Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The use of symbolism in animal farm by George Orwell
Commentary on the book Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal farm as an allegory
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The use of symbolism in animal farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character give him power.” Abraham Lincoln.
George Orwell’s, Animal Farm, is an allegory where the characters on animal farm represent the people of the Russian revolution and Stalin’s reign. Orwell’s purpose was to expose the dangers of Communism and corrupt leaders. Old Major, the old boar, inspired the other animals on the farm to rebel against farmer jones, so they could rule themselves. After the animals seized the farm, two possible leaders arose, Napoleon and Snowball. Unknowingly, Napoleon secretly raises the puppies of the dog, who died in the battle. Eventually, Napoleon secures power over the other animals through his army of grown dogs. Over time
…show more content…
Gradually, Napoleon took away their freedoms. One of the first freedoms apprehended was their hours. Before Napoleon attained leadership, the animals did not have to work, and eventually Napoleon controlled their work hours so tight they barely slept. Another area of freedom he seized was their food. By the end of the book the animals were starving, but Napoleon and his assistants had plenty of food and were growing fat. Napoleon controlled everyday freedom, but also tried to control their minds. By controlling the news, history, statistics, Napoleon tried to control their minds, and he did. Whatever he said was law, and whoever disobeyed was punished with death. Stalin and the USSR inflicted these same conditions in their own country. In 1950 there were over 2.5 million people incarcerated in Gulags, which were labor camps for the U.S.S.R. criminals. The inmates of the Gulags consisted of common criminals, political criminals, and even simple citizens. Over 21 years it is estimated there were over 18 million people in the Gulags. Some of the “crimes”, which were punished with the gulags, were unexcused absences from work, petty theft, conveying an anti-government joke, or being a prisoner of war. Stalin was severe. Orwell portrayed Stalin’s character perfectly as
Firstly, perhaps no book has linked animals to human counterparts better than Animal Farm. Orwell's beasts serve as a representation of important characters of the World War II era and beyond. For example, Karl Marx, the inventor of the communist movement, was represented by Old Major, the most important animal on the farm until his death. Much like Old Major, Marx was a visionary who dreamed of equality. Old Major states:"Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion!"(Orwell, Animal Farm, 30). In addition, he inspired the Russian Social Democratic Leader Party, led by rivals Joseph Stalin and Leon Trostky. Napoleon is represented by Joseph Stalin and much like him, he builds loyalties within the communist party ( pigs and dogs) so that he can overthrow Snowball (Trostky). Snowball displaying similar traits with Trotsky in the fact that they both fight bravely in their respective battles. Trotsky was an important component to the victory in the Russian civil war, Snowball displaying this bravery during the battle of the cowshed. The hens, geese, and sheep that are executed are a representation of the millions who opposed Stalin's, and who are killed banished as a result. The hens and geese are not known for their docile natures, and serve as perfect rebels . As well, the pigs' metamorphosis of their face and behaviour is symbolic of the transition of a government initially for the people, into ...
In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the pigs take over Manor Farm and dominate the weaker animals by using a combination of strength, fear, and trickery. This book is an allegory to the Russian Revolution, which led to Josef Stalin’s rise to power and the beginning of his dictatorship. In the novel Farmer Jones symbolizes Czar Nicholas II and Napoleon symbolizes Josef Stalin. The animals overthrow their dictator, Farmer Jones, and eventually end up replacing him with another dictator, Napoleon the pig. Napoleon demonstrates how the other farm animals’ weakness can be dominated by strength, fear, and trickery, revealing one of George Orwell’s themes.
This story Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel about an animal revolution over an oppressive farmer. The irony in the story comes when the pigs turn into the very thing revolted against. They exhibit the same cruelty by treating the other animals the same or even worse than previous owners. This cycle of cruelty is shown in the Russian revolution by Joseph Stalin who is represented by Napoleon in the story. Cruelty in animal farm is shown by the human’s treatment of the animals, and the animal’s eventual treatment of each other and the ironic characteristics of the two.
The characters and events that George Orwell put in his novel Animal Farm, can be linked to the similar events and people associated with the Russian Revolution. People like Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky can be compared and represented by the 2 pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, in Orwell’s Animal Farm. By writing this novel, Orwell attempted to expose the truth behind the totalitarian-type government in Russia at that time. However, he did this in a discreet way by using animals to symbolize the different people that played a role in the Revolution.
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.
Animal Farm, a novel written by George Orwell and published in 1945, is an allegory which reflects on the communism that was developed during the Russian Revolution. Animal Farm was formerly known as Manor Farm, and ran by its owner, Mr. Jones. However, determined to follow their late wisest pig, Old Major’s dream, the animals attempt to create their own utopia. In order to do this, they rebel against Mr. Jones and drive him off the farm. The farm is now fully run by animals, and is under the control of two pigs, Napoleon and Snowball. These two rival each other for single authority over the farm; Napoleon overpowers Snowball, and soon Animal Farm is under his control. Throughout the course of the novel, Orwell uses verbal and situational irony,
One of the main characters of Animal Farm is an allegorical parallel of Joseph Stalin. Napoleon is the pig that emerges as the leader of Animal Farm after the Rebellion. He represents the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in Animal Farm, but can easily stand for any of the great dictators in world history. Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, but he is eventually overcome by greed and becomes power-hungry. Stalin was the same in Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving himself all the power and living in luxury while the peasants suffered. While Stalin’s national and international status flourished, the welfare of Russia remained unchanged. In Animal Farm, Orwell writes a similar thing: “Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals themselves richer – except of course the pigs and the dogs.” In the novel, Napoleon openly seizes power for himself by using the dogs he trained to chase Snowball off Animal Farm. He banishes Snowball with no justification and rewrites history in order to further his own ends. Similarly, Stalin forced Trotsky from Russia and seized control of Russia. Stalin used his secret police ...
Animal Farm is an allegoric moral satire by George Orwell that depicts the struggles and conflicts of the Russian revolution. The novel can be said to be an intriguing child’s book in which animals could talk and express their opinions. It can likewise be said to be an evaluation of the communist regime, which took place in Russia under the rule of Joseph Stalin. The reader comes across a plethora of interesting characters from whichever perspective it is looked at from, especially the pigs who possess the traits of human behavior. In this essay, I intend to look at how Orwell depicts Napoleon, one of the major characters.
George Orwell's goal in writing the novel Animal Farm was to portray the events surrounding the Russian revolution that took place in 1917. Orwell's tale of Animal Farm is seemingly a story of how a group of farmyard animals plot to overthrow their owner and seize control of the land. The novel seems to be a simple story, however Orwell wrote this book as an allegory, a story that has a clear secondary meaning beneath is literal sense. Everything in Animal Farm is used to represent people and events that took place during the Russian revolution from 1917-1939. Orwell chose to represent Russia's three famous leaders during this time with three pigs. Each three are drastically different and have dissimilar beliefs. Snowball representing Leon Trotsky, Napoleon by Josef Stalin and Old Major by Karl Marx. Orwell wrote this and many other books as warnings. The warning is that people must change their ways, or we are most surely doomed.
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a satire of the Russian Revolution that took place during the late 1930s. Orwell uses vibrant characters such as Snowball, Old Major, and Napoleon to represent some of Russia’s horrific past. While Old Major represents the idea of revolution and Snowball represents the idea of industrialism, Napoleon represents the totalitarian dictatorship in Russia. Animal Farm is a good example of what happened to Russia during this time period. While Animal Farm could represent any dictatorship, it more specifically represents the totalitarianism brought on by Joseph Stalin through communism.
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -- Abraham Lincoln
Stalin wanted his country to be completely devoted to him, the same way Napoleon wanted the farm to belong to him. The actions taken in order to reach this goal were cruel and uncivilized. Working people in dangerous conditions, almost to death, will not get your country very far. George Orwell directly relates the windmill, the executions, and the dogs to events that happened during Stalin’s era. Stalin was a deceiving ruler, just like Napoleon. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a political satire that critiques the way Stalin ruled the Soviet Union in an inhumane way.
It was the glorious speech from Old Major that made the animals want to rebel so badly. Animal Farm, written by George Orwell is an excellent novel that portrays the need for power. It shows how power can be used for either good or evil. The story begins on Manor Farm, owned by a farmer named Mr. Jones. One of the pigs, named Old Major, gives a speech that motivates the animals to rebel. After a while, the animals ended up rebelling, and managed to kick out Mr. Jones. During the beginning of “Animal Farm’s” reign under Snowball and Napoleon’s (main characters) lead, it brought the animals on Manor Farm together into a peaceful world. However, after this initial stance of power, Snowball and Napoleon began to fight for it. In the end, Napoleon ends up with control of the farm and Snowball is never seen again. Power is a corrupting influence in Animal Farm and both Snowball and Napoleon’s way of leading are very different.
The fable Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, depicts social and historical contexts from the Russian Revolution of 1917, as well as the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R). Orwell’s novel is unique in its use of farm animals to portray the rise of Stalin,a totalitarian leader, and the dehumanization of Soviet Union citizens during the Stalinist era. The novel is set on a farm in Great Britain by the name of Animal Farm, where the values of Animalism and neglective behavior of the farm owner lead to the overthrow of human jurisdiction. The basis of the newly implemented animal run society was to have equality among animals along with branding humans as the common enemy of all animals. However Napoleon the pig, the character representing
Orwell begins his book by criticizing the capitalists and ruling elite, who are represented in Animal Farm by Mr. Jones, the farmer. He is shown as a negligent drunk, who constantly starved his animals. "His character is already established as self-indulgent and uncaring." (King, 8) Orwell shows us how, "if only animals became aware of their strength, we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat."(Gardner, 97) What was established in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution was not true communism ("animalism"), which Orwell approved of, where the people owned all the factories and land. Rather, "state communism" was established, where a central government owned them. Orwell thought that such a political system, "state communism," was open to exploitation by its leaders. Napoleon, after gaining complete control, did anything he wished - reserved the best for the pigs, and treated the animals cruelly. The animals could not do anything, unless they again realized their strength in numbers against their own kind. Unfortunately, they were too stupid to realize this and accepted the "status quo." It began when the milk and apples were appropriated to the pigs, and continued to when the pigs could drink and sleep on beds, until finally the pigs were the "human masters" to the rest of the animals. Orwell criticized Germany, representing it as Pinchfield Farm, which betrayed Animal Farm by paying for lumber with counterfeit money. In real life, this represents the Soviet-Germany non-aggression pact during World War II which Germany eventually broke. Eventually, towards the end of the story, the term, "absolute power corrupts absolutely," is proven, as the pigs, who retained all the privileges for themselves, have evolved into a different caste from the other animals. Orwell's implication is that "real" communism cannot exist in the countries which claim to be communist. The ruling class - politicians - own everything and ironically are therefore in total control.