Work : Summaries & Interpretations : Animal

Farm

Index

Summary (below)

Symbolism / Interpretation

Summary

The story takes place on a farm somewhere in England. The

story is told by an all-knowing narrator in the third person.
The action of this novel starts when the oldest pig on the
farm, Old Major, calls all animals to a secret meeting. He tells them about his
dream of a revolution against the cruel Mr Jones. Three days later Major dies, but
the speech gives the more intelligent animals a new outlook on life. The pigs, who
are considered the most intelligent animals, instruct the other ones. During the
period of preparation two pigs distinguish themselves, Napoleon and Snowball.
Napoleon is big, and although he isn't a good speaker, he can assert himself.
Snowball is a better speaker, he has a lot of ideas and he is very vivid. Together
with another pig called Squealer, who is a very good speaker, they work out the
theory of "Animalism". The rebellion starts some months later, when Mr Jones
comes home drunk one night and forgets to feed the animals. They break out of the
barns and run to the house, where the food is stored. When Mr Jones sees this he
takes out his shotgun, but it is too late for him; all the animals fall over him and
drive him off the farm. The animals destroy all whips, nose rings, reins, and all
other instruments that have been used to suppress them. The same day the
animals celebrate their victory with an extra ration of food. The pigs make up the
seven commandments, and they write them above the door of the big barn. 
They run thus:

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings is a friend.
3. No animal shall wear clothes.
4. No animal shall sleep in a bed.
5. No animal shall drink alcohol.
6. No animal shall kill another animal.
7. All animals are equal.

The animals also agree that no animal shall ever enter the farmhouse, and that no
animal shall have contact with humans. This commandments are summarised in the
simple phrase: "Four legs good, two legs bad". After some time, Jones comes back
with some other men from the village to recapture the farm. The animals fight
bravely, and they manage to defend the farm. Snowball and Boxer receive medals
of honour for defending the farm so bravely. Also Napoleon, who had not fought at
all, takes a medal. This is the reason why the two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon,
often argue. When Snowball presents his idea to build a windmill, to produce
electricity for the other animals, Napoleon calls nine strong dogs. The dogs drive
Snowball from the farm, and Napoleon explains that Snowball was in fact co-
operating with Mr Jones. He also explains that Snowball in reality never had a
medal of honour, that Snowball was always trying to cover up that he was fighting
on the side of Mr Jones. The animals then start building the windmill, and as time
passes the working-time goes up, whereas the food rations decline. Although the
"common" animals have not enough food, the pigs grow fatter and fatter. They tell
the other animals that they need more food, for they are managing the whole farm.
Some time later, the pigs explain to the other animals that they have to trade with
the neighbouring farms. The common animals are very upset, because since the
revolution there has been a resolution that no animal shall trade with a human. But
the pigs ensure them that there never has been such a resolution, and that this
was an evil lie of Snowball. Shortly after this decision the pigs move to the
farmhouse. The other animals remember that there is a commandment that forbids
sleeping in beds, and so they go to the big barn to look at the commandments.
When they arrive there they can't believe their eyes, the fourth commandment has
been changed to: "No animal shall sleep in bed with sheets". And the other
commandments have also been changed: "No animal shall kill another animal
without reason", and "No animal shall drink alcohol in excess". Some months later a
heavy storm destroys the windmill, which is nearly finished. Napoleon accuses
Snowball of destroying the mill, and he promises a reward to the animal that gets
Snowball. The rebuilding of the mill takes two years. Again Jones attacks the farm,
and although the animals defend it, the windmill is once again destroyed. The pigs
decide to rebuild the mill again, and they cut down the food rations to a minimum.
One day Boxer breaks down. He is sold to a butcher, but Napoleon tells the pigs
that Boxer has been brought to a hospital where he has died. Three years later, the
mill is finally completed. During this time Napoleon deepens the relations with the
neighbouring farm, and one day Napoleon even invites the owners of this farm for
an inspection. They sit inside the farmhouse and celebrate the efficiency of his
farm, where the animals work very hard with a minimum of food. During this
celebration, all the other animals meet at the window of the farm, and when they
look inside they can't distinguish between man and animal.

Symbolism/Interpretation

The novel Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian revolution, and therefore full of
symbolism. Generally, Orwell associates certain real characters with the characters
of the book. Here is a list of the characters and things and their meaning:

Mr Jones: Mr Jones is one of Orwell's major (or at least most obvious) villain in
Animal Farm. Orwell says that at one time Jones was actually a decent master to
his animals. At this time the farm was thriving. But in recent years the farm had
fallen on harder times and the opportunity was seen to revolt. The world-wide
depression began in the United States when the stock market crashed in October of
1929. The depression spread throughout the world because American exports were
so dependent on Europe. The U.S. was also a major contributor to the world market
economy. Germany along with the rest of Europe was especially hard hit. The
parallels between crop failure of the farm and the depression in the 1930s are
clear. Only the leaders and the die-hard followers ate their fill during this time
period. Mr Jones symbolises (in addition to the evils of capitalism) Czar Nicholas II,
the leader before Stalin (Napoleon). Jones represents the old government, the last
of the Czars. Orwell suggests that Jones was losing his "edge". In fact, he and his
men had taken up the habit of drinking. Old Major reveals his feelings about Jones
and his administration when he says, "Man is the only creature that consumes
without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to
pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the
animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will
prevent them from starving and the rest he keeps for himself." So Jones and the
old government are successfully uprooted by the animals. Little do they know
history will repeat itself with Napoleon and the pigs.

Old Major: Old Major is the first major character described by Orwell in Animal
Farm. This "pure-bred" of pigs is the kind, grandfatherly philosopher of change - an
obvious metaphor for Karl Marx. Old Major proposes a solution to the animals’
desperate plight under the Jones "administration" when he inspires a rebellion of
sorts among the animals. Of course the actual time of the revolt is untold. It could
be the next day or several generations down the road. But Old Major's philosophy is
only an ideal. After his death, three days after the barn-yard speech, the socialism
he professes is drastically altered when Napoleon and the other pigs begin to
dominate. It's interesting that Orwell does not mention Napoleon or Snowball at
any time during the great speech of old Major. This shows how distant and out-of-
touch they really were; the ideals Old Major proclaimed seemed to not even have
been considered when they were establishing their new government after the
successful revolt. It almost seems as though the pigs fed off old Major's inspiration
and then used it to benefit themselves (an interesting twist of capitalism) instead of
following through on the old Major's honest proposal. This could be Orwell's attempt
to dig Stalin, whom many consider to be someone who totally ignored Marx's
political and social theory. Using Old Major's apparent naivety, Orwell concludes
that no society is perfect, no pure socialist civilisation can exist, and there is no way
to escaping the evil grasp of capitalism. (More on this in the Napoleon section.)
Unfortunately, when Napoleon and Squealer take over, old Major becomes more
and more a distant fragment of the past in the minds of the farm animals.

Napoleon: Napoleon is Orwell's chief villain in Animal Farm. The name Napoleon is

very appropriate since Napoleon, the dictator of France, was thought by many to be
the Anti-Christ. Napoleon, the pig, is really the central character on the farm.
Obviously a metaphor for Stalin, Comrade Napoleon represents the human frailties
of any revolution. Orwell believed that although socialism is good as an ideal, it can
never be successfully adopted due the to uncontrollable sins of human nature. For
example, although Napoleon seems at first to be a good leader, he is eventually
overcome by greed and soon becomes power-hungry. Of course, Stalin did, too, in
Russia, leaving the original equality of socialism behind, giving himself all the power
and living in luxury while the common peasant suffered. Thus, while his national
and international status blossomed, the welfare of Russia remained unchanged.
Orwell explains, "Somehow it seemed as though the farm had grown richer without
making the animals themselves any richer--except, of course for the pigs and the
dogs." The true side of Napoleon becomes evident after he slaughters so many
animals for plotting against him. He even hires a pig to sample his food for him to
make certain that no one is trying to poison him. Stalin, too, was a cruel dictator in
Russia. After suspecting many people in his empire to be supporters of Trotsky
(Orwell's Snowball), Stalin systematically murdered many. At the end of the book,
Napoleon doesn't even pretend to lead a socialist state. After renaming it a Republic
and instituting his own version of the commandments and the Beasts of England,
Comrade Napoleon quickly becomes more or less a dictator who of course has
never even been elected by the animals.

Squealer: Squealer is an intriguing character in Orwell's Animal Farm. He's first

described as a manipulator and persuader. Orwell narrates, "He could turn black
into white." Many critics correlate Squealer with the Pravda, the Russian newspaper
of the 1930s. Propaganda was a key to many publications, and since there was no
television or radio, the newspaper was the primary source of media information. So
the monopoly of the Pravda was seized by Stalin and his new Bolshevik regime. In
Animal Farm, Squealer, like the newspaper, is the link between Napoleon and other
animals. When Squealer masks the evil intentions of the pigs, the intentions can be
carried out with little resistance and without political disarray. Squealer is also
thought by some to represent Goebbels, who was the minister of propaganda for
Germany. This would seem inconsistent with Orwell's satire, however, which was
supposed to metaphor characters in Russia.

Snowball: Orwell describes Snowball as a pig very similar to Napoleon at least in

the early stages. Both pigs wanted a leadership position in the "new" economic and
political system (which is actually contradictory to the whole supposed system of
equality). But as time passes, both eventually realise that one of them will have to
step down. Orwell says that the two were always arguing. "Snowball and Napoleon
were by far the most active in the debates. But it was noticed that these two were
never in agreement: whatever suggestion either of them made, the other could be
counted to oppose it." Later, Orwell makes the case stronger. "These two disagreed
at every point disagreement was possible." Soon the differences, like whether or
not to build a windmill, become too great to deal with, so Napoleon decides that
Snowball must be eliminated. It might seem that this was a spontaneous reaction,
but a careful look tells otherwise. Napoleon was setting the stage for his own
domination long before he really began "dishing it out" to Snowball. For example,
he took the puppies away from their mothers in an effort to establish a private
police force. These dogs would later be used to eliminate Snowball, his arch-rival.
Snowball represents Leo Dawidowitsch Trotsky, the arch-rival of Stalin in Russia.
The parallels between Trotsky and Snowball are uncanny. Trotsky too, was exiled,
not from the farm, but to Mexico, where he spoke out against Stalin. Stalin was
very weary of Trotsky and feared that Trotsky supporters might try to assassinate
him. The dictator of Russia tried hard to kill Trotsky, for the fear of losing
leadership was very great in the crazy man's mind. Trotsky also believed in
communism, but he thought he could run Russia better than Stalin. Trotsky was
murdered in Mexico by the Russian internal police, the NKVD - the precursor of the
KGB. Trotsky was found with a pick axe in his head at his villa in Mexico.
Boxer: The name Boxer is cleverly used by Orwell as a metaphor for the Boxer
Rebellion in China in the early twentieth century. It was this rebellion which
signalled the beginning of communism in red China. This form of communism,
much like the distorted Stalin view of socialism, is still present today in the
oppressive socialist government in China. Boxer and Clover are used by Orwell to
represent the proletariat, or unskilled labour class in Russian society. This lower
class is naturally drawn to Stalin (Napoleon) because it seems as though they will
benefit most from his new system. Since Boxer and the other low animals are not
accustomed to the "good life," they can't really compare Napoleon's government
with the life they had before under the czars (Jones). Also, since usually the lowest
class has the lowest intelligence, it is not difficult to persuade them into thinking
they are getting a good deal. The proletariat is also quite good at convincing
themselves that communism is a good idea. Orwell supports this contention when
he narrates, "Their most faithful disciples were the two carthorses, Boxer and
Clover. Those two had great difficulty in thinking anything out for themselves, but
having once accepted the pigs as their teachers, they absorbed everything that
they were told, and passed it on to the other animals by simple arguments." Later,
the importance of the proletariat is shown when Boxer suddenly falls and there is
suddenly a drastic decrease in work productivity. But still he is taken for granted by
the pigs, who send him away in a glue truck. Truly Boxer is the biggest poster-child
for gullibility.

Pigs: Orwell uses the pigs to surround and support Napoleon. They symbolise the
communist party loyalists and the friends of Stalin, as well as perhaps the Duma, or
Russian parliament. The pigs, unlike other animals, live in luxury and enjoy the
benefits of the society they help to control. The inequality and true hypocrisy of
communism is expressed here by Orwell, who criticised Marx's oversimplified view
of a socialist, "utopian" society. Obviously, George Orwell doesn't believe such a
society can exist. Toward the end of the book, Orwell emphasises, "Somehow it
seemed as though the farm had grown richer without making the animals
themselves any richer except, of course, the pigs and the dogs."

Dogs: Orwell uses the dogs in his book, Animal Farm, to represent the KGB or
perhaps more accurately, the bodyguards of Stalin. The dogs are the arch-
defenders of Napoleon and the pigs, and although they don't speak, they are
definitely a force the other animals have to reckon with. Orwell almost speaks of
the dogs as mindless robots, so dedicated to Napoleon that they can't really speak
for themselves. This contention is supported as Orwell describes Napoleon's early
and suspicious removal of six puppies from their mother. The reader is left in the
dark for a while, but is later enlightened when Orwell describes the chase of
Snowball. Napoleon uses his "secret dogs" for the first time here; before Snowball
has a chance to stand up and give a counter-argument to Napoleon's disapproval of
the windmill, the dogs viciously attack the pig, forcing him to flee, never to return
again. Orwell narrates, "Silent and terrified, the animals crept back into the barn.
In a moment the dogs came bounding back. At first no one had been able to
imagine where these creatures came from, but the problem was soon solved: they
were the puppies whom Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared
privately. Though not yet full-grown, they were huge dogs, and as fierce-looking as
wolves. They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that they wagged their tails to
him in the same way as the other dogs had been used to do to Mr Jones." The use
of the dogs begins the evil use of force which helps Napoleon maintain power.
Later, the dogs do even more dastardly things when they are instructed to kill the
animals labelled "disloyal." Stalin, too, had his own special force of "helpers". Really
there are followers loyal to any politician or government leader, but Stalin in
particular needed a special police force to eliminate his opponents. This is how
Trotsky was killed.

Mollie: Mollie is one of Orwell's minor characters, but she represents something

very important. Mollie is one of the animals who is most opposed to the new
government under Napoleon. She doesn't care much about the politics of the whole
situation; she just wants to tie her hair with ribbons and eat sugar, things her social
status won't allow. Many animals consider her a traitor when she is seen being
petted by a human from a neighbouring farm. Soon Mollie is confronted by the
"dedicated" animals, and she quietly leaves the farm. Mollie characterises the
typical middle-class skilled worker who suffers from this new communism concept.
No longer will she get her sugar (nice salary) because she is now just as low as the
other animals, like Boxer and Clover. Orwell uses Mollie to characterise the people
after any rebellion who aren't too receptive to new leaders and new economics.
There are always those resistant to change. This continues to dispel the belief
Orwell hated and according to which basically all animals act the same. The naivety
of Marxism is criticised, socialism is not perfect, and it doesn't work for everyone.

Moses: Moses is perhaps Orwell's most intriguing character in Animal Farm. This

raven, first described as the "especial pet" of Mr Jones, is the only animal who
doesn't work. He's also the only character who doesn't listen to Old Major's speech
of rebellion. Orwell narrates, "The pigs had an even harder struggle to counteract
the lies put about by Moses, the tame raven. Moses, who was Mr Jones's especial
pet, was a spy and a tale-bearer, but he was also a clever talker. He claimed to
know of the existence of a mysterious country called Sugarcandy Mountain, to
which all animals went when they died. It was situated somewhere up in the sky, a
little distance beyond the clouds, Moses said. In Sugarcandy Mountain it was
Sunday seven days a week, clover was in season all the year round, and lump
sugar and linseed cake grew on the hedges. The animals hated Moses because he
told tales and did no work but some of them believed in Sugarcandy Mountain, and
the pigs had to argue very hard to persuade them that there was no such place."
Moses represents Orwell's view of the Church. To Orwell, the Church is just used as
a tool by dictatorships to keep the working class of people hopeful and productive.
Orwell uses Moses to criticize Marx's belief that the Church will just go away after
the rebellion. Jones first used Moses to keep the animals working, and he was
successful in many ways before the rebellion. The pigs had a real hard time getting
rid of Moses, since the lies about Heaven they thought would only lead the animals
away from the equality of socialism. But as the pigs led by Napoleon become more
and more like Mr Jones, Moses finds his place again. After being away for several
years, he suddenly returns and picks up right where he left off. The pigs don't mind
this time because the animals have already realised that the "equality" of the revolt
is a farce. So Napoleon feeds Moses with beer, and the full circle is complete.
Orwell seems to offer a very cynical and harsh view of the Church. This proves that
Animal Farm is not simply an anti-communist work meant to lead people into
capitalism and Christianity. Really Orwell found loop-holes and much hypocrisy in
both systems. It's interesting that recently in Russia the government has begun to
allow and support religion again. It almost seems that like the pigs, the Kremlin
officials of today are trying to keep their people motivated, not in the ideology of
communism, but in the "old-fashioned" hope of an after-life.

Muriel: Muriel is a knowledgeable goat who reads the commandments for Clover.

Muriel represents the minority of working class people who are educated enough to
decide things for themselves and find critical and hypocritical problems with their
leaders. Unfortunately for the other animals, Muriel is not charismatic or inspired
enough to take action and oppose Napoleon and his pigs.

Old Benjamin: Old Benjamin, an elderly donkey, is one of Orwell's most elusive and
intriguing characters on Animal Farm. He is described as rather unchanged since
the rebellion. He still does his work the same way, never becoming too excited or
too disappointed about anything that has passed. Benjamin explains, "Donkeys live
a long time. None of you has ever seen a dead donkey." Although there is no clear
metaphoric relationship between Benjamin and Orwell's critique of communism, it
makes sense that during any rebellion there are those who never totally embrace
the revolution, those so cynical they no longer look to their leaders for help.
Benjamin symbolises the older generation, the critics of any new rebellion. Really
this old donkey is the only animal who seems as though he couldn't care less about
Napoleon and Animal Farm. It's almost as if he can see into the future, knowing
that the revolt is only a temporary change, and will flop in the end. Benjamin is the
only animal who doesn't seem to have expected anything positive from the
revolution. He almost seems on a whole different maturity level compared with the
other animals. He is not sucked in by Napoleon's propaganda like the others. The
only time he seems to care about the others at all is when Boxer is carried off in
the glue truck. It's almost as if the old donkey finally comes out of his shell, his
perfectly fitted demeanour, when he tries to warn the others of Boxer's fate. And
the animals do try to rescue Boxer, but it's too late. Benjamin seems to be finally
confronting Napoleon and revealing his knowledge of the pigs' hypocrisy, although
before he had been completely independent. After the animals have forgotten Jones
and their past lives, Benjamin still remembers everything. Orwell states, "Only old
Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that
things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse; hunger,
hardship, and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life."

Rats & Rabbits: The rats and the rabbits, who are regarded as wild animals,
somehow represent the socialist movement, the so-called "Menscheviki". In the
very beginning of the book the animals vote if rats and rabbits should be comrades.

Pigeons: The pigeons symbolise Soviet propaganda, not to Russia, but to other

countries, like Germany, England, France, and even the United States. Russia had
created an iron curtain even before WWII. The Communist government raved about
its achievements and its advanced technology, but it never allowed experts or
scientists from outside the country to check on its validity. Orwell mentions the fact
that the other farmers became suspicious and worried when their animals began to
sing Beasts of England. Many Western governments have had similar problems with
their people in this century. There was a huge "Red Scare" in the United States in
the 1920s. In the 1950s in the United States, Joseph McCarthy was a legislative
member of the government from Wisconsin. He accused hundreds of people of
supporting the communist regime, from famous actors in Hollywood to middle-class
ordinary people. The fear of communism became a phobia in America and anyone
speaking out against the government was a suspect.

Farm buildings: The farm stands for the Kremlin. In the early days of the USSR
there were sightseeing tours through the Kremlin. Later it became the residence of
Stalin.

Windmill: The Windmill for example stands for the Russian industry, that has been
built by the working-class. (Clover...)

Fredericks: Stands for Hitler. There has also been an arrangement and secret deals.
(Allusion to Fritz.)

Foxwood: Foxwood farm represents England.

Pinchfield: Pinchfield symbolises Germany.

Destruction of the Windmill: This destruction is a symbol for the failure of the Five
Year Plan.

Welcome to George
Orwell's Animal Farm
With lessons for today
Overview
George Orwell's Animal Farm is a short, easily readable story with valuable
lessons about how political and governmental organizations often work.
Orwell wrote it as a parable about the Russian Revolution, as an example
of how a revolutionary government could be worse than its monarchist
predecessor, but it also could apply to many political organizations, labor
unions, and the like. The key lesson is that the organization's bosses often
manipulate the organization for their own benefit, and end up being as
bad, if not worse, than the real or imaginary evils from which they are
protecting their followers.

 Synopsis of Animal Farm
  Propaganda; educating and conditioning the organization's sheep.
 The problem with Handgun Control Incorporated. Niccolò
Machiavelli warned us against people like this.
 Kweisi Mfume and the NAACP as useful idiots for the Ku Klux Klan
 Senator Dianne Feinstein, gun control "pig" from California.
 Labor union bosses and their relationship with Bill Clinton

Synopsis
The farm animals who inhabit the Manor Farm are mistreated and abused
by Farmer Jones. The animals rebel, expel Jones, and take over the farm,
which they rename Animal Farm. Soon, however, the pigs (who represent
the party bosses) begin to take special privileges for themselves, e.g. extra
food. They enlist the farm's dogs as enforcers to put down any dissent,
and they teach the sheep (rank and file) to speak the party line on
demand. At first, this is, "Four legs good, two legs bad"- animals (four legs)
are good, humans (exploiters) are bad.

As time passes, the Seven Commandments (Animal Farm's Constitution)

undergoes subtle changes as the pigs rewrite it to suit their own agenda.
When Boxer the horse (symbolizing blue-collar labor, the "workers,")
becomes too old to work, the pigs sell him to the horse butcher, whom
they tell the other animals is really the veterinarian. The pigs eventually
learn to walk on two legs, thus imitating the animals' original exploiters,
and they teach the sheep to bleat, "Four legs good, two legs better!" The
Seven Commandments become one: "All animals are equal, but some
animals are more equal than others." The pigs rename Animal Farm the
Manor Farm- its original name- and invite the neighboring human farmers,
who symbolize the elite class against whom the animals revolted, to
admire the results: "...the lower animals on Animal Farm did more work
and received less food than any animals in the county." As the story ends,
the pigs become indistinguishable from their human visitors.

Click images for sound effects

 "Comrades!" [Squealer the pig] cried. "You
do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are
"Four legs good, two legs
doing this in a privilege of selfishness and
baaad! Four legs good, two privilege. Many of us actually dislike milk
legs baaad!" and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole
object in taking these things is to preserve
[Caution: sound is 340K (long our health. Milk and apples (this has been
download), but it gives a really proved by Science, comrades) contain
good idea of what political "sheep" substances absolutely necessary to the well-
sound like. The other sheep .wav is being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers.
only 28K- short and to the point] 
The whole managment and organisation of
 
the farm depend on us. Day and night
Pictures from CorelGallery  we are watching over your welfare.
Sound from Holy Cow! graphics
collection
It is for your sake that we drink that
milk and eat those apples. Do you
know what would happen if we failed in our
duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones
would come back! Surely, comrades," cried
Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from
side to side and whisking his tail, "surely
there is no one among you who
wants to see Jones come back?"

"All propaganda Goebbels' and Hitler's ideal audience: 

has to be
popular and has
to adapt its
spiritual level to
the perception
of the least
intelligent of
those towards
whom it intends
to direct itself."
-Adolf Hitler, Mein
Kampf ("My
Struggle"), Vol. I

"...there was no
"Four legs good, two legs baaad! Four legs good,
point in seeking
two legs baaad!"
to convert the
intellectuals. For
intellectuals
would never be
converted and
would anyway
always yield to
the stronger,
'and this will
always be the
man in the
street.'
Arguments must
therefore be
crude, clear and
forcible, and
appeal to
emotions and
instincts, not the
intellect. Truth
was
unimportant and
entirely
subordinate to
tactics and
psychology...
Hatred and
contempt must
be directed at
particular
individuals."
-H. Trevor-Roper
(ed), The Goebbels
Diaries, p. XX, cited
in Regan, Geoffrey.
1987. Great Military
Disasters. New York:
M. Evans and
Company.

The Seven The Seven Commandments,

Commandments, after the pigs' "revisions"
Animal Farm's
1. "Four legs good, two
original Constitution legs better!"
2. No animal shall sleep in a
1. Whatever goes on bed with sheets.
two legs is an enemy. 3. No animal shall drink alcohol to
2. Whatever goes on excess.
four legs, or has 4. No animal shall kill any other
wings, is a friend. animal without cause.
3. No animal shall wear 5. All animals are equal, but some
clothes. animals are more equal than
4. No animal shall sleep others.
in a bed.
Bill Clinton on #2-#4: "I guess that depends on
5. No animal shall drink
what you mean by 'with sheets,' 'to excess,' and
alcohol.
'without cause.'" 
6. No animal shall kill
any other animal. Now imagine the U.S. Constitution after Bill
7. All animals are equal. Clinton gets done "revising" it... e.g. HUD's
censorship of people who opposed public
housing in their neighborhoods. "I guess that
depends on what you mean by 'freedom of
speech.'"
The Problem with Handgun Control, Inc. and Similar Organizations
Key lesson: beware of the professional political activist who promises to
"save" you from gun violence, global warming, the bogeyman, and similar
real or imaginary enemies. 
 

 "As to private discords among your Why Handgun Control

soldiers, the only remedy is to expose
them all to some sort of danger; for in Incorporated will not stop
such cases, fear generally unites them." until they have taken away
-Niccolò Machiavelli, The Art of War every American's right to
o "Surely, comrades," cried
Squealer almost pleadingly, own firearms- or until they
skipping from side to side and are stopped.
whisking his tail, "surely there is
no one among you who wants to
see Jones come back?"  HCI's leaders, having
o "If the Jew did not exist, we made "handgun"
would have to invent him." -Adolf control their cause-
Hitler (or one of his crew, I forget their livelihood and
which)
 Machiavelli also warns in The Art of
their profession-
War that no person should be allowed to cannot stop when
make war his only occupation, for it is they achieve gun
then in his interest to create war and controls they
prevent peace. "...surely no one can be
consider
called a good man who, in order to
support himself, takes up a profession "reasonable." "Victo
that obliges him at all times to be ry" would destroy
rapacious, fraudulent, and cruel..." their livelihood, so
o This applied in an era when a they would have to
soldier's regular pay (if any) had
to be supplemented by plunder.
find a new cause,
o Booker T. Washington wrote, like long firearms
"There is a class of colored people (rifles and
who make a business of keeping shotguns).
the troubles, the wrongs and the
Machiavelli (see
hardships of the Negro race
before the public. Having learned left) warned us
that they are able to make a living about people like
out of their troubles, they have this.
grown into the settled habit of  In contrast, the
advertising their wrongs -- partly
because they want sympathy and National Rifle
partly because it pays. Some of Association existed
these people do not want the long before
Negro to lose his grievances, professional
because they do not want to lose
their jobs." See the section
activists and
opportunists made
 on Kweisi Mfume and the NAACP, gun control an
below. issue. It existed for
o Tort lawyers are an example of a
profession that relies upon war, the constructive
or its moral equivalent, for its purpose of
livelihood. Hence the series promoting the
of frivolous and abusive lawsuits shooting sports,
against firearm manufacturers for
the acts of criminals.
firearm instruction,
 But there are some and safe firearm
situations, e.g. flagrant handling.
disregard for consumer
safety (for example, cars
that explode due to
defects of which the
manufacturer was aware)
in which tort lawyers
have a legitimate and
constructive role. The
problem is, there are too
few legitimate cases to
support all of them.

Kweisi Mfume, Useful Idiot for the Ku Klux Klan?

In his eagerness to blame firearm manufacturers for violence in Black
neighborhoods, Mfune allows himself to practically quote the white
supremacist party line on "Blacks and violence." Mfune also forgets that
white supremacists enacted gun control laws to disarm Black people (so
they couldn't defend themselves against Klan violence, "night riders," and
the like.) Even the buzz word "Saturday Night Special" has a very ugly,
racist, origin.

Kweisi Mfume, "Pig" (NAACP party boss) Mfune's "farmer" (the

President & CEO enemies against whom Mfune claims to protect his
of the National followers) counterparts say,
Association for
 "When you look at the fact that at only 12% of the
the
population, blacks account for 64% of violent
Advancement of crime and they are expected to dramatically
Colored increase, we can only assume that we are indeed in
Peoplelaunches for far more serious and troubled time then we can
imagine." KKK District 9 (found by Alta Vista search on
a lawsuit against url:kukluxklan.org and "Blacks" and "guns")
gun   from http://www.webnexus.com/users/pactive/librar
y/racial.txt, says,  "An article in Virginia's official
manufacturers
with the words, university law review called for a "prohibitive tax...on
the privilege" of selling handguns as a way of
(excerpted, full
disarming "the son of Ham", whose "cowardly
text is at the practice of `toting' guns has been one of the
above link, most fruitful sources of crime....Let a negro
emphasis is board a railroad train with a quart of mean
mine), whiskey and a pistol in his grip and the
chances are that there will be a murder, or
"Easily available at least a row, before he alights."  [Comment,
handguns are being Carrying Concealed Weapons, 15 Va L. Reg. 391, 391-
used to turn many 92 (1909); George Mason University Civil Rights Law
of our communities Journal, Vol. 2, No. 1, "Gun Control and Racism,"
into war zones," said Stefan Tahmassebi, 1991, p. 75]  Thus, many Southern
States imposed high taxes or banned inexpensive guns
Mfume. "The fact
so as to price blacks and poor whites out of the gun
that the illegal market."
 From today's Triple K again: "Negro rappers such as
trafficking of
IceT who gave us the song "Cop Killer" are elevated to
firearms hero status and the inner city dwellers are all to
disproportionate eager to live up to the songs [sic] message."
ly affects As you can see, the Ku Klux Klanspeople kant spel too
good... but you can see where they're coming from.
minority (found by Alta Vista search on url:kukluxklan.org and
communities in "Blacks" and "guns")
this country is
indisputable.Urba Again
n communities have from http://www.webnexus.com/users/pactive/librar
sadly become so y/racial.txt :the law was passed in Tennessee in 1870.
accustomed to the "In the first legislative session in which they gained
prevalence of control, white supremacists passed "An Act to
firearms in their Preserve the Peace and Prevent Homicide," which
neighborhoods that banned the sale of all handguns except the expensive
they are no longer "Army and Navy model handgun" which whites
shocked at the already owned or could afford to buy, and blacks
sound of gunfire."  could not. ("Gun Control:  White Man's Law," William
R. Tonso, Reason, December 1985)  Upheld in
 According to a Andrews v. State, 50 Tenn. (3 Heisk.)165, 172 (1871)
1998 National
(GMU CR LJ, p. 74) ... As B. Bruce-Briggs has written in
Vital Statistics
Report, African the Public Interest, `It is difficult to escape the
American males conclusion that the `Saturday Night Special' is
between the ages emphasized because it is cheap and being sold to a
of 15-24 are
particular class of people. The name is sufficient
almost five times
more likely to be evidence -- the reference is to `n****rtown
injured by firearms Saturday night.'"
than white males
in the same age Mfune: "Firearm homicide has been the
group. Black leading cause of death among young African
females in that American males for nearly 30 years."
category are
almost four times
[Farmer Pilkington said] "Between pigs and
more likely to be
injured by firearms human beings there was not, and there need
than white not be, any clash of interests whatever. Their
females. Firearm struggles and their difficulties were one.
homicide has Was not the labour problem the same
been the leading everywhere?" In this case, the "labour problem"
cause of death refers to the NAACP's and the Ku Klux Klan's
rank-and-file members.
among young
African
American males
for nearly 30
years.

Booker T.
Washington war
ned,

"There is a class
of colored
people who
make a business
of keeping the
troubles, the
wrongs and the
hardships of the
Negro race
before the
public. Having
learned that
they are able to
make a living out
of their troubles,
they have grown
into the settled
habit of
advertising their
wrongs -- partly
because they
want sympathy
and partly
because it
pays. Some of
these people do
not want the
Negro to lose his
grievances,
because they do
not want to lose
their jobs."

"Do you know

what would
happen if we
failed in our
duty? Jones
would come
back! Yes, Jones
would come
back! Surely,
comrades," cried
Squealer almost
pleadingly,
skipping from
side to side and
whisking his tail,
"surely there is
no one among
you who wants
to see Jones
come back?"
Senator Dianne Feinstein, Gun Control "Pig" from California
Next we come to staunch Meanwhile, she has taught her
antigun Senator Dianne constituents to bleat, 
Feinstein (Fine Swine?), D-CA, who
wants laws that would force all
Americans to surrender their
firearms- but she has a permit to
carry a handgun for self-
protection. A permit that she
doubtlessly got because of her
influential position. Her
justification is doubtlessly,

"Handgun Control, Inc. good,

National Rifle Association baaad!
Handgun Control, Inc. good,
National Rifle Association
baaad!"

"Day and night we are watching

over your welfare. It is for your
sake that we drink that milk and
eat those apples." 
  
  
  
  
  
 

Washington Post columnist Carl

"Warning Shot" Rowan and
Senator Ted "Machine Gun"
Kennedy are two other antigun
"pigs." That is, they want one set
of rules for themselves (they can
 own guns, even in violation of
local laws) and another for
everyone else.

Bill Clinton and Labor Union Bosses

Now consider a fairly recent strike in which union workers, the rank-and-
file Joe and Jane Bluecollars, got $50 a week in strike benefits. The union
bosses continued to collect their six-figure salaries while calling any
worker who crossed the picket line a scab. "It is for your sake that we
drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if
we failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come
back!"

Unions also [Mr.

misappropriate portions
of their members' dues
and give them to political
parties, usually the
Democratic National
Committee, without their
members' consent. We
can easily wonder who is
worse- the company Pilkington, speaking genially to Napoleon, Animal
managers who Farm's head pig] "If you have your lower animals to
contend with, we have our lower classes!"
supposedly exploit the
Pilkington, a farmer, symbolizes the ruling elite, the
workers, or the union same class symbolized by the deposed Jones.
bosses themselves. The
conclusion of Orwell's
book suggests that there
might not be any real
difference:

"No question, now, what

had happened to the
faces of the pigs. The
creatures outside looked
from pig to man, and
 from man to pig, and
from pig to man again;
but already it was
impossible to say which
was which."

Finally, the
union bosses tell
the rank and file
to vote for
individuals like
Bill Clinton to
whom they've
given the union
members'
money (without
their consent).
The bosses want "Four legs good, two legs better! Four legs good,
their members two legs better!"
to bleat...

"No question, now, what had happened to the faces of

the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man,
and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but
already it was impossible to say which was which."
-George Orwell, the conclusion of Animal Farm