Is Freedom Reality?

Animal Farm, an eye opening novel about a socialist revolution, this novel has often been associated with the Russian Revolution of 1916, however, it also shares relevance with other revolutions. The Indian Revolution of 1858 parallels Animal Farm in three main way; a unifying flag, an influential anthem and the illusion of freedom.

When your country’s flag is raised up in the sky and is waving in the wind you get a feeling of motivation and are reminded of your real goals. The flag in Animal Farm was introduced by Snowball; he explained the meaning of the flag to the animals. “The flag was green, Snowball explained, to represent the green fields of England, while the hoof and horn signified the future Republic of Animals which would arise when the human race had been finally overthrown.” (Orwell, 21). The Indians had their first flag designed and made by one of Swami Vivekananda’s disciplines, Sister Nivedita. The flag was red and yellow, the red represented the freedom struggle and the yellow represented victory, and the flag had “Bonde Matoram” written on it in Bengali, a language spoken in India (MapsofIndia). This phrase means hail motherland. The flag in Animal Farm gives each and every animal so much motivation, they find strength in the meaning of the flag but their inadequate leader, Napoleon changes the flag to a plain green one. “If so, they would perhaps have noted that the white hoof and horn with which it had previously been marked had now been removed. It would be a plain green flag from now onwards.”(Orwell, 96). By doing this he takes away the meaning of the flag for the animals. The flags in India kept on changing since the Indians weren’t satisfied with it; they wanted a flag that represented all the pe...

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...ution. They were only free from the British not from the problems that continue.

Animal Farm is a novel that shares the disillusionment that Orwell has with socialist revolutions, this novel relates to many revolutions such as the Indian Independence Revolution of 1858, it relates to this revolution in three main ways; a unifying flag, an influential anthem and the illusion of freedom. A flag can bring together a country and give them a sense of pride, while an anthem reminds them of their real goal. The illusion of freedom is what Orwell portrays in Animal Farm when the animals are free from man but are now controlled by the pigs. So to what extent are the animals and the people in India really free? Does the effect of the flag and anthem still remind them of their real goals? If they do, why are they blinded by their success to stand up for themselves?