Fairy story… parable… allegory… fable… satire… what exactly is Animal Farm? Even its author was somewhat conflicted, changing his novella’s subtitle from the first to the last in the preceding list of forms. What looks on the surface like a simple barnyard tale has a deep dark heart. But fear not, because our brand-new Animal Farm Revision Guide is designed to explain all and help students commit its teachings to memory.
Animal Farm Revision Guide from Beyond
Orwell’s classic narrative, closely based on the machinations of Stalinist Russia, warns of the corrupting influence of power and shows that man and beast are not so far removed after all. Delving into the rich themes of Power and Control, Social Order, Language and Knowledge, and Dreams and Destiny, each section contains a thematic summary, specific contextual information, key quotes, mini exams, and an AQA-style exam question complete with essay plans and sample answers, one good and one great with annotations linked to the assessment objectives. Our comprehensive guide is supplemented by thinking points so students have a wealth of information at their fingertips but they’re encouraged to think for themselves too. And the interactive Mixing Desk feature allows them to mix and match what they’ve learnt against 30-plus key words so they’re ready for whatever phrasing the examiner cares to throw at them.
Animal Farm Characters
Our other new feature is an interchanging cast list highlighting the texts allegorical properties. See Napoleon turn into Stalin, the dogs into the NKVD and Benjamin into Orwell himself. It’s impossible to fully appreciate Animal Farm without a working knowledge of the class struggle and twentieth-century European political history; daunting stuff for a twenty-first-century teen but a variety of approaches to the topic aims to arm students with the wisdom they need, so lower-level candidates know the difference between Boxer and the bourgeoisie while level 9 hopefuls can wax lyrical about The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon. AO3 can often be the trickiest to meet but Orwell’s assimilation of real-world events makes it nigh-on impossible for students not to pick up those marks after reading this.
What Next?
Following Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol, Animal Farm is the fifth in our series of beautifully designed and illustrated GCSE revision guides. Coming soon, in time for the summer series of exams, will be Lord of the Flies, Much Ado About Nothing and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
You can find our accompanying An Inspector Calls and Romeo and Juliet revision guide blogs here and for everything else, click here. Don’t forget to subscribe to Beyond for access to thousands of secondary teaching resources. You can sign up for a free account here and take a look around at our free resources before you subscribe too.