Ali Diamond
Max Gray
English Comp. 102
May 6, 2013
The Hunger for Power and the Journey towards It
George Orwell’s Animal Farm was written during World War II and had received an ample amount of controversy for its allegorical anti-Russia literary depiction, when it was published in 1945, because of its negative portrayal of the Russians. The novel is about a group of animals that devise and execute a revolution over the humans that own the farm of which they live. The animals accomplish their goal of working for themselves and being rewarded properly for the amount of work that they do. As the story progresses, the farm becomes a place of brutal tyranny brought upon by some of their own kind, caused by the hunger for power. Orwell wrote Animal Farm after his experiences with Stalinism and totalitarianism during the Spanish Civil War. Orwell successfully portrayed his views of totalitarianism throughout the novel, which depicted major events that took place in the Soviet Union during the Stalin Era. Norman Pereira, writer of “Stalin and the Communist Party in the 1920s,” offers insight and a re-evaluation of the road to totalitarianism and Stalin’s role in the Russian Revolution, which provides a solid background for the historical context laid out in Animal Farm. Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto” also plays a part in lying out the foreground for the historical context referenced in this novel because it exemplifies the start of the Russian Revolution. Considering the history of Soviet Russia during the Russian Revolution, the ideas from the “Communist Manifesto” and the reign of Stalin over communist Russia are portrayed heavily throughout Orwell’s use of plot, characterization, and theme, which exemplifies the hunger for power as a key factor in the emergence of totalitarianism. The plot of Animal Farm relates heavily to the rise of Soviet Russia during the Russian Revolution, accompanied by the ideas of Marxism, the reign of Stalin, and all the groups and people involved, which pertains to Napoleon’s journey of his triumph into power. The novel opens with Old Major, “the prize Middle White Boar,” calling all of the animals together for a meeting, where he gives a speech about how the humans receive the award for the animals’ labor, ultimately bringing up the idea of a rebellion to overthrow the humans that own the farm of which they live. During his speech, Old Major stated, “There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up into a single word—Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever” (Orwell 7). Old Major saw a problem with the fact that the humans were receiving the rewards for the animals hard work, while the animals barely got enough food to stay strong and able to even do their work. He offered a solution to that problem and shared his ideas of a rebellion in order to get everyone involved and in favor of his ideas to take down the enemy. Old Major’s speech provided a foreground for the rebellion over the humans just like Karl Marx and Fredric Engle’s provided the foundations of Socialism and Communism as a foreground for the Russian Revolution when they published the “Manifesto of the Communist Party.” The Manifesto begins by addressing the issue of the separation of classes where Marx wrote, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles" (Marx 14). A main driving force for writing the manifesto was to bring about change in Russia’s capitalist economic system because Marx believed that a capitalist economy brought about class separation. The separation of classes is a huge part of the plot of Animal Farm because of the way this idea digresses and progresses throughout the novel. After Old Major passes away, the rebellion takes place and the animals overthrow the humans and take over the Farm. The animals finally become happy working for themselves because all animals are
“Animal Farm” Bibliography: Orwell, George. “Animal Farm.” New York: Penguin Books Ltd, 1989 Introduction and Summary: Animal farm is an animal fable with a deliberate purpose. It is very realistic about society and its politics. There are a number of conflicts in Animal Farm: the animals versus Mr. Jones, Snowball versus Napoleon, the common animals versus the pigs, Animal Farm versus the neighbouring humans, but all of them are expressions of the underlying tension between the oppressors…
Animal rights groups Aims Methods RSPCA -change laws to protect animals -improve welfare on farms, in the wild, in research labs and in homes and paddocks. -raise standards of care. Campaign, rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals, investigations and prosecutions. Through campaigning the RSPCA improve the welfare of our nation’s pets e.g. dog ownership, take action for the welfare of farm animals e.g. CCTV in slaughterhouses, protect the welfare of our wildlife e.g. the hunting act…
Indian born English writer Eric Blair’s (written name George Orwell) “Animal Farm” was written in 1946 and was aimed to be a satirical and allegorical comment on the Red October Soviet Revolution. The novella focused exclusively in the time frame of the Soviet Union from 1916 up until 1950 and the events that occurred within this period i.e. WWI, WWII and Soviet Union’s 5 year plan. Orwell had also wanted his book to be a critique on the corruption of power and the breakdown of ideals in the former…
Animal Fa Я m By George Orwell Name:___________________________ Animal Farm Reading and Writing Schedule Day Number Reading Writing One v-xii 1-5 Two 25-34 6-7 Three 35-44 8-9 Four 45-53 10-12 Five Catch Up 13 Six 54-60 14-15 Seven 61-72 16 Eight 73-83 17-19 Nine 84-97 20-21 Ten Catch Up 22 Eleven 98-113 23-25 Twelve 114-126 26 Thirteen 127-139 27-28 Fourteen xiii-xxiii…
Powerplay Prelim Assessment Task: Powerplay Essay Composed in response to, "Relationships at all levels involve complex powerplay". Detailed analysis of Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" (1606), Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" (2000) and George Orwell’s “Animal Farmâ€? (1945) “Powerplay” necessitates the multifaceted manipulation of power in public and private relationships to achieve pre-eminence. The interplay of power exists to stipulate the associated characters to stupendously struggle…
The Rugged RFID’s Self Operating Data Input and Recording in the Dairy Analysis Industry California prides itself with being the nation’s largest farming state. Currently California produces more than 250 commercial food and fiber commodities. Single handedly, the dairy industry has a substantial impact on California State’s economy. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), dairy farming is the largest agricultural commodity in California with producing $7 billion…
farming and organic food has been going strong for years now. When people think of organic food, they think of crops that were grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and crops that were not genetically altered. People think of organic meet as animals that were not given antibiotics, hormones or other chemicals; and were raised on a natural organic diet. While some people debate on whether or not the new way of organic farming is healthy, worth the price, or any better than conventional farming;…
Career choice: Veterinarian General Information Occupation description: Diagnose, treat, or research diseases and injuries of animals. Includes veterinarians who conduct research and development, inspect livestock, or care for pets and companion animals. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Knowledge: • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge…
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produce was within safety limits, the researchers reported Monday. Nor did the organic foods prove more nutritious. "I was absolutely surprised," said Dr. Dena Bravata, a senior research affiliate at Stanford and long-time internist who began the analysis because so many of her patients asked if they should switch. "There are many reasons why someone might choose organic foods over conventional foods," from environmental concerns to taste preferences, Bravata stressed. But when it comes to individual…