Skye Hendricks

English 12
Cindy Rogers
2 September 2015
A2: Animal Farm Composition
Animal Farm is a satirical novel, written by George Orwell, during the 1940s (Orwell,
Preface). Orwell wrote this novel to criticize the world leaders that were promoting the concept
of Totalitarianism during this time period (Orwell, Preface). Using animals to portray leaders
such as Stalin and Trotsky, Orwell relies heavily upon personification to convey his message.
Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human
attributes ("Personification - Examples and Definition of Personification"). Through
personification, the non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the
ability to act like human beings ("Personification - Examples and Definition of
Personification").
Throughout the novel, the animals possess the ability of speech. Readers get a the first
glimpse of this ability when reading: word had gone roundthat old Major, the prize Middle
White boar, had a strange dreamand wished to communicate it to the other animals (Orwell,
3). This is an example of personification because it states that the boar, old Major wanted to tell
others about his dream. Both the concepts of having a dream and speaking are human
characteristics. The way in which certain characters were described, also exemplified
personification. For example, Benjamin, the donkey, is described as the worst-tempered animal
on the farm, that is quiet, yet cynical (Orwell, 5). It is rare for an animals personality to be

described as cynical, which is why this is a great example of an animal portraying human
characteristics.
Pages 12 through 14 of Orwells novel describe how the animals sang and memorized a
song. They might have continued singing it all night if they had not been interrupted (Orwell,
14). Animals make noises, but commonly do not sing. Therefore, they are engaging in a very
human activity. The concept of animal unity and defiance against Man, as mentioned by old
Major, is another example of personification. Throughout the chapter, old Major enforces the
idea that Man is the enemy (Orwell, 7), and that all animals are comrades (Orwell, 10). The
concept of individual rights is important to the human way of life, so the idea that a boar has the
same view for himself and other animals, is a strong example of personification in the novel.
Personification is important to the understanding of Animal Farm, because the animals
characterized in the novel symbolize real world leaders. Although the specific leaders are
undefined at this point in the story, readers can make deductions as to which leader is being
portrayed, based off of each animals human qualities. Orwell chose specific types of animals
(i.e., a pig) to pair with each human leader, to further emphasize how their human qualities aew
similar to animals as well. The concept of personification is a major contribution to the humor
and understanding of the novel.

Works Cited
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Signet Classics, 1956. Print.

"Personification - Examples and Definition of Personification." Literary Devices. 27 June 2013.

Web. 2 Sept. 2015. <http://literarydevices.net/personification/>.