Allegory in Animal Farm (Chapters 1 and 2)

Chapter 1

Throughout this novel, you may find vocabulary with which you are unfamiliar. Before you read Chapter 1 of Animal Farm, review some unfamiliar vocabulary. In this interactivity, click on each of the tabs to view a term, its definition, its part of speech, and a sentence that uses the term. Click the player button to begin.

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Chapter 1 Analysis

In Chapter 1, you met Mr. Jones and most of the animals that live on Manor Farm. On the surface, this novel may seem pretty simple and easy to understand. On one level, this story is a fable, which is a story about animals that teaches readers a moral lesson. But, there is another side to the story. Animal Farm is not just a fable about some animals who want to take over their farm and begin leading themselves. Animal Farm has a bigger, deeper meaning. Many of the characters and settings represent people and historical events that occurred during the Russian Revolution.

A story or novel that can be read on two distinct levels like this is called an allegory. An allegory is a literary work in which the characters, setting, or actions can be read literally as they are, and they represent something else. While you can enjoy Animal Farm as a neat, almost childlike story about some feisty animals, you can also read this novel as an allegory. It is a story which represents elements of the Russian Revolution.

Chapter 2

Now, review some more vocabulary information. Before you read Chapter 2 of Animal Farm, review some unfamiliar vocabulary. In this interactivity, click on each of the tabs to view a term, its definition, its part of speech, and a sentence that uses the term. Click the player button to begin.

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Chapter 2 Analysis

You probably knew that the animals were going to take over the farm, but you probably did not know it would occur this quickly. Take a few moments to consider the characters and events that you have read about in this novel, and apply it to the idea that this story is an allegory which can be read on two distinct levels.

George Orwell carefully created each one of the characters, events, and settings in Animal Farm to represent the people, events, and settings of the Russian Revolution. As you may have noticed, the concept of Animalism closely mirrors Communism in the Soviet Union. In this interactivity, click the NEXT and PREV buttons to learn about what some of these characters, locations, and items represent in the novel. Click the player button to begin.

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As you continue to read Animal Farm, you will encounter other allegorical characters and actions. Orwell incorporated them throughout the novel. Remember, the definition of an allegory states that an author intends to teach the reader a lesson. Moving further in the novel, you will begin to see what lesson George Orwell wanted you to learn.

 

Allegory in Animal Farm Review

Now that you have read the first two chapters of Animal Farm by George Orwell and learned about how the author uses allegory in the novel, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Read the directions associated with each question and select your answer or answers. Then click SUBMIT to check your responses. Click the player button to get started.