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Analysis Of George Orwell's Animal Farm

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“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” said Spanish philosopher George Santayana. This brilliant message shows to be present in George Orwell’s satirical novel Animal Farm. In this book, Orwell uses farm animals to illustrate the true nature of the communist Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. There are many examples in this book and in real life that show the truth of aforementioned Santayana’s statement, for if one does not remember the past, they are only allowing it to repeat. Therefore, learning from the past is an effective way to prevent future mistakes because not doing so has significant repercussions, there are instances of the method working, and it can prepare us for the future.
Firstly, not looking …show more content…

He sent troops into Russia in 1941, expecting a quick and easy victory (Defense Media Network), but weeks of fighting quickly turned into months, and the Russian winter was upon them. However, the troops did not retreat. Ultimately, some froze to death. If Hitler had looked to the past to Bonaparte’s decisions, he might have realized that retreat was necessary for future victories, but he did not. Thus, he paid a heavy price in frozen troops and artillery for not looking back to the past.
Secondly, learning from past mistakes shows to actually be an effective method. While there are no instances of this in Animal Farm, there are plenty of examples that can be drawn from real life. There have been studies that show that us learning from our past mistakes is a psychological way of learning (Psychology Today), for it is a large part of trial-and-error. Trial-and-error is described as “a finding out of the best way to reach a desired result or a correct solution by trying out one or more ways or means and by noting and eliminating errors or causes of failure” by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary. This learning method was exercised by early humans to the fullest extent. Scientific Development and Misconceptions Through the Ages: A Reference Guide, an informative book on scientific development, states that, "Through process of trial and error and observing what animals ate, some berries were grouped as poisonous or not good to eat" (Krebs 105). This refers to how early humans

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