How Does Orwell Use Satire In Animal Farm

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”.

George Orwell in his novel Animal Farm explores the reality through the abuse of power using the character Napoleon. In order to gain absolute power, Napoleon eliminates any opposition, uses propaganda, and chances the commandments.

In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses satirical allegory throughout his novel to present the pessimistic view of human nature. The animal fable is used to demonstrate the issues of unfair treatment, exploitation and inequality in society. It is evident that this irony is particularly evident in the ending of both novels (Gulbin 88). The satirist irony is directed on the events of the Russian Revolution and on the totalitarian regime. Orwell uses political reason with creative reason to show his negative belief that people only change the dictators though revolutions but the systems stay the same. It is only a dream that people can gain a classless society through revolutions. Orwell believes that everyone wants equality, yet it is in one's nature as human beings to obtain power.

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.

George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm, was his very first piece of political writing. On the surface, this novel is about a group of miserable and mistreated farm animals that overthrow their neglectful owner; they take control of the farm. However, it too is a political allegory mainly focusing on the Russian Revolution. Orwell wrote Animal Farm in response to what had occurred in the Russian Revolution. Seeing how the people were being manipulated over for their freedom, he decided to write about these events through farm animals. The author's purpose for writing this novel is to warn his audience that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutly. Orwell's intent in fusing political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole, was truly

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.

People play an enormous component in our lives and the choices we make. In George Orwell's “ Animal Farm” there are several people that show leadership and guidance. The Leaders of Animal Farm start off with good intentions, but as the story goes on it becomes obvious the leaders have grown power-hungry and have become the 'superior' animals, showing that equality does not exist. This source of power has been used by leaders at the expense of their followers for their own personal gain, like Napoleon, whose first sign of corruption occurred early in the book when he seemed to be the main leader of them all.

Now that the Old Major isn't around, the animals have to plan for the rebellion themselves. “The work of teaching and organizing the others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were generally recognized as being the cleverest of the animals.” George Orwell employs irony in writing this because there are two young boars who are “preeminent among the pigs,” so all animals are not equal. Among the animals there are some who are better than the others. After the rebellion the pigs lead the animals and tell them what to do and what not to do. After the animals successfully overthrow Mr.Jones, they change the name of the farm from “Manor Farm” to “Animal Farm.” The name of the farm is significant because it signifies that the farm belongs to the animals.

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.

 Propaganda is one of the many ways people, or in this case animals use as a strategy to manipulate their ways of ideas into society. George Orwell use of it is presented frequently in

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.”

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and and from pig to man again, but already it was impossible to say which was which.” Orwell wrote Animal Farm as an allegory based on problems resulting from the Russian Revolution. In Animal Farm, George Orwell uses tone, characterization, and stylistic elements to show that people in power use manipulation to stay in power.

Orwell states that he was inspired to write Animal Farm after he witnessed a boy whipping a carthorse—this situation reminded him of the working class and the wealthy. Orwell explains that if the horse only knew its true power the young boy would have no control over its decisions. This would also be true in the relationship found between the wealthy and working classes. To translate his epiphany into text, Orwell used his background in Soviet politics and farming to write his novel Animal Farm (“George Orwell” 6). After the novel was finished, Orwell could not find a publisher for almost an entire year. The reason for this was because the British government advised publishers to stay away from Orwell’s piece in fear that the Soviet Allies would be offended. Despite the warnings, Orwell’s novel was published in 1945 and introduced a political satire that pushed Westerners to question the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin as a whole (“George Orwell” 7).

Writers often use social commentary to inform the general population about a pressing issue while at the same time appealing to people’s sense of justice. One way of accomplishing this is through a fable which is simply a short story in which animals are used to convey a moral lesson. George Orwell is a prime example of an author who can use a fable as a social commentary. Orwell makes a parody of Russian communism as demonstrated in the pigs attempt at totalitarian rule, there manipulation of the working class and the pigs evolution into the capitalists they initially opposed.

In Animal Farm by George Orwell, he uses the animals to represent everyone in our society today. In this novel, satire is the use of animal characters as a representation to show the Russian Revolution. The humans, portrayed by animals, are being ridiculed and it shows the breakdown of political ideology, and the misuse of power. Each of the characters portray an individual in society that expresses how humans can act similarly to animals. We can be perceived as animals because we can be separated by classes, or by our appearances. We often become what we don’t want to be, as in the novel the animals make rules to not become humans. We soon find out that the pigs are standing and becoming just like humans. The pigs hold all the power, and everything is fitted around them.