In the novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, a question that is raised is if the human race is as cynical and indifferent as they are in the novel. Are the humans described in Animal Farm, an accurate representation of the behavior and attitude of humans today? Animal Farm is a satirical novel in which the issue of abuse of power in totalitarianism governments is discussed. By giving each human the traits that he did, Orwell leaves the reader curious as to whether it is in the human nature to be cynical or not. Is being motivated purely out of self interest and encouraged by only self gain just one of the instincts that connect mankind to animals? There are many examples in the novel where Orwell makes apparent comparisons to the real life attitude …show more content…
and behavior of humans. Throughout the novel, aside from helping shape or change the readers’ perspective on humans, Orwell makes an obvious attempt to share his own views on humans and their behavior. In the novel, Animal Farm, Orwell, leaves the reader to question their existing knowledge on humans, draws parallels between the humans’ cynical behavior in the novel and in real life, and then reveals his own beliefs towards man kind. The pessimistic view towards mankind can be traced back to Thomas Hobbes, the first philosopher to claim that mankind is evil. He is made famous for publishing, Leviathan, a book in which he expresses all his opinions regarding mankind, religion and politics. His most famous quote, “… the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Leviathan 79), effortlessly sums up his views on man kind. Hobbes wasn’t the only philosopher that believed mankind was evil. Now known as the father of psychoanalysis, notable philosopher, Sigmund Freud wrote that, “. . . men are not gentle, friendly creatures wishing for love, who simply defend themselves if they are attacked, but that a powerful measure of desire for aggression has to be reckoned as part of their instinctual endowment” (Civilization and its Discontents 24). Freud believed it was in the nature of mankind to have a desire to be aggressive. In spite of this, George Orwell choose to portray humans the way he did in Animal Farm not just because two old men believed humans were born evil and cynical, but because there is actually evidence proving that they are. This evidence is found from the studies that analyze the behavior of chimapanzbins. It is well known that chimpanzees share the most similarities with humans than any other animal in existence. Aside from sharing over 96% of humans’ DNA, chimapanzbins also share common personality traits and behave like humans (Lovgren 1). For example, “as one of humanity's closest living relatives, chimps can shed light on the evolution of people, such as when humans adopted warlike behaviors” (Geggel 2). New studies show that humans and chimpanzees are the only two species in the world that are known to attack each other in organized onslaughts (Geggel 2). Not only does this imply that both humans and chimpanzees are born with an aggressive, violent side, it reinforces the theory that humans are just as cynical and evil as Orwell believed. In the novel, Animal Farm, Orwell draws several parallels between the humans’ cynical behavior in the book and in real life.
His descriptions of humans are precise examples that support the belief that humans are cynical and indifferent to events that don’t directly benefit them. One of these examples is in the distinct quote, “man serves the interests of no creature except himself” (Orwell 30). In this quote, Orwell’s belief on mankind comes through. A man will not help out his fellow man, unless he receives something in return for doing so. Any thought that a man will act upon is usually motivated by his selfish nature. There are many other instances in the novel where Orwell makes a remark that compares to how corrupt mankind is. Throughout the novel, the two owners of the neighboring farms to Animal Farm are described as dishonest and untrustworthy. The on and off relationship between the three farms shows that humans can’t be trusted. The farmers aren’t the only ones in the novel who are being targeted; every human in the book is the enemy. The humans outside of the farm are viewed as selfish and ignorant. They know what is happening inside Animal Farm, but choose to be a bystander and not act. There were only two occasions when the humans stood up against Animal Farm. However, both these times were instigated by Jones and the people fighting with him were his companions and fellow farmers. Not once did someone outside from the farms try to intervene. The most …show more content…
important part of that is that Orwell is showing his readers how easy it is to be a coward and not stand up for those suffering. Not only is it easy for humans to be intimidated and not do what is right, but humans beings are also very territorial. The world is separated by borders that mark what belongs to one nation and what belongs to the other. Just like animals, humans are born to be possessive over what is theirs. This correlates with how countries function as a whole. Like mentioned before, the U.S will only step into a war or a conflict if it hurts or deprives them of something, just like how the humans outside of Animal Farm will not step into the war happening, unless it affects them. Humans turn a blind eye to events that don’t directly benefit them, even at the cost of millions of people suffering. This supports the main point that humans are cynical and most decisions are made out of self-benefit. Orwell shows in his novel through satire that humans act selfish and indifferent when faced with adversity that doesn’t directly affect them. Everything that Orwell writes almost always has to do against fighting totalitarianism and bringing back socialism.
After witnessing war after war, he developed his own opinions about government and formed his own beliefs on humans. His novels send a clear message of what he believes in. Through the tale of Animal Farm, with the slogan as ‘four legs good, two legs bad’ it is easy to interpret that humans are the enemy. The most important message that Orwell sends across is how shockingly easy it is of humans to become indifferent. It is amazing how fast and easy people are to conform, for good or for bad. For example, in Chapter 8 the animals on Animal Farm heard about the brutalities that the owner of Pinchfield was carrying out on his animals and did nothing to stop him. Not to mention that these animals being abused were their friends. It was easier for them to just pretend it wasn’t happening and become indifferent. All they could do was let the anger build up in them. Orwell shows through this example that even when there is bad happening all around, it is easier for humans to pretend that there isn’t, than to fight for what’s right. Animal Farm would of obviously been different if the humans helped out because then, with the help of others, the animals could have overthrown their leaders. However, without a strong backup system behind them, the animals were doomed. Without the help of anybody else, the animals were left to survive on their own. By doing this, it is
clear that Orwell wanted to leave the animals by themselves and alone with their natural instincts. Just like statistics show and real life examples illustrate: all the animals became selfish and indifferent, certain animals had a desire for power and others even killed one another. Therefore, there is no doubt that Orwell’s beliefs toward human nature, the beliefs of famous philosophers and the studies comparing animals to humans all correlate with one another. In the novel, Animal Farm, Orwell, leaves the reader to question their existing knowledge on humans, draws parallels between the humans’ cynical behavior in the novel and in real life, and then reveals his own beliefs towards man kind. This analysis of Animal Farm is truly important for it allows people to reconsider what they’ve read in this distinguished novel. The significance of these findings is it supplies people with information to help them decide for themselves if humans are as cynical and indifferent as they are made out to be in the book. Orwell uses hidden persuasive techniques to help shift the readers’ perspective on humans towards his own. Orwell uses a subtle approach to express his views by publishing them in a child-like storybook. This ingenious idea allows for him to write about his view on humans through the eyes of animals. His pessimistic view on human nature is not pleasant to hear about, but is very much realistic and true. Society in itself is deteriorating and needs a wake up call. Novels, such as Animal Farm, illustrate how narcissistic mankind can really be and how humans’ selfish nature is taking over. Orwell isn’t the first author to write about the corruption of mankind and certainly won’t be the last.
Manipulation of language can be a weapon of mind control and abuse of power. The story Animal Farm by George Orwell is all about manipulation, and the major way manipulation is used in this novel is by the use of words. The character in this book named Squealer employs ethos, pathos, and logos in order to manipulate the other animals and maintain control.
“Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.”(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). This quote explains that we need to behave well, in order to portray ourselves as the good person. Unfortunately some people ignore another's behavior or bad image because they are of high status. It works this way in governments and even schools. In Animal Farm the animals ignore their leaders bad behavior. Animal Farm is written by George Orwell, from England, in the year 1945. In Animal Farm there are some virtuous and some negative behaved animals: the best example of a virtuous behaved animal is Boxer and the best example of a negative behaved animal is by far Napoleon.
... while offering a critique on stalins’s Soviet Russia, and communism in general. Orwell is revolutionary in his work, as in 1945, communism was a “taboo” subject, punishable in post- war America by arrest and even death. Every aspect of context is explored in Animal Farm is an allegory of the situation at the beginning of the 1950’s and employs a third person narrator, who reports events without commenting on them directly. Animal Farm represents both the making and the breaking of communist society. The birth of the communist agenda in animal Farm is brought by the character “old major”. The conclusion is that Animal farm and Marxism have a lot in common.
Throughout the book we see tales of manipulation by the pigs to the farm animals, without the animals the pigs would have never risen to power yet they let their power go to their head and lied and mistreated the animals to get what they wanted. The beasts had several chances to revolt against the pigs, yet for some reason they turned their heads to the injustice an ignored their senses of both reason and logic, maybe they feared having to be in charge, maybe they were just too naive to see it, or perhaps they truly believed the lies. Whatever their reasoning we see the same things in human society, and George Orwell does a good job of displaying to us how willing society is to turn its head to injustice and consents to being exploited by a higher power.
“The pen is mightier than the sword.” This is a popular saying that explains that, sometimes, in order to persuade or convince people, one should not use force but words. In Animal Farm, by George Orwell, animals overthrow the human leader and start a new life, but some animals want to become the new leaders. To make the other animals obey the pigs, they first have to persuade the farm’s population. Squealer is the best pig for this job because he effectively convinces the animals to follow Napoleon by using different rhetorical devices and methods of persuasion.
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.
Orwell's book, "Animal Farm", is full of satire. This satire is Orwell's way of communicating problems and resolutions. The main message in Animal Farm is that power cannot be divided equally. There will never be equality for all. Once power is obtained it is always abused, and power causes all to think as the leader does. Equality does not exist, for it is impossible for everyone to be equal.
Animal Farm is not only a novel about rebellious animals; it is a study of the corruption of society and humanity in an enclosed environment. The actions of the anthropomorphic animals that now rule Manor Farm represent the human society as a whole. Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel which contains syntax that exemplifies power and hierarchies and diction that portrays character’s will and intention.
George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is a satirical allegory that critiques the corrupting influence of power and the use of propaganda in totalitarian regimes. Central to this critique is the character of Squealer, whose role as the pigs' propagandist is crucial in maintaining their control over the other animals. Through Squealer, Orwell illustrates the mechanisms of manipulation, the distortion of truth, and the betrayal of revolutionary ideals, ultimately conveying a pessimistic view of human nature and the cyclical nature of power. From the onset, Squealer is portrayed as an extraordinarily persuasive orator. The animals recognize his skill, saying, “The others said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.”
People during many times of their life have struggled with authority, they sometimes never question how it works. People also get brainwashed quite easily, especially if the speaker is phenomenal at speaking. The dystopian novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell is about animals who take control of a farm they live on, so they can be their own rulers. It tells how the animals start to think for themselves and start coming up with rules to live by until a dictator rises to the “throne,” and Animal Farm reveals that people or animals don't question authority as well as not trusting themselves when they feel like something might be wrong. It also reveals that people or animals can get brainwashed quickly when the speaker is very persuasive with their words.
In the animal farm all the animals got together to start a rebel to build up a perfect society. Finally it comes to a totalitarian night mare in which every human rebellion finally achieved. Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is not a story which presents an imaginary story where animals talk and act as humans. But it is a story which reflects the human society where the rebellions and wars which took place, taking place and in future too will take place starts with the dream of a perfect Utopia and ends in a totalitarianism nightmare.
... In the end, George Orwell’s dark brooding fairy tale Animal Farm proves to be a symbolic and understanding book. In its pages we can see the contrast between a supposedly communistic state where everyone is equal and the same, and how in the end it only leads to a total dictatorial establishment of totalitarianism, where everything is controlled by an elite group. Though Animal Farm was established with the idea of every animal being equal, in the end, the voice of the scheming pigs was the only one heard. Secondly, the book powerfully symbolizes key figures that have appeared in history.
Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a fable about rulers and the ruled, oppressors and the oppressed, and an idea betrayed. The particular meaning given will depend partly on the political beliefs- “political” in the deepest sense of the word. The book is there to be enjoyed about how human beings can best live together in this world. The novel, Animal Farm by George Orwell, successfully combines the characteristics of three literary forms-the fable, the satire and the allegory.
The ranch was noiseless and still with the morning, the countryside was so closely grassed over, it seems to be painted green and flicked with dew. The morning breeze tickled the trees and made them dance until there was another warm, humming quietness. Hidden within the grass crickets sang in harmony as the grass swayed in the breeze. All the trees were spread out reaching toward the blazing sun trying to grasp all the warmth.
Animal Farm’ is a novel by George Orwell which carries allegorical aspects. In other words, this novel is mainly focused on the Russian Revolution of 1917. Orwell has portrayed this revolution and the era of Stalin in the Soviet Union (USSR), in a satirical manner. Through out the novel, he has brought out a strong criticism about the power- hungry human kind and the way it affects a nation.