Literature Circle Animal Farm: Literary Luminary
Abisanth Raveendran
Quotation 1: “Four legs good, two legs bad” (21).
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.
Quotation 2: “His two slogans, ‘I will work harder,’ and, ‘Napoleon is always right,’ seemed to him a sufficient answer to all problems. (37)
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Napoleon stated that he will educate the puppies, and help build the windmill to make life easier in the farm, made the animals think that Napoleon is a hard worker and always right. He uses that advantage to create dictatorship within the farm. By having the support of the pigs by his side, he is able to convince the community that is always right. By creating propaganda of praise by the animals, he becomes a symbol of hope to the community. When Boxer stated Napoleon is always right, so did the rest of the animals since Boxer was seen as a symbol of strength for the
One of the many awful things he did was he proclaimed that whoever killed, snowball would be rewarded. He would also kill any animals he believed were working with Snowball, breaking the commandment that said no animal shall kill another animal. He also formed one single commandment after breaking all of the other ones, which was “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS” ( 194). This shows that the pigs finally established dominance over the animals, and no longer believed that all animals were equal. Another action that showed that Napoleon was taking dominance over the other animals was when he took away some of the dreams that at the beginning was once promised to them, such as “The luxuries of which Snowball had once taught the animals to dream, the stalls with electric light and Hot and cold water, and the three-day week, were no longer talked about. He said, lay in working hard and living frugally” ( 185). This shows that the animals were promised great things, but this all changed when Napoleon's desire for power clouded all of his previous beliefs. Lastly, the pigs and Napoleon appeared one day walking in their hind legs and showing qualities of humans until one day in the eyes of the animals they become so human like, it was impossible to tell between humans and pigs. The animals
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
Elie Wiesel in Night and Snowball from Animal Farm are very similar characters because they were victimized by tyrants and used as scapegoats, but they are also unique and individual characters because Elie knew he was being taken advantage of and Snowball did not. Animal Farm is written by George Orwell, and it is about a farm of animals that take over the farm. Napoleon, a large pig, slowly takes away food and supplies from the other animals until he starts walking on two feet and becomes a “human.” Because of him Snowball is expelled from the farm and acts as a scapegoat for everything that goes wrong on the farm. Night is an autobiography written by Elie Wiesel, and in it Elie tells the story of he was taken from his home and put into a concentration camp under the control of Adolf Hitler.
People respond to control and power differently for various reasons, however, one of the main reasons is based on their personality; their confidence and intelligence. In, Animal Farm by George Orwell, confidence and intelligence is a big factor for why certain animals obtained power and control and why other ones did not. People with confidence and intelligence are likely to gain most of the control and power. People with little intelligence, but lots of confidence are more likely to have some power or work underneath the leader. People with intelligence, but no confidence seem to have no power at all and shy away from it. Both intelligence and confidence are needed for someone to take total power. Therefore, the amount of confidence and intelligence a person has will decide how they respond to control and power.
“In past years Mr. Jones, although a hard master, had been a capable farmer, but of late he had fallen on evil days”(Orwell 38). In Animal Farm George Orwell describes life for the animals on a farm in the english countryside during the mid to early 20th century before, during and after a revolution against their master Mr.Jones in order to represent the russian revolution and describe to people throughout the free world how leaders in both capitalist and communist societies oppress the working class as a result Orwell 's tone throughout the novel is concerned. Tsar Nicholas II led Russia into failure in the Russo-Japanese war as well as World War I and allowed the shootings of over one thousand protesters on Bloody Sunday; these actions inspired Orwell to create a representation of tsar Nicholas II in the character Mr.Jones who is known for being drunk and forgetful.
In the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the wisest boar of the farm, Old Major, mimics Karl Marx, the “Father of Communism,” and Vladimir Lenin, a Russian communist revolutionary. George Orwell introduces direct parallels between the respected figures through their mutual ideas of equality and profoundly appreciated qualities. Furthermore, his utilization of dialect and descriptions represent the key ideas of the novel. Throughout the novel, Orwell continues to show comparisons between Old Major and Karl Marx/ Vladimir Lenin that reveal their representation of one another.
During the early 1900’s wars and revolutions were raging all around the world. George Orwell in Animal Farm expresses the political tendencies of those who have and those who lack education through characters such as Squealer, Napoleon, Muriel, and Benjamin. In Animal Farm, the message George Orwell sends to his audience is that there is power in obtaining an education that saves one from being bamboozled. The first way Orwell expresses the importance of education is through the pigs, who were the most educated animals on the farm. Within “three months” the pigs had “taught themselves to read and write,” which leads to them having the most power (Orwell 23).
Where there is good, there is evil. This simply implies that whatever you choose to do there is a purpose, either good or bad, even if unintentional. Everything in life has choice, even down to what you choose to say to others. Words are more powerful than we could imagine. They can be used for greeting one another, complimenting one another, but the meaning behind words can be manipulated. In George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm, he shows the worst of manipulation in a setting of war. He demonstrates that words are just as powerful as weapons. Not only is it an outstanding novel, but it warns us what words under propaganda can do, from “Glittering” to the “Plain Folks”, and even evoking fear. Words allow the intelligent pigs to play the animals like puppets, and return them to slavery.
George Orwell believes “What you get over and over again is a movement of the proletariat which is promptly characterized and betrayed by astute people at the top and then the growth of a new governing class. The one thing that never arrives is equality” (Letemendia 1). Orwell simply loathes revolution and thinks it is unfair to the majority, for the people. He thinks that while individuals change, the people in power are always corrupt and they will corrupt any attempt at change. He communicates his views on revolution through symbolism from the pigs to the cruel Russian leaders. In Animal Farm Orwell demonstrates that no good comes out of revolutions when he shows that absolute power corrupts absolutely through characterization of the animals.
This allegiance helped Stalin not fall, but rise and become almost unstoppable. Another example from Animal Farm, is Boxer’s motto of “Napoleon is always right.” Whenever the other animals in the story had doubts about Napoleon’s leadership, Boxer would repeat his two maxims. The loyalty of a leader and civilian is considered important, but unfortunately, these important “roles” don’t get the credit they
Utilization of Literary Device in George Orwell’s Animal Farm Animal Farm is one of the most appreciated works of George Orwell. It is simple in style yet elevated with the application of literary devices. Animal Farm is satirical to a disastrous period in history. It is an animal fable that pictures human follies in a humorous manner. According to an account the booksellers had initially placed Animal Farm on children’s section, however, Orwell has called it a book for adults.
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.
The novel “Animal Farm” has a childish title, in fact, the plot of the story is much like a fairy tales, even the main characters of the book are human like animals. However, this showed the brilliants of the author, George Orwell. He used many literary and rhetorical devices in the story to deliver the massages to the reader. By using those technics, effectively convoyed the hidden meaning behind the actions of the animals, thus making the use of animals an advantage to his in term of communicating with the reader, which is the reason why Orwell decided to make the main characters animals.
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.
The novel "Animal Farm" by George Orwell is a fictional foretake of the events that led up to the Russian Revolution that happened in 1917. The concept of the book is after animals take control of the farm they are "working" at; they vow to be equal to one another. Yet gradually, the pigs of the animals change the rules of the farm to benefit themselves, until they become almost human in a way and manage the farm just like their abusive master once did. Thinking back at last year, I can pinpoint three staff members whose traits and characteristics are similar to the ones that are found in characters in the novel Animal Farm. There are three animals in Animal Farm that’s positive traits and characteristics represent and correlate with Trinity Lutheran Christian School and Early Learning Center staff and teachers.