Essay Ch. 7-8 In the novel,” Animal Farm” by George Orwell, the character Napoleon gains power through cruel and unjustified violent attacks. These cruel and brutish tactics damaged the will of the animals forcing them to have an undying loyalty to an unjust dictator. The constant violent actions have repressed the spirit of the animals of animal farm. The true meaning of animalism has perished along with the animals that oppose Napoleon’s rule.
Orwell’s writing makes this moment in the novel so moving, for the reader, by his use of emotive language and characterisation of the animals in relation to the Russian revolution. The allegory is able to convey the feelings of betrayal the animals felt when they realised that their reality was nothing like the utopia of animalism. Napoleon and the pigs betrayed the other animals in the novella as they went against commandments 6 and 7. Orwell wrote, at this moment in the novella, that clover accepted ‘the leadership of Napoleon’. This meant that Napoleon was above all the other animals on the farm, Napoleon was a leader; therefore, the animals had to follow what he said.
In Animal Farm, the windmill also comes to symbolize the pigs' totalitarian triumph: the other animals work to build the windmill thinking it will benefit everyone, and even after it benefits only the pigs the animals continue to believe that it benefits all the animals. The second code and convention I can identify is stereotypes. Orwell represents Joseph Stalin through an image of the pig Napoleon. Through the existing stereotypes of this animal in popular culture, he intends to portray the greed, laziness and viciousness of this evil ruler of the Soviet Union. Pigs are stereotyped as “dirty”, as their pig sties are usually covered in mud and
However, Old Major only ends up asserting that man is entirely evil because some men commit evil acts. Nevertheless, the animals show how it is not only men who perform evil deeds. When the animals take over the farm after the rebellion, Snowball and Napoleon become the leaders of the farm and they both enter into a power struggle over the farm. Eventually, Napoleon manages to get rid of Snowball and starts to bring the farm into a state of decay: “They had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere” (pg. 87).
The general themes of oppression, suffering, and injustice have broad applications for those that watch the film. In the beginning of the movie, the oldest, wisest, pig on the farm, Old Major, is giving a speech to the animals encouraging them that they must overthrow the farmer, Mr. Jones, who rules the farm as a monarch. He s a cruel, alcoholic owner that is irresponsible to his animals (lets them starve), sometimes beats them, and yet sometimes is kind. In his speech, Old Major reveals his feelings about Mr. Jones implying that he is man that consumes but does not produce or give back to those that occupy the farm. A monarchy is political system in which supreme authority is given to an individual ruler who functions as the decision maker for all in the society.
Orwell’s fictional farm finds itself following almost parallel to communistic Russia. Orwell demonstrates the theme of an unaware, uneducated working class and its danger when accompanied by corrupt opportunists seeking power within his animalistic dystopia. Once the animals secured their control of the farm, many thought little of what it meant for the future, but of the few that did, they were able to sneak their way into power. The pigs quickly appointed themselves leaders and none of the other animals knew any better than to question their haste. The oligarchy of pigs abused their fellow farm animal’s trust from the very beginning.
This is ironic because George Orwell pretends not to know of the pigs true intentions and instead writes from the perspective of the animals on the farm, a very naïve point of view. This irony is very frustrating and almost stirs up the emotion of anger. The fact they now have the power to alter laws reflects the slow erosion of equality, a significant turning point in the novel. Another example of irony is when Squealer tries to justify the pigs’ decision to take all the apples and milk for themselves; ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege?...’The irony is obvious, as that is in fact, exactly why they took them. Squealer is crucial to the pigs in the novel as his proficiency in spreading
Orwell cleverly satirises the corruption and greed of Stalin’s supposed ‘classless’ society of the 20th century through allegorical characterisation of seemingly facile, farm animals. Signifying the beginning of the revolution, “Animalism”, Old Major advocates the initial utopian ideals paralleling that of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. Propagating the notion of a classless society. He calls the animals to a meeting where adopting a sincere and uplifting tone proclaims that “Man is the only real enemy” of the animals and if they were to “remove man from the scene… the root cause of hunger and overwork” would vanish. He outlines the founding idealistic principles of Animalism, “ Let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle.
Three animals, Napoleon, Snowball, and Squealer, create a system called Animalism, which is an elaborate system of Major’s teachings. Jones is run off of the farm when he does not feed the animals. The animals now have control of the farm and they rename it Animal Farm. After a successful take over of the farm, the pigs reduce the principles of Animalism to the Seven Commandments. As the farm evolves, Napoleon and Squealer become corrupted by power.
Animal Farm Persuasive Essay George Orwell’s novel “Animal Farm,” was once said by Orwell to be “A Fairy story.” While that may be true, His main and dominant character calls Napoleon, Is easily seen as a metaphor for joseph Stalin, the leader of Russia at that time. Napoleon, like Stalin, was a selfish living abuser of power, whose beliefs and actions could only be seen as correct by someone very ignorant. Not only is napoleon a terrible leader of what was supposed to be an animal utopia; but by the end of the story he almost turned himself into what he said he hates: human. If he really wanted to lead the animals then he wouldn’t end up looking and acting like a human being. Napoleon is first and foremost a scheming, plotting liar, who will stop at nothing to make the animals believe he knows best.