Animal Farm Literary Analysis
Intro
What’s your idea of an utopia? According to The Oxford English Dictionary, a utopia is defined as an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. In Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell, animals attempt to create a utopia by overthrowing their cruel owner Farmer Jones. This story contains allegory, irony, conflict, and double speak which helps to keep the reader intrigued. When the animals united, they manage to drive Mr. Jones and his wife off the farm. At first, all animals work in harmony and did their parts to keep the farm in functioning shape. What seemed to be a utopia at first, rapidly reciprocated into a dystopia.
Body1: Personification\ pigs All of the animals in Animal Farm represent different roles in the industrialization process within Soviet Russia. Old Major, the pig that introduces the idea of rebellion and Animalism to the animals represents Karl Marx. In the following quote, Old major gives his speech to the animals and hopes to give them wisdom about his vision.
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The animals created seven commandments as the laws of animalism and wrote them out on a board so everyone can see them. Throughout the book the pigs alter these commandments one by one for example, the commandment “ No animal shall sleep in a bed” changed to “ No animal shall sleep in a bed without sheets” (6.10) The pigs change these commandments to benefit themselves which is ironic because the pigs are violating their own rules. Even after Napoleon viciously orders for a multitudinous amount of animals to be executed for committing acts of treason in which they did not commit, the animals start to show even more devotion to Napoleon then before. The irony in this is everyone on the farm does not understand how the pigs are controlling them, and they continue to answer to them. George Orwell uses irony in this book to expose
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel about rebellion where the animals are not under human control. Old Major is a Middle White boar who has a dream where animals live without (the tyranny of men; they are free, happy, well fed, and treated with dignity) (Spark Notes). Old Major´s purpose is to convey the idea that animals are the only way to run a farm. animals are not treated right there is going to be a rebellion. Old Major adopts a logical tone in order to show the animals they need to be treated greater if Mr. Jones wants them to work on the farm.
"Fahrenheit 451", and "Animal Farm", are influential novels, displaying the theme of journey. Throughout these novels, the importance of characters, and decisions influence the plot. "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, tells the story of a depressed fireman in a futuristic dystopia. With books deemed illegal, fireman, Guy Montag destroys printed books for a living. While George Orwell's "Animal Farm", takes place in the Manor Farm run by Mr.Jones, an alcoholic human who labors the animals on the farm. In both books, the hardships the characters face affects the impact of their expedition. The pieces, “Animal Farm” and “Fahrenheit 451”, exhibits the theme of journey through beginnings, hesitation, and struggles.
There are several themes in Animal Farm, some including: Leadership and corruption, control of naïve working class, lies and deception, and dreams and hopes. The main themes in Animal Farm leadership and corruption. Animal Farm portrays the history of the Russian Revolution by retelling the development of communism. In the novel, by overthrowing Mr. Jones, the animals give the power to the pigs who take complete control of the farm. The struggle for superiority between Leon Trotsky, a Russian revolutionary, and Stalin, a Soviet statesman, is portrayed by the rivalry between the pigs, Napoleon and Snowball. In both cases, the less powerful one, Trotsky and Snowball, is eliminated by the more superior one, Stalin and Napoleon. Stalin's rule
The 7 Commandments of Animalism are seen as the rules of the farm. Since the animals could not read or write, besides the pigs and Benjamin the goat, it was easy for Napoleon to change the 7 Commandments to benefit the pigs and himself. For example, “All animals are equal” was changed to, “All animals are equal but some are more equal than others,” (Document A). Some of the animals noticed something different about the Commandments but they never thought too much about it to know something was truly wrong. Since Napoleon used Animalism to his benefit, he persuaded the animals to do as they’re told because he knew the animals believed and supported
Animal Farm is an allegorical novel in which the animals attempt to create a utopian society. This novel is based on the once communist society in Russia, which very quickly turned into a totalitarian corrupted state under Joseph Stalin. The pigs in this story, take leadership after the rebellion takes place against Mr. Jones, the neglectful and abusive owner of Manor Farm. Napoleon, a wise and well-spoken pig who resembles Stalin, climbs his way up to leadership with Squealer, as his Spokesman, and uses language that intimidates, language that distorts the truth, and language that appeals to the emotions in order to manipulate the gullible animals of Animal Farm to prove the corrupting
They are allegories to people of the Soviet Union though. Such as Napoleon is Joseph Stalin. Napoleon is Stalin in this book, but he could also be Fidel Castro, Kim Jong Un, and other totalitarian leaders. George Orwell intended this to be Soviet Union specific, but it is flexible to today’s totalitarian governments around the world. “Napoleon is always right”. (Page 27: paragraph 1, Animal Farm). Snowball, who was expelled from the farm, and falsely labelled a traitor by Napoleon, closely is supposed to be Trotsky. One of the main creators of the Soviet Union, who after Lenin died was labelled as a traitor and was deported to Mexico by Stalin. Lastly, there was Old Major. It could be argued that he was Lenin, but he did not live to see the revolution like Lenin did. He also created the concept of Animalism, which is an allegory to Communism, which are both totalitarianism. Which means, Old Major would be Karl Marx. Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto in 1848 with Frederick Engels. He was one of the creators of Communism, as Old Major created Animalism. “THREE nights later, Old Major died peacefully in his sleep”. (Page 7: paragraph 1, Animal
He instilled the idea to Napoleon and the rest of the animals that the humans are bad and the animals deserve better treatment. He represents Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx during the Russian Revolution because he created/taught the animals about communism/marxism. Audience: The audience is the animals on the farm because Old Major is telling them about the vision he had about their specific farm.
His knowledge and education has made him able to effectively manipulate the gullible animals and utilize his powerful position for personal gain and not to better the lives of animals. Napoleon's power had tarnished the entire thought of Animalism and The Seven Commandments, which the farm initially began with. The power that the three pigs acquired had ruined them and, then Napoleon got total force, which tainted the general public overall. The corruption of the principles of the revolution is represented by the changing Seven Commandments, which are distorted through the span of the Book to the point where, toward the end, they read as it were “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than
When I first glance through Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, I thought it was one of those children’s books about talking animals, they live in a peaceful farm, their struggles etc. However, as I dwell deeper into the book, I realized that it was not just your ordinary Disney fairy tale. Instead, it tells a satirical tale and one of the most thought-provoking story I have ever read. Animal Farm tells a simple yet tragic story about power and corruption. It about a group of animals living in a farm called the Manor Farm.
Not all the animals acknowledge and abide in the idea of a farm governed by animals, and disregard the rules. The corrupting effect of power divides the united farm and drifts the animals far from the ideals of the revolution. George Orwell’s Animal Farm shows how an ideal utopian society cannot be achieved as a result of the lack of equality, cooperation, and the farm’s corrupt leadership.
What is the definition of a good novel? Opinions on this question may differ, but there are many things that good novels have in common. Most importantly, the reader must enjoy the novel. When I use the word enjoy, I don’t necessarily mean that it should make the reader ‘happy’ or ‘joyful’. The novel should give the reader a valuable or worthwhile experience. Many good novels often address topics that relate to our own reality. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, one of the main focuses is on power and corruption.
At the beginning of Animal Farm Old major, the prize Middle White boar, had a dream and wanted to share it to the other animals. He ordered every animal to gather for a meeting at the big barn after Mr. Jones, the owner and master of the animals, went to sleep. Old Major had a dream in which animals rule and humans vanish. He also remembers a tune his mother use to sing to him and now wants to teach the others. At night when the meeting started Old Major tells the other animals he might not be around for much long, considering he is already twelve years old. He tells the others that he wants to spread a bit of his wisdom and begins with his speech. In his speech he tells the animals that the life they are living is a miserable life, that they are not free. The only time they were free was before their first year. He said that animals were treated poorly and bad fed because of humans. Animals in his eyes were working hard and treated unequal. If there were no humans life would be better, they were their only true enemies. Humans are consumers that do not produce but take everything for themselves. “But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would
Animal Farm is another book where the road for a better life changes society yet, becomes either no different or worse. In George Orwell's novel, “ all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”. Animal farm in a short summary is a small farm where the animals plot a rebellion against the humans, which they believe are corrupt. Two pigs, Snowball and Napolean, find themselves becoming the leaders of the animal rebellion. Throughout the story the animals create a communist like government called “animalism”, which states all animals are equal and share equal responsibilities in the farm however; the book features a series of change in government styles such as: dictatorship, communism, totalitarianism, and circling back to a dictatorship. Animal farm also features social commentary that leads to it being a dystopia as it discusses the working classes, human corruption, propaganda, and abuse of power.
To begin, the entitled pigs change the set laws of Animalism without the consent of the other farm animals. The pigs gradually institute their own system of order and control by lying to the other animals, and they are almost unmasked when “...there was a loud crash in the yard, and the animals rushed out of their stalls. At the foot of the end wall of the big barn, where the Seven Commandments
Animal Farm is a novel about the pigs leading a rebellion, overthrowing their farmer, and then taking control of the farm. The setting of the story is Manor Farm in England with Mr. Jones, the farmer. The main characters include Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon. Each of these pigs helped to lead the animals into rebellion. Major was the initial one to start the movement and the other two were the main leaders that carried it on after he passed away.