Natalie Hull

Ms. Rogers
Senior English
4 September 2015
Animal Farm: Personification
The first chapter of Animal Farm is an introduction to the setting and characters: the farm
and the animals. The most noted literary device used is personification, which is defined as a
figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes,
("Personification."). On Manor Farm, the animals exist as complex beings, able to talk, scheme,
and communicate as humans. Orwell uses personification to give each character greater
complexity and depth, and as a means of getting across his theme.
The central character of the first chapter is Major, a prize boar who was highly respected by
all the animals on the farm (Orwell 4). Major gathers all the animals and explains to them the
poor leadership of the humans running the farm. Orwell uses the animals words and viewpoints
to paint the people as the inhumane characters: foreign, distant, and lacking humanity. The reader
is forced to see through the eyes of the animals which creates a stronger empathetic bond with
the animals than humans, a product of personification. Though the animals are personified with
human attributes, Major makes it clear that no animal is to partake in the routines of a human,
such as wearing clothes and sleeping in a bed (Orwell 11). Orwell uses this not only as
foreshadowing, but to make clear a distinction between the animals acting like people and the
people themselves. At the end of his speech, Major sings to them a song which he learned from
his mother called Beasts of England and soon the rest of the animals join in, singing loudly and

repetitively. The personification of the animals singing is ironic, as they are singing as people
would but referring to themselves as Beasts in the song (Orwell 12). The characters
individually are made up of several different species of animals, each with unique personalities
and skill sets. One of the donkeys, Benjamin, could be described as the most like an animal. He
was the oldest animal on the farm; he rarely talked and never laughed (Orwell 5). The use of
speech is the most prominent evidence of Orwells personification, so Benjamins lack thereof
paints him as the least like a human. On the other end of the spectrum, Mollie, the pretty white
mare is animal who most displays human attributes due to her vantity (Orwell 6). Vanity is a
trait that lays solely with humans. Mollie is delicate and prides herself on the ribbons she wears
in her hair, attempting to show them off whenever possible. Mollies vanity causes her to be the
animal that demonstrates the most human attributes. Orwell uses personification to describe
every animal and gives each one varying levels on animalistic and human qualities.
Orwells use of personification is crucial to the meaning of the novel because the story is an
allegory. By utilizing personification, the intent of the story is given greater clarity. Orwell does
not intend to simply write a story about talking animals but to use personification of animals to
give greater understanding to a complex issue: Russian politics and totalitarian governments.
Orwell uses the animals to demonstrate the simplicity of citizens wanting to control their work
and fruits of their effort and uses the eyes of the animals to create inhumane people who control
with an iron fist and reap all the benefits of the work that occurs on their farm.
The use of personification in the first chapter of Animal Farm sets up Orwells clever
allegory and helps to establish the readers connection with certain characters while giving
insight into the important role each animal will play.

Works Cited
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1996. Print.
"Personification" Literary Devices. N.p., 27 June 2013. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.