Animal Farm: All Power Corrupts
“Choose a novel or short story or a work of non-fiction which explores a theme which you find interesting. By referring to appropriate techniques, show how the writer explores the theme.”
In the novel “Animal Farm”, author George Orwell explores a multitude of various themes. However, the underlying, ever-present, and arguably the most important theme in the book is power, and the corrupting effect it has on those who receive it. Orwell uses various language techniques throughout the novel to show the circumstances under which certain characters come to power on the farm, and their eventual exploitation of their authority. Through use of techniques such as allegory, theme and irony, the author establishes connections between his characters and real-life historical figures, showing the parallels between their stories and the eventual culmination of the events. George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is fundamentally an allegory, meaning it is a story which conceals its main meaning beneath the surface of another. Each main event in the ‘surface’ story, the farmyard fable, should have an equivalent in the hidden story, which is the Russian Revolution. For example, the expulsion of Snowball from the farm mirrors the expulsion of Trotsky from the Soviet Union in 1929. Just as power corrupted many of the animals on the farm, so did it corrupt their real-life equivalents. The book opens with a rousing speech from the boar Old
The best theme for Animal Farm by George Orwell is absolute power corrupts absolutely. According to “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy,” (pg.43) and later on in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “...came out Napoleon himself, majestically upright, casting haughty glances from side to side (pg.132)…All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (pg.133). The quote on page 43 shows how Napoleon has had rules set in order so that the farm would be under control. The quote on page 132 shows Napoleon standing on his hind legs, which is against the rule. The quote on page 133 it shows the new rule that allows Napoleon to do what he wants. Napoleon took his power as the one in control and used to do what he wants and not what was best for all the animals. He changed the rule, so that he could do what he wants and not get reprimanded for it. Another quote in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell is“...giving birth between them to nine sturdy puppies. As soon as they were weaned, Napoleon took them away from their mothers saying that he would make himself responsible for their education” (pg.51) and later in “Animal Farm” by George Orwell it states, “Napoleon stood up and, casting a particular sidelong look at Snowball, uttered a high-pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard him utter before. At this there was a terrible baying sound outside. And nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came
George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a great example of allegory and political satire. The novel was written to criticize totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. In the first chapter Orwell gives his reasons for writing the story and what he hopes it will accomplish. It also gives reference to the farm and how it relates to the conflicts of the Russian revolution. The characters, settings, and the plot were written to describe the social upheaval during that period of time and also to prove that the good nature of true communism can be turned into something atrocious by an idea as simple as greed. This essay will cover the comparisons between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution. It will also explain why
Orwell effectively conveys the rise of communism in Russia throughout the book Animal Farm by the accurate elucidation of the context in the Soviet Union from 1917-1945. Orwell’s attitude and political view towards Russia is evident in his representation of the farm animals on Communist Party leaders: Napoleon and Snowball, for example, are figurations of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, respectively. He expresses the anthropomorphic characters of farm animals, and major events in Animal Farm such as the Rebellion and the construction of the windmill, reminiscent of the Russian Revolution and the “Five-Year Plans”. Orwell also uses many techniques to describe the crucial points in Animal Farm by metaphoric language and allegorical means
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a satirical allegory through which he presents his cynical view of human nature. He uses the animal fable effectively to expose the issues of injustice, exploitation and inequality in human society.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is, first and foremost, a political satire warning against the pursuit of utopian desires through unjust and oppressive means. Operating under the pretense of an animal fable, Orwell disparages the use of political power to poach personal freedom. He effectively alerts his readers to the dangerous price that can accompany the so-called “pursuit of progress”. And he illuminates how governments acting under the guise of increasing independence often do just the opposite: increase oppression and sacrifice sovereignty. While the cautionary theme Orwell provides proves widely applicable, in reality his novel focuses on one tale of totalitarian abuse: Soviet Russia. The parallels between the society Orwell presents in his Animal Farm and the Soviet Union – from the Russian revolution to Stalin’s supremacy – are seemingly endless. Manor Farm represents Tsarist Russia, Animalism compares to Stalinism, and Animal Farm, with the pig Napoleon at its helm, clearly symbolizes Communist Russia and Joseph Stalin. But Orwell does more than simply align fiction with fact. He fundamentally attacks Soviet Russia at its core. And in so doing he reveals how the Communist Party simply replaced a bad system with a worse one, overthrowing an imperial autocracy for a totalitarian dictatorship. This essay will demonstrate that Orwell’s Animal Farm is
George Orwell’s novel ‘Animal Farm’ is an allegorical fable of the Russian Revolution. It depicts the Revolution in a way that is inoffensive to people and also very easy to understand. This controversial novel also teaches many valuable lessons, all very true in man’s past and also in the present.
The idea of power, and how it is abused through communism, can be clearly shown in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”. Orwell cleverly uses the allegory of describing what the Russian revolution would be like when portrayed through actual farm animals who have the ability to communicate with humans, and each-other. The two most important topics that heavily influence the novel are: dreams, hopes, and plans for the greater good, and the idea of corruption through leadership.
Having read the book “Animal Farm” I thought it was a good book with a lot of similarities that I could tie it in with reality. I also thought the author explained behavior very nicely. During this book lots of things happen that are much like reality, like tyrants, fake power, and lots of lying. To start off I will tell you about the main characters, and second what they will accomplish during their time in animal farm. I will also discuss what they want whether they're innocent or they lie to be in power.
Animal Farm, written by George Orwell in 1943 is one of the greatest allegories the world has ever seen. This allegory about the Russian Revolution is delivered to the audience in a story about a diverse group of animals on a farm in England who use the words of an old pig to come up with the concept of ‘Animalism’ and rebel against their human master and begin to run the farm themselves. In the development of their supposed utopia, several problems arise and a dystopic reality sets in. by using the techniques of negative characterisation, anthropomorphism and dystopia, Orwell explores the ideas of power and control through manipulation and through this positions the audience to understand that the characteristics of greed, manipulation and violence are animalistic qualities which make us less than human.
Orwell, in his story Animal Farm explains the reality of Stalinist Russia by exposing how the welfare of the individual is dismissed due to a dominant and repressive ideology. The novel follows a linear narrative structure, calmly told, allowing the reader to monitor the increasing power of the pigs and the consequent erosion of the rights of the other animals. The regular description of the weather and seasons contributes to the chronological narrative while acting metaphorically to capture the mood and condition of the animals. The initial success of the revolution, ‘By Autumn the animals were tired but happy’, contrasts with the reality years later, ‘Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been.’ The joy of liberation captured in the accumulation of verbs and repetition of ‘they’ , ‘…they hurled themselves into the air…They rolled in the dew,…’is short lived. Dramatic irony presents the disparity when it is decided the milk and apples ‘should be reserved for the pigs alone’ and marks the gradual erosion of conditions, ‘Starvation seemed to stare them in the face.’ An imperative tone, ‘No animal shall drink alcohol to excess’, highlights the increasing corruption of the pigs and contradiction of the seven commandments. The breaking of each commandment symbolises the parallel journey of the pigs to a dictatorship and the animals to destitution and oppression. Contrast
“Animal Farm” by George Orwell is an allegorical novel published on England in 1945. According to the author, this book reflects historical events leading up and during the Stalin era before World War II. It is the story of a revolution which goes wrong, based on the Russian revolution and Stalin’s use of power, the overall message is that man’s desire for power makes a classless society impossible. In the book, each animal represents a public figure or a type of person in real life. With this we can begin to develop the questions below in order to have a more complete idea of the meaning of the novel.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is reflective of Russia during Joseph Stalin’s tyrannical ruling. The story’s antagonist Napoleon leads the Rebellion with Snowball. Once Napoleon overthrows Snowball, he deceives and manipulates the other animals with promise of a life free of restraint and human influence. After gaining their trust, Napoleon capitalizes on the animals’ vulnerabilities and uses his power to better the circumstances of the pigs rather than all animals. Although he initially presents himself as a democratic head, his leadership tactics are that of a dictator. Through examining the syntax and diction characteristic of Orwell’s writing, one can gain a better understanding of the novel’s sociopolitical theme.
Animal farm is a renowned, allegorical novella written by George Orwell in 1945, which can be interpreted to have a hidden political meaning behind it referring to the Russian Revolution. Throughout this novella, the author purposely positions the audience to make judgements based on sensible, moral perception to show that Orwell effectively revealed how the pigs exploited a vast majority of propaganda techniques to deceptively manipulate the values, attitudes and beliefs of the other animals, with full intention of complete social control. This was exposed to the reader when the three main values of ‘Animalism’, as outlined in Old Major's speech, which consists of freedom, unity and equality, are abused for the pigs own advantage. This task
George Orwell includes a strong message in his novel Animal Farm that is easily recognizable. Orwell’s Animal Farm focuses on two primary problems that were not only prominent in his WWII society, but also posed as reoccurring issues in all societies past and present. Orwell’s novel delivers a strong political message about class structure and oppression from the patriarchal society through an allegory of a farm that closely resembles the Soviet Union.
Animal Farm is a novel by George Orwell. It is an allegory in which animals play the roles of Russian revolutionists, and overthrow the human owners of the farm. Once the farm has been taken over by the animals, they are all equal at first, but class and status soon separates the different animal species. This story describes how a society’s ideologies can be manipulated by those in political power, to cause corruption by those in leadership.