Animal farm was written by George Orwell then first published in
England in August 17, 1945. Orwell called Animal Farm “the first...in
which I tried, with full consciousness of what I was doing, to fuse political
purpose and artistic purpose into one whole.” The book was a huge success when
it was published. According to the great
writer George Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 then on into the Stalinist
era of the Soviet Union—Every character and event may be seen as symbolic of
historical Russian figures and events between the years 1917 and 1943. Orwell
uses animal characters in order to draw the reader away from the world of
current events into a fantasy space where the reader can grasp ideas and
principles more crisply. At the same time, Orwell personifies the animals in
the tradition of allegory so that they symbolize real historical figures. In their
own universe, people can become sensitive to terrible things like deception,
mistreatment, and violence.
Animal farm
is effective because it is relatable to historical events—Animal Farm
uses the format of a fairy tale to expose the evils of totalitarian
exploitation. Rather than attack totalitarianism directly, the book shows its
offenses plainly and clearly and lets the reader deduce the dangers posed by
totalitarian governments. In 1917, two successive revolutions rocked Russia and
the world. The first revolution overthrew the Russian Monarchy (the Tsar) and
the second established the USSR, the world's first Communist state. Over the
next thirty years the Soviet government descended into a totalitarian regime
that used and manipulated socialist ideas of equality among the working class
to oppress its people and maintain power.
Orwell
personifies the animals as follow: Old Major, who recalls Karl Marx, The flag
raised by the animals, with hoof and horn, is similar to the Russian flag of
hammer and sickle, Napoleon is generally likened to Stalin, and the countenance
and actions of Snowball are thought to resemble those of Leon Trotsky. The name
Snowball recalls Trotsky’s white hair and beard, and possibly, too, that he
crumbled under Stalin’s opposition. The event in which Snowball is chased away
from the farm is similar to the expulsion of Trotsky from Russia in 1929. As
readers rea the book the will get a better understanding of Orwell's
allegorical writing.
It was said that
Orwell's main audience was "adults" because they have a much better
political perception. I read Animal farm in 9th grade for my independent
reading project. At first I was reading the book because I felt obligated until
I started building a strong connection with the characters. The way the animals
were being treated badly by the farmers and how throughout the book they
decided to revolt against the farmers because they were getting tired of being
treated like animals (Ironic). With that being said, as a 9th grade I had to go
deeper into research to get a much better understanding of what the story
symbolizes and the reason behind my connection with the characters. On the
other hand an adult wouldn’t had to do research, they are politically and
historically educated. After reading Animal farm I realized how
informative satirical books are.
Animal Farm is a satirical novel through which Orwell
indirectly attacks the Russian Communism, on Stalinism. Through a humorous and
effective animal allegory, Orwell directs his satiric attack on the events of
the Russian Revolution and on the totalitarian regime. There are many
examples of irony shown throughout the novel such as “Some of the animals had
noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked ‘Horse Slaughterer’... It
was almost unbelievable said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid.” Orwell
has tied in dramatic irony in this part of the novel as the reader knows
more about the current situation than the characters involved. The reader has
the ability to come to some conclusion with the idea that Squealer is
manipulating the animals by questioning and confronting them about something
that they were initially correct about. Another example would be “Why then do
we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the
produce of our labor is stolen from us by human beings.”
Animal Farm is a GREAT book. It is this
literary device and its presence within Animal Farm that enhances both
the reader’s emotional and intellectual response in relations to the novel, by
stimulating a range of effects.
What do you think of Animal Farm? Is it a great, okay or horrible book?
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