Animal Farm, by George Orwell

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The cartoon Animal Farm is an animation based off the novel by George Orwell. It is about animals that live on a farm who are unhappy with how they are being treated by the farmer, Mr. Jones. They stage an uprising and run him off the property. The animals do well in organizing and running their own farm and being independent until Mr. Jones gathers fellow farmers to take back his land and animals. After the battle (which the animals won), The animals’ government system takes a turn for the worse.

The farm contains a variety of animals. The ones who hold the most dominant roles in the story are Old Major, Snowball, Napoleon, Mr. Jones (who is actually a human), Boxer, and Squealer.

Snowball is a white pig on the animal farm. He is a benevolent leader, if he can be called a “leader” at all. He never actually dictates or makes decisions by himself. Rather, he informs the animals of the situation and organizes the outcome of their joint agreement. Snowball is injured in the battle between the farmers and the animals. Then, dogs trained to serve Napoleon chase him away from the farm. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky in the Russian Revolution.

Old Major is a large, old pig who comes up with the idea to overthrow Mr. Jones. He is an influential leader and public speaker. Old Major drops dead after declaring his radical plan to his fellow farm animals. Snowball steps in and leads the animals after his death. Old Major represents Karl Marx before the Russian Revolution.

Mr. Jones is portrayed as a mercurial and disliked leader. He is mostly violent and neglective towards the animals, but on rare occasions, especially when he is not drunk, he will show the animals kindness. Mr. Jones symbolizes Czar Nicholas II in Russia.

Napoleon...

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...ll the movie. This film is a great learning tool for understanding the history of Command Economies and the Russian Revolution.

Works Cited

"Capitalism vs. Socialism." Small Business Finance - Business and Finance,Small Business Financing,Finance for Small Business Owners, Entrepreneurs, Education. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. .

http://pages.citenet.net/users/charles/af-comp.html

|main site http://www.netcharles.com/orwell|

"Comparisons to Capitalism, Communism and Socialism - Animal Farm Discussion." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. .

"Market Economy." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 15 Sept. 2011. .

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