Reading Between the Lines: Animal Farm and Something New

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For generations, stories have been written that have a deeper meaning to them. No matter if it is a novel, short story, or a poem there is a deeper message within the story, hence reading between the lines. Some stories are considered to be allegories, an extended metaphor through an entire narrative so that objects, persons, and actions in the text are paralleled with meanings that lie outside the text, such as the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell. Another example is the short story “Something New” by Jessica Sanchez. “Something New” is an allegory for the Storming of the Bastille as seen through the economic depression, rumors spreading, and storming the playground.
To commence, prior to the Storming of the Bastille there were stressors that came about during the economic depression. The first stressor was bad harvests which caused soaring prices on the bread, making the bread less affordable to the poor. Another stressor was the economic depression which in consequence caused “thousands of artisans and small traders” to lose their jobs (McKay 690). Similar stressors were depicted in the short story by paying more for candy and not being able to play in the park. The children “would play their usual games at their usual spot,” representing the jobs of the people (Sanchez 2). The candy that the children bought represents the bread due to the fact that it was the common people’s main source of food and children generally eat plenty of candy. The older children, who were at the park, sold candy to the children for a quarter, but then raised the price to a dollar; which represents the prices going up on the bread. The older children, Tommy and his crew, also decided to prohibit the children from playing in the park, mirror...

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...n rose together, to get rid of the bullies, to take back their park, to stand for what they believe in. So did the third estate, they rose up against the army and took back their city. Although the story is an allegory to the Storming of the Bastille, it is still relevant to modern day, to stand up for oneself and what one believes in. Both the children and the citizens of Paris stood up for themselves and for their community- look at how much they accomplished. It is important to be able to stand up for oneself and what one believes in because it comes with endless possibilities.

Works Cited

"Bastille Day - July 14th, 1789." Storming of the Bastille on July 14th, 1789. N.p., n.d. Web. 18
Feb. 2014.
McKay, John P., Bennett D. Hill, John Buckler, Clare Haru Crowston, and Merry E. Wiesner. A
History of Western Society. 9th ed. Boston: Suzanne Jeans, 2008. Print.

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