...Animal Farm is a novel that appears at first glance like a children's book metaphor to represent Russia, but it's much broader than that, it's the mistakes of all men with absolute power. Animal Farm is a historical novel that illustrates the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely and with corruption comes lack of equality among the people. George Orwell uses: metaphors, fables, satire, illusion, and characterization to convey the ideas that men make mistakes with too much power. Animal Farm, like a metaphor, conveys a deeper level of meaning beneath the children’s story about animals on a farm. One main point Orwell was trying to show his audience is too much power can corrupt any government. This can be viewed through the character Napoleon. As the story progresses, the pigs gradually obtain more power, which they used to take advantage of the less intelligent animals on the farm. When the animals were weeding the turnip field, "They worked diligently, hardly raising their faces from the ground, and not knowing whether to be more frightened of the pigs or of the human visitors" (Orwell, p.52). This shows how Orwell was trying to warn the audience that no matter what the person's intentions are, power can corrupt anyone. Animal Farm can also be a fable that is used to teach lessons on morality. One lesson can be that greed brings out the worst in everyone. For example, the pigs were driven by their own personal interests until they became just as bad as their enemies...
Words: 876 - Pages: 4
...so people should choose who they give power to wisely. Animal Farm is a novel that uses animals to show how Russia was slowly failing in communism. It goes through how the leaders brainwash the common working class and most everyone else to keep power. The story makes it noticeable that all the common animals could rebel like the first time but were too brainwashed to understand the bad that was going on. This novel Animal Farm , by George Orwell, is written to symbolize the working class, Stalin, and propaganda in the soviet union to show if too much power is granted then the outcome might not be so great. In the story, the character Napoleon symbolizes great power and how too much power is a terrible thing. He is granted way too much power, so when other farms try to make deals he screws them around then they become enemies. With the power he is granted, he gets all the luxury that the animals aren’t supposed to have. Napoleon has so much power that “four dogs guarded his bed at night, on at each corner” (Orwell 95). If Napoleon was never granted so much power then the farm would be a great place. This is why Napoleon symbolizes Stalin in the book....
Words: 543 - Pages: 3
...Lies, there was a multitude of lies spread due to the use of propaganda by all forms of government and all the countries of the world during WWI & WWII. There are many forms of propaganda, for example; there is name calling, bandwagon, card stalking, plain folks, etc. All of these are used in different ways, like name-calling that uses names to evoke fear or anger in the viewer. This technique applies a negative idea to the person of choice making them to be the enemy. In Animal Farm the character "Squealer" represents the propaganda used during the Russian revolution. My topic of propaganda played a major part in the Russian revolution but remains " little studied" as it doesn’t seem to be as important in our world today. During the Russian revolution the Russian empire was very low on food, so to keep their people on their side joseph Stalin used propaganda to manipulate their minds into thinking less about the food shortage and more about winning the war. Another thing was that even with all their resources going to the military, the government was unable to continue the funding to both the military and the people of Russia. For most nations the most effective way to...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...Animal Farm Journal “Propaganda is as powerful as heroin; it surreptitiously dissolves all capacity to think.” (Courtemanche) I think in this quote Gil Courtemanche is stating that propaganda is so powerful that it can easily corrupt people’s minds and change the way they think and their view on things. I agree with Courtemanche’s statement because propaganda can take away people’s ability to think for themselves and can cause people to believe in a distorted truth. For instance, propaganda was huge in manipulating the German people during World War II. The Nazis only allowed certain messages and information to be released to the public, which shaped Hitler’s character as a hero and almost God-like. Hitler’s book, “Mein Kampf” was distributed to schools and used to indoctrinate the youth. Anti-Semitic campaigns were used by the Nazis to corrupt the minds of Germans, making them believe that the Jewish public were to blame for Germany’s social and economic problems. As a result of this, eleven million innocent people were murdered. Germans mindlessly idolized Hitler only because they were repeatedly told what a great man he was. As a result, the German people were not able to think or make their own decisions. They agreed with whatever Hitler said because they were drawn into a false illusion that Hitler was a good man who only wanted the best for Germany. George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm contains numerous examples of the power of propaganda and how it can easily brainwash...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...Animal Farm Animal Farm, a satirical book by George Orwell, compares the life of farm animals to the lives of people living under fascist regimes. Many of the animals, who are characters in the book, directly parallel individuals or groups in fascist Italy and Germany or in the communist Soviet Union. Following the example of the real world, the animals wish to change the negative conditions of their lives, but instead create a new, even worse regime lead by the very animals who they trusted. This regime, lead by the pigs, controls the other animals of the farm with an iron fist. The animals of the farm are inspired to revolt after listening to the words of Old Major, a well respected pig. Old Major is also an allegory for both Vladimir Lenin...
Words: 696 - Pages: 3
...Animal Farm An Allegory of the French Revolution By Travis Booker English 1302 Mrs. Simpson April 18, 2012 What is an allegory? Allegory is a device used to present an idea, principle, or meaning, which can be presented in literary form, such as a poem or novel, in musical form, such as composition or lyric, or in visual form, such as in painting or drawing. It is also seen in scriptural passage. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions, or symbolic representation. Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric; a rhetorical allegory is a demonstrative form of representation conveying meaning other than the words that are spoken. As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor. As an artistic device, an allegory is a visual symbolic representation. An example of a simple visual allegory is the image of the grim reaper. Viewers understand that the image of the grim reaper is a symbolic representation of death (Kennedy 142). During a time when there was much change and the spirit of rebellion was all around, Animal Farm was written by George Orwell. George Orwell used allegory in his novel Animal Farm to parallel the Russian Revolution and resulting totalitarian regime to the revolutions of the animals and the pigs' corruption of absolute power. The novel's characters, events, and corruption of ideas paralleled the pattern that took place among the Russians during and following the...
Words: 2472 - Pages: 10
...Corruption of Pigs, Leaders and Modern Day Life Corruption is a provoking issue for many societies around the world, impacting multiple generations and at various degrees. Corruption is defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary as, ‘dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people’. It is displayed by Hitler in the Holocaust, George Orwell’s book Animal Farm, and even in our modern day. George Orwell conveys a powerful message that applies to all three situations, supporting Orwell’s compelling message. Orwell’s political message about corruption of the government and leaders abuse of power is depicted in the way Hitler led Germany, the current U.S. government and George Orwell’s portrayal of the Russian Revolution in Animal Farm. There are many examples of people taking advantage of power in our country today. In a New York Times Article titled “ "Officials Push to Bolster Law on Wiretapping", author Charlie Savage informs readers of the government’s new push for an increase in surveillance. Recently, phone companies and networks have updated their software, causing it to be additionally difficult for the government to spy on them and take the customers personal information(Savage 1). As the U.S. government continues to wiretap and collect information from large phone carriers such as AT&T and Verizon(Savage 1), it will become an extreme and impactful invasion of privacy. This push will extend the laws to companies like Gmail, Facebook and Skype(Savage 2). Savage...
Words: 2379 - Pages: 10
...and language it becomes a force to be reckoned with. In the beginning of the novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the character Old Major gives a speech which inspires the animal revolution that erects the seven commandments; it foreshadows the downfall of the farm as each commandment is broken and changed one at a time. By examining the characters uses of propaganda, force and vulnerability it will be made clear how the abuse of language is connected to the abuse of power. Propaganda is known as “information, ideas or rumors deliberately...
Words: 663 - Pages: 3
...analytical skills. In this book, the life of the characters is purely determined by the political happenings of the time. (Bloom, 2007). Many literary and political analysts have found a place to refer to in interpreting political realities of the world in George Orwell’s works. Orwell is remembered for his other book Animal Farm that continues to spark emotional reactions from all over the world every day. A look at how the political theme gets manifested can help one to understand better the happenings in the story and their general applicability to the world we are living in. The Theme of Political Strife There are a number of themes that Orwell (1964) brings out in his book 1984. It is a prediction of the coming political sceneries in future since its publication came earlier before the year 1984. Among the major themes that can be found in the story are betrayal, suffering, hatred and political strife. The theme of Political Strife is indeed among the most dominating as most events are centred on the political happenings within the novel. The existence of the slogan “War is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength (Orwell, 1984, p6) depicts a society that is full of political struggling. The analysis below looks at how political strife gets...
Words: 2301 - Pages: 10
...What are the characteristics of the animals as they pertain to life, war and of course the novel Animal Farm by using the propaganda technique from one of the subjects Syria, MLK era, World War 1, or World War 2? In the novel Animal Farm the characteristics of the animals as they pertain to life war and of course the novel Animal Farm was really about using the propaganda techniques against people and by using animals that represent in different perspectives of World War II. Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell, who first published it in England in 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals were what interested me in the book. First of all the pigs and...
Words: 550 - Pages: 3
...chose is Animal Farm by George Orwell. Our aim in this essay is to write about what the novel tells us about marketing or consumer society. What does Animal Farm tell us about consumer behaviour? It is a message targeted at emotion, aspiration and hope that can trigger deeply emotive and primal response, which often results in us buying into an idea/product irrationally. Also, it speaks to the idea of...
Words: 1364 - Pages: 6
...retain power by twisting the truth in their favor. This is what the character Napoleon does in Animal Farm, by George Orwell. Corruption of power leads to the exploitation of the weak through fear and manipulation. Snowball was a perfect leader, with excellent ideals and did everything for others. Napoleon, on the other hand, was a diabolical leader who sought power. To do this, Napoleon directs his ‘right hand man,’ Squealer, to spread rumors and lies to make Napoleon seem perfect. After Napoleon took charge, Squealer said, “I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself” (50). Napoleon...
Words: 816 - Pages: 4
...Animal Farm by George Orwell is a 1940’s novel that draws many parallels to the events leading up to, throughout, and after the Russian revolution. The older generation in Russia were apart of the working class, and knew what the revolution would do. In Animal Farm the older generation is shown through the farms oldest animal Benjamin. The older generation and Benjamin parallel each other because they both were aware of the changes going on, they were both well educated, and they both benefited the same after the revolution. In Russia during the time of the revolution the older generation were were stubborn, and unwilling to join the revolution. “Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it has always gone on that is, badly”(Orwell 51). Benjamin says this after the farm discusses the windmill project and how Snowball and Napoleon would use the windmill. This is an example of the attitude of the older generation and how they were unwilling to join in the revolution....
Words: 534 - Pages: 3
...Joshua Jensen Kaatz – 3 PAP English II 5/4/15 Animal Farm PRI Author: George Orwell Genre: Novel Type of Plot: allegory, problem novel Setting: Animal Farm or Manor Farm (symbolic of Russia) in the 1920s to early 1950s Characters: Mr. Jones, Old Major, Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, Boxer, Clover, Benjamin, Mollie, Moses, Frederick, Pilkington, Mr. Whymper, Minimus, Pinkeye Summary: Old Major the pig calls the animals over to tell them that they should have an uprising against Mr. Jones. After this, Old Major dies but the other animals are inspired by him and want to conduct animalism. The pigs are smarter than the other animals and start to run the farm. They have a revolution and successfully remove Mr. Jones, from the farm. The pigs create the rules of no sleeping in beds, no wearing clothes, no alcohol, no killing other animals, all animals are equal, and whoever has four legs or wings is a friend. Napoleon and the pigs, being the rulers, are starting to use the fresh milk and eat the apples because they “need” it. Napoleon also employs Squealer to persuade the other farm animals that the pigs are doing nothing wrong. Jones returns and the animals win at the battle of Cowshed. Mollie leaves the farm due to her interest in sugar and ribbons and never comes back. Snowball draws up plans for a windmill and Napoleon denies them and runs Snowball off the farm forever with his pack of dogs. After Napoleon chases Snowball off, he says the windmill was his idea after...
Words: 712 - Pages: 3
...Which social groups are marginalized, excluded, or silenced within the text? In George Orwell’s novel ‘Animal Farm’ we can see how there are several social groups who are marginalized, excluded and silenced. However, it is important to take into account that each characters are a representative of a certain archetype in society or figure in history, therefore the marginalization, exclusion and silencing that we seen within the text is expressed in a very direct manner as it is directed to a single character, who is representing that social group, rather than a community of people. Animal Farm can be divided into two classes, the establishment and the commoners. The pigs, who represent the elite, strategize. While Boxer and Clover, represent...
Words: 1884 - Pages: 8
