Animal Farm Assignment
Animal Farm was written to be focused on the story of rebelling animals. However, it both constructs and reinforces many themes. The novel ‘Animal Farm’ is centralised among the story of the animals that live on Manor Farm, where their cruel master Mr. Jones dictates them. Under the inspiration of a pig named Old Major, the animals rebel against Mr. Jones and overthrow him. They decide to construct their own farm, which they plan to be a utopia where ‘all animals are equal’.
However, after the death of Old Major corruption arises and many of the animals, who are lacking intelligence, live in a state of oblivion.
Although ‘Animal Farm’ is under the disguise of a fable about domestic animals, it is also allegorical of the events of the Russian Revolution. When the animals of Animal Farm took over there main beliefs were based on their made up commandments called Animalism. The beliefs derived from this law were that “man is our enemy”, “all animals are comrades”, “do not become like man”, and “no animal should be more powerful then another”.
These views were from Old Major, who had given a speech to stir the animals into rebellion. Old Major’s dream was for the earth to be run by animals.
When Old Major died, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer replaced him. At first things started off pretty well the harvest was very good the first year and the reading and writing system had helped some, but had limited success on others. Napoleon soon shared his view on education, and took the puppies into his home and started teaching them. In time, the leaders of animal farm started to have mixed feelings. Snowball said the animals only had to work three days a week, but Napoleon said it would only result in the animals starving to death. Napoleon then had the dogs chase off Snowball. Napoleon had eliminated Sunday morning meetings.
The committee of pigs were now the leaders and there were no more debates. Napoleon soon started brainwashing the lower class of animals to believe him. The traditions of Old Major were soon forgotten, it was now Napoleons plans. Absolute power makes mediocre leaders think that they can do anything they want to anyone with no consequences. “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. This was commandment set in place at the beginning of the rebellion, but the more powerful Napoleon got, the more corrupt he became and changed the commandment. When a person gains too much power, they think they are above everyone else.
Napoleon figured that all the others were too scared to say something about the commandment because he was too powerful. When Napoleon gained total power over everyone, he turned into a dictator and a tyrant. In conclusion, history has proven that power is the root of all evil in a communism style government or congregation. In Animal Farm, the animals tried to be equal, but in time, some animals had certain views and different opinions and some gradually became more powerful. No matter how hard in society we try, mankind will never truly reach equality for the reason that “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”
