In Animal Farm, by George Orwell, many satirical devices, such as irony, hyperbole, and juxtaposition, are used throughout the story to criticize the Russian revolution and the adoption of communism. An example of irony is when the pigs begin to sleep in beds, something they vowed they would never do. The pigs defend themselves by saying the rules were that they would not sleep in a bed “with sheets” (70). This represents how everyone was supposed to be equal in Russian communism, but how leaders were developed anyway. Next, an example of hyperbole is that a pig named Squealer is said to be able to “turn black into white” (26). He is very convincing and a good talker. The over-exaggeration of his skills represents Russian propaganda. Finally,
In Animal Farm, allegory and altruistic irony is utilised when the pigs benefit from the other animal’s absence of reading kills when they modify the commandments ever so slightly. Allegory is used throughout the novella to make links between the ‘Animal Farm’ and the Russian revolution, such as the events that emerge and the characters. Through this dramatic irony Orwell is trying to picture to the audience the selfishness of the pigs, and so criticize the selfishness of Stalin and the leaders of the Russian Revolution. The selfishness of totalitarian leaders is also depicted in V for Vendetta.
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than other.” is one of the most famous quotes from George Orwell’s Animal Farm. From afar, Animal Farm is a fictitious novel with no real substance, but when carefully read, it is a chilling allegory of the horrors of the Russian Revolution. Orwell stresses in the novel, the dangers that go along with a bureaucratic or totalitarian regime. The novel supports the idea that Communism is an unethical and unjust system of government and damages society. While Orwell hides the fact that the novel has information, identical to events pertaining to Russia during the 1940’s, he utilizes it in an innocent way by using simple farm animals to directly compare different events and characters of the revolution.
Logical fallacies are found in everyone’s day to day life. We see them in advertisements, books, television commercials and even throughout conversations with others. In the novel, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, logical fallacies are used as a further insight into the story. Through the duration of the story, we see one of the main characters, Napoleon, obtain power and trust from most of the animals on the farm. Towards the end of the novel, his power and pride corrupt his reputation and relationships with those around him. The moral of the story is that an abundance of power can lead to selfish decision making and leave one with an unsatisfying feeling of hubris. The logical fallacies found in the novel help to expose the moral of the story.
George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a great example of allegory and political satire. The novel was written to criticize totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. In the first chapter, Orwell gives his reasons for writing the story and what he hopes it will accomplish. It also gives reference to the farm and how it relates to the conflicts of the Russian revolution. The characters, settings, and the plot were written to describe the social upheaval during that period of time and also to prove that the good nature of true communism can be turned into something atrocious by an idea as simple as greed.
An infamous party came to light in 1917, with the overthrow of Tsar Nikolai II. Known as the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, it established a new government under Vladimir Lenin. However a well-known man, by the name of Joseph Stalin, took over soon after Lenin’s death in 1924. Stalin, often known as “Koba” in the party or “Uncle Joe” to the western media, was not an effective speaker. Conversely, he had many supporters who spoke eloquently and with their help, he put the (then) Soviet Union under his regime. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the story of the Russian Revolution and its leaders are told through the use of allegorical satire. This masterpiece enlightens the human population about Russian communism and writes of the “leader” Napoleon, his troop of pigs, and the inhabitants of Animal Farm, who are oblivious to Napoleon’s corrupted ways and follow him blindly. In reality, Napoleon represented Stalin, who was a poor speaker but corrupt and demanding. He had many supporters and propagandists like the leading Soviet Union newspaper Pravda and political speakers such as Vyacheslav Molotov who supported his stances and seemly unapparent exploitations. In Orwell’s allegorical novella, the main propagandist is a pig named Squealer. When the animals question the actions of Napoleon or past events, Squealer is always able to appease them with lies and propaganda. Squealer is able to manipulate the minds of the animals of Animal Farm, by his persuasive fabrication and soothing perjury.
In Orwell's Animal Farm, the animals revolt against the cruel human leaders and set up a better method of farm management where all animals are equal. As time passes, the new leaders become greedy and corrupt, and the other animals realize conditions are just as miserable as before. There is a major connection between Animal Farm and Russian communism. The pigs are one of the most significant of these connections, representing the communist rulers of Russia, like Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Their traits, personalities, and actions are similar to the actual men in power. In the novel Animal Farm, the pigs represent the communist leaders of Russia in the early 1900s.
In Animal Farm, George Orwell establishes the use of juxtaposition all throughout the novel. One specific example the ideas of “Dictation vs Democracy”, where Napoleon symbolizes dictation, and where Snowball represents democracy. Since Napoleon wants the farm to flourish, (with Napoleon himself, along with the pigs, gaining the most power/rights), he would be a prime example of oppression being used in the novel; while Snowball would represent freedom because he wants the farm to flourish, (with everyone maintaining and gaining the same rights). An example of dictation can be seen on page 54, where the text states, “In future all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs, presided over himself.”
What is the definition of a good novel? Opinions on this question may differ, but there are many things that good novels have in common. Most importantly, the reader must enjoy the novel. When I use the word enjoy, I don’t necessarily mean that it should make the reader ‘happy’ or ‘joyful’. The novel should give the reader a valuable or worthwhile experience. Many good novels often address topics that relate to our own reality. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, one of the main focuses is on power and corruption.
This story Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel about an animal revolution over an oppressive farmer. The irony in the story comes when the pigs turn into the very thing revolted against. They exhibit the same cruelty by treating the other animals the same or even worse than previous owners. This cycle of cruelty is shown in the Russian revolution by Joseph Stalin who is represented by Napoleon in the story. Cruelty in animal farm is shown by the human’s treatment of the animals, and the animal’s eventual treatment of each other and the ironic characteristics of the two.
Using threats and harsh punishments, he becomes a dictator, just like Stalin. In the novel Animal Farm, George Orwell uses political satires that correlate with the ruling of Stalin in Russia and his inhumane ways of controlling the country. Animal Farm was a metaphor for the Russian Revolution. The animals on the farm overthrew the farmer who treated them unfairly, and they began their own government. As time went on the pigs made themselves rulers, the main pig in charge being Napoleon.
Often times, in a communist society, a leader’s use of language can lead to abuse of power. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the farm leaders, the pigs, use unknown language, invoke scare tactics, and create specific laws, thereby enabling them to control other animals, to suit their greedy desires, and to perform actions outside their realm of power. Because of the pigs’ use of broad language, implementation of scare tactics, and creation and manipulation of laws, they are able to get away with avoiding laws and convincing other animals into believing untrue stories and lies that are beneficial to the pigs. The first way the pigs use language to abuse their power is by using extensive detail and by using terms and vocabulary foreign to most animals. An example of the pigs using unknown terms can be found when Squealer explains to the other animals how hard the pigs need to work to keep the farm running.
The Use of Language in Animal Farm Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory in which animals are personified to represent the struggles and conflicts of the Russian Revolution. The main point emphasizes in the novel is that language is a powerful tool, which can be used to manipulate and control people in order to bring about change, whether big or small. In the story the pigs govern everything that happens, whether it is something as miner as eating a meal, or something as major and important as fighting a strategic battle. Napoleon, the foreman, or leader of the pigs is the most powerful of them all. Napoleon and his “side kick”, Squealer, abused the powers of language to manipulate the animals of the farm into thinking that the farm was a beautiful society flourishing with life and freedom, when in fact, it was quite the opposite.
Pigs walking on two feet, horses and sheep talking. This is how George Orwell satirizes human nature in his classic novel Animal Farm. Animal Farm is an allegory of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The title of the book is also the setting for the action in the novel. The animals in the story decide to have a revolution and take control of the farm from the humans. Soon the story shows us how certain groups move from the original ideals of the revolution to a situation where there is domination by one group and submission by all the others. The major idea in this story is the political corruption of what was once a pure political ideal. Orwell uses satire to ridicule human traits in his characters such as Napoleon and Squealer. There are several different characters in the novel utilizing animals as symbols of people in real life during the Russian Revolution. Napoleon is the leader of the pigs that ultimately come to dominate the farm. The characteristics that we associate with pigs , lazy, greedy, and pushy are meant to symbolize the characteristics that the leaders of the Russian Revolution exhibited. Napoleon is admired by all of the animals because he is their leader. All of the animals believe that their leader wants to fulfill all of their needs. They also are convinced that Napoleon’s decisions are made the best interest of the animals. Napoleon’s piglike qualities are shown throughout the story. He exhibited greediness when he sold the dying horse, Boxer to a slaughterhouse for money so that he and the other pigs could purchase whiskey. Orwell ridicules human nature through Napoleon in the sense that he is trying to show how the greedy and power hungry eventually end in corruption.
Orwell demonstrates the inhumanity and corruption of the Soviet system through the actions of Napoleon and Squealer. Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian Revolution, one that accurately describes the political actions of the Soviet government. Through his novel, Orwell warns the readers of the dangers of propaganda used skillfully.
Throughout the course of the novel the lives of everyone – human and animal – on Animal Farm change dramatically. In the case of the pigs their lives get better and better but for all the other animals and the humans their lives take a turn for the worse, after a brief period of optimism for the animals. This change in lifestyle, perhaps suggests Orwell’s thoughts and feelings about communism as he uses all of the events allegorically with the Russian revolution, for example when Snowball is chased out by Napoleon represents in history when Josef Stalin had Leon Trotsky exiled from Russia. Another example is in the card game at the end of the novel when Napoleon, representing Josef Stalin and Russia, and Mr. Pilkington, representing President Truman of America, both play the ace of spades, which represents nuclear weapons, which is historically the beginning of the Cold War.