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Literature and Social Change 1910-1950 Module Convener : Dry. Benjamin Keating Title of the Assignment: “In what ways does Orwell criticize Soviet Communism in Animal Farm and to what extent Is his analysis based on real historical events? ” George Rowel’s “Animal Farm” Is a master piece where as politics and satire are concerned. It is a tale where animals as individuals are oppressed by their owner Mr.. Jones. The animals, which can speak and actually share a lot of human characteristics, are being mistreated and neglected having wanted freedom for a anger period of time.
They ultimately raise a rebellion against their owner and they expel him and his wife from the farm. They finally have the freedom they have so long lusted for in their own hands, but a silent fight Is getting prepared to start on whose hands will finish on the control of the same freedom. The animals are becoming corrupted by the taste of the same power which oppressed them. They form a society which originally starts as a democracy but eventually evolve In a totalitarian regime which is generally viewed as Rowel’s critique to the communism in Soviet Union. Rowel’s analysis is based on historical events.
The whole book is an allegory which is balanced very nice on several levels of meaning. We have the first level which is the story about the animals. The whole development of the tale is the first level. Also every animal has it kind of secret identity which is connected to some famous figure from Soviet union history. And we have the second level of meaning which is Rowel’s critique to the whole communist regime. It is very well constructed through out the story line. As I said the animals share their Identity with famous Russian political Individuals room history.
For example through out the character of the pig Napoleon is presented Joseph Stalin. So Napoleon gets his characteristics. He is the pig who leads the rebellion against Mr.. Jones, but after the rebellion succeeded he carefully starts to control everything on the farm until the power corrupts him totally and he become a tyrant which originally was his owner. In comparison to Stalin he also led the Soviet union for several years and killed everyone who opposed him. He was a tyrant also who loved power and used KGB to enforce his ruthless antics as Napoleon used his cogs for the same goals.
Then we have Snowball another pig who led the rebellion along with Napoleon. He Is compared to Leon Trotsky. Snowball was considered to be a valuable leader with pure intentions. After he finished his complicated drawings for the wind mill he is chased off the farm by Napoleon’s dogs and till the ending he is used as a scapegoat for the troubles that will occur on the farm. Trotsky was also a pure communist leader who was mainly influenced by the teachings of Karl Marx. He also wanted to improve life in Russia and was outcasts by Stalin’s KGB. The character of Mr..
Jones Is actually Czar Nicholas II. They both are Irresponsible the first one for his farm the other one for his country, the first one lets his animals starve and beats them and the second one is cruel and brutal to his people. We also have the Old toy 2 gives the other animals a speech about the thing they have suffered from the human and encourages them to a rebellion. He actually dies before the rebellion same as Carl Marx before the Russian revolution. Carl Marx Is the father of communism who wants to unite the workers to overthrow the government.
Then we have other characters like Squealer who represents the propaganda which Stalin used to manipulate people which have the same function in the book only doing his work for Napoleon. Boxer the horse is represented as the hard working people who supported Stalin but in the end got tricked by him Just as boxer was sent to slaughter by Napoleon. The Sheep represents the ignorant workers who believed everything Stalin says to them and so on. We have another comparison that Orwell made. That is between minimalism and communism. It is basically the same principle with different name.
Minimalism was though by the Old major as communism was invented by Carl Marx. All people are equal and all animals are equal. Better life for workers and the government owns everything. People own the government and everyone owns the farm. Orwell also presented the same aspects between the Animal Farm Revolution and the Russian Revolution, like after the Animal Farm Revolution life was supposed to be better but it was worse in the end. It was the same for life supposed to be better without Czar Nicholas and it was even worse after the revolution. Napoleon came same or maybe worse that Mr..
Jones or any other farmer as well as Stalin made bigger problems than the Czar. As I see it Orwell criticized Soviet communism on every level through out allegory and satire. He was against communism in every form not only in Russia. And he though a big lesson to the whole world with this book. Communism is equal to Fascism and every other totalitarian system. And also Animal Farm will always have lessons to teach us about the ways of people abusing power and manipulating others. This story about tyranny is still relevant today as same as back in 1945.