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Analyze Georg Orwell's novel animal farm
Characterization of animal farms by George Orwell
George orwell animal farm thesis
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In Chapters three and four of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the pigs become major authoritative figures to the rest of the animals. While the harvest is successful, there are many instances when the pigs begin treating the other animals the exact way humans treated them, going directly against the commandments. The pigs neglect doing any actual work and just shout orders at the horses. The pigs (mainly Squealer, Snowball, and Napoleon) use their intelligence to manipulate the other animals. The manipulating begins when Squealer announces that the milk and apples is necessary for the pigs’ health. Squealer says, “You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” ("Abraham Lincoln Quote"). Lord Acton also said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (“Lord Acton Quotes”). Both of the quotes show that power is not always a good thing, and can sometimes make good people, do bad things. Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novella about animals rebelling against humans on a farm in England. The novella has been said to be directly related to the Russian Revolution of the early 20th century. Immediately after the animals gained power, the pigs took over as the leaders of the animals. The pigs became corrupt with the power, and may have made conditions worse than they were with humans
In Animal Farm, the pigs use propaganda and euphemisms to achieve and self promote their desires. One way propaganda is used is when squealer gives a speech about how the apples and milk are a necessity to the pigs’ diet. Secondly, the pigs decide to let Moses the raven live on the farm so the animals will accept their current life. The pigs use the euphemism readjustment of rations to seem like they are not taking much food from the animals and special education to refer as puppy training. Propaganda and euphemisms are used by the pigs.
The first rhetorical device that Squealer uses to persuade the other animals is ethos. In the beginning of the novel, Squealer explains why the milk was not being distributed evenly, and why most of it was going to the pigs. Squealer supports this idea by emphasizing the leadership that the pigs play on Animal Farm. Squealer conveys the authority of the pigs by saying “The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples” (Orwell 31). This quote is an example of ethos, because it shows that the pigs are looking out for the other animals. This shows that the pigs have credible reason to have the milk and apples. It is not really true that the pigs need all of the milk to themselves, so Squealer is using his speaking skills to his advantage, so that he and all of the other pigs are able to enjoy all of the milk. This is not fair to the rest of the animals, but the animals trust the pigs to know how to run things on the farm, so they accept this as a viable reason for their greediness.
The actions of the pigs express this theme by starting with good intentions, but slowly becoming more and more like what they were trying to avoid. In the beginning of the story Old Major gives a speech to the animals on the farm, and in this speech he mentions how cruel the humans are. During his speech Old Major uses Boxer the horse as an example when he says “You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds.” (Orwell 11). He then proceeds to tell the animals that once they revolt the cruelty will end, and at first it does, but soon the pigs begin to act more like humans. The pi...
Squealer, using excellent scare tactics and under Napoleon’s control, acquires the pigs the power to control the decisions made on the farm by giving the animals daunting thoughts of a farm gone array due to their flawed decision-making. He dispels the idea of Snowball’s loyalty to animalism by saying that if the animals would have followed Snowball, Jones would have returned and if the animals do not choose wisely whom to trust, the humans and Snowball will return. By cleverly inducing fear into the animals, the pigs are able to convince them to agree with and support anything they suggest. The pigs in George Orwell’s Animal Farm use specific laws, use unknown vocabulary and excruciating detail, implement scare tactics, and create and manipulate laws to successfully attain the other animal’s trust, acquire certain luxuries unavailable to most animals, and establish themselves as the dictators of a totalitarian-like society. Through using detailed, unknown vocabulary, specific laws, and scare tactics, the pigs acquire the ability to drink alcohol, sleep on beds, eat and drink the milk and apples, destroy Snowball’s credibility, and establish a trust between themselves and the other animals.
There is a substantial amount of conflicts that occur in this satirical story. Often these conflicts are between the pigs and the rest of the animals. Only a minute portion of the animals didn’t really have some sort of conflict with Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, or the rest of the dominating pigs. Overall, Snowball was a better leader than Napoleon, yet the animals reacted differently to Napoleon than to Snowball.
Throughout George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, the pigs’ accumulation of power is possible when they broke the most important rule of the Seven Commandments – “All animals are equal.” The tyrannical ascent of the pigs’ power is the result of turning the prime weakness of the other animals into their advantage – intelligence. Due to the abundance of dumb and ignorant animals, all major decisions are made by the pigs. As the animals grow more and more dependant on them, the pigs use their vast susceptibility of manipulation through fear, elimination and language to gain and maintain power throughout the novel.
Throughout the story, the first signal that illustrates the corruption in pigs started right after the animals chased away Mr. Jones. When the animals milked the cows and discussed about what to do with all the milk, Napoleon cried “Never mind the milk, comrades…placing himself in front of the buckets” (p18) and then all buckets of milk disappeared. This is foreshadowing that later Napoleon may become the kind of leader who keeps everything good for himself and does not care about others, and this actually happened later. Several days later, someone found out that all the milk was mixed in pigs’ mash everyday as well as the apples and pointed that pigs broke the rule of “All animals are equal” (p17). This time the pigs cannot stay calm anymore. Squealer firstly said that they pigs actually do not like milk and apples and the reason why they added those into their mash was because they were ‘brainworkers’ and those were good for their brain and only when they were healthy enough the other’s safety can be guaranteed. After that, Squealer used repetition...
The declaration that all animals are equal quickly becomes a lie. Immediately after the revolution the pigs begin to grasp power over the other animals. “The pigs did not actually work… with their superior knowledge it was natural that they should assume the leadership”, (Pg 35). The increasing leadership of the pigs following the revolution for equality foreshadows that the pigs will rapidly assume as much power as the dictator that they fought against. The pig’s leadership and power also directly contradicts the belief that all animals are equal, mentioned in the earlier paragraph. Orwell demonstrates his ideas by having the ruling class of pigs disobey the guidelines of their beliefs, which they put in place themselves. Orwell’s belief that rebellion becomes corrupt is demonstrated by the animal’s executions. “Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess… they were slain on the spot… and so the tale of confessions and executions went on…”, (Pg 83). The act of purging being committed by the animals directly contradicts the rule that no animal shall harm any other animal. The contradiction of animalism beliefs continues to drive the pigs to mirror the original oppressor. The final contradiction of their beliefs arrives when the pigs make their final transformation into humans which is shown in the following quote. “It was a pig walking on its hind legs…the creatures
The working class animals buy into the propaganda and are not willing to go against it or are not educated enough to realize they are being manipulated. Nevertheless, when the animals notice after harvest, the apples and milk have disappeared, it is discovered the pigs have put these to their ascribed status. According to Squealer, the main propagandist for the pigs, “the whole management and organization of this farm depend on us” so, it is “for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.” (p. 52) It was “said of Squealer that he could turn black into white.” (p. 36) One of the interesting parts of the story is when a litter of pups is removed from their mother then reared by one of the pigs (Napoleon) in a total institutional manner. In fact, after the dogs are raised; they are used chase one of the other pigs (Snowball) off the farm. Snowball becomes the scapegoat for anything on the farm which does not go according to Napoleon’s plans. (p. 69) The animals pledge their allegiance to comrade Napoleon and accept their new life, even though they realize it hasn’t gotten better from when they were still with Mr.
The Red Farm Power is a great tool, but like the hammer, it can build and destroy civilizations. This is the theme and lesson that I learned from George Orwell’s classic novel, Animal Farm. It is believed, and can be notably seen in the past, that many great people, like Julius Cesar and Napoleon, become dangerous and corrupt under vast amounts of power. Both wanted to own the world and extend the wealth of their country, but ended up evil in the eyes of many. In history there seems to be a pattern of people at the top, the kings and rulers, falling to their deaths.
In George Orwell's novel Animal Farm, Orwell introduces a society where the population values intellect and education, giving special status to people who are considered well-educated. In this society, those who are regarded as intelligent attempt to prevent the masses from questioning them by silencing the masses and withdrawing their governance from society; however, those who control the intellectually inferior often leave the masses susceptible to manipulation, forming a world in which the educated and powerful classes obtain absolute power, and true equality can never be achieved. Thus, according to Orwell, given a world where intellect and education are valued, a person who is intelligent and well-educated will often use their superior intelligence to manipulate society to their own benefit.
can see this whilst he is still on the farm, as he is always doing
Napoleon had already been marked as a prominent pig because he had a reputation of getting things his own way. By being active in the debates, he received much attention and notice from the animals. He also garnered support from those who agreed with his views but were unable to express themselves. Thus, he became a representative of these animals.
The satire Animal Farm by George Orwell expresses the idea of self-government through the animals. The animals play the role of humans, in this way using most, if not all, of the human characteristics.