Animal Farm
By: George orwell
Animal Farm
By: George orwell
Book Information
* Author: George Orwell
* Title: Animal Farm
* Publisher: London, Secker and Warburg, 17 August 1945
* Number of Pages: 112 pages
* Genre: Dystopian animal fable; satire; allegory; political roman à clef
George Orwell´s biography
“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.” (George Orwell)
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known as George Orwell, was an English author and journalist. His work is labeled by intelligence and humour, a deep awareness of social injustice, hostility to totalitarianism, and trust in democratic socialism.
Considered the 20th century´s best chronicler of English culture, Orwell wrote fiction, polemical journalism, literary criticism and poetry. He is best known for the novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” and the satirical novel “Animal Farm”.
“Orwell’s influence on contemporary culture, popular and political, continues decades after his death. “
Plot Summary
The story is placed on a farm – Manor Farm – owned by Mr. Jones. Tired of their servitude to man, a group of animals – Snowball, Napoleon, Boxer, Squealer, Boxer, Mollie, Benjamin and Clover – rebels and found their own society. Later in the book, that group of animals are betrayed into worse servitude by their leaders – Napoleon and Squealer, whose slogan becomes “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
The Term Paper on Working Class Pigs Animals Orwell
... Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.9-11. Orwell, George a. Animal Farm. Toronto: Penguin, 1945. Orwell, George b. Nineteen Eighty-Four.Toronto: Penguin, 1949. Rahv, Phillip. ... The Un future of Utopia. Modern Critical Views: George Orwell. Ed. ...
Main Characters
Napoleon: Napoleon is a boar who conducts the rebellion against Mr. Jones. After the rebellion victory, he little by little begins to control all sides of the farm until he is an unquestionable tyrant.
Napoleon represents directly the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, but it can represent every political tyrant that appeared throughout human history.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Chapter 10, pg. 112 (Napoleon)
Snowball: Is a boar as well, who becomes one of rebellion´s leaders next to Napoleon. After sketching complex plants for the windmill, he is forced to leave the farm by Napoleon´s dogs.
Snowball represents Leon Trotsky.
“Four legs good, two legs bad.” Chapter 3, pg. 29 (Snowball)
Major: An old boar who serves as the source of the ideals that the animals continue to uphold even after their pig leaders have betrayed them.
He represents both Marx and Lenin. He also teaches the song “Beasts of England” to the other animals.
“Remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him.” Chapter 1, pg. 4 (Major)
Boxer: Is a dedicated horse that helps in the construction of the windmill, but goes to the slaughter after collapsing with exhaustion. He is the most caring character of the book.
He represents, with the best qualities – dedication, loyalty and ability of labour – the oppressed working class.
“Napoleon is always right.” Chapter 5, pg. 48 (Boxer)
Squealer: Is also a boar who becomes Napoleon´s spokesman. Throughout the book, he manipulates the animals’ thoughts by complicating the use of language. He represents politicians.
“It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.” Chapter 3, pg. 14 (Squealer)
Benjamin: Is a pessimistic, yet realist donkey who continually undercuts the animals’ enthusiasm with his remarks.
“Donkeys live a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey.” Chapter 3, pg. 12 (Benjamin)
My Opinion
George Orwell, with this book, describes all the injustice and corruption of a political system. In the first part of the book, it almost showed that Communism could work, by putting all animals in the same level and where each would work according to their capacity, respecting the needs of others.
The Term Paper on Animal Farm Setting Animals Napoleon Snowball
... rise to power in Russia. CHAPTER 6 This chapter shows how Napoleon rules the farm. At first the animals are happy, thinking that they ... which interferes with personal pleasure or comfort. Moses, the raven, represents the class who resists any change and becomes a ... novel, pig and man are indistinguishable. The circle is complete. Notes Orwell's satire comes full circle in the last chapter of the book. ...
But then I realized that, little by little, it was turning in a dictatorship, like for example, the pigs being the natural leaders, managed to reverse the commandments, and through lack of knowledge and propaganda establish a selected group of pigs under the guidance of Napoleon, the most respected of them all.
«Animal Farm» demonstrates that propaganda and brainwashing works in dictatorships, by showing how the pigs (particularly Squealer, by changing the rule «all animals are equal» to «all animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others» and by telling the other animals that the apples and the milk were important to their diet, they could not live without out) could make the other animals believing in everything he said.
In «Animal Farm», Orwell presents how power changed the pigs from «comrades» to dictators who succeed to walk in «hind legs», and handling a whip, like it was written in the text «The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it was impossible to say which as which».
My favourite character is Boxer, because is the most sympathetic character and has the best qualities of them all, he is loyal and dedicated, but also very naïve.
This book is related to various historic events, such as Russian Revolution where Napoleon is Stalin, Snowball is Leon Trotsky, Major is both Marx and Lenin and Boxer represents the working class.
I would very much recommend this book because the plot of this book is very simple and smooth. This book delights you, and at the same time, delivers a message also. I will try to read another of Orwell´s novels, such as “Nineteen eighty-four”.
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[ 1 ]. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/facts.html, access on 11-01-2013
[ 2 ]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell, access on 11-01-2013
[ 3 ]. Orwell, George. “Animal Farm”. Secker and Warburg, 1945, London.
