Animal farm

Laura Cimetta 2009 1

Animal farm

By George Orwell


Introduzione al romanzo Animal Farm

George Orwell: L’uomo e lo scrittore La trama del romanzo Personaggi principali- simbologia e

alcune citazioni Stile e analisi linguistica Contesto storico Il romanzo utopico



GEORGE because suggests Englishness and common sense.

ORWELL because it’s the name of a river he was fond of.

Born in India in 1903 but brought up in the Thames Valley;

Discontent of the school days - lack of privacy, punishments, rigid discipline, spirit of competition;

Developed an indipendent-minded personality, indifference to accepted values, professed atheism and socialism;

London: company of down and outs, poverty (common lodging-houses)

Paris: worked as a dishwasher in a hotel; London : worked in a bookshop and married an Oxford graduate who shared his interest in literature and socialism; Keep the Apidistra Flying (1936)

Fell ill with pneumonia and tubercolosis; Spain: report on the Spanish civil war and joined

the militia of POUM (workers party of Marxist Unification)

Second world war: joined the BBC in London broadcasting programmes to India. Started writing Animal farm (1945)

Wrote his last novel 1984. (1949)



Animal Farm 7 Rules: The 7 Rules of the Farm 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets. 5. No animal shall drink alcohol in excess. 6. No animal shall kill any other animal without cause. 7. All animals are equal.



Main charactersTHE PIGS

Major/ Vecchio Maggiore : respected by all, realized need for change – innovatore, rispettato da tutti, ideatore della rivoluzione.

Snowball/Palla di neve: great speaker; grande oratore, creatore del Mulino, innovatore tecnologico.

Napoleon : conceited leader ; presuntuoso e militaresco.

Squealer/Clarinetto: persuasive, excited; P.R. propagandista del regime.


THE HORSES

Boxer/Gondrano: hard worker ; lavoratore, affidabile, altruista.

Clover/ Berta: loving, motherly – materna e protettiva.

Benjamin the donkey (asino): cantankerous, rude; litigioso e attaccabrighe ma anche saggio e abitudinario.

Mollie: frivolous, selfish – frivola, egoista e altezzosa.



Symbolism

NAPOLEON SNOWBALL MR.FREDERICK MAJOR MR JONES BOXER, CLOVER SQUEALER

STALIN TROTSKY HITLER MARX TSAR NICHOLAS II PROLETARIAT PROPAGANDIST OF

THE REGIME “ fa vedere bianco ciò che era nero”


• FARMHOUSE = THE KREMLIN

CONFESSIONS, EXECUTIONS = STALIN’S SECRET POLICE

L’INTERNATIONALE = “Beasts of England” (con musica della Marsigliese).

National anthem of the Revolution.

9 HUGE DOGS = STALIN’S PURGE TRIALS IN THE 1930’S ( Epurazioni)









Education

Animal farm