Intro to Animal Farm - Notebook

Fable

A fable is a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized (given human qualities), and that illustrates a moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be expressed explicitly in a pithy maxim.

The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. "Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?" "I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same." "Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper,“we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.

- What is the moral of this fable?

The Bat, the Birds and the Beasts

A great conflict was about to come off between the Birds and the Beasts. When the two armies were collected together, the Bat hesitated on which to join. The Birds that passed his perch said: "Come with us,” but he said, "I am a Beast." Later on, some Beasts who were passing underneath him looked up and said: "Come with us," but he said, "I am a Bird." Luckily at the last moment peace was made, and no battle took place, so the Bat came to the Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, but they all turned against him and he had to fly away. He then went to the Beasts, but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they would have torn him to pieces.

- What is the moral of this fable?

Satire

Aliterary genre, chiefly literary and dramatic, in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to bring about improvement. It is used in graphic arts and performing arts as well. Although satire is usually witty, and often very funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humor but criticism of an event, an individual or a group in a clever manner.

- What are some examples of satire in our society?

Allegory

Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy.
Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.

- What are some examples of allegories? What item in this list does an allegory closely resemble?

Irony

Irony is a literary or rhetorical device, in which there is a gap or incongruity between what a speaker or a writer says and what is generally understood (either at the time, or in the later context of history). Irony may also arise from a discordance between acts and results, especially if it is striking, and seen by an outside audience.

- What are some challenges in identifying irony? What are some examples of irony?

Fairy Tale

A fairy tale, or fairy story, is a fictional story that usually features folkloric characters (such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events.

- What are some examples of fairy tales? What are some characteristics all fairy tales usually share?

As you read Animal Farm, try to determine whether it is a fable, fairy tale, allegory, satire, or a combination of all four. What are the ironic parts? Be prepared to identify some of them and tell why they are irony.

Homework:Due ______

Find the following information and type your answers in MLA formatting. Should be about a page, no more than two:

1)The main reason(s) for the Russian Revolution of 1917

2)The majorleaders involved and their positions/titles

3)Why average citizens supported these leaders

4)The ideologies being fought over

5)What happened in Russia in the two decades after the Revolution – give a brief synopsis

6)Find one country, anywhere in the world today, with a dictator and describe the main steps the dictator took to achieve power, and steps he or she tried to take or is taking to maintain that power.