Kaitlyn Danforth
Weiss
Honors English 9
1 September 2015
Animal Farm: A Writer’s Warning
Slavery. The Nazi regime. Genocide. The world has passed through many dark periods of time that have caused agony, anguish, and colossal loss of life. When a writer sees injustice, he writes to help others understand and avoid it and through his stunning narratives of 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell did just that. Corruption due to power occurs in Animal Farm, in occurs in 1984, and it occurred in the book’s real-life counterpart, the Russian Revolution. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm to help humanity realize that if society does not make an effort to learn from history, it is destined to relive the mistakes of its predecessors. In Animal Farm, George …show more content…
If the animals begin to question their rulers, the pigs simply fill their minds with empty praise and foolish reminders of their past “accomplishments.” When, “the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as they had felt before” (Orwell 74), “Squealer made excellent speeches on the joy of service and the dignity of labor…” (Orwell 74). It is quite plain that whenever the animals begin to lose heart, the pigs use the pride of their past to overwhelm them and win them back. Whether it came in the form of bringing up their victory in the rebellion, or a reminder to carry out their original goals, the pigs always can win the animals back with overwhelming pride. This tends to happen in many regimes, including the one following the Russian Revolution. Pride was what originally won the people over, and pride is what brought them back when they were disheartened. Instead of solving their economic issues, the totalitarian government reminded them of how “free” they were, similar to the pigs’ sentiments in the …show more content…
This is quite possibly the main theme of Animal Farm; how the pigs constantly tell the animals to do one thing while doing differently themselves. This “do what I say, not what I do” attitude eventually leads the farm back to a point where it is no better than it was before the overthrow. The only difference is that it is run by pigs rather than the farmer. It seems obvious, but few of the animals notice, and those that do decide not to act. Over and over again, “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets” (Orwell 67), “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause” (Orwell 91), and “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess” (Orwell 109). Every law ends up with its own exception, perfectly suited to fit the pigs’ “needs” and agendas. The whole idea of socialism that ruled the Russian Revolution is similarly corrupted. There was no unfairness in Russia until one considers the Bourgeoisie, who decided who got what. And because they are cursed with the terrible burden of running the country, why should they not get a little (or a lot) extra? Orwell sums up this hypocrisy in a perfectly phrased statement that will echo through generations. “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell
Weiss
Honors English 9
1 September 2015
Animal Farm: A Writer’s Warning
Slavery. The Nazi regime. Genocide. The world has passed through many dark periods of time that have caused agony, anguish, and colossal loss of life. When a writer sees injustice, he writes to help others understand and avoid it and through his stunning narratives of 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell did just that. Corruption due to power occurs in Animal Farm, in occurs in 1984, and it occurred in the book’s real-life counterpart, the Russian Revolution. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm to help humanity realize that if society does not make an effort to learn from history, it is destined to relive the mistakes of its predecessors. In Animal Farm, George …show more content…
If the animals begin to question their rulers, the pigs simply fill their minds with empty praise and foolish reminders of their past “accomplishments.” When, “the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as they had felt before” (Orwell 74), “Squealer made excellent speeches on the joy of service and the dignity of labor…” (Orwell 74). It is quite plain that whenever the animals begin to lose heart, the pigs use the pride of their past to overwhelm them and win them back. Whether it came in the form of bringing up their victory in the rebellion, or a reminder to carry out their original goals, the pigs always can win the animals back with overwhelming pride. This tends to happen in many regimes, including the one following the Russian Revolution. Pride was what originally won the people over, and pride is what brought them back when they were disheartened. Instead of solving their economic issues, the totalitarian government reminded them of how “free” they were, similar to the pigs’ sentiments in the …show more content…
This is quite possibly the main theme of Animal Farm; how the pigs constantly tell the animals to do one thing while doing differently themselves. This “do what I say, not what I do” attitude eventually leads the farm back to a point where it is no better than it was before the overthrow. The only difference is that it is run by pigs rather than the farmer. It seems obvious, but few of the animals notice, and those that do decide not to act. Over and over again, “No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets” (Orwell 67), “No animal shall kill any other animal without cause” (Orwell 91), and “No animal shall drink alcohol to excess” (Orwell 109). Every law ends up with its own exception, perfectly suited to fit the pigs’ “needs” and agendas. The whole idea of socialism that ruled the Russian Revolution is similarly corrupted. There was no unfairness in Russia until one considers the Bourgeoisie, who decided who got what. And because they are cursed with the terrible burden of running the country, why should they not get a little (or a lot) extra? Orwell sums up this hypocrisy in a perfectly phrased statement that will echo through generations. “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” (Orwell