BACKGROUND
OF THE AUTHOR
George Orwell whose real name is Eric Arthur Blair was
born on the 25th of June 1903 and died on 21st January 1950. Orwell was a
novelist, political writer and journalist. His work is marked by lucid prose,
awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism and commitment to
democratic socialism.
Some of his notable works are; The Road to Wigan Pier
(1937), Homage to Catalonia (1938), animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty Four
(1949). In 2008, the Times ranked George Orwell second on a list of “the 50
greatest British writers since 1945.”
INTRODUCTION
Animal farm is a satirical fable set on Manor farm, a
typical English farm. Orwell employs a third person narrator who reports event
without commenting on them directly. The narrator describes things as the
animals perceive them.
Animal farm is used to portray the actual history of
Russian revolution and the rise of Stalin, it is more meaningfully an anatomy
of all political revolutionary ideals of justice, equality, and fraternity
shatter in the event. Orwell paints a picture of the political affairs of the
20th century as the time that marked the end of human freedom.
Animal farm is used to illustrate the failure of the
revolution. The novel is a series of dramatic repudiations of the seven
commandments, and a return to the tyranny and irresponsibility of the
beginning. The only change could be said to be in the identity of the masters,
(though with the same characters with the masters they revolted against), and
ironically, that will be only partially changed.
What brought about the writing of the satire fable,
Animal Farm, according to Orwell is that; “men exploit animals in much the same
way as the rich exploit the proletariat.”
ANIMAL FARM
Animal Farm begins with Old Major who shared his dream
of Animalism with the animals. He explains to them that the evil they face springs
from the tyranny of human being, adding that, getting rid of man could make the
produce of their labour theirs. He preached rebellion against human being as
their as their only way to freedom.
With this dream of Animalism, every animal wants to be
free, thus the hunger for revolution begins to rise in their minds. Sooner than
they had expected, the revolution has come and gone. The name of the farm was
changed from “Manor Farm” to “Animal Farm”. The principles of Animalism were
reduced to seven commandments. The commandments are;
·
Whatever goes upon two legs is an
enemy.
·
Whatever goes upon four legs, or
has wings, is a friend.
·
No animal shall wear clothes.
·
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
·
No animal shall drink alcohol.
·
No animal shall kill the other
animal.
·
All animals are equal.
Snowball and Napoleon assumes the leadership role with
Napoleon always antagonizing Snowball’s idea. Snowball brought the idea of
building a windmill which Napoleon objects. Snowball was about to win the other
animals to his side before Napoleon came with nine dogs and chase Snowball away
from the farm.
On the third Sunday after Snowball’s expulsion,
Napoleon had announced that the windmill was to be built after all. With the
commencement of the Windmill’s building, everything turns horribly wrong with
the animals doing more work than ever. They see how everything they ever worked
for, mainly freedom, has been turned to its side. Whenever the animals were
about to protest, they were being stopped with the threat of the return of Mr.
Jones. Since none of them wished for the return of Mr. Jones, they will keep
quiet, admitting that their labour is meant for themselves alone.
Years pass, most of the animals involved in the
rebellion have been forgotten. At every point in time, the seven commandments
are being altered and were later reduced to a single one; “ALL ANIMALS ARE
EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN THE OTHERS.”
The name “Animal Farm” is changed back to “Manor
Farm”. A deputation of neighboring farmers meets the pigs and tours the farm.
Toasting each other’s prosperity, pig and human alike proceed to play a game of
cards. Not quite long, there was uproar and differences could not be made
between pigs and man. Things were back the same they were.
COMMENTS
Immediately
the revolution took place, the ultimate corruption was presaged. “when they
raced back to the farm buildings to wipe out the last traces of Jones’ hated
reign……the reins, the halters, the blinkers, the degrading nosebags were thrown
unto the rubbish fire which was burning in the yard.” Pg 14
The ideals
of the revolution that were spelt out using the seven commandments were
perverted almost immediately. The pigs’ managerial role foreshadow the
perversion of the seventh commandment; “All Animals are equal”.
The freedom
they fought for could not be achieved, because anytime the animals decide to
react against anything said by Napoleon, they are either being stopped by the
nine dogs or the blabbing of the sheep’s; “four legs good, two legs bad”.
After
snowball has been expelled from the farm, any havoc that occurs in the farm is
being blamed on him.
Boxer the
strongest animal, who devoted his unceasing labour to the pigs, outlives his
usefulness and is being rewarded by being sent to the glue factory.
The rules
of Animalism have been broken, things have become the way they used to be, and
the essence of the revolution has become a waste. Two legs bad have now been
identified as the good ones.
The scene
that ends the novel illustrate the essential horror of the human condition,
there have been, are and always will pig be in every society, and they will
always grab for power. It is the human nature that will defeat them.
CONCLUSION
Animal Farm is the story of a revolution gone sour.
Animalism, Communism and Fascism are all illusions which are used by the pigs
as a means of satisfying their greed and lost for power. As Lord Acton wrote;
“power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” So long as the
animals cannot remember the past, because it is being continually altered, they
will have no control over the present and hence over the future.
The book does not end with the complete reconciliation
of the pigs and man. It was meant to show that argument existed between them
when they already thought they had reconciled. The good relations that they
were trying to build didn’t last long.
REFERENCE
George Orwell (1945), Animal
Farm. Ibadan: kaysho Educational Publishers Ltd. Revised Edition.
http://www.gradesaver.com/biography/george/orwell
http://www.theguardian.com/thepoliticsofanimalfarm
http://www.his.com/phe/fa
