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How animal farm exposed human nature
The dangers of totalitarianism in 1984
How animal farm exposed human nature
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George Orwell and Animal Farm and 1984
George Orwell is only a pen name. The man behind the classics Animal Farm and 1984 was named Eric Arthur Blair and was born to a middle class family living in Bengal in 1903. Eric Blair got his first taste of class prejudice at a young age when his mother forced him to abandon his playmates, which were plumber's children (Crick 9). He could then play only with the other children in the family, all of whom were at least five years older or younger than Eric (Crick 12). This created in him a sense of alienation that plagued him all his life and seems to be reflected in the bitter decay and loneliness he later expressed in his novel 1984. As he moved around unsuccessfully from job to job, he never really developed a sense of self-worth. His childhood self-esteem had already been scarred by his bed wetting habit, of which Orwell Biographer Jeffrey Meyers writes that it "was only the first of endless episodes that made Orwell feel guilty: he was poor, he was lazy and a failure, ungrateful and unhealthy, disgusting and dirty minded, weak, ugly, cowardly" (23).
His writings, under the name of George Orwell, and specifically his two major novels, mentioned above, contain themes warning readers of the dangers present in modern society, a world he saw as bleak and repressive through the filter of his unhappy childhood and two world wars. Despite their sometimes dark settings, his works are very accessible, which has made him popular among those not usually comfortable with more intellectual fiction. But his works do discuss serious themes and contain a specific focus, making them valid pieces of literature and not just popular fiction.
Animal Farm is Orwell's...
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...is rule. 1984 shows the tendency of the dictator to want to control every aspect of a people's actions, feelings, and thoughts. A single man, with absolute power over a country's military, government, and minds, inevitably produces a lower standard of living, a constant fear of being arrested, and a trend of state sanctioned murders in order to establish and uphold the regime. This modern danger, along with Orwell's expression of his own personal alienation, is what is depicted through the dark humor of Animal Farm and the poverty and paranoia of 1984.
Works Cited
Crick, Bernard. George Orwell: A Life. Boston: Little, Brown, 1980.
Meyers, Jeffrey. A Reader's Guide to George Orwell. Ottowa: Rowman and Allanheld, 1975.
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: The New American Library, 1961.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. New York: Penguin Books, 1946.
In the middle of the 1930s, Adolf Hitler began his rise to power in Germany, initiating the start of the Second World War and spread fear across Western Europe. During this time period, George Orwell began writing his novella, Animal Farm, which has been said to represent the events of the communist revolution; yet according to an analysis of the new historic lens, no book, no matter the style, can escape the hindrance of social context; proving that the air surrounding the war, impacted the literature written in this time. While it may not be about World War Two, Animal Farm, like all other writings was impacted by its surroundings. An analysis of George Orwell’s Animal Farm reveals that his work, being written in the 1940s, was greatly influenced by the events surrounding World War Two, which took place across all of Europe.
Howe, Tom. "George Orwell." British Writers Volume VII. Ed. Ian Scott-Kilvert. New York: Scribner, 1984. 273-287.
William Shakespeare's Use of Dramatic Devices in Act 3 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2004. Orwell, George. A. A. 1984. The. New York, NY: Signet Classics, 1977. Print.
Works Cited for: Orwell, George. 1984. The 'Standard' of the ' London: Penguin Books, 2008. Print. The.
George Orwell was an author of a few successful novels including Animal Farm and 1984. Orwell lived a fairly short life of only forty-six years but created ideas that are timeless. In the novel 1984, Orwell showed just how terrible a life in control by the government really is. By looking at 1984, one can see that George Orwell included the themes of power and modernization because the government used technology to their advantage to take control of their own people.
Brown, and Oldsey. ed. Critical Essays on George Orwell. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1986.
The Dramatic Significance of Act III Scene I of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Not only is race a central role in police brutality, as well as the abuse of authority. Fatal shootings are now becoming common and remarkably, police officers who are responsible for the killings are not being held accountable. Instead, they are given an administrative leave and released from their normal duties.
More than sixty years after 1984 and Animal Farm were published, they remain as quintessential books for everyone to read. The political commentary of these novels resonates with everyone. Both works of literature warn the public about the dangers of an abusive government. Orwell uses a bleak setting in both novels to appeal to the public’s widespread fear of desolation and isolation. The themes of the books are unanimously acknowledged to be still relevant to modern society. These core elements of 1984 and Animal Farm transcend time and nationality. 1984 and Animal Farm remain as timeless works as literature by using character archetypes, a bleak and desolate setting, and powerful themes to express universally applicable messages.
Orwell constructs the idea that absolute power and corrupt power are one and the same. He draws a parallel between the distinct ways of creating such powers in both novels and the effects they have on the populations. The Big Brother organization, in 1984, and the pigs, in Animal Farm, are both similarly set-up mock governments that share a tool around their belt that allows them to hold sovereignty: manipulation. The regimes have found ways to maneuver their language and information, destroying the two most valuable things a strong person must have: freedom of expression and freedom of knowledge. By the government abolishing these freedoms, they're able to completely brainwash the people, and therefore subtly compel their given populace into submission.
Based on the two essays, George Orwell is a vivid writer who uses a unique point of view and strong themes of pride and role playing to convey his messages. His writings are easy to pick out because of the strengths of these messages. Just like politicians in government, people with power turn corrupt to stay in power and keep their reputations. Anyone who takes on power must be prepared to live with the consequences of his actions. Orwell knows this challenge well and conveys this principle in his writing. After all, his narration is based on real life experiences and not fictional fantasies.
George Orwell was one of the most influential writers of the 21st century. He wrote books such as 1984 and Animal Farm. These books are political satire designed to inform and war the reader. In Orwell’s works he paints a negative view of a totalitarian form of government.
me and I didn’t know how to swim. So I was gasping for air all I could see
ships which passed by, so if I really wanted to, I could make a smoke