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.
Orwell uses the allegory, Animal Farm, to present the story of The Russian Revolution and essentially express his opinions on the matter. By plainly exposing the unjust and corrupt system that is communism, Orwell is ultimately presenting his pessimistic view of human nature.
It is evident through the text that Orwell believes that in theory everybody wants equality, hence the concept of communism, yet it is in our nature as human beings to seek power. This can be shown in the text when the pigs initiate to
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The innocence of animals helps Orwell explain the story of The Russian Revolution more genuinely and truthfully and helps the perhaps more biased audience see both sides of the story because their opinions are taken out of context, which helps them subconsciously realise the faults of communism by themselves.
In the text, Orwell uses satire, stereotypes, symbolism and primarily allegory to clearly present his views of not only the philosophy of revolution, but also the wider topic of power-hungry human nature.
Orwell uses stereotyped animals to create the desired image of his characters. For example, pigs are used to represent the authority figures such as Snowball and Napoleon, and also the Communist Party Loyalists. Pigs have connotations with being disgusting and repulsive, and the term ‘pig’ is often used to describe a person who is heartily disliked.
Therefore, it is appropriate that the corrupt authority figures should be allocated the characters of pigs on the farm, because the audience can easily recognise the characters’ personalities.
This technique is applied with other animal characters, such as horses, which are known to be hardworking, are represented as the submissive, unquestioning labourers, and sheep, which are identified as being gullible, obedient followers, are represented as people who readily accept propaganda without questioning the truth.
Similarly, Orwell uses symbolism throughout the text,
This is seen most notably within the characters Boxer and the sheep, both symbols of the Proletariat, or the working class who had a tendency to naively promote and spread Communist ideas. On the other hand, the last sentence of the novella paints a scene where the animals of the farm witness a complete “transformation” of the pigs when “The [animals] looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; [but] already it was impossible to say which was which” (Orwell 139). The syntax in this example consists of several commas and the interchanging of the words “pig” and “man” to emphasize that the pigs have now become what the core of Animalism was originally against. To add, the repetition of these words elongate the sentence structure while building a sense of confusion and realization that much time had been lost for the animals. To illuminate, Orwell’s didactic tone is attempting to show that both the Russian government and their people were flawed, because when the citizens finally realized the true nature of their leaders, it was too late. The once oppressive, vile reign of Mr. Jones, or Nicholas II, is now no different than the current reign of Napoleon, or Joseph Stalin. Aside from the syntax in Animal Farm that outlines the ultimate corruption of the Russian government and their propagandist tactics, it is imperative to recognize the role of imagery as well.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegoric fairy tale type novel that uses irony, satire, and allegory to portray the true identity of media censored Communist Russia. Because of the relationship between America and Communist Russia during WWII, Animal Farm was not originally received with warmth because it was thought of as harmful propaganda. But then, during the Cold War, when US-USSR relations soured, George Orwell’s novel was finally read.
Rhetorical strategies help writers organize evidence, connect facts and provide information to convey a purpose or message. This story can also be a rhetorical piece because Orwell uses effective language to persuade readers to understand the dangers of tyranny and uses it as a warning to people to beware of a totalitarian government who manipulates its people to their benefit. Orwell uses foreshadowing to express doubt of a successful revolution, he uses animals to represent people and hides messages and meanings within his writing. The use of allegory as a rhetorical device is different from laying out a non-fictional account, or an historical analysis of the period because it helps the reader understand the reality of a “perfect”
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
Animal Farm is an allegorical tale written by George Orwell in 1917. Animal Farm seems superficial at first, seeming to be an insubstantial tale centring on talking farm animals. Animal Farm in fact displays significant moral dilemmas on and issues, through Orwell’s perspective, on particular people and events throughout the duration of the Russian Revolution. However Animal Farm is not simply about the Russian Revolution it also presents how the flaws of humanity power can corrupt one’s mind. Napoleon, in particular, symbolises this concept as his initial lust for power escalates until he distinguishes himself as superior to the other animals before he explicitly mistreats those who were initially seen as his equals.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory in that it reveals hidden meanings in the Russian rise of Communism by providing an alternative perspective on the events that transpire. The primary difference from the real rise of communism is that animals are the primary characters in animal farm. Animal Farm reveals so many deceptions and perspectives while using rhetoric to give me a unique “moral of the story.”
Most believe when George Orwell wrote Animal Farm he was trying to warn us about several thing, some of those things include communism, revolution, and class divide. Orwell points out the dangers of communism by putting the dangers in a understandable, digestible cute story with animals. He shows the dangers of revolution by remind us how some revolutionions just end up being a switch a power to someone worse. And he reminds us about the dangers of class divide by have a big ruling class destroy all others. George Orwell wrote “Animal Farm” to remind us the dangers of communism, revolution, and class divide.
“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 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 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.
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.
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.
The Russian Revolution and George Orwell's Animal Farm 'Animal Farm' can be read in two different ways. The first is as a child's book about animals that can walk and talk, but the second is to understand what message the book is trying give. To understand this message you need to understand about the Russian revolution 1917. In the book 'Animalism' is created and in the revolution communist leaders gain power. The book directly links a person from the revolution to a character in the book.
People are intrigued by a book through its content. However, when a reader can relate to the book, it reminds them of their own life story. This is exactly what Orwell did when writing Animal Farm. He created the book to open people’s eyes and see what was really going on in front of them. Animal Farm intrigues so many people because though it is a fiction book, it is based on true events that happened in Russia. Animal Farm, a book based on Stalin’s Russia, can be interpreted in several ways: the similar characteristics between Stalin and Napoleon, the animal parallels, and the parallel between Stalin’s Russia (USSR) and the Animal Farm.
“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.