Squealer play?
He releases the propaganda and works for Napoleon.
What role do the dogs play?
- They represent the KGB.
- They use force to oppress people.
- They are loyal only to Napoleon.
What is Moses representative of?
The Russian Orthodox Church
Describe how Moses is parallel to his real life counterpart.
- He is the opiate of the masses.
- People follow him regardless of what he says.
- He depicts Sugarcandy mountain as a paradise much like heaven.
- He serves his own ends.
What is Clover representative of?
The Russian matriarch.
What is Boxer representative of?
The ideal of the working class. ie. noble, hard-working.
What is Molly representative of?
The Russian upper class.
Describe how Molly is parallel to her real life counterpart(s).
- She doesn’t work.
- She likes luxuries such as sugar.
- She is selfish and runs away.
What is the significance of Moses not being present? (pg 3)
It shows how religion separated itself from communism.
What is the significance of the use of the word “comrade”?
- It implies equality
- It is repeated several times in a persuasive manner.
What is the meaning of old Major’s “strange dream”? (pg 3)
- It is the ideal life.
- It displays the opportunities of a better life.
How is the use of short sentences useful? (pg 3)
-It engages the audience.
What is the significance of “I will not be with you”? (pg 3)
Karl Marx died before the communist Russian revolution.
What is the significance of “I may say”? (pg 3)
- It shows humility.
- Old Major was a man of the people.
What is the significance of “I understand the nature of life… as well as any animal now living.”? (pg 3)
-It gives credibility to his speech.
What is the significance of “let us face it”? (pg 3)
- It shows the truth.
- He is showing the way (a prophet).
What techniques are used in “our lives are miserable, laborious, and short?” (pg 3)
- Tricolon
- Curt ending for impact
What is the significance of “forced to work to the last atom of our strength”? (pg 3)
- The animals are enslaved.
- The use of hyperbole is persuasive.
What is the significance of “we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty”? (pg 3)
- Emotive so persuasive.
- Depicts life from their perspective.
What is the significance of “ours”? (pg 3)
- A possessive adjective.
- Gives ownership to everybody (ie. communism)
What techniques are used in “a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep”? (pg 4)
- Tricolon
- The numbers get bigger each time suggesting prosperity.
What is the significance of “living in comfort”? (pg 4)
-It represents a dream for peasants.
What is the significance of “our labour is stolen”? (pg 4)
- Emotive
- The oppression of the tsar & aristocracy.
What is the significance of “-man. Man is the only real enemy”? (pg 4)
- Pause for effect, time to think.
- Simplistic argument, suitable for uneducated.
- Ingenuous
- Man is where the problem lies.
What is the significance of lines 10-15? (pg 4)
-Humans are weak.}
Persuasive
-Humans are greedy.}
-Combative language.
What is the significance of “And you hens”? (pg 4)
-He addresses the audience which is persuasive.
What is the significance of “for all of your labours, what have you ever had”? (pg 4)
-The animals have the same desires as humans.
What is the significance of “Jones will sell you to the knacker”? (pg 5)
- Real truths.
- Foreshadowing
- No room to object
What is the significance of “Rebellion! I do not know when this time will come, but I know”? (pg 5)
- Grounded image
- Reliable
What is the significance of “No argument must lead you astray”? (pg 5)
- Exhorting
- Spreading the word
What is the significance of “let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship”? (pg 5)
- Pure communism
- Forgets greed
What is the significance of “remember always your duty of enmity towards man”? (pg 6)
-The animals have signed up.
What is the significance of “we must not resemble him”? (pg 6)
-Foreshadowing
What is the significance of “they had begun singing it themselves”? (pg 8)
-Reminiscent of previous revolutions.
What is the significance of “beasts of every land”? (pg 8)
- They wanted their system worldwide.
- Similar to Soviet plans.
What is the significance of “the cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it…”? (pg 8)
- The animals are unified by the song.
- Brought together by a common cause.
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of the Bolshevik Revolution 1917?
The Animal rebellion
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of the anti-revolutionary dissent?
The Battle of the Cowshed
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of Stalin’s five year plan?
Building of the windmill
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of the German invasion of Russia?
Battle of the Windmill
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of the Tsar’s imperial palace?
The farmhouse
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of Stalin’s purges?
The trials and confessions in the barn.
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of Stalin’s use of propaganda?
Squealer’s speeches
What is the Animal Farm equivalent of the raising of the Soviet flag?
The raising of the hoof flag.
What is the main theme of Chapter two of Animal Farm?
The rules of Animal Farm become distorted.
What is the significance of “there was much secret activity”? (pg 9)
-Similar to Bolshevik cells
What is the significance of “a completely new outlook on life”? (pg 9)
-A game changer in politics.
What is the significance of “they clearly saw that it was their duty to prepare”? (pg 9)
- They had to take part.
- They were compelled.
- Persuaded by old Major.
What is the significance of “a reputation of getting his own way”? (pg 9)
- Napoleon is a doer.
- Other people do the talking.
What is the significance of “he could turn black to white”? (pg 9)
- Very persuasive speaker
- He uses style rather than substance.
- He writes the rules.
What is the significance of “talked of the duty of loyalty to Mr Jones”? (pg 9)
- Upper classes were in favour of the Tsar.
- They had a dependency.
What is the significance of “liberty is worth more than ribbons”? (pg 10)
-The rich were fine with their situation.
What is the significance of “Sugarcandy Mountain”? (pg 10)
- The church were renowned for fabricating stories.
- It was difficult for the communists to push out religion.
What is the significance of “their most faithful disciples were the two cart-horses”? (pg 10)
- They represent the uneducated working class.
- They are easily indoctrinated.
What is the significance of “the Rebellion was achieved much earlier and more easily than anyone had expected”? (pg 11)
-The rebellion was relatively easy.
What is the significance of “Mr Jones had been a capable farmer, but of late had fallen on evil days”? (pg 11)
- WWI meant Russia lost a lot of money.
- The Tsar lost power.
What is the significance of “occasionally feeding Moses on crusts of bread soaked in beer”? (pg 11)
-The Tsar used the church to control the population.
What is the significance of “the buildings wanted roofing, the hedges were neglected, and the animals were underfed”? (pg 11)
- Russia was in a state of disarray.
- The country was destroyed.
- The borders were distorted.
- The population was starving.
What is the significance of “the situation was quite out of their control”? (pg 11)
-There had never been a mass rebellion.
What is the significance of “Moses sprang off his perch and flapped after her”? (pg 12)
-The church fled with the aristocracy.
What is the significance of the detail Orwell uses in pg 12?
- It makes the reader sympathetic towards the oppressed masses.
- The small things built up to an unbearable level.
What is the significance of “all the animals should go naked”? (pg 12)
-It returns the animals to their original purity.
What is the significance of “Let us make it a point of honour to get in the harvest more quickly than Jones”? (pg 15)
-The animals wanted to prove their worth.
What is the significance of “Jones used to mix some of it in our mash”? (pg 16)
-The Tsar used to give some comforts.
What is the significance of “Never mind the milk, comrades. Placing himself in front of the buckets.”? (pg 16)
- Ironic
- He suggests equality.
What is the significance of “it was noticed that the milk had disappeared”? (pg 16)
- Said in an innocent way.
- No dissent.
- Animals are not intelligent.
What is the significance of their first experience of work without Jones? (pg 16)
-It represents the peak in their story.
What is the significance of “the implements had been designed for human beings”? (pg 16)
-Highlights the difference between animals and humans.
What is the significance of “the pigs were so clever”? (pg 16)
- Gives an initially positive implication.
- Actually sinister foreshadowing.
Give four things to include in an Animal Farm essay.
- General techniques.
- How the animals’ situation gets worse and why.
- Brief comment on allegory/satire.
- How Orwell uses the story to make a point.
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