Author’s Purpose: Animal Farm It is intended that the perfect government utilize its resources to improve the lives of the lives of the citizens that fuel it; sadly, this is not always the case. George Orwell reflects upon the issues of an unsatisfactory government in in his allegory based novel “Animal Farm”. The story follows a group of animals that have rebelled against their owners only to later be thrown back into another tyrannical regime under their so called brethren the pigs. The author wrote “Animal Farm” to bring to light the problems of Russia’s earlier government, he also does this to inform readers of what happens when you accept everything a government says without question. In the beginning of the novel, the animals decided to over through the owner of the farm with one particular goal in mind: equality; in fact their second commandment was “All animals are created equal” (pg.21). As the story progressed this ideology was abolished by the pigs. In a few short months the pigs instated themselves as Animal Farm’s overlords without any problems from the other animals. The animals wanted equality, yet the second they had it, they let the pigs take it away. Eventually the pigs add “, but some animals are more equal than others” to …show more content…
Like other civilizations before Animal Farm, the ones who were toilers to their government didn’t know that equality can and should exist. As the novel progressed no matter the injustice, cruelty and ignoble actions of the pigs, the animals always lived to forget about it. Ultimately, the animals’ denial becomes permanent. “The older ones tried to determine whether in the days of the Rebellion… things had been better or worse…they could not remember.” (pg. ). Unfortunately, the victims of Animal Farm were never capable of fighting the villainy of the pigs’ because they couldn’t even remember why they should be
In the beginning of the text, “all animals are equal” (Orwell 6) and are united under the common goal of freeing themselves from “the tyranny of human beings” (5). However, life on the farm progresses in a manner contradictory to this initial belief, and ultimately does not benefit the masses. Rather, it is driven exclusively by and for the privileged elite, “the cleverest of animals” (9): the pigs. Napoleon and his supporters are able to impose their authority upon the “lower animals” (92) by using language to create “the seven commandments” (15), and consequently re-creating them when they see fit. For example, it was declared in the Commandments that “no animal shall kill any other animal” (61). Yet, when the very pigs that created the law break it, it is re-written such that “no animal shall kill any other animal without cause” (61). These subtle manipulations take place consistently throughout the story, until all previous laws are eradicated and replaced with one overarching commandment: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (90). Here Orwell highlights the fact that by re-writing the past, those in power are able to directly control the future. By monopolizing language, they monopolize progress. Without “the words to express” (59) their opposition, the animals lack agency and are effectively silenced, forced to accept what is written “on the
While government as an institution can be used for benevolent purposes, George Orwell’s novel 1984 contends that when taken to an excess in the form of totalitarianism, government becomes dangerously self-serving.
The actions of the pigs express this theme by starting with good intentions, but slowly becoming more and more like what they were trying to avoid. In the beginning of the story Old Major gives a speech to the animals on the farm, and in this speech he mentions how cruel the humans are. During his speech Old Major uses Boxer the horse as an example when he says “You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds.” (Orwell 11). He then proceeds to tell the animals that once they revolt the cruelty will end, and at first it does, but soon the pigs begin to act more like humans. The pi...
The animals were convinced that food would be more plentiful, but it turns out to be quite the opposite. As the novella continues, Squealer’s propaganda techniques keep working, and the animals keep getting the short end of the stick. One of the main commandments from the beginning of the book was “all animals are equal.” (24) The equality of the pigs and the other animals continues to increase to opposite ends of the equality spectrum.... ...
I personally thought animal farm was a really good book. It was a simple, easy to read story. The analysis of this book is pretty easy to figure out. Animal farm represents
The idea of totalitarianism that is shown in Animal Farm is represented by the pigs treatment of the other animals. The pigs start off treating the other animals as equals but as their hunger for power increased they began to differentiate themselves from them. According to the facts on file companion to the British novel: 20th Century, vol.2 “They allocate the food that all the animals help to growing an unequal manner, reserving the milk for their own exclusive use.” (British novel: 20th Century, vol.2) Bec...
In Animal Farm, the pigs are first given the leadership position by the other animals, as shown here, "The work of teaching and organising the others fell naturally upon the pigs, who were generally recognised as being the cleverest of the animals." As shown by the text, the other animals must respect the pigs intelligence, and must value it over all other qualities, as the pigs were given the leadership position. If a different quality was more important, that quality would have been recognized and the animal with that quality would have been
The animals trust propaganda as the truth, which gives the pigs the power they desire. Manipulation of animals is a recurring motif in this book such as when Napoleon leads all the animals to believe that snowball was the cause of all the misfortune on the farm and he offers “Animal Hero, Second Class, and half a bushel of apples to any animal who brings him to justice. A full bushel to anyone who captures him alive! (Orwell .70)” Even though the animals couldn't see Snowball doing such things the go along with what Napoleon says. This manipulation gives some animals an unfair advantage over others in a so-called “equal” community.
The animals became their enemy, they represented a human in every send of the word. Though the rebellion was in hopes of creating a future without human exploitation, they failed to create universal equality. Animal Farm’s revolution is a paradox in itself the animals lost sight of their initial ideals and principles. Leading to the complete and major downfall of Animal Farm. The animal’s lack of intellect can be held the reason for the downfall yet Squealer’s consecutive manipulation is what ultimately leads to the
In Animal Farm the pigs turned the farm from a utopia into a dystopia because they were not treating all the animals fairly. One of the commandment stated that All animals are equal but that changed very quickly. The pigs changed it into All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. The meaning of this is that all animals are created equally, but when given an advantage, such as money or in the case of the pigs, power, then you are ‘more equal’ than the people around you. Another example of unfairness is when squealer tried to manipulated the animals in thinking what the pigs wanted them to think. He stated, “No one believes more firmly than Comra...
The animals in the book “Animal Farm” hoped to achieve unity, equality. trust/truth, prosperity, better quality of life, freedom and individuality, in terms of the revolution. This was achieved at the beginning of the revolution, which made it a success, but in the end the revolution was a failure. The farm, in many ways, was very prosperous when the revolution began. The animals were given an education, “the reading and writing classes were however a great success,” which made them feel equal to the humans because they were now learning in the same way the humans did.
One of the simplest things humanly possible is to imagine a perfect world, a utopia to be exact, but to truly accomplish this task, is quite the opposite. Animal Farm is a uniquely insightful novel written by George Orwell in the year 1945 that is an allegory and satire of the Russian Revolution. Old Major as well as all of the animals that live on the farm, value freedom. However, old Major’s vision of the revolution is based on his values of equality and virtue, whilst the animals that have achieved freedom, value supremacy, and survival. They all share a common value of freedom because they wish to be free of human control. Old Major values impartiality since he wants everyone on the farm to be treated as equals, yet what happens after the revolution is that a new hierarchical system is created with the pigs replacing the humans. The animals also value survival because rather than following the high merits old Major had envisioned by doing everything the right way, without violence and also by avoiding becoming as corrupt as the humans have become. They decided to do whatever it takes in order to survive, even if that means going against their beliefs such as engaging in trade which was strictly forbidden in the past.
A few days after the meeting, Old major passed, and three new pigs came to take his place, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer. The three pigs kicked out Mr. Jonas Animalism is shared equally and treated equally throughout all of the animals. In Animal Farm, everyone has the same rights and they have principles to follow, Napoleon and Snowball created the Seven Commandments which are “ ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL”( Orwell 25). The Seven commandments say that all of the animals are equal. The animals believed that they were equal and that they have the same rights as all the other animals but little do they know that the pigs are more privileged and higher than the other farm animals.
Orwell uses the universal moral from “The Ass and the Old Shepherd” to defend a similar moral on government. In Animal Farm, the story opens on Manor Farm, which is run by the oppressive Mr. Jones. The animals are “born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and 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” (Orwell 28). The animals rebel and form their own farm: Animal Farm. They drive Jones out, and allow those of a higher intellect (the pigs) to take over. One dissolute pig named Napoleon now has absolute power over the farm, an...
Animal Farm included many events in which injustice was the main factor. The pigs got to sleep on comfortable beds whereas the animals, who worked hard and long hours everyday, slept on the floor with hay. The pigs got more to eat, while the animals who, once again, worked hard and long hours got little to no food at times. “In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one class of people to give it to the other.” ‐‐Voltaire. Napoleon, which in this case is the government, continuously takes food, the money, from the animals and gives it to the pigs, the dogs and himself (the other class).