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Brucellosis

2007-03-05T05:51:51-05:00

Cause Brucellosis is caused by the bacteria Brucella. This bacteria infects domesticated animals. The animal that causes Brucellosis the most in Australia is infected cattle but also sheep or goats. Conditions Humans get Brucellosis in one of three ways: · Eating or drinking something that is contaminated with Brucella · Breathing in the organism · Or having the bacteria enter the body through skin wounds The most common way to get Brucellosis is by eating or drinking contaminated

Brucellosis

2007-03-05T05:51:39-05:00

Brief Animal Farm Review

2006-09-24T01:49:28-04:00

Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell to make people aware of the truth about Communism and dictatorships. Apparently, George Orwell “sweated” over writing the book, and it is said he did not find it easy. However, George Orwell felt that he had a responsibility to write “Animal Farm” as an alarm call to Britain and the world. Animal Farm consists of 10 chapters. The first chapter sets the scene and introduces the main characters to us. In this chapter, we see the insightful vision of Major and the way the old boar foreshadows everything that will happen in the book—except for one very crucial thing that will be evidently shown to readers in later chapters. In the second chapter, the action begins and we find that the animals take action and overthrow the humans almost as soon as Major dies. George Orwell does very well in describing vividly the main early events of the Rebellion. The actual happening of the Rebellion tells us that the animals were spurred on by ‘Animalism’, and thus felt aggrieved and compelled to rise up against the humans when they were mistreated. The third chapter tells us that the beginning stages of the Rebellion were complete and the animals were more or less successful in managing their own affairs. They also had trouble, though, with Mollie and the cat. In this chapter, the pigs begin showing their true colours by reserving all the apples and milk for themselves, which even Mr Jones did not do. The behaviours of Mollie, the cat and Benjamin actually tell us that they were not that enthusiastic about the Rebellion, so much that they did not show any change of attitude towards working harder than usual. At the end of this chapter, Napoleon the pig actually takes away Jessie and Bluebell’s young puppies and rears them to grow into his personal guard, under the alibi that he was educating them. The main event of chapter 4 is the Battle of the Cowshed. Just as after the Russian revolution, other countries attacked the new state because they were fearful of revolutionary feelings spreading to their own people, so the neighboring farmers, Frederick and Pilkington, along with Mr. Jones, attack Animal Farm. However, led by the tactically astute Snowball, the invaders are driven off skillfully by the animals and the chapter ends with the animals celebrating their crushing victory over the humans. Chapter 5 signifies a change

Animal Farm: Novel vs. Film

2004-11-28T23:26:25-05:00

Like all books made into

Communism

2004-02-25T22:38:47-05:00

Communism is a concept or system of society in which the major resources and means of production are owned by the community rather than by individuals. Ideally, it is a society without money, property, or social classes. In theory the communist societies provide equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to need. Everyone provides the

Totalitarianism

2004-02-25T22:35:35-05:00

Totalitarianism is a system of modern autocratic government and ideology in which all social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual activities are subordinated to the purposes of the rulers of a state. The state involves itself in all aspects of society, including the daily life of its citizens. A totalitarian government controls the attitudes, values, and beliefs of

Personal Advantages

2004-02-19T13:49:47-05:00

Qn: “Orwell was really suggesting that the overthrow of unjust regimes tended to be done in a blaze of noble ideals, but inevitably, the power-hungry and scrupulous managed to take over and rearrange things primarily for their own personal advantage.” With close reference to the text, examine the truth of this statement. This statement is fairly true in the text. Although the animals do have several noble ideals like the Seven Commandments and the maxim “Four legs good, two legs bad”. These summarized the animals’ rules and

Comparing Life on Animal Farm with the Lives of People in Iraq

2003-12-14T00:49:30-05:00

Knowledge is possessed in many ways. Much of the knowledge an individual grasps during their lifetime is gained through books and literature. A true literary classic is timeless. Through the classic novel,Animal Farm, Iraqis and Americans can learn the importance of aknowledging their problems and taking action. Ignorance disables an individual's ability to distinuish between right and wrong. In the novel, Animal Farm, the animals were very unintelligent and were vulnerable to their leader's manipulative schemes. Consequently, the animals, being backwards in their understanding, would accomodate their cruel leader in every way possible. Similarly, the Iraqi people are easily manipulated by Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi government only tells its people those things which are beneficial to its growing power. This allows the government to fabricate lies of victory and twist the truths of failure, sucking its powerless people back under its hypnotic hold of economic sorrow. The ignorance found in Animal Farm and Iraw is a core of weakness created by horrible leadership. Often, leaders will use fear to ensure their power. The animals of Animal Farm immensely feared their leader Napoleon, allowing him to gain full control of their lives. In the same way, Saddam Hussein generates enough fear into his people to debilitate any and all pride they possess, delivering them into the hands of sadistic torment. This torment leave the Iraqi people defenseless, enabling Hussein to, once again, manipulate them. Fearful citizens and followers, knowing they are hopless, appease their frightening leaders without question. Iraqis can learn many things from reading Animal Farm. It is important that Iraqis do not lose hope during this difficult time. Animal Farm may prove to the Iraqi people that they are, by no means, powerless. The novel will show them that Saddam Hussein does not have complete control over their lives, and he can be stopped. The hope and enlightenment brought through the reading of Animal Farm may be crucial to the sanity of the Iraqi people. Americans may also benefit from reading this classic novel. As a free country, we should cherish the rights and freedoms we possess, reaching out to other countries who are not as fortunate. Even though we live in America, we must continue to be on guard against any leaders who have bad intentions concerning our country. Americans

Propaganda on Animal Farm

2003-11-16T19:27:00-05:00

Whips, chains, slavery, labor, oppression and misery. Power. Power corrupts and causes abuse. In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, the animals choose to rebel against Man to escape his tyranny, and form a society all their own. They were not expecting some of the difficulties they’d face in order to first procure power and second to use it. Although the animals were powerless in the beginning, they rose to power by exploiting propaganda such as passionate, persuasive speeches, fun, patriotic rituals, and evil, malicious scape-goating. Major’s speech, dripping with propaganda, was the spark that led to the Revolution. The speech included such propaganda as loaded words and powerful images. Strong verbal techniques and potent pictures send out certain messages of evil to strengthen Major’s persuasion. He describes the desperate hardship, “...those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty.” This extreme idea is dramatized with such power and confidence that it is a simple task to influence others to think the same. The words such as “slaughter,” “last atom” and “hideous cruelty” are strong enough to leave a lasting impression in one’s mind. In addition, Major won the animals over with catchy slogans. The easy-to-remember-and-repeat motto, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” is quite simple. The simplicity of it makes the point clear towards effectively brainwashing the animals to believe that all men are evil. After Major’s speech manipulated the animal’s thoughts, propaganda was continually supported by weekly rituals. These rituals fulfilled the animal’s basic need and desire of pride and belonging. A “...ceremony which was observed every week without fail” is what the animals needed for a sense of courage coming through strength in numbers. The gatherings were a kind of social control to bring everyone to a certain place and feed them lies and propaganda to sustain the revolutionary patriotism. Also, after the ceremonies, a song is sung by every animal that encourages and upholds the Animalistic beliefs. The firm, devoted tune emphasizes loyalty “Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tiding, Of the golden future time.” The song is optimistic with the joyful, promising lyric “golden future time.” Having all the animals singing this propagandistic melody together, enforces all the patriotic

A Comparison between 1984 and Animal Farm with regards to Totalitarianism

2002-06-13T14:00:00-04:00

George Orwell: The Callous Nature of Totalitarianism

The establishment of an elite power in a society produces feelings of hopelessness and fear. George Orwell, a world-renowned poet and author is known for his politically influenced works regarding socialism. In Animal Farm, Orwell creates a satire based on the communist regime in Russia from 1917–1943. The animals seeking freedom under their liberators the Pigs’, revolt against their oppressive owner, Farmer Jones. Ironically, after the revolution the Pigs’, lead by Napoleon become the oppressors. Orwell’s most influential novel Nineteen Eighty-Four describes a society under totalitarian control. The dictatorship of Big Brother and his Party in Oceania rule over the population with rigid laws and a distinct hierarchy of social position. Winston Smith, a blue-collar Outer Party member is secretly discontent with his life. When he begins to rebel against the Party he is found out, brutally forced to rehabilitate and required to conform to their ideals. In both novels, the authorities use their power to gain their own prestige at the expense of others; the government control of the population, poor treatment of the working class and the disallowance of basic needs illustrate the destructiveness of totalitarian government. The government control of the population on Animal Farm is manipulative and brutal. For instance, the Pigs’ use songs to control the thoughts of the other animals. The Pigs’ teach, “all the humbler animals…the maxim FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD…the sheep developed a great liking for the maxim and would start bleating…for hours on end” (Orwell a 22). Initially, the Pigs’ lead all the animals to believe that anything on four legs is a friend and anything on two, namely humans are the enemy. However, later on when the Pigs’ gain more power, they inform the animals that they will start trading with humans and change the song to, “Four legs good, two legs better…by the time the sheep had quieted down the chance to utter any protest had passed” (Orwell a 89). The animals are angry that the Pigs’ want to start trading with the supposed enemy but the Pigs’ take advantage of the stupidity of the sheep and use their over whelming singing and bleating to drown out any opposition. The Pigs’ use songs to negatively influence the thoughts of the other animals. Moreover, the Pigs’ establish basic slogans that are the basis of the original rebellion against Farmer Jones. These seven

Orwell's message in Animal Farm

2002-06-02T14:00:00-04:00

In many of Orwell’s works, we can see some marks from his real life or the events of his era. To understand the influences on his works we should look at his life beginning from his childhood. Orwell says that he was a lonely child and unpopular at school, and “knew that he had a facility with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, which created a sort of private world where he could get his own back for his failure in everyday life.” After reading Milton’s Paradise Lost he decides what kind of books he want to write as he says in his work Why I Write “I wanted to write enormous naturalistic novels with unhappy endings, full of detailed descriptions and arresting similes, and also full of purple passages in which words were used partly for the sake of their own sound. And in fact my first completed novel, Burmese Days, which I wrote when I was thirty but projected much earlier, is rather that kind of book.” According to Orwell, there are four great motives for writing apart from the need to earn a living, the proportions of which vary from time to time in any writer, according to the circumstances of his time. He lists these motives like this:

“Sheer egoism. Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc
Aesthetic enthusiasm. Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement.
Historical impulse. Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.
Political purpose. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples' idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.”

Of these, the first three have a stronger influence than the fourth one, which means he does not write in order to change people’s minds and shape the politics of the world. He writes because he sees some errors and wants to express them, "I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.” Rhodri Williams explains Orwell’s aim in writing with “his political views, which were shaped by his

Describe the part Old Major and Benjamin play and the impression they had on you.

2001-12-19T13:00:00-05:00

Describe the part Old Major and Benjamin play and the impression they had on you. Which of the two seems to you more important in the events of the story?

Old Major was a stout-looking boar of twelve years of age. He was wise and benevolent. He was highly regarded by the other animals on the farm. It was Old Major who, one night, dreamt of a world where all animals were equal and Man was no more. He told his dream and visions to the animals. If Man were removed from the scene, the cause of hunger and overwork would be abolished. He delivered the message of rebellion to the animals and since all the animals looked up and honoured Old Major, they took to his words. It was also Old Major who taught the song 'Beast of England' that was sang and remembered by the animals throughout the story. Eventhough Old Major dies within a short time of his presence in the story, he held a very big and deep impression throughout the story. His speeches and teachings gave the animals on the farm a new and deeper outlook on life. An important factor was that he did not use any elements of terror or play with the fear of the animals for them to listen. He was one of the influential characters of the story and it was he who brought about the idea of the animal revolution. Benjam8in, the donkey was the oldest animal on the farm. He seldom talked and was reputed for being cynical. He was alone for most of the time and was devoted to Boxer, the horse. Benjamin was one of the few animals that remained unchanged after the Rebellion took place. He did his work all right, never shirking but also never volunteering for extra work. Benjamin was also amongst the cleverer animals, as he knew how to read and seemed to be able to predict the future. Benjamin also noticed the gradual changes in the principles of the Animal Farm. He knew and understood of Napoleon's plans but unfortunately did not voice his knowledge because if he did the Animal Farm may not have been dominated by the pigs. Benjamin gives me the impression of people who are reserved and quiet but possess the knowledge that many do not have. He could have been more powerful and influential than pigs but he kept

Animalism vs Marxism in Animal Farm

2001-09-29T14:00:00-04:00

Introduction Long before the invention of the television or telephone, much less the computer, people had to communicate by word of mouth or written documents. It was not a peculiar happening for a critic of religious, political, or economical affairs to write his opinions in an allegorical and sometimes satirical fashion. Public awareness to many social wrongs has long been fed by such writings. In 1944, even after the modern means of communication had arrived, George Orwell, an Englishman, expressed his concern that Socialism had taken a sharp downfall under the reign of Russia’s implement of communism. Orwell was inspired to write “Animal Farm” in response to his participation in the Russian Civil War in which Joseph Stalin, the dictator of Russia, had sent his army to fight for “political decency.” Although Karl Marx had developed a promising way of life for the Russian people during the reign of Czar Nicholas II, Marxism was turned around and used as the foothold for revolution. The people of England seemed to admire the Russian war effort and overlooked the faults of the communist regime. Orwell’s book opened the eyes if the Western Democracies to the reality of Stalin’s conquest. “Animal Farm” portrays the major developments in the Russian revolution through its characters, events, and symbolism. Animalism vs Marxism In “Animal Farm,” the term Animalism is used to describe the movement the animals are working toward. Mr. Jones owns Manor Farm, the setting of the story. Within the first chapter, the situation the animals lived in is described as slavery. The animals were poorly fed and overworked. An outcry for revolution was stirring. Old Major, an old prize pig of the farm passes on the idea of revolution to all of the animals so that they will know what is destined to happen. In Marx’s “Communist Manifesto,” Marx also calls attention to necessary change (7). The animals resented thy tyranny of the humans and wished to govern themselves where all animals were equal. In comparison, Communism was based on the belief that all people were equal. The common people were tired of the rich getting richer while the poor got poorer. Animalism supported the idea that no one was owned by another. There would be no animals better off than others while no animals would be in bad condition either. Communism flaunted the same policy. Since the people owned the government and the government owned everything,

Animal farm Compared to the Russian Revolution

2001-06-22T14:00:00-04:00

Education is not as prominent in the book as during the Russian Revolution. In the book, education is mentioned when Snowball finds old spelling books, once belonging to Mr. Jones. He begins to teach himself, followed by the other pigs, and finally he helps the other animals to read and write. Some of the not so intelligent animals find this quite taxing, whereas the pigs– being the most intelligent, learn the fastest. Snowball is the most interested in educating the animals, and the well being of the other animals on the farm. Just as Trotsky was intent in educating the Russian people, and their well being during the Revolution. “Napoleon took no interest in Snowball’s committees. He said that education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up.” This shows Snowball’s commitment to the animals compared to the uninterested Napoleon. In the book Napoleon began his leadership role quite well, with his ideas being fair and with a positive meaning. As the story continues he becomes more corrupt, and his ideas turn into a dictatorship. “Napoleon lead the animals back to the store-shed and served out a double portion of corn to everyone, with two biscuits for each dog.” As time went on his true nature, of a power crazy character begins to surface, he becomes more selfish and the principle idea of equality no longer exists. The farm is run on terror, and no animal dare speak out against him, for fear of death. “The news leaked out that every pig was receiving a ration of a pint of bear daily, with half a gallon for Napoleon.” Just as during the revolution, when at first Stalin was fair and just but as he was given power he turns into a corrupt man with dictatorship qualities. He became more selfish and sinister. When securing his power base he engineered the permanent exile of Trotsky. This compares to the book, when Napoleon and his ‘nine sturdy puppies’ chased Snowball out of the farm. Napoleon then proceeds to portray his true nature of an assassin. Snowball is the other main leader in animalism, along side Napoleon. He was the one who was most interested in the well being of the animals and their education. The complete opposite of Napoleon. I fell if he had not been chased away (assassinated) then the idea

Collapse of Animal Farm

2001-05-30T14:00:00-04:00

In today’s world, people have always strived to create a utopian society. In the novel ANIMAL FARM written by George Orwell, the animals strive to create their own utopian society based on equality and prosperity. Animalism was created to, as like the Ten Commandments, Animalism’s Seven Commandments were rules for the animals to live by. However, similar to God’s rules, Animalism was a difficult concept for all the animals to follow and live by. Secondly, the collapse of Animal Farm was due to the animal’s own intelligence and their ability to fully understand how the farm was being run. Finally, the failure of Animal Farm was due to in large part by the pigs power over the other animals and the greed and desires that the pigs wanted to achieve. Therefore, the collapse of Animal Farm had to do with Animalism itself, the animals, and the corruption of the pigs. Animalism had a great effect on Animal Farm. In the beginning of the novel, all the animals cared only for one thing. The defeat of Mr. Jones, and the equality of each animal. After Mr. Jones was finally defeated, and the animals were on their own, the Seven Commandments, (similar to the Ten Commandments) were established. The Seven Commandments were to be the principles of Animalism, an unalterable law by which all animals must live by. The pigs, Snowball and Napoleon along with the other animals, decided to inscribe the commandments on the wall, in large white lettering, so that they never be forgotten. These commandments were established for the good of each animal, to maintain order and a peaceful life on the farm. Old Major, the prized middle white boar, taught Animalism and the commandments. He was the leader of the animal’s rebellion. Old Major was the one who led the way for the animals, and taught them exactly what Animalism meant. He clearly states this in the speech he gave, a few days before his death. “Among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.” In the beginning, the animals lived each day the way Old Major taught them to. However, throughout the novel, Animalism slowly began to break away. Men were becoming comrades to the pigs, and the other animals were played as fools. The farm was collapsing little by little. Due to the animal’s low

Animal Farm

2001-05-20T14:00:00-04:00

Animal Farm was written by George Orwell and published in 1946. This story is about the Manor Farm in England, around the time of the Russian revolution. The animals on this farm started their own revolution because they were so irritated with the way they were being treated. At the beginning of the story, the Old Major calls a meeting in the barn and speaks about Rebellion and Animalism. Shortly after that the Old Major died’s and then the rebellion starts to take place. Mr. Jones is like a bad guy to the Animals. Napoleon to is also another major villain. But after Jones is gone, all of his tools are burned, and now its time for the animals to take a look around the farmhouse. The name Manor Farm is changed to Animal Farm and the Seven Commandments are established. They then start to begin the hay harvest. During the hay harvest Boxer says, “I will work harder” as his personal motto. The harvest turned out to be a success. At this point the pigs are now beginning to abuse their power. Pretty soon the pigeons are sent to spread the word of the rebellion to other animals. And Mr. Jones tries to recapture the farm in the Battle of the Cowshed. Mr. Jones was unable to defeat the animals, therefore the animals got a boost of confidence. Now at this point Mollie runs away and Snowball begins his plans for a windmill. When Snowball’s plans are finished, Napoleon’s dog’s start to chase him off the farm. The farm just lost the best leader they could have had. They loose their chance to give input on what direction the farm should go, and Napoleon begings blaming Snowball for all the things that he did not do. Now Napoleon sets the animals to work on Sundays again and acquires Mr. Whymper as the farm’s broker. Napoleon starts to sell some of the farm’s produce. And the pigs start sleeping one hour later, and in beds. Then the windmill gets blown over and Snowball gets the blame. At this point the pigs still continue to abuse the power and stealing from the other animals. Napoleon stops making appearances to the other animals and makes a deal with Mr. Whymper to sell 400 eggs a week. Napoleon also gets some animals to confess of wrong doings and then “makes examples of them,”

Animal Farm - Historical Relevance

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

George Orwell grew up a devout and dedicated socialist in the British colonies of India and even when he eventually studied and lived in England. He was loyal to the beliefs and followings of socialism’s fathers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the authors of The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. However, when Orwell saw the ideals of Socialism turned into vicious Communism, taking advantage of and abusing the lower classes that it was intended to help, he could not turn a blind eye to the cruelties and hypocrisies of the totalitarian Communism under the dictatorial reign of Joseph Stalin. Therefore, Orwell wrote two greatest anti-Communist novels that solidified his place as an advocate of freedom and a committed opponent of Communist oppression. His loathing criticism is best portrayed and evident in his satirical and allegoric fable Animal Farm. Written between 1943 and 1944, it served as an enlightening call to freedom and fairness around the world with the Russian revolution serving as the perfect backdrop and storyline to convey his powerful message. In February 1917, Czar Nicholas II, the monarch of Russia abdicated leaving Alexander Kerensky as the premier. However, about eight months later Kerensky was overthrown by Socialist/Communist revolutionists led by Vladimir Lenin, who quickly was self-appointed Chief Commissar of the new Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Almost immediately, as the country was war-torn, the chief allies of Lenin began jockeying for position and power in the newly formed state. Most notably including Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Gregory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev. The popular and charismatic Trotsky came into the forefront along with the intimidating and militant Stalin as the likely successors to Lenin’s vast power. Upon Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin manipulated an alliance with Zinoviev and Kaminev against Trotsky. Eventually Stalin stood supreme dictator of the USSR where Trotsky was exiled and eventually assassinated by Stalin’s troops. These horrifying events became the wondrous plot and characters of Animal Farm. Mr. Jones, representing the capitalist monarch society in pre-rebellion Russia, has a functioning and standard farm in the countryside of England and it includes the typical animals and beasts of burden on such a farm, including pigs, horses, poultry, dogs, goats and other animals of the sort. In many ways the farm also mimics the countryside of Russia during its revolution with its poor and worsening conditions and irresponsible leaders. He works and uses the animals to sell

Pass the Opium, Please

2001-03-03T13:00:00-05:00

Religion is said to be the opiate of the masses, and it is definitely a point of interest in George Orwell's famous novel Animal Farm. In it, Orwell pointedly attacks religion in general and Christianity in particular through the use of a well placed symbolic bird by the name of Moses. Orwell's stance is rather apparent as Moses darts about the farm scene conveying the duality of Christianity quite superbly. At the first mention of the raven Moses, one immediately gets the impression that he stands for something quite larger than just a simple bird that lives on the Manor Farm. Firstly his name, Moses, is an obvious biblical reference conveying the idea that he may stand for religion or Christianity. It is not a subtle point that Orwell is trying to make with Moses. From the beginning of his involvement in the plot of Animal Farm, Moses is painted as a very special pet of Mr. Jones, the keeper of Manor Farm before the animal revolution. Mr. Jones in himself stands for something larger than just himself, he represents the old government, the government that the animals have pointed their military coup towards. In this case the most obvious connection can be made to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917. In this vein of comparison, Mr. Jones represents the government under the ruling power of the czar. And if Moses is the especial bird of Mr. Jones, this means that religion was under the wing so to say of the czar (pun intended). After we learn this quality of Moses, we quickly learn that he is prone to rant on and on, talking about "a mysterious country called Sugercandy Mountain" (11), a magnificent place that all the animals supposedly went to when they died. In his reference to Sugercandy Mountain there is an obvious correlation to the kingdom of heaven in traditional Christian belief. This reinforces the idea in the reader's mind that Moses is most definitely standing for Christianity in this story. But so far Orwell has not made any criticisms against Christianity or religion, he has merely set up the character. The first time we get the idea that Orwell may be viewing Moses with a critical eye is when he describes the bird as being lazy and unwilling to do any. All the bird is apparently good for is to lie around all day and warm

Animal Farm - Napoleon and Boxer Act in Ways to Destroy Freedom and Equality

2001-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

The novel, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell and published in 1946. George Orwell's Animal Farm is a political satire of a totalitarian society ruled by a mighty dictatorship, in all probability an allegory for the events surrounding the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals of the "Manor Farm" overthrow their human master after a long history of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for humans. Little by little, the pigs become dominant, gaining more power and advantage over the other animals, so much so that they become corrupt and power-hungry as their predecessors, the humans. Napoleon's and Boxer's behaviors in Animal Farm demonstrate how the leaders and the followers both act in was to destroy freedom and equality. Napoleon, the leader, is very authoritative and selfish. Napoleon is a tyrant. It is very likely Napoleon is conspiring to take over Animal Farm so that he can take advantage of the situation of having many animals at his disposal. He is the one that initiated the violation of established resolutions, and concealed it by altering the resolutions. What satisfies his pleasure the most is what takes precedence over everything-the animals, honesty, commandments, etc. He gives himself the credit for every good thing, without any recognition to the other animals, such as the building of the windmill, which he announces the mill will be named Napoleon Mill, and the victory of the windmill. Snowball, who was chased of the farm by Napoleon's personal bodyguards, portrayed by dogs, is being used as a scapegoat, "Whenever anything went wrong, it became usual to attribute it to Snowball." Napoleon, with the help of his dogs, slaughters anyone who is said to be disloyal. ". . .the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones." To top it off, Napoleon outlaws Beasts of England, which had served as one of the only remaining ties between Animal Farm and Old Major. The animals think that killing is against one of the commandments, but when Muriel reads the writing on the barn wall to Clover, interestingly, the words are, "No animal shall kill any other

Animal Farm: Comparing the book to the movie

2001-02-17T13:00:00-05:00

The novel…no…no…it’s not really a novel, it’s more of a fable. The fable by George Orwell…no…no…George Orwell isn’t his real name. His real name is Eric Blair. He wrote under a pen name to save him and his family embarrassment from earlier books he had written. The fable, by Eric Blair is a cute story how animals take over a farm. Well, actually the farm and the animals are just symbols. The fable by Eric Blair is political satire on the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the events that followed. The whole story is filled with symbols and irony. All of the characters in the story are symbols of real life people. The pigs as a group represent the Bolsheviks. Old Major represents Karl Marx, the founder of Marxism. Both speak out on how they feel. Napoleon represents Lenin in the beginning of the story, but as he gains more power, he becomes a Joseph Stalin. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky who was also banished from his land. Squealer represents propaganda and is a Party Hawk. Boxer and Benjamin represent the heroic working masses of Russia. They do most of the work but get none of the credit. The dogs represent the KGB, or the secret police. They take orders from Napoleon and do as he says, right or wrong. Moses represents the Orthodox Church as his name alone makes you think of religion. Mr. Jones represents a filthy capitalist. He is only concerned about money for himself. The book goes greater detail than the video. The book explains the characters better and gives more examples of their symbolism. The point of view in which the story is told in is ironic. The point of view is told from the lowly animals prospective. An example is when Boxer is “treated at a hospital.” Benjamin realizes that the truck is for horse slaughtering but Squealer convices Benjamin and the rest of the animals that hospital just didn’t have time to re-paint the truck. A couple of paragraphs later, the pigs hold a party in honor of Boxer and suddenly have acquired money to buy whiskey. Once again, the book goes into greater detail and has more examples of irony. A The book and movie are surprisingly not that far apart on many levels, although there are some venial differences. The film does have Disney-ish qualities such as cute little ducks and childish humor.

Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution

2001-02-12T13:00:00-05:00

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 this novel is a satire and allegory to the Revolution that took place in Russia so long ago. First and foremost Manor Farm itself represents Russia with its poor conditions and irresponsible leaders. Mr. Jones plays one of those leaders, Nicholas the Second or The Czar as people called him in those days. Mr. Jones beats his animals, forgets to feed them and treats them badly. His actions are portrayals of the actions of The Czar. Old Major is representative of Karl Marx. Marx had a dream of a better Russia and created the doctrine of communism to aid in distribution of wealth, and to bring the people to a place were they would all be equal, but what he didn’t realize was that under the wrong rule the good intentions of communism would become corrupt. Surely if communism and animalism were carried out by the right sorts of people and animals with good and true intentions, their communities would have prospered instead of falling and ultimately being destroyed. He died before getting to see the rise of his creation just as Old Major did. The rise and fall of Lenin by Stalin is portrayed in Napoleon’s actions toward Snowball. Even though Lenin had some good intentions towards the people of Europe he was still slightly corrupt and susceptible to being overthrown. Stalin took advantage of this. He soon took his position and began his corrupt rule with the people tricked into believing he was a better leader and had the peoples’ issues at heart. After the attack on Jones, (The Czar) Snowball becomes the leader and changes the name of Manor farm to Animal

Squealer's Role in Animal Farm

2000-11-28T13:00:00-05:00

The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory portraying the evils and pitfalls of a totalitarian government. It attempts to illustrate a society where all live as equals has not existed, and cannot be obtained. Orwell, through the use of the character Squealer, demonstrates how propaganda can influence members of a communist community in a negative way. By drawing parallels to events in communist Russia, Orwell's Animal Farm shows how propaganda was used to dominate the Soviet people. By deceiving, threatening and order was maintained and the populace remained ignorant.. The story uses clear and easily understood language to explain and expose the downfall of communist Russia. During the story, Orwell utilizes Squealer to portray how propaganda convinced, swindled and duped Russian citizens. Squealer being a sly, clever pig has the ability to manipulate information in his speeches. His cunning is substantially significant to the deception of the other animals. Beginning in chapter three, Squealer first deceives the animals. The animals are aware that the entire stock of milk and apples are reserved exclusively to the pigs, and Squealer is dictated to clarify the uneven dispersing of farm resources. "'Comrades' he cried. 'You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?'" (Orwell 42) He continues his speech, " 'Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers (42). At this point, Squealer attempts to reason to the animals that it is only on account of health concerns that the pigs acquire the apples and milk, but he seeks to brainwash them in different manners also. Squealer proceeds, " 'The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us.... It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples'"(42). Ultimately, he sways the additional farm animals with fear. "'Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back!'" (42) Squealer affrights and alarms the animals into obedience with the ominous warning of the reinstatement of Mr. Jones, the abusive farmer that was forced out of the farm by the animals. Squealer is frantic to attain the apples and milk and will not cease to manipulate and exploit the other animals into accepting and embracing that the pigs should

The Importance of Squealer

2000-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

Sly, greedy, and crafty are just a few characteristics that describe Squealer in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell. This pig is also a messenger, an actor, a great persuasive speaker, a follower, and an outstanding liar. He’s nimble, he’s clever, he’s manipulative and most of all he’s sneaky. Squealer uses his intelligence to persuade the other animals on the farm into doing what Napoleon wants, even if they don’t really want to do it. He uses his craftiness and cunning to persuade the animals into thinking that he is on their side and he’s doing all he can to help them out. His acting ability misleads the animals into thinking that he’s one of their closest friends and that he can be trusted with all their secrets. Squealer’s slick style makes him an important character in the book Animal Farm by George Orwell.Squealer’s first manipulative deed is committed when he tells the other animals on the farm that the pigs are going to get the windfall apples and the milk from now on. He uses his persuasive speaking skills to talk the other animals into understanding why the pigs were doing this. Squealer explains to the other animals that the pigs are taking the milk and apples merely for their own health and nothing else. He uses this excuse of the pigs taking the apples and milk for their health to persuade the animals into thinking that they should give them the windfall apples and milk without questions. Squealer then says to the animals “Comrades! You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in selfishness and privilege?” (Orwell 42). He then goes on to say “Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the wellbeing of a pig. We pigs are brain workers, the organization of the farm totally depends on us” (Orwell 42). Saying the pigs are taking the apples and milk in the good of the other animals is one good example of his manipulative ways because, he then says that Jones will come back if they don’t let the pigs have the apples and the milk. Immediately after Squealer says that Jones will come back, it makes all the animals want to give the extras to the pigs. Squealer uses this fear of Jones coming back as one of his main arguments to persuade the animals on the farm to believe

Animal Farm: Chapter by Chapter Review

2000-10-03T14:00:00-04:00

Old Major calls a meeting in the barn in which he speaks of the rebellion and animalism. When the writer put the meeting in the barn, he put all the characters in one place to tell you about all of them at the same time and he gave a place where he could give the book’s undivided attention to what Old Major was talking about.
Old Major died, and the rebellion happens. After Jones is gone, all of man’s tools are burned; the animals walk the grounds, and take a tour of the farmhouse. The name Manor Farm is changed to Animal Farm and the seven commandments are established. They then begin the hay harvest. I didn’t expect the rebellion to come so soon and so easily. I wonder how the hay harvest will turn out?
The hay harvest is the best ever and during the harvest, Boxer adopts, "I will work harder" as his personal motto. Work on Sunday’s is discontinued but in it’s place is a late breakfast, raising of the flag, a meeting, and signing. Only the pigs can eat apples and drink milk. It’s amazing that the harvest was such a success. The pigs are beginning to abuse their power.
Pigeons are sent to spread word of the rebellion to other animals. Jones tries to recapture the farm in the Battle of the Cowshed. This was a very important chapter because in it, Jones tries to get the farm back but was defeated by the animals giving a boost of confidence to the animals.
Mollie runs away and Snowball begins plans for a windmill. When Snowball’s plans are finished, Napoleon’s dog’s chase him off the farm. Napoleon cancels the Sunday debates. Boxer adopts the maxim, "Napoleon is always right." Napoleon decides to build the windmill. The farm lost the best leader they could have had. They loose their chance to give input on what direction the farm should go, and Napoleon begins blaming Snowball for things that he did not do.
Napoleon sets the animals to work on Sundays again and acquires Mr. Whymper as the farm’s broker. Napoleon starts to sell some of the farm’s produce. The pigs start sleeping one hour later, and in beds. Windmill is blown over and Snowball is blamed. The pigs further their abuse of power and stealing from the other animals. The using of Snowball ass a scapegoat for the

Animal Farm: Stalin and Napoleon

2000-09-26T14:00:00-04:00

The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, was an allegory about the Russian Revolution in which the author used a farm and it’s members to symbolize major characters and their actions. In this composition, I will reveal to you many of Joseph Stalin’ s important contributions and how they relate to the actions of Napoleon from Animal Farm. I will break this topic down into the following three parts, their rise to power, Stalin’s Five Year Plan, and their use and abuse of authority. When Lenin died in 1924, a struggle for power began between Trotsky (Snowball) and Stalin (Napoleon). Trotsky was a brilliant individual, but Stalin was just a simple person whose power was based on allegiances with other members of the communist party rather than on ideas. This is contrary to how Snowball was the more intelligent one of the two and all the sheep and pigs were loyal to Napoleon. Trotsky believed in Russia’s trying to spread communism all over the world as Snowball’s purpose with animalism and Stalin was more focused on the prosperity of Russia, as was Napoleon about the wellness of the farm. By 1929, Stalin had gathered enough resources to exile Trotsky from Russia just as Napoleon did to Snowball. Stalin believed that Russia was one hundred years behind the west. He devised his Five Year Plan to bring Russia up to speed with the rest of the world. This plan included many of Trotsky’s ideas, which Stalin had previously opposed. We can relate this to the building of the windmill in Animal Farm and how Napoleon was against the idea until after the expulsion of Snowball. Russia’s economy was centralized on agriculture with over twenty five million farms. Unfortunately, the majority of these barely produced enough to feed the families of those who worked them. Farmers who had a surplus of produce were called kulaks. Stalin decided he would "liquidate the kulaks as a class" under collective agriculture. He believed that once the population of "those just getting by" saw the benefits that they would receive from these state-run farms, they would immediately approve, and that’s just what they did. Unfortunately for Stalin, the kulaks did not like this idea. In protest, they destroyed their livestock and tools and burned their crops or let them rot in the fields. This event is displayed in Animal Farm when Napoleon decides to sell the

Constrain the Power

2000-08-15T14:00:00-04:00

“Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism…Animal Farm was the first book in which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole,” George Orwell, [1984]. The criticisms and protests Orwell has against the dictatorship of Napoleon, a pig who tricked his animal society into believing equality was the greater evil, are vibrantly shown throughout the novel. The change of life citizens endured during their stay on Animal Farm enlightens its readers with the true purpose of the book. “George Orwell’s whole life was spent in preparation of Animal Farm, and the text itself bears the dates November, 1943-February, 1944,” The Times Literary Supplement. In November of 1943 the United States controlled the first nuclear reaction at the University of Chicago. The Manhattan project was a success, and the country held the power to decimate any opposing power. However, with this achievement erupted much controversy. Was the use of atomic bombs humane and reasonable to end conflicts? Englishman, George Orwell, opposed any practice related to these weapons. Through his brilliant satire, Animal Farm, Orwell depicted a frightening view of the future. Even those deemed as national heroes were corrupt. It was uncertain at the time if overthrowing the government would ever change current society. In essence, the United States is not run under totalitarian views. We are a democracy, a society where the people’s choice presides over that of one person. However, in smaller countries this could be overthrown very swiftly. In the book Animal Farm, two major leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, begin their journey to a successful society when Napoleon turns on Snowball. He sends his bodyguards, (portrayed as vicious dogs) after Snowball in hope to drive him off the farm. Once this was accomplished, he began to manipulate the minds of the animals on the farm into believing that Snowball was actually their enemy from the beginning. “Do you know the enemy who has come in the night and overthrown our windmill? SNOWBALL! he suddenly roared in a voice of thunder. Snowball has done this thing! In sheer malignity, thinking to set back our plans and avenge himself for his ignominious expulsion, this traitor has crept here under cover of night and destroyed our work of nearly a year. Comrades, here and now I pronounce the death

Animal Farm

2000-06-13T14:00:00-04:00

George Orwell was a great writer; he created a book with many different qualities. Animal Farm is an allegory, fable, and a satire. He made the characters in the novel relate to real people and events in history. Examples such allegory would be Animalism compared with Communism, Snowball compared with Leon Trotsky, and Napoleon compared to Joseph Stalin. Animalism in many ways does symbolize Communism. Animalism for the animals would be a perfect land, no rich, no poor, and everyone is equal. They all would own the same amount of the farm. No animal would be above any other animal. As in a communistic society, they would all work the same and receive the same. The government would own everything and they people would own the government. In both Animalism and Communism, their goal was a society in which the workers, not the capitalists, owned all the means of production. To reach this ideal situation, a transition period was needed, during which the government controlled the economy. The government guaranteed hospitalization, education, housing, and pension plans, as well as jobs. In Animal Farm, the animals did receive some of those features while Snowball was with them. The people, as well as animals, in turn, gave up every indication of freedom. Thus, everyone would share equally in the benefits of production, and everyone would have an equal share in the goods that were produced. The government (pigs), regardless of demand, determined supply. Everyone was forced to work, so there was no competition for jobs. The true costs of production were not known. Wages were completely arbitrary, as were prices of goods. Animalism was created to represent communism, and it succeeded well. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky from World War One. Snowball was young, smart, and a very good speaker. He was idealistic, and he wanted to make life for all animals easier and happier. Leon Trotsky also wanted to improve the life for all Russian people. For most of his life Leon Trotsky was a "man without a country," banished from one land to another. He was exiled from many different countries. He organized the famous Red Army. Snowball was the plotter for the “Battle of the Cowshed”. Trotsky and Joseph Stalin struggled for leadership, as did Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball was chased away by Napoleon’s dogs. Trotsky was chased away by Lenin’s secret police (KGB). George Orwell had a great talent in

Animal Farm Interpretation

2000-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

Animal farm is a book written by George Orwell, or Eric Arthur Blair, that is his real name, as a childrens book. The story goes something like this; The pigs on a farm suddenly realizes that they are suppressed by the farmer. They, whom are accepted as the smartest cratures on the farm, decide to take over the farm. They manages to take over the farm with the help of the other animals. Then they make up some basic rules(laws) to be followed so that all the animals on the farm can live in harmony together. Soon they start bending the rules, and become dictators. The book is generally thought of as a masterpiece, where Orwell has made a social critical book look like a childrens book. This is supposed to have some connection with the Russian

Animal Farm: Was the rebellion doomed to failure?

2000-04-30T14:00:00-04:00

Before the death of Old Major the animals are inspired to rebel against the humans. They join together as a strong team to eventually, in chapter two, drive Mr. Jones from the farm. The Seven Commandments are soon developed with all the animals contented as equals. Right from the beginning of the rebellion, the pigs can be seen to be taking charge, “then Snowball and Napolean called them together again, ‘Comrades’, said Snowball, ‘it is half past six and we have a long day before us.” This quotation from chapter two shows the pigs giving out orders to the other animals and acting as a new Mr. Jones, but seemingly nicer. Throughout the story, the animals begin the trust the pigs more and more, allowing themselves to be told what to do and be taken in with blind devotion. The pigs act on their newly gained trust and by the end of the story are able to lie back on their laurels and run the farm from the comfort of Mr. Jones’ armchair. The rebellion fails due to the blindness of the animals, accepting each other as equal, but do not notice the pigs adding new rules to suit themselves, ‘no animal shall kill another animal without due cause.’ The executions in chapter seven show clearly the animals’ naivety towards the fast approaching leadership of the pigs. During the killings, the animals stand back and do not do a thing. Some animals, like Benjamin, suspect the overthrowing of the rebellion, but are afraid to do anything alone. The rebellion was doomed to failure from the beginning. The pigs easily won the animals over with propaganda. An example of this came soon after the rebellion and the drawing up of the Seven Commandments, with the pigs justifying their need for milk and apples with lies and threats of Jones’ return. Squealer uses propaganda such as rhetorical questions, lies and threats to convince the animals to believe the pigs. Unfortunately for the animals, they are easily led. If it were not for their blind devotion, trust and naivety, they could easily see how the pigs gradually gained power. The pigs also use the dogs as force to keep the animals ‘in line’, discouraging them from trying to rebel. ‘United we stand’ would have worked well for the animals in this case. One animal, Benjamin, did not stand up and face his suspicions, which could have resulted in the return

Animal Farm As A Social Criticism

2000-02-09T13:00:00-05:00

Writers often use social criticism in their books to show corruptness or weak points of a group in society. One way of doing this is allegory which is a story in which figures and actions are symbols of general truths. George Orwell is an example of an author who uses allegory to show a social criticism effectively. As in his novel Animal Farm, Orwell makes a parody of Soviet Communism as demonstrated by Animal Farm's brutal totalitarian rule, manipulated and exploited working class, and the pigs' evolution into the capitalists they initially opposed. Totalitarianism is a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of life. It was used by Stalin and the Bolsheviks in Russia during the 1920's and 30's and is parodied in Animal Farm by Napoleon, the "almighty" leader, and his fellow pigs and their ridiculous propaganda and rigorous rule. In the book, Napoleon is deified and made superior to all other animals on the farm, for example he is called emperor or leader while everyone else was referred to as a "comrade", and all the pigs were given higher authority then the rest of the animals. An inequality between the pigs and rest of the farm was that the pigs lived in the farm house while the other majority had to sleep in pastures. A certain pig Squealer who could "turn black into white" was in charge of propaganda, and he would often change the commandments of the farm so that they would fit the actions of Napoleon or the "upper class" of the farm which was supposedly classless. For example, at one time a commandment read "No animal shall drink alcohol"(P. 75), but soon after Napoleon drank an abundance and almost died the commandment was changed to "No animal shall drink to excess." which made it seem as though Napoleon was within the rules. Another instance where Napoleon showed severe rule was when everyone on the farm who had either pledged for or showed support at one time for Snowball, the exiled former leader, was executed on the spot. This act was a humorous resemblance of The Great Purge in Russia where all opposition was killed off. The governing system of the Animal Farm was truly corrupt, but it did not stop with the propaganda and executions. At first on the Animal Farm, it was promised to

Animal Farm

1999-11-25T13:00:00-05:00

George Orwell's Animal Farm is a political satire of a totalitarian society ruled by a mighty dictatorship, in all probability an allegory for the events surrounding the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals of "Manor Farm" overthrow their human master after a long history of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for humans. Little by little, the pigs become dominant, gaining more power and advantage over the other animals, so much so that they become as corrupt and power-hungry as their predecessors, the humans. The theme in Animal Farm maintains that in every society there are leaders who, if given the opportunity, will likely abuse their power. The book begins in the barnyard of Mr. Jones' "Manor Farm". The animals congregate at a meeting led by the prize white boar, Major. Major points out to the assembled animals that no animal in England is free. He further explains that the products of their labor is stolen by man, who alone benefits. Man, in turn, gives back to the animals the bare minimum which will keep them from starvation while he profits from the rest. The old boar tells them that the source of all their problems is man, and that they must remove man from their midst to abolish tyranny and hunger. Days later Major dies, but the hope and pride which he gave the other animals does not die. Under the leadership of the pigs, the most intelligent of the animals, they rebel against their human master managing to overthrow him. After the rebellion, under the direction of Napoleon, the most outspoken pig, and Snowball, the most eloquent pig, the animals continue to work the farm successfully. As with all societies, the animals have laws which must be obeyed. Their laws stated that animals shall never become like humans; cruel and manipulative. They shall not wear clothing nor sleep in beds. Most importantly, they are to respect one another's equality and killing another animal is strictly forbidden. Meanwhile, the pigs as leaders are taking bigger food rations for themselves justifying their behavior as something necessary for the "brains" of their animal society. At this point we begin to suspect that the pigs will abuse their positions and power in this animal society. Mr. Jones tries to reclaim his power but the animals

Animal Farm

1999-11-18T13:00:00-05:00

Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his psuedonym George Orwell, is an English author commonly known to write about political issues. Orwell has been highly acclaimed and criticized for his novels, including one of his most famous, Animal Farm. In a satirical form, George Orwell uses personified farm animals to express his views on stalinism in the novel Animal Farm. Throughout Orwell's early novels, democratic socialism kept the author from total despair of all humans(Greenblatt 104). After his better experience in the Spanish Civil War and the shock of the Nazi-Soviet pact, Orwell developed Animal Farm. The socialism Orwell believed in was not a hardheaded "realistic" approach to society and polotics but a rather sentimental, utopian vision of the world as a "raft sailing through space, with, potentially, plenty of provisions for everybody"(Grennblatt 106). Animal Farm is a satirical beast fable which has been heralded as Orwell's lightest, gayest work(Brander 126). It is a novel based on the first thirty years of the Soviet Union, a real society pursuing the ideal of equality. His book argues that this kind of society has not worked and could not (Meyers 102). Animal Farm has also been known as a an entertaining, witty tale of a farm whose oppressed animals, capable of speech and reason, overcome a cruel master and set up a revolutionary government(Meyers 103). On another, more serious level, it is a political allegory, a symbolic tale where all the events and characters represent events and characters in Russian history since 1917(Meyers 103). Orwell uses actual historical events to construct Animal Farm, but rearranges them to fit his plot. Manor Farm is Russia, Mr. Jones the Tsar, the pigs the Bolsheviks who led the revolution. The humans represent the ruling class, the animals the workers and the peasants. Old Major, the inspiration of the rebellion, is a combination of Marx, the chief theorist and Lenin, the actual leader(Meyers 105). Old Major dies before the rebellion just as Lenin did in the Russian revolution. In actuality Stalin and Trotsky argue over power after Lenin's death, which Orwell satirizes in Napolean and Snowball. In Animal Farm, Orwell immediately establishes the Soviet political allegory as Old Major (Marx/Lenin) describes the exploitation of animals by humans and the statement "all animals are comrades." The animals continuous singing of "Beasts of England" can be seen not only as a symbol of the decay of communist notions of a perfect state,

Animalism vs Marxism

1999-11-18T13:00:00-05:00

Characters, items, and events found in George Orwells book, Animal Farm, can be compared to similar characters, items, and events found in Marxism and the 1917 Russian Revolution. This comparison will be shown by using the symbolism that is in the book with similarities found in the Russian Revolution. Old Major was a prized-boar that belonged to Farmer Jones. The fact that Old Major is himself a boar was to signify that radical change and revolution are, themselves, boring in the eyes of the proletariat (represented by the other barnyard animals), who are more prone to worrying about work and survival in their everyday life. Old Major gave many speeches to the farm animals about hope and the future. He is the main animal who got the rebellion started even though he died before it actually began. Old Major's role compares to Lenin and Marx whose ideas were to lead to the communist revolution. Animal Farm is a criticism of Karl Marx, as well as a novel perpetuating his convictions of democratic Socialism. (Zwerdling, 20). Lenin became leader and teacher of the working class in Russia, and their determination to struggle against capitalism. Like Old Major, Lenin and Marx wrote essays and gave speeches to the working class poor. The working class in Russia, as compared with the barnyard animals in Animal Farm, were a laboring class of people that received low wages for their work. Like the animals in the farm yard, the people is Russia thought there would be no oppression in a new society because the working class people (or animals) would own all the riches and hold all the power. (Golubeva and Gellerstein 168). Another character represented in the book is Farmer Jones. He represents the symbol of the Czar Nicholas in Russia who treated his people like Farmer Jones treated his animals. The animal rebellion on the farm was started because Farmer Jones was a drunk who never took care of the animals and who came home one night, left the gate open and the animals rebelled. Czar Nicholas was a very weak man who treated his people similar to how Farmer Jones treated his animals. The Czar made his working class people very mad with the way he wielded his authority and preached all the time, and the people suffered and finally demanded reform by rebelling. The Czar said "The law will henceforward be respected

Animal Farm

1999-11-13T13:00:00-05:00

Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a masterpiece mocking communism. Animalism, which represents communism, was a revolution that didn't work. Animalism was supposed to make life better for the animals but instead their lives got worse. By the end of the story, everything had changed. The government had become corrupt, there was a dictator, and the animals had become slaves to the pigs. Life for the animals couldn't get any worse. At the beginning of the story, the animals revolted because of the way they were treated by Mr. Jones, the farmer. They felt that the farmers made all the profit, reaped all the rewards but didn't do any of the work. So they formed a government called Animalism. In Animalism, there are no owners, no rich, but no poor, workers got a better life, and all animals are equal. They had even established laws called the Seven Commandments, which were intended to give basic rights to animals and protect them from oppression. The goals of the government were also established. The goals said that everyone was equal, there would be more food and sleep for all, there was to be respect for all animals, and they would build a windmill to make life better for all. By the end of the book, all this no longer existed. The animals were getting less sleep, less food, and less respect. The windmill became a source of money for the leaders, not for all the animals. The seven commandments were gradually changed to suit the pigs and then there was only one Commandment left. "'Are the Seven Commandments the same as they used to be, Benjamin?' There was nothing now except for a single Commandment. It ran: All animals are equal but some are more equal than others"(133). That single commandment made the pigs more powerful. Animalism no longer existed. At the beginning of the story, there were two leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, that were sharing power. Snowball was good with words, honest, good at arguing, was inventive, and believed in technology. He stayed in touch with the animals, and wanted to make things better for them. Napoleon, on the other hand, was bad with words, dishonest, hated arguing, and was not inventive. He wanted to be above all the animals; he didn't care about making things better. He only believed in serving himself. In order for Napoleon to be above all the

Animal Farm, the significance of Squealer

1999-09-13T14:00:00-04:00

The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is an allegory portraying the dangers of a totalitarian government. It seeks to show how a society where all live completely equal has not been, and cannot be achieved. Orwell, through the use of the character Squealer, shows how propaganda can affect members of a communist society in a negative way. By drawing parallels to events in communist Russia, Orwell's Animal Farm illustrates how propaganda was used to control the Soviet people by deceiving them, threatening them and keeping them ignorant in an attempt to maintain order. The story uses simple language to explain and expose the corruption of communist Russia. Throughout the story, Orwell uses Squealer to illustrate how propaganda persuaded and victimized Russian citizens. Squealer is a sly, crafty pig who is not only intelligent, but a manipulative speaker as well. His cunning is key to the deception of the other animals. In chapter three, Squealer deceives the animals of the farm for the first time. The animals find out that the milk and apples are given solely to the pigs, and Squealer is sent to explain the uneven distribution of farm resources. "'Comrades' he cried. 'You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?'" (Orwell 42) He goes on to explain, " 'Milk and apples (this has been proved by science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers (42). Here, Squealer tries to convince the animals that it's for health reasons that they take the apples and milk, but he tries to persuade them in other ways as well. Squealer continues, " 'The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us.... It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples'"(42). Finally, he convinces them with fear. " 'Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back!'" (42) Here, Squealer frightens the animals into submission with the threat of the return of Mr. Jones, the abusive farmer that was driven out of the farm by the animals. Squealer is desperate to obtain the apples and milk and will stop at nothing to manipulate the other animals into believing that the pigs should be the sole recipients of this luxury. By masking their true intentions

Manipulation in Animal Farm

1999-09-13T14:00:00-04:00

The easy manipulation of human nature is illustrated in "Animal Farm" The

Animal Farm - Power Corrupts

1999-08-11T14:00:00-04:00

In George Orwell's Animal Farm, power and control of the farm shifts from Mr. Jones to Snowball and from Snowball to Napoleon. Each, no matter how well their leadership, was corrupted by power in some way as compared to Russian leaders of the time. The most corrupt, Napoleon, uses several methods of gaining more power and luxury. Like Stalin, Napoleon uses a Propaganda Department to make himself look good. The one responsible for Napoleon's looking good and propaganda is Squealer. With a name like Squealer he better be damn good using his wits to Napoleon's and the pigs' advantage. In the seventh chapter, Squealer responds to Boxer's question of whether Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed by making Snowball look deceiving. He says, "That was our mistake, comrade. For we know now - it is all written down in secret documents that we have found - in reality he was trying to lure us to our doom." This quote proves that propaganda was used to make Napoleon look good and his opponents look evil. One of many reasons Napoleon and Squealer get away with these false allegations is that the animals are too dumb to remember what happened. Another way Napoleon uses methods to make him look good is simply changing the rules to favor himself. Squealer again is responsible for the wrongdoing. All of the Seven Commandments of Animal Farm are eventually broken before the commandments are "revised" to prove the pigs did nothing wrong. In the eighth chapter, the commandment that strictly forbids animals to kill one another was cunningly changed to "No animal shall kill any other animal without cause" after a series of executions of supposed traitors and probable Snowball followers. Napoleon forced confessions and eliminated these probable traitors under the newly revised rule. The new rule favored his popularity, respect, and increased his hunger for power. Napoleon's actions were not unnoticed though. Those who noticed were intimidated by his guard dogs and were silenced. In one situation, young pigs protested Napoleon's leadership. "But suddenly the dogs sitting round Napoleon let out deep, menacing growls, and the pigs fell silent and sat down again." Violence worked perfectly to drive away any opponent Napoleon might have had. Without any opposition, Napoleon is free to do his own bidding. As a result, Napoleon again is drowned with power and pride because the animals must respect him, or they

Animal Farm: Strong vs Weak

1999-07-29T14:00:00-04:00

The pigs had objectives other than the benefits and the good of the other animals. On the contrary, their objectives were to use, conquer, and capitalize on them. One of the conflicts in Animal Farm is the strong against the weak. The strong are the pigs and the weak are all the other animals. There are two main offenders of the weak: Napoleon and the pigs in general. Napoleon was a tyrant. It is very likely Napoleon and the other pigs were conspiring to take over Animal Farm so that they could take advantage of the situation of having many animals at their disposal. Although, Napoleon played a very important role in the assault on the weak. Napoleon most likely was the originator of all the decisions that go against the morals of the animal society. He is the one that initiated the violation of established resolutions, and concealed it by altering the resolutions. What satisfied his pleasure is what took precedence over everything-the animals, honesty, commandments, etc. He gave himself the credit for every good thing, without any recognition to the other animals, such as the building of the windmill, and the victory of the Battle of the Windmill. In addition, he is the one that completely transformed the farm into the same or worse way it was in the hands of Man. He made the pigs mimic Man: adopted all its bad habits which were against the animals, with the exception of the pigs. The other pigs were also involved in taking advantage of the weak. The other aspect that was against the weak is that the pigs in general clearly took advantage of their leadership to exploit the other animals. This could be proven multiple times, starting from nearly the beginning of the story. Even when Snowball, a good guy, was still in the picture, this (exploitation) was happening by the pigs deceiving the other animals to hog all the apple crop. The pigs gave the other animals little food, while they lived a lavish lifestyle. They lied to the animals by telling them lies about their memories, and giving them false information for their own benefits such as, for example, equality in rations would be contrary to the principles of Animalism. They overworked the animals while they did not work laboriously, and used them for money. The farm grew richer without making the animals themselves richer, except for

Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution

1999-07-02T14:00:00-04:00

Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution have many similarities and ideas. The characters, settings, and the plots are the same. In addition Animal Farm is a satire and allegory of the Russian Revolution, George Orwell meant for it to be that way. My essay will cover the comparison between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution. Also it will explain why this novel is a satire and allegory to the Revolution. First of all the characters of the farm have a special role in Russian Revolution. The farm itself represents Russia, with its poor conditions and irresponsible leaders. Napoleon, the mad dictator pig who plays Joseph Stalin in real life. Snowball, the leader who gets betrayed by Napoleon and plays Lenin, Old Major as Karl Marx. And who could forget the others like Boxer, who plays the working class, and Molly as white Russia, and of course the evil dogs of Napoleon who inspire the role as the secret police of Joseph Stalin. Both the novel and Russian Revolution cover the same ideas because of these reasons. In the Russian Revolution an irresponsible leader name "Nicholas the second" or how people in those days refer to him as "the Czar" was overthrown by a new leader with better ideas and ways to keep Russia alive, he was Lenin! But then he was betrayed by one of his communist comrades, Stalin. Stalin ruled for a great period of time, but everyone knows there is no such thing as immortality, and so he got kicked out too! This time by his own people. In Animal Farm a boar name "Old Major" has a dream about a world where animals rule, there are no differences, all equality, a dream about communism. This same thought applies with the idea of Stalin and his plan in ruling Russia. So when Snowball hears this him and his comrades get ready to attack the government, Mr. Jones (also known as "the Czar"). When he is overthrown Snowball becomes the leader and is betrayed by Napoleon. This event is when Stalin kicks out Lenin. Animal Farm is a great example of a "Political Satire". The novel was written to criticize the totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's rule in Russia. In Chapter one its tells how the author, George Orwell, feels about the novel. Also it give reference to the farm and how it relates to Russia. But you can see

Historical Background to Animal Farm

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Karl Marx was a German scholar who lived in the nineteenth century. He spent most of his life studying, thinking and writing about history and economics. A many years of study, much of it spent in England, he believed that he understood more deeply than anyone who had ever lived before him why there is injustice in the world. He said that all injustice and inequality is a result of one underlying conflict in society. He called it a 'class struggle', that is, a conflict bet the class of people who can afford to own money- producing businesses, whom he called 'capitalists' or 'the bourgeosie', and the class of people who do not surplus money to buy businesses and who are therefore forced to work for wage whom he called 'workers'. Marx said that, because it was always in the economic interest of capita to take advantage of or 'exploit' workers, nothing could persuade capitalists change their ways. In other words, peaceful progess toward equality and socia justice was impossible. The only way to establish justice, he said, was for t workers to overthrow the capitalists by means of violent revolution. He urged workers around the world to revolt against their rulers. "Workers of the worl unite!" he wrote. "You have nothing to lose but your chains." Another thing Marx taught was that organized religion, the churches, help capitalists to keep the workers quiet and obedient. Religion, according to Mar 'the opiate of the masses'. The church tells working people to forget about th injustice they meet in their lives and to think instead of how wonderful it wi in the after- life when they go to heaven. Marx, with his colleague, Engels, spread his ideas in two famous books, Capital' and 'The Communist Manifesto'. In the early years of the twentieth century, Russia was ready for the ide Marx. The Russian people were extremely discontented with their ruler, Tsar Nicholas II, who had little interest in governing and was neglecting the count badly. Making conditions even more miserable for the people were the hardships the First World War and a particularly cold winter. By 1917, the Russian people were desperate enough to accept a revolution. fact, they got two for the price of one, the first in March when the Tsar was deposed and a provisional government was set up. Then in November a political called the Bolsheviks led a further rebellion which ousted the

Animal Farm as Animal Satire

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

This study aims to determine that George Orwell's Animal Farm is a political satire which was written to criticise totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's practices in Russia. In order to provide background information that would reveal causes led Orwell to write Animal Farm, Chapter one is devoted to a brief summary of the progress of author's life and significant events that had impact on his political convictions. Chapter one also presents background information about Animal Farm. Chapter two is devoted to satire. In this chapter, definition of satire is presented and some important characteristics of satire are discussed. In chapter three, the method of this research is described. Under the light of information presented in the previous chapters, Chapter four discusses Animal Farm and focuses on the book as a political satire. The last chapter presents the conclusion of this study. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to express my sincere thanks to my thesis supervisor, Assoc.Prof. Dr. Jashua M. Bear for his help and freedom he gave me in this study. Without his understanding this thesis would never have been completed. I also wish to thank my sister Fidan Korkut for her suggestions in the planning stage of this study and her endurance during my long study days at home. My special thanks go to Özgür Ceylan, who constantly granted me her moral support. She was always there when I needed her. THE AUTHOR: GEORGE ORWELL Presentation This chapter introduces general information about George Orwell's life. It includes chronological progress of his life and his political convictions. Furthermore, important events, such as The Russian Revolution and The Spanish Civil War which had significant influence on his commitment to write Animal Farm will be discussed. Lastly, general information about Animal Farm will be given. His Life The British author George Orwell, pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, was born in Motihari, India, June 25, 1903. His father was an important British civil servant in India, which was then part of the British Empire. A few years after Eric was born, he retired on a low pension and moved back to England. Though their income was not much enough, the Blair family sent their son away to boarding school which was an exclusive preparatory school, to prepare him for Eton Collage. Eric then won a scholarship to Eton Collage. During his education from the age of eight to eighteen, as he wrote in his essay about his school experiences

Animal Farm

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

The novel, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell and was published in 1946. The story is about a farm in England around the time of the Russian revolution. The animals on Manor Farm are irritated with the way they are being treated, so they start a revolution. The pigs, who were the smartest animals on the farm, took control of the farm while the other animals worked. Throughout the novel the pigs lie to the other animals and change the rules, of the farm to accommodate themselves. George Orwell's real name was Eric Blair. He was born in 1903. He went to school at Eton, and after service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he returned to Europe to earn his living writing novels and essays. He was a political writer who wrote of his own times. He was a man of intense feelings and fierce hates. He hated cant and lying and cruelty in life and in literature. He was critical of communism but was himself a Socialist. The setting for Animal Farm is Manor Farm in England during the time of the Russian revolution. The farm is enourmous. The farm has been enlarged by two fields bought from Mr. Pilkington, and various new buildings had been added. One of the major characters in the novel, Animal Farm, is Nepoleon. Napoleon, after driving Snowball, another pig who was trying to take over the farm, off the farm, took over. Nepoleon says one thing, and does the other, takes other peoples ideas, and he is the biggest liar on the farm. Nepoleon took the freedom of the animals, that they had gained from the revolution, and twisted it so that now instead of being enslaved by the farmer, they were enslaved by him. In the novel, Animal Farm, the animals speak with a Russian accent. For instance, the word "comrade" is used often. The pigs mostly use a Russian accent, but the other animals mainly use an American accent. Animal Farm is about a farm in England during the Russian revolution. The animals on Manor Farm are fed up with the way they are being treated. Inspired by a speech given to them by a late animal named Major, the animals revolt. The animals drive the owner off the farm and take over. The pigs who were the smartest animals took control, set up rules, and kept the farm together. Throughout the years on

Animal Farm

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

The definition of Utopia is "no place." A Utopia is an ideal society in which the social, political, and economic evils afflicting human kind have been wiped out. This is an idea displayed in communist governments. In the novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell Old Major's ideas of a Utopia are changed because of Napoleon's bad leadership. Old Major explains his dreams and ideas to all the animals before he dies. At his speech all the animals go to hear what Old Major has to say. This happens on the night that Mr. Jones comes home drunk. Old Major explains his ideas to all the animals: Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plow, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. (p.19) This speech gets all the animals riled up and sends the toughts of getting rid of man. Old Major then teaches them the song the Beasts of England which teaches them the "great" life without man and with no more bad leaders: Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tidings, Of the golden future time. Soon or late the day is coming, Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown, And the fruitful fields of England, Shall be trod by beasts alone. Rings shall vanish from our noses, And the harness from our back, Bit and spur shall rust forever, Cruel whips no more shall crack. Riches more than mind can picture, Wheat and barley, oats and hay, Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels Shall be ours upon the day...(p.22-23) After the song the animals were even more excited. They sing the song so loud it wakes Mr. Jones up. Mr. Jones starts firing his gun into the darkness. This quickly scatters the animals. Three days later Old Major dies so Snowball and Napoleon take over but Napoleon wants all the power. Snowball does a lot of research and planing but Napoleon wants to take over completely by himself. So Napoleon frames Snowball so he can become the leader. Orwell tells about the meeting to discuss the windmill: By the time he had finished speaking, there was no dought as to which way the vote would go. But just at this moment Napoleon stood up and...uttered a high pitched whimper of a kind no one had ever heard...nine

Animal Farm Summary

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

The book starts in the barnyard of Mr. Jones' "Manor Farm". The animals gather at a meeting led by the white boar, Major. Major shows them that no animal in England is free. He also explains that the stuff that they produce is taken by man and the animals do not benefit. The only thing that man gives is food to survive so more money can be made off of the animals. Majors lets them know that man is the source of all problems and should be eliminated. He proposes that all of the animals should avoid man's habits. Above all Major says to the animals that they cannot kill one another, that they are all equal. A few days later Major dies, but his message remains in the hearts and minds of the animals. Under the leadership of the pigs, who are clearly the more intelligent of the animals, they strike against their human master and manage to get rid of him. After the rebellion, under the direction of Napoleon, the most outspoken pig, and Snowball, the most articulate pig, the animals continue to work the farm with success. The animals now come up with a set of rules to run their society. They are labeled "the Seven Commandments of Animalism" and are posted on the barn wall. 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend. 3. No animal shall wear clothes. 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed 5. No animal shall drink alcohol 6. No animal shall kill any other animal. 7. All animals are equal The animals succeed at running the farm for a little while. They finish all of their work with stunning efficiency and every week hold ceremonies to celebrate the rebellion and to plan work. Meanwhile, the pigs as leaders are taking bigger food rations for themselves justifying their behavior as something necessary for the "brains" of their animal society. They explain that it is necessary or else the farmers might come back and take over the farm. The farmers do try to reclaim their tries to reclaim his power but the animals prevent him from doing so in what they call "The Battle of the Cowshed". The conflict between Napoleon and Snowball gets more intense. At every meeting they can never agree on what needs to be done. Napoleon and Snowball fight over whether or not a windmill