Animal Farm is a novel about the pigs leading a rebellion, overthrowing their farmer, and then taking control of the farm. The setting of the story is Manor Farm in England with Mr. Jones, the farmer. The main characters include Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon. Each of these pigs helped to lead the animals into rebellion. Major was the initial one to start the movement and the other two were the main leaders that carried it on after he passed away.
When the animals became tired of Mr. Jones’s harsh and intense labor conditions, they plan to dethrone him by chasing him out of his farm. After the successful rebellion, the animals set up their own rules and regulations to follow. The pigs taught themselves how to read and write and reworked Major’s system into an elaborate strategy called Animalism. They formed their own new and improved living environment to harvest and do their chores. Napoleon soon becomes irritated at Snowball because he wanted to build a windmill and he does not. Napoleon thinks that getting food and water was more important so he sends nine vicious dogs to chase Snowball off the farm. Napoleon was now in complete control.
The pigs shortly after that began taking all of the apples that were harvested and all of the cows’ milk for themselves. They start living in the farmer’s old house, which was disobeying the original rules, called “The Seven Commandments”, along with drinking alcohol, sleeping in beds, and wearing clothes. Napoleon also started trading with humans for food and alcohol. The pigs would have meetings and parties, at which they got drunk, with the humans to discuss their ideas and plans. The animals tried to make what Major envisioned a reality, but in the end they became just as evil and s...
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...the actual idea of socialism and the effects it has on society. Napoleon was the dictator and had complete control over the entire farm.
This novel can also have the sub genre of a political novel. A political novel is “a novel in which aspects of political life are essential ingredients” (428). George Orwell based his novel partially on his thoughts on the Russian Revolution. He did not like the idea of one person in total control and he used the novel to represent a group of citizens being led or manipulated into a dictated life.
Works Cited
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983. Print.
Moran, Daniel, and George Orwell. CliffsNotes, Animal Farm. New York, NY: Wiley Pub., 2001. Print.
Harmon, William, C. Hugh Holman, and William Flint Thrall. A Handbook to Literature. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. Print.
A wise boar, Old Major, expresses a dream of a world where animals live with no human oppression to the rest of the animals in Manor Farm. However, only three days after his speech, he dies, leaving three younger pigs to take over his place and lead the other animals toward Major’s dream. They create the Seven Commandments of Animalism, which set values against acting human-like, and paint them on the wall of the barn. One night, the animals succeed in rebelling against Mr. Jones, the owner of the farm. Initially, farming goes well after the rebellion. However, one of the power-hungry pigs, Napoleon, begins to run a totalitarian dictatorship with an eloquent pig, Squealer, by his side. He also trains puppies, whom he takes from their parents, into vicious guard dogs and uses them to enforce his plans. One by one, the Seven Commandments are broken and altered by Napoleon, who gradually acts more and more human-like. Finally, only one rule remains on the barn wall, “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” (Orwell 133). Napoleon and the other pigs eventually walk upright, wear clothing, indulge in alcohol, and even sleep on beds (all of which were originally forbidden in the Seven Commandments), while the other animals work all day with little food. By the end of the book, the other farm animals can no longer tell the difference between the pigs and humans when other human farmers are invited over for dinner. “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 was which” (Orwell 139).
At the beginning of the story, there were two leaders, Snowball and Napoleon, who were sharing power. Snowball was good with words, honest, good at arguing, was inventive, and believed in technology. He stayed in touch with the animals, and wanted to make things better for them. Napoleon, on the other hand, was bad with words, dishonest, hated arguing, and was not inventive. He wanted to be above all the animals; he didn't care about making things better. He only believed in serving himself. In order for Napoleon to be above all the animals, he had to get Snowball out of the way. Napoleon did that by getting his dogs to scare him away so Snowball would never come back to the farm. Napoleon was now in total control of the farm and the animals. Napoleon and the pigs started acting like humans - they would drink, wear clothes, sleep in beds, fight, and walk. They did everything that they had once said was wrong.
The novel “Animal Farm” was written by the author name George Orwell. Animal Farm is a novel based upon the lives of a society of animals wanting a better life for themselves living on the Manor Farm. The setting of the book is a farm called “Manor Farm”. The theme of this book is that the animals should make a stand; if they continue doing the same thing they will continue getting the same results. It is better to be free and starving, than to be fed and enslaved.
Mr. Jones was unable to defeat the animals, therefore the animals got a boost of confidence. Now at this point Mollie runs away and Snowball begins his plans for a windmill. When Snowball’s plans are finished, Napoleon’s dog’s start to chase him off the farm. The farm just lost the best leader they could have had. They loose their chance to give input on what direction the farm should go, and Napoleon begings blaming Snowball for all the things that he did not do. Now Napoleon sets the animals to work on Sundays again and acquires Mr. Whymper as the farm’s broker. Napoleon starts to sell some of the farm’s produce. And the pigs start sleeping one hour later, and in beds. Then the windmill gets blown over and Snowball gets the blame. At this point the pigs still continue to abuse the power and stealing from the other animals.
The animals on the farm get tired of how they are getting badly treated. So they end up overthrowing their farm owner Mr. Jones. After they overthrow their owner, the pigs start taking over the farm and taking control over all the other animals in the farm.
pigs begin to take control. By the end of the novel, the pigs have manipulated the rest of the animals into doing everything they want. The pigs then become almost exactly like the humans. The most important pigs are Napoleon and Snowball, that is until Napoleon
Animal Farm could be called “A Fairy Story” because people think of the fairy story as the escapist form of literature par excellence. Animal Farm has sometimes been read as a fable against socialism. The animals are meant to represent certain types of human beings, not complex individuals. Using animals as types is also Orwell’s way of keeping his hatred and anger against exploiters under control. Each animal character is a type with one human trait, or two at most traits usually associated with that particular kind of animal. For example, the pigs represented corrupted human leaders in particular, “the Bolsheviks, who lead the overthrow of the capitalist Russian government only to become new masters in return.”(Internet) Old Major is a wise old pig whose stirring speech to the animals helps set the rebellion in motion even though he dies before the rebellion actually begins. Old Major and his role compare with that of Karl Marx, whose ideas set the communist Revolution in effect. Also, the animals in Animal Farm talk and act like men and women. (Orwell 33) For instance, the pigs in the novel eat mash- real pig food but with milk in it that they have grabbed. (Orwell 34) The pigs also persuaded the animals to let them keep a human action. The dogs’ growl and bite the way real dogs do but to support Napoleon’s drive for political power. (Orwell 66) The two horses, Boxer and Clover, represent the long-suffering workers and peasants of the world. Old Mollie, the loving mare, took a piece of ribbon and put the ribbon on her shoulder looking at herself into the humans’ mirror. (Orwell 31) She actually leaves the farm for sugar and ribbons at a human hotel. (Orwell 52) He (Orwell) may have been thinking about certain Russian nobles who left after the Revolution or a general human type. Some readers view Animal Farm as a perfect illustration of the famous saying associated with British historian Lord Action, All power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.
There is a substantial amount of conflicts that occur in this satirical story. Often these conflicts are between the pigs and the rest of the animals. Only a minute portion of the animals didn’t really have some sort of conflict with Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, or the rest of the dominating pigs. Overall, Snowball was a better leader than Napoleon, yet the animals reacted differently to Napoleon than to Snowball.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm is a political satire of a totalitarian society ruled by a mighty dictatorship, in all probability a fable for the events surrounding the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals of “Manor Farm” overthrow their human master after a long history of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for humans. Little by little, the pigs become dominant, gaining more power and advantage over the other animals, so much so that they become as corrupt and power-hungry as their predecessors, the humans.
From the very beginning, Napoleon started breaking the commandment that stated all animals are equal. He had all the milk and apples set aside for the pigs. He put forth the idea that the pigs depended on these things for survival, and that it was in the interest of the entire farm that they be set aside for them. The others were convinced by Squealer’s arguments that
George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is a political allegory based off the Russian Revolution of 1917, where the author explores the cruel dictatorship of Napoleon, and his comrade Snowballs views on Animalism. The value that both Snowball, and Napoleon share is mainly the factor of pig’s superiority, however, there are attributes they both contrast in; Snowballs goal to create egalitarian communism while Napoleon is in favor of gaining power over the animals.
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy – The pigs engage in business and trade with the humans. Napoleon socializes and plays cards with the humans.
Animal Farm is about rebellion against authority. The animals on the Mannor Farm are sick of being worked to death and getting small rations, so they decide to over throw the humans. They endure many hardships, including two human invasions. In the end the leaders, the pigs, turn into exactly what they had fought to over come.
It was the glorious speech from Old Major that made the animals want to rebel so badly. Animal Farm, written by George Orwell is an excellent novel that portrays the need for power. It shows how power can be used for either good or evil. The story begins on Manor Farm, owned by a farmer named Mr. Jones. One of the pigs, named Old Major, gives a speech that motivates the animals to rebel. After a while, the animals ended up rebelling, and managed to kick out Mr. Jones. During the beginning of “Animal Farm’s” reign under Snowball and Napoleon’s (main characters) lead, it brought the animals on Manor Farm together into a peaceful world. However, after this initial stance of power, Snowball and Napoleon began to fight for it. In the end, Napoleon ends up with control of the farm and Snowball is never seen again. Power is a corrupting influence in Animal Farm and both Snowball and Napoleon’s way of leading are very different.
Animal Farm’ is a novel by George Orwell which carries allegorical aspects. In other words, this novel is mainly focused on the Russian Revolution of 1917. Orwell has portrayed this revolution and the era of Stalin in the Soviet Union (USSR), in a satirical manner. Through out the novel, he has brought out a strong criticism about the power- hungry human kind and the way it affects a nation.