Animal Farm, by George Orwell

Darren Leu

Tone

The tone of Animal Farm is objective. The narrator acts as a bystander to the happenings of the farm, and the reader learns very little about the personal thoughts or feelings from any individual animal. The story is presented as fact, and the narrator does not go into detail the moral aspect of everything happening on the farm.

There is also a satirical aspect to the book. Orwell expresses how after any revolution, a new group will try to take power. Orwell satirizes the irony in which the pigs take over the farm.

Imagery

• Orwell uses imagery throughout to describe the farm setting. Imagery helps the reader to better understand the concept of animals running a farm, something we aren’t normally used to.

• Imagery is used when describing the torture of the animals, and is also used when describing the flag and ceremonies on the farm.

• The end of the book uses the most imagery, as it explains the meeting between the pigs and men.

- “They tiptoed up to the house, and such animals as were tall enough peered in at the dining room window.”

• While the imagery in Animal Farm has no affect on the meaning of the text, it is very helpful for the understanding of the novel, giving the reader clear images of how the farm was run.

Voice

• Animal Farm was written in the past tense. Active voice is used mainly through the story to describe the actions of the animals, although some passive voice is used.

• The animal’s diction in the story is very simple and easy to understand. The animals do not use any complex language or literary devices, and this helps show the illiteracy of the animals.

Irony

Irony is what makes Animal Farm into the story it is today. The pigs lead a revolution to get rid of their oppressive farmer, yet in the end, the pigs act the same way their old leader had. The farm creates a list of seven commandments, but they get changed to legalize the pigs’ actions. The best example of this is when the commandment “All Animals are Equal” gets changed to “All Animals are Equal, but some are more equal than others.” This is a direct contradiction of the commandment, because its impossible to be “more equal” than someone. The reader also sees irony at the end of the book, when the name “Animal Farm” gets changed back to “Manor Farm”, it’s original name. Napoleon’s reason for the change is that “Manor” was the correct and original name. Its ironic that the pigs led the revolution for change in the farm, but that they believed the original name was its correct name.