Aside from the obvious species differences in the characters of Animal Farm and 1984 (animals and humans), the characters of both books offer an interesting comparison. Napoleon, great leader of the animal rebellion, mirrors many of the authority figures in 1984, such as Big Brother, leader of the Party, or O’Brien, member of the privileged Inner Party. O’Brien in particular offers a good contrast to Napoleon. Both the pig and the man share the dubious characteristic of hiding behind an identity that promotes hope among the masses. O’Brien pretends to be a member of a secret resistance society, the Brotherhood, and easily fools Winston and Julia into trusting him, ultimately sealing their doom. Napoleon is less subtle, but all of rights he
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In Animal Farm, the prevailing ideology that controls the farm is the philosophy of Animalism. The seeds of Animalism were planted in the minds of the pigs after Old Major’s rebellion-inciting speech at the beginning of the story. Napoleon and a few of the other pigs then crafted the philosophy of Animalism as it exists throughout most of the story. Eventually, the pigs simplify the philosophy into seven rules, called the Seven Commandments. The Seven Commandments include important truths such as “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy” (Orwell 24), and “Whatever goes upon four legs or has wings is a friend” (Orwell 24). There are also rules governing animal behavior, and the most important commandment of all, “All animals are equal” (Orwell 25). The basic ideology of Animalism begins as a seemingly innocuous list of rules, but all of these commandments are eventually changed until they barely mean what they did when the ideology was conceived. While Animalism may have started out as a good set of rules that eventually “went bad,” the ideals of IngSoc, 1984’s governing philosophy were obviously disordered from the start. The ideology is based on the simple fact that Big Brother (de facto the Party) is the supreme ruler of the country. All things good are attributed to the Party, all things bad are wiped out, so that they never existed. There are three slogans that …show more content…
I don’t blame you. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm and 1984 especially to warn against the dangers of Communism and Socialism in the mid-1940s. The characters, events and ideologies he created in both books were especially relevant in that time period. The frightening part about both books is the simple fact that they still apply to us today, nearly seventy-five years later. Uninformed voters, citizens of countries who don’t know basic events in their national histories, foreign countries run by dictators, and government overreach all exist today. In fact, they are alive and thriving in some places. The challenge is to listen. Now more than ever, in a world where media and politicians constantly bicker, we must listen to the silent promptings of Mr. Orwell’s books, about futures that must never come to
In Animal Farm, the prevailing ideology that controls the farm is the philosophy of Animalism. The seeds of Animalism were planted in the minds of the pigs after Old Major’s rebellion-inciting speech at the beginning of the story. Napoleon and a few of the other pigs then crafted the philosophy of Animalism as it exists throughout most of the story. Eventually, the pigs simplify the philosophy into seven rules, called the Seven Commandments. The Seven Commandments include important truths such as “Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy” (Orwell 24), and “Whatever goes upon four legs or has wings is a friend” (Orwell 24). There are also rules governing animal behavior, and the most important commandment of all, “All animals are equal” (Orwell 25). The basic ideology of Animalism begins as a seemingly innocuous list of rules, but all of these commandments are eventually changed until they barely mean what they did when the ideology was conceived. While Animalism may have started out as a good set of rules that eventually “went bad,” the ideals of IngSoc, 1984’s governing philosophy were obviously disordered from the start. The ideology is based on the simple fact that Big Brother (de facto the Party) is the supreme ruler of the country. All things good are attributed to the Party, all things bad are wiped out, so that they never existed. There are three slogans that …show more content…
I don’t blame you. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm and 1984 especially to warn against the dangers of Communism and Socialism in the mid-1940s. The characters, events and ideologies he created in both books were especially relevant in that time period. The frightening part about both books is the simple fact that they still apply to us today, nearly seventy-five years later. Uninformed voters, citizens of countries who don’t know basic events in their national histories, foreign countries run by dictators, and government overreach all exist today. In fact, they are alive and thriving in some places. The challenge is to listen. Now more than ever, in a world where media and politicians constantly bicker, we must listen to the silent promptings of Mr. Orwell’s books, about futures that must never come to