Old Major: Difference between revisions
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{{Refimprove|date=September 2010}} |
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{{Infobox character |
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| colour = #006800 |
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| name = Old Major |
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| image = |
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| caption = |
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| first = ''Animal Farm'' |
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| last = ''Animal Farm'' (Only Appearance) |
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| creator = [[George Orwell]] |
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| voice = [[Maurice Denham]] ([[Animal Farm (1954 film)|1954 film]]) <br/> [[Peter Ustinov]] ([[Animal Farm (1999 film)|1999 film]]) |
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| species = [[Middle White|Middle White boar]] |
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| gender = Male |
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| occupation = Revolutionary Leader of Animal Farm |
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| family = |
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| relatives =}} |
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'''Old Major''' (also called '''Willingdon Beauty''', his name used when [[Show (animal)|showing]]) is the first major character described by [[George Orwell]] in ''[[Animal Farm]]''. This "[[purebred]]" of pigs is a kind, grandfatherly [[philosopher]] of change. |
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Old Major proposes a solution to the animals' desperate plight on Manor Farm under the [[Jones (Animal Farm)|Jones]] administration and inspires thoughts of a rebellion. The actual time of the revolt is unsaid; it could be tomorrow or several generations down the road. Old Major dies three days after delivering his speech and the animals, stirred up by this speech, set to work immediately on the bringing about of the Rebellion. |
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Shortly after his death, the animals rise in revolt and oust the humans from power. This rebellious act is so quick that many do not realize it has happened until it is over. The animals drive Jones and the farmhands off the farm and remove many of the implements of his rule. |
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The [[Seven Commandments]] that Snowball transcribes, that are supposed to encompass Old Major's general [[philosophy]], are gradually altered and deformed under [[Napoleon (Animal Farm)|Napoleon]] until they have entirely different meanings from those originally intended. "[[Beasts of England]]", the song that came to Old Major in his dream, is later banned on Animal Farm by Napoleon, at which time it is replaced by "Comrade Napoleon", a hymn composed by Minimus the pig that pledges allegiance to Animal Farm and to work to protect it. |
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In both film adaptations, Major dies while provoking the animals into rebelling. In the [[Animal Farm (1954 film)|1954 adaption]] (voiced by [[Maurice Denham]]), he dies suddenly while the animals are singing. In the [[Animal Farm (1999 film)|1999 version]] (voiced by [[Peter Ustinov]]), Farmer Jones slips in mud while investigating the sounds coming from the barn, which sets off his shotgun, and indirectly hits Major in his backside, killing him. |
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Major's skull is dug up and saluted by the animals every day, even after the rebellion, as a sign of respect that the animals remember their roots and the roots of the Rebellion. Napoleon, who later decides to accept the humans and strike bargains with them, announces that the remains are to be disposed of because they represent the old days when Animal Farm was "violent and primitive" towards humans; towards the end of the story, Napoleon announces that he has reburied the skull. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Animal Farm}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}} |
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[[Category:Fictional pigs]] |
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[[Category:Animal Farm characters]] |
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[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1945]] |
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[[Category:Fictional revolutionaries]] |
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[[Category:Pigs in literature]] |
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[[Category:Male characters in literature]] |
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{{novel-char-stub}} |
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Revision as of 15:19, 14 March 2018
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