Animal Farm by George Orwell
The novel, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell and was published in 1946. The story is about a farm in England around the time of the Russian revolution. The animals on Manor Farm are irritated with the way they are being treated, so they start a revolution. The pigs, who were the smartest animals on the farm, took control of the farm while the other animals worked. Throughout the novel the pigs lie to the other animals and change the rules, of the farm to accommodate themselves.
George Orwell�s real name was Eric Blair. He was born in 1903. He went to school at Eton, and after service with the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, he returned to Europe to earn his living writing novels and essays. He was a political writer who wrote of his own times. He was a man of intense feelings and fierce hates. He hated cant and lying and cruelty in life and in literature. He was critical of communism but was himself a Socialist.
The setting for Animal Farm is Manor Farm in England during the time of the Russian revolution. The farm is enourmous. The farm has been enlarged by two fields bought from Mr. Pilkington, and various new buildings had been added.
One of the major characters in the novel, Animal Farm, is Nepoleon. Napoleon, after driving Snowball, another pig who was trying to take over the farm, off the farm, took over. Nepoleon says one thing, and does the other, takes other peoples ideas, and he is the biggest liar on the farm. Nepoleon took the freedom of the animals, that they had gained from the revolution, and twisted it so that now instead of being enslaved by the farmer, they were enslaved by him.
In the novel, Animal Farm, the animals speak with a Russian accent. For instance, the word "comrade" is used often. The pigs mostly use a Russian accent, but the other animals mainly use an American accent. Animal Farm is about a farm in England during the Russian revolution. The animals on Manor Farm are fed up with the way they are being treated. Inspired by a speech given to them by a late animal named Major, the animals revolt. The animals drive the owner off the farm and take over. The pigs who were the smartest animals took control, set up rules, and kept the farm together.
Throughout the years on the farm the pigs lie to the other animals about, if they work hard, all the luxuries they would receive. The years pasted and the animals worked harder and harder, but they never received their benefits. The pigs on the other hand did not work at all but lived in comfort. The pigs also lie to the animals and change the rules to accommodate themselves. For instance, in the beginning of the novel no animal was allowed to walk on two legs, drink alcohol, or sleep in human beds, because those were human luxuries and humans were considered evil.
After the pigs discovered the pleasures of these luxuries, then the rules were animals were not allowed to drink excessively, to sleep with sheets, and walking on two legs was better than walking on four. At the end of the story, one could not tell if the pigs were human or not.
One the themes of Animal Farm is Communism. Throughout the book the pigs who represent the communists, enslave the animals. They make them believe by working hard they will be rewarded, but they never got rewarded. Another theme could be selfishness. Throughout the novel the pigs have the animals do all the work and they take all the food. The pigs change the rules to accommodate themselves.
The moral consideration of Animal Farm is that power corrupts people. After the farmer was overthrown the pigs took power. After the power shift the pigs changed, they started to become more like the humans . They used beds and clothes, drank liquor, and made money. They went against everything they first said they stood for.
The novel, Animal Farm, expressed the concept of communism well. The writer uses the element of for shadowing in a way that, every time the pigs changed a rule or lied to the other animals, one could tell that they were becoming more and more like the humans, and eventually at the end of the story they practically did.