Literary Analysis: Totalitarianism, Apartheid, and Class Satire

Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)

The passage I will analyze is from the fictional novel Animal Farm, written by George Orwell in 1945. This novel represents the totalitarian regime used by the Soviet Union in the 1920s, where socialist ideas of equality were manipulated to maintain power. It is an allegory of the Russian Revolution and the Communist Soviet Union; consequently, many of the animals in the novel can be directly linked to important figures and institutions of the Soviet Union. Orwell uses this allegorical form to express his opinions about the events and people involved in this period of history.

Key Literary Elements

Themes

• Totalitarianism
• Revolution
• Class Warfare
• Language as Power
• The Soviet Union

Symbols

• The Commandments
• Character Names
• The Windmill

Master Harold and the Boys (1981)

The passage I will analyze is from the play “Master Harold and the Boys,” written by Athol Fugard and published in 1981. The play is set in South Africa in 1950 and focuses on the era of Apartheid, during which Black African people did not have the same rights as White South African people. The purpose of this play is to highlight the inequality and lack of freedom present at that time.

Key Literary Elements

Themes

• Racism, Oppression, Abuse, and Inequality
• Education and Wisdom
• Cripples and Broken Things
• Dancing and Dreams

Symbols

• The Kite
• The Chair
• Ballroom Dancing
• Book Learning vs. Experiential Learning

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (1912)

The passage I will analyze is from the play Pygmalion, which was written by George Bernard Shaw and published in London in 1912. The play is set at the end of the Victorian period in the early 20th century. Society at that time was characterized by a rigid English class system, and this play serves as a satire of that society. This work was very controversial at the time it was published, as it was a critique of English society and morals. The purpose of this play is to convey that language can transform people—a concept that was not widely believed possible.

Key Literary Elements

Themes

• Language
• Appearance vs. Identity
• Social Class and Manners
• Middle Class Morality
• Education and Intelligence
• Femininity and Gender Roles