How Does George Orwell Use Irony In Animal Farm

Animal Farm begins on Manor Farm, where overworked, tired, and hungry animals are unhappy in the conditions that they are in, but when an old boar named Old Major introduces the idea of a rebellion and encourages the animals to take control over the farm, the animals begin an uprising against the humans, taking control over the land and renaming the farm “Animal Farm.” However, greedy and corrupt leaders rise to power and turn a once prosperous farm, into a nightmare. In Animal Farm, George Orwell asserts the idea that absolute power results in corruption. Napoleon and the other pigs, interested in remaining superior, persuades the other animals by using intimidation and emotional appeals in order to keep control of the gullible animals.

Situational irony occurs when a story’s plot takes a 180 degree turn than what both the intended readers or audiences and the characters predict. Situational irony is also sometimes called as “Irony of Fate”.

In the novel Animal Farm, the writer satirizes certain characters, in an effort to depict society in a humorous way. This essay will focus on the characters of Boxer, Mollie and Napoleon.

I have decided to explore the theme of how ‘Fear is a powerful motivator’. Different leaders and influential people have various ways of using fear to motivate people. Two of my texts: ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, and ‘The Rise of Evil” directed by Christian Duguay, both show how totalitarian leaders used violence to motivate the public. The other texts: ‘Bowling for Columbine’ directed by Michael Moore, and ‘Who’s for the Game’ by Jesse Pope, both show how two different influential people motivated the public without using violence, instead creating fear using words.

The quote implies that animals are better creatures than humans. After being assaulted by humans, the animals don’t want any characteristics of humans to be inputted in them. They say, “Four legs good, two legs bad,” to make humans a disgrace to animals. This rule is a part of the seven commandments of animalism. It is said to remind the animals of never stand on two feet because then you are developing human characteristics. Birds in this case are different, because the animals count wings as another pair of legs. The phrase was originally a longer statement. It took up two of the seven commandments. By simplifying the statements, it was easier for the other animals to understand. The knowledge of reading is used as propaganda by classifying the difference between the pigs who could read, and the other animals who couldn’t read.

The Russian Revolution was led by a few leaders of the common people, promising better work conditions and a Communist government with equality for all. However, when the Communist party was established, so much power was given to the government, that, it quickly went corrupt and abused peoples’ rights far worse than the previous government. In George Orwell’s book, Animal Farm, the pigs promise the animals better lives than their current lives under Jones’s rule. However, mirroring the Russian Revolution, the pigs went corrupt almost immediately afterwards, changing previously declared rules, and killing other animals without reason. In the end, the pigs ended up as bad as man. In Animal Farm, George Orwell utilizes situational irony, displaying the pigs as corrupt leaders, to support Lord Acton’s quote: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Rules, power, and leadership can be manipulated and controlled by an individual if the situation is right and they have the correct methods. George Orwell shows this in his book Animal Farm with a written satire mocking how making society equal is not always beneficial. Animals are portrayed as real life individuals which forces people to think about powerful leaders who are taking advantage of them in a comical manner. Animal Farm is a satire due to its ridiculing nature of comparing animals to people while at the same time encouraging people to stand up for what they believe in.

Orwell uses this quote to create irony because books are used in life to learn about diverse topics. However in this dystopian society, books are viewed only as beneficial if they are approved by Big Brother. The Party encourages orthodoxy and complete submission to the party. Books are usually read to inform one on the particular subject and help develop their own opinions and ideas. This is the complete opposite of Big Brother’s goal to encourage lack of thought and unity.

George Orwell’s allegorical novella, Animal Farm is a satirical retelling of the events leading up to the 1917 Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalin. After the animals rebel against Mr. Jones and his employees, they set up a government constituted by “Animalism”, which in its raw state parallels the basic principles of socialism. In order to govern them, they create basic laws meant to unify them known as, “The Seven Commandments”, which they write on the outer wall of the barn. However, the pigs begin to disobey the commandments and change them to get away with it. None of the other animals notice due to their illiteracy, so Napoleon continuously exploits this fact to get what he wants. As a result, the farm that was meant to be utopic

From the very beginning of this book, the animals plan to take over the farm. They are tired of being treated the way that they are being treated. They work hard everyday and do whatever they are asked but don’t get treated the way that they should be treated. “No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth” (pg. 5). By the second chapter, the animals took out their rebellion when Mr. Jones and his men came out with whips in their hands and being extremely cruel. Then and there, they decided it was time. However, some animals did not want to take out the rebellion because some thought that without Mr. Jones, they would not survive. The majority however, were tired of their mistreatment. The symbolism that connects with these actions of the animals is the Russian Revolution. The Russian Revolution was also a rebellion. In 1917, there was two revolutions that took over Russia. The people of Russia were undergoing harsh mistreatment. Their cities were overcrowding and they went through food shortages because of the Crimean War. There were protests by the Russian workers and they ended up being massacred. By doing this, it sparked the second revolution. These revolutions ended centuries of Imperial Rule and eventually lead to the beginning of the Soviet Union.

“All animals are equal/ But some animals are more equal than others”(Orwell 80). The absurdity of this statement makes one question how could anyone believe it, even a a few animals that cannot read. However, in context of the rising action, the build up of small rules, it seems to be the best explanation. Eric Arthur Blair, better known as George Orwell, was a writer who used political satires to criticize radical socialist societies. In his most prominent works, Animal Farm and 1984, Orwell contributed to the change in the narrative of oppressive rule, creating obscenely radical societies to warn readers about the danger of totalitarian governments.

Animal Farm begins with Old Major telling his fellow animals about his dream in which he envisions a farm with no humans. The speech instills a drive within the animal community to rise and overthrow Mr. Jones, the farm owner. After the farmer is successfully removed and Old Major dies, the animals find themselves in a leaderless state. Three pigs, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer, take it upon

Leadership is not always a terrible thing. A leader's nature always changes based on what is being done. George Orwell used figurative language in his writing to describe a leader's nature over time. To describe the Russian Revolution, Orwell used personification and imagery to clearly show that overtime the nature of leaders beings to differ. As soon as a leader has power then everything is in their control. Orwell showed throughout the book that power and leadership is very difficult to break apart or to take away from their leader.

Though Animal Farm can be considered nothing more than a charming animal fable depicting a doomed rebellion, its origin is actually of a more serious and political nature. It is not only the tale of Napoleon and Animal Farm, but a satire and commentary on that of the Russian Revolution, Stalin and Communism. For a person to gain a true understanding of Orwell's meaning in Animal Farm, it is best that he or she has an understanding of the political parties and history surrounding Communism, Stalin, and the upheaval and fear that followed Stalin's rise to power.

The rebellion was to escape from people and their cruel ways, but can they escape the death-grip of their own kind? The animals of animal farms are mistreated and have no rights. Mr and Mrs. Jones were the owners of Manor Farm, the human oppressors, and authoritarians of the animals. The animals rebel against the Jones and take over the farm. They create a utopian society for themselves, but the utopia quickly turns into a dystopia when the pigs take control of the farm. In many ways, Animal Farm is a complete allegorical / fable –like retelling of the founding of the Soviet Union, complete with a rebellion and eventual installation of a dictator. Like the ideological battle that was raged in Russia between the classes, the one that is played out in this novel have many of the same themes, including an initial push to strengthen the working class, a strong beginning movement of nationalism and unity, a series of successful efforts to topple the ruling authority (Mr. Jones), all followed by a complete totalitarian takeover by a dictator who is a hypocrite and goes back on many of the promises he made at the height of the revolutionary action.