Keitria Washington Animal Farm George Orwell Reading Assignment #2 Ms.

Cadag November 2, 2009

Animal Farm is a dystopia novel; the book reflects the events that led up to the Stalin Era before World War 2. George Orwell was a critic of Joseph Stalin, and he had suspicions about the Moscow-directed Stalinism after his experience with NKVD during the Spanish Civil War. In this book Orwell addresses not only the corruption of the revolution by its leaders but also how wickedness, indifference, ignorance, greed and myopia destroy any possibility of a paradise. While this book portrays corrupt leadership as the flaw in revolution, it also shows how potential ignorance and indifference to problems within a revolution could allow horrors to happen if smooth transition to a people's government isn't satisfied. Old Major, the old boar on the Manor Farm calls all the other animals for a meeting. He was the leader of all the animals and all the animals respected him. When Old Major died 3 days after calling the meeting, 2 young pigs Snowball and Napoleon took over for him, they wanted to turn his dream into a philosophy. They came up with the 7 Commandments of Animalism. The most important one was the 7th that said all animals are equal. Snowball the pig attempts to teach the other animals to read and write. The pigs elevate themselves to positions of leadership, demonstrating their authority by setting aside special food items for their personal health. Meanwhile, Napoleon takes the pups from the farm dogs and trains them privately. So he could prepare them for the revolt against Mr. Jones they called the "Battle of the Cowshed." Napoleon and Snowball begin a power struggle for leadership. When Snowball announces his idea for a windmill, Napoleon quickly opposes it. Snowball makes a passionate speech in favor of the windmill, where Napoleon orders his nine dogs to chase Snowball away. In Snowball's absence, Napoleon declares himself leader and makes changes. Meetings will no longer be held and instead a committee of pigs will decide what happens to the farm; thus creating something resembling a bourgeoisie ruling class. Napoleon, using a young pig named Squealer as a mouthpiece, announces that Snowball stole the idea for the windmill from him. The animals work harder with the promise of easier lives with the windmill. After a violent storm, the animals find the fruit of their labor destroyed. Napoleon abuses his powers, so that life becomes harder for the animals; the pigs impose more controls while reserving privileges for themselves. Napoleon let the idea of the power go to his

head to the where he was breaking all the 7 commandments. He had squealer justify his action by changing the commandments to fit what he was doing. Mr.Federick was one of the neighbor farmers tricks Napoleon by buying lumber with forged money and then attacks the farm, using blasting powder to blow up the recently restored windmill. Though the animals of Animal Farm eventually win the battle, they do so at a great cost, as many of the animals including Boxer, are wounded. Squealer was mysteriously absent from the fight. Boxer continues to work harder and harder, until he finally collapses while working on the windmill. Napoleon sends for a van to take Boxer to the veterinarian, explaining to the worried animals that better care can be given there. However, Benjamin notices as Boxer is loaded up that the van really belongs to "Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler", and attempts to mount a rescue; but the animals' desperate attempts were unsuccessful and Boxer died. Many years pass, and the pigs learn to walk upright, carry whips and wear clothes. The Seven Commandments are reduced to a single phrase: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Napoleon holds a dinner party for the pigs and the humans of the area who congratulate Napoleon on having the hardest-working animals in the country on the least feed. Napoleon announces his alliance with the humans, against the laboring classes of both "worlds". He then abolishes practices and traditions related to the Revolution, and reverts the name of the farm to Manor Farm. The other animals notice during the poker game between the humans and the pigs that you couldnt tell the difference between the pigs and the humans, they exactly looked the same.