Propoganda in Animal Farm

The misinformation that the pigs spread around animal farm is astouding. I'm thinking the animals must be quite stupid indeed if they believe it, and I wonder if the propoganda in the book bears any resemblance to real-life propoganda. Where the Russian commoners truly decieved so much? While I suppose that this is a possibility, I think that the propoganda within Animal Farm bears more resemblance to the propoganda floating around North Korea. Honestly, it just seems ridiculous what Kim Jong-Il tells his people, and if they stomache such lies, I suppose thats just as bad as what the animals in the book believe. Then again, the people of North korea where raised on such lies (or many of them were. Similarly, only a select few animals at the end of the book even remembered the revolution (just Clover, Old Benjamin, the Raven and some of the pigs if I'm not mistaken).

Beasts of England

I wondered if the song Beasts of England itself was perhaps a parody of another song. While looking this up (and I don't think it is a parody by the way) I read somewhere where it said that the Soviet Union eventually replaced its original anthem (The Internationale) with the National Anthem of the Soviet Union. In the book, I believe that the replacing of Beasts of England symbolizes the fall of the ideals that carried the animals to freedom. In short, that was when animalism died. It had been slowly ailing, but I believe it finally passed away when the pigs outlawed the song that the animals sang on the very night the revolution was conceived.

On page 78, it says that the Humans grew to despise Animal Farm even more because it was prospering against their predictions. This seems like one of the few places in the book where actual fiction is used and nothing is based upon real-world events. I'm sure that nobody in the outside world hated the Soviet Union simply because it was prospering. Indeed, during Orwell's time, weren't people praising communist ideals? Isn't that the entire reason Orwell wrote the book, because so many people were, he believed, being misled by the Russians?

Its such a shame Napoleon drove Snowball off animal farm. It seems like everything just went downhill from there. Snowball was, along with Old Major, the visionary. He was kind of the driving force behind animal farm. He was extremely enthusiastic, and he had quite a few great ideas (like the windmill) and it was him who inspired the animals at the beginning of the book. Perhaps it was because of his influence that he was chased off. At the end of the book, it seemed like animal farm was devoid of both ideas and visionaries, so Snowball's absence was certainly something for the animals to lament about. Had they been able to think for themselves, they might have actually realised what a loss Snowball's absence was.

The Farmers

I wonder what the Farmers symbolize in Animal Farm. It seems that they represent any outside enemy, real or imaginary, because the pigs use them to scare the other animals into submission. Specifically, though, I would have to say that I believe the farmer's represent the Nazis. The pigs would always flip back and forth between alliances with the two neighboring farmers. What I mean is they would always change who they were allied with. The Russians did this in World War II when they started out fighting on the Nazi side, before eventually changing to be allied against the axis powers. They were also attacked by their supposed ally, Pinkerton, as they were negotiating with him. It is worth mentioning that the Nazis betrayed the Russians in World War II, and were repelled at great cost (just as Pinkerton's group was).

After the Animals peeked...

I wonder what happened after the animals took a peek inside the farmhouse and heard the pig's conversation. Certainly such a sight must have troubled them, but I wondered if they had any other reaction beyond that. A revolution seems like it could have happened with more assertive and intelligent animals, but the ones on Manor Farm were docile, obedient and unimaginative. I think that someone like Old Major would have to come along to inspire the animals to revolt, but I have no idea who on the farm would be so capable. Perhaps Old Benjamin could manage it (if he wasn't quite so cynical). The crow could also do something to stir up rebellion, but he seemed preoccupied with his own interests. After all, why worry about the fate of others when you can fly anywhere you wish, and flee nearly any trouble?

Too many pigs...

On page 116 I noticed that 31 young pigs were born on the farm. 31 is a ridiculous number when talking about babies...and I'm sure all the piglets will survive because the pigs have the best standard of living on the entire farm. 31 pigs.... That can't be good for the farm. When you think of all the pigs as potential rulers, then the possibility of a power struggle arises. With 31 pigs, I would say that such a thing is likely, especially since the book says all the pigs were born at once, and thus are the same age. Also, the pigs don't do any work. They sit there, and eat and sleep and get fat all day. With so many pigs (and I'm sure all 31 pigs are going to have kids of their own eventually), how is the farm going to provide enough food or money to feed everyone. With 31 pigs eating so much and doing no work, it seems that animal farm is destined to fail, but that's just my opinion.

Something I noticed...

When I looked back in the book, I was simply flipping through, looking for ideas. On one page it mentioned a "glorious summer harvest." This gave me nothing to think about, but I flipped further through and noticed the mention of a cold, bitter winter. After looking through the book some more, I noticed that the events in Animal farm are divided into seasons. In March, you have the rebellion, the very beginnings of freedom on Manor farm. This is followed by a beautiful summer in which the animals are free and have never been happier. In Autumn, the animals have another fruitful harvest, but the first signs of trouble appear as Snowball and Napoleon fight. Towards the end of Autumn, Napoleon takes control. This is followed by a bitter winter of hard work and little food, as the pigs slowly become more human-like. I wonder if this is Orwell saying that the communist revolution in Russia likewise happened in cycles. A glorious summer, followed by a fruitful (yet troubling) Autumn and ending with a terrible winter as the commoners lost their freedom.

Old Benjamin

Old Benjamin (the donkey) wasn't usually in the spotlight. All throughout the book he was either in the background, or occasionally forgotten about. However, when he did appear in the text, it was always to utter something that suggested he believed that a farm run equally was a mere delusion. It is for this reason that I believe Orwell is using Old Benjamin to express his viewpoint on communism. All throughout the book, Old Benjamin seems the wisest, neither delusional nor an unthinking brute (as Napoleon seems to be at times). I think this is how Orwell must have felt during his time. All around him, people were touting communism as the solution to all worries, they were claiming that it was a brilliant idea. Orwell, however, had experienced communism first-hand during his stay in Spain and wanted no part in it. For this reason I believe that Orwell strongly identified with Old Benjamin, who was likewise surrounded by unthinking fanatics.

Foreshadowing (again)

I already posted one entry concerning foreshadowing in Animal Farm, but I noticed that in the instructions I should be mentioning it's impact on the theme of the novel. My views on foreshadowing are that Orwell uses this literary device to create an atmosphere of suspension and to foster an air of inevitability. Orwell wants us to understand that, from his viewpoint, the creation of a society where everyone (or everything, in Animal Farm) is equal is an impossibility. George Orwell is saying that it is inevitable that, when a group of beings sets out to accomplish this task, the result will be a far-cry from a social paradise.

After Reading

I wonder what happened after the events that transpired in Animal Farm. I'm sure that if the sequel continued to reflect real-world events, manor farm would have become a better place in the end, although the government of the farm would likely be seeded with corruption (as modern Russia is today). However, someone like George Orwell wouldn't write a sequel. The book was designed to make us think. About the fate of Animal Farm and it's inhabitants, and it was certainly designed to make the average person in the 1940's and 50's think about their fate. In my opinion, the future for the animals looked bleak (even though Russia would become more democratic). The pigs were firmly in charge, the animals were slaving away and the farm's residents were extremely unintelligent. The only ones with great power (the horses) were very stupid and followed the orders of the pigs unquestioningly. The other animals were the same, with the exception of Old Benjamin the donkey. It seems like him and Clover and the oppressive pigs were the only ones at the end of the book who even had an inkling of what true freedom was like.

Foreshadowing in Animal Farm

Most people who have heard of Animal Farm probably realize that, as a political novel concerning soviet-era communism, it doesn't end well. The foreshadowing within Animal Farm indicates the same end throughout the book. Old Benjamin (the donkey) plays a large role in foreshadowing events, at least in the beginning of the book. His cryptic comments, such as "Donkeys live a long time," amount to saying "Lets wait and see." He is expressing his skepticism concerning the brightness of the future, and it is easy as the reader to agree with him. In a world of humans, how can a society of animals survive independently? Later in the book, the pigs are slowly seizing power. As the pigs begin to rise above their own laws, it seems logical that they won't stop at, for example, simply taking all the milk. In my opinion, this is another part of foreshadowing within Animal Farm. Lastly, one of the most obvious pieces of foreshadowing in Animal Farm is the instances in which the pigs attempt to act like humans. As they walk about on two legs, carry whips, wear clothes and drink, we can see that they are becoming like the human oppressors originally ousted from Manor Farm. The humans were bad enough to incite a strong uprising, and so if the pigs are becoming like them, the reader is left wondering how bad the times ahead will be.

Characterization

George Orwell doesn't seem to use much characterization except for a select few characters. Boxer, the donkey, and some select farmers and pigs are the only characters that George Orwell truly develops. The other animals are merely nameless followers, such as the sheep and the chickens. Admittedly, the sheep seem to display a collective personality, which is evident from their mindless bleating. However, Orwell does not "flesh them out" or characterize them nearly as much as, for example, a major character like Napoleon. While I think that Orwell uses many methods of characterization, he seems to rely on the inner thoughts of characters to show how totalitarian rulers twist the truth to gain power. The inner thoughts of the characters show how quickly and efficiently totalitarian rulers can take over and how the masses unthinkingly accept such a rulers right to rule.

More symbolism in Animal Farm

At first, it seemed that the revolution in Animal Farm could have been any revolution that instituted a communist government (assuming you skipped the introduction of course). Perhaps Orwell was saying that the processes that allowed totalitarian rulers to take power were universal, and tended to happen in any revolution. However, when you closely examine the events of the Russian revolution, you begin to see the symbolism within Animal Farm. Old major, the boar who instigated the revolution, seems to represent Lenin. The farmers in the book represent the former government of Russia, corrupt and oppressive. Additionally, they later seem to represent the Nazis who invaded Russia during WWII.

Allegorical use within animal farm

The first thing that I noticed when I went back and thought about the book was Orwell's use of allegories in the book. He uses them to denounce the piggish behaviors of the communists (in the book, they are indeed the pigs) and I also noticed another one. The sheep are the followers in the book, they do whatever the pigs tell them to and believe everything the pigs say without question. In today's world, if you were to call someone a sheep, you would be saying that they display similar qualities to the sheep in Animal Farm. With his allegorical use George Orwell is denouncing the actions of the communists and saying what he thinks of their philosophies and actions. With the sheep, he is saying that their general compliance and stupid acceptance allowed such a state to develop in Animal Farm. He is also saying that people who were similarly sheep like allowed the spread of communism in the 1950's and the rise of abusive totalitarian rulers during the same period in time.