Animal Farm As Social Criticism
Writers often use social criticism in their books to show corruptness or weak points of a group in society. One way of doing this is allegory which is a story in which figures and actions are symbols of general truths. George Orwell is an example of an author who uses allegory to show a social criticism effectively. As in his novel Animal Farm, Orwell makes a parody of Soviet Communism as demonstrated by Animal Farm's brutal totalitarian rule, manipulated and exploited working class, and the pigs' evolution into the capitalists they initially opposed. Totalitarianism is a political regime based on subordination of the individual to the state and strict control of all aspects of life. It was used by Stalin and the Bolsheviks in Russia during the 1920's and 30's and is parodied in Animal Farm by Napoleon, the "almighty" leader, and his fellow pigs and their ridiculous propaganda and rigorous rule. In the book, Napoleon is deified and made superior to all other animals on the farm, for example he is called emperor or leader while everyone else was referred to as a "comrade", and all the pigs were given higher authority then the rest of the animals. An inequality between the pig
75), but soon after Napoleon drank an abundance and almost died the commandment was changed to "No animal shall drink to excess. This dream soon became a reality for the animals of the Manor Farm as they defeated their master, Mr. This system worked for a while, but stopped when Napoleon and his Totalitarian government took over, and the system was manipulated. Orwell combines some great humor into this symbolic story to give a bad effect on Russia in the time of its Revolution, making a mockery of Totalitarian rule, the "working class", and idealization for the future. 40) This seemed to work because no animal would refuse to do their job because of the fear of their food supply being cut as a penalty. Both started with bright ideas for a future and ended with a corrupt government taking over only to turn the colony into what it initially opposed. Another instance where Napoleon showed severe rule was when everyone on the farm who had either pledged for or showed support at one time for Snowball, the exiled former leader, was executed on the spot. Napoleon gave the animals long, many hour days so that the farm could move toward industrialization with the building of a windmill, much like The Five Year Plan of Russia. The farm which was supposed to be equal and free of class had a distinct governing body or "upper class" with the pigs and a distinct "working class" or majority which was everyone, but the pigs. " which made it seem as though Napoleon was within the rules. At first on the Animal Farm, it was promised to the majority of the animals who were neither Napoleon or a pig, or the so-called "working class", that "from each according to his ability to each according to his needs", no more, no less. Napoleon and his fellow pigs gave the animals unfair hours of labor and unfair rations for their work which corrupted the system.
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