In the novel “Animal Farm”, author George Orwell uses many real life comparison to his characters, one of the most obvious of these is Old Major and his real life counterpart, Karl Marx. Old Major and Karl Marx both had ideas that could benefit people and both thought that people (animals) should live freely, and under their own rule. They were both highly respected leaders in where they lived, “Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour’s sleep in order to hear what he had to say” (pg 1). And they were both opposed to the higher up power that would oppress their independence and freedom. The problem with their ideas for a Utopian Society was that they would have to leave it to other people to run after they die, the people that would end up having it would turn out to not be the most honest people.
Orwell was very displeased with the ideas of the Soviet Society, And thus the comparison between all the people in Animal farm and the Soviet UnionOld Major’s dream was an idealistic view on a Utopian society that could be achieved by overthrowing an oppressive, tyrannical regime. Same goes for Karl Marx and his communist manifesto, urging people to overthrow the government ran by the Tsar Nicholas the Second. At the time the Communist manifesto was written, Karl Marx was very well known for his knowledge and his philosophies.
As it says in the book, Old Major is “highly respected” (pg 2) by the other animals on the farm. In both the communist manifesto and Old major’s dream, the people (animals) are suggested to live under their own free will, same goes for the animals who was suggested to live freely in his speech in “the big barn” (page 4).Old Major would go on to die only “three nights later” (pg 15). Another aspect that parallels the two men and their writing, neither would get to see it played out, with Marx dying years before the start of the Russian revolution. In the novel, Orwell showed propaganda through the character Squealer. Squealer is a very good speaker speaker and As Napoleon’s companion, Squealer puts himself above the other creatures. Although Squealer is often able to persuade the other animals that whenever the commandments are violated by the pigs, they are violating them for the good of the farm and the integrity of “Animalism”. Also during the story the sheep are displayed as stupid, and dumb animals, they are able to memorizing chants and slogans like “Four legs good, two legs bad.
” Eventually the sheep had developed the idea to start charging this slogan everywhere around the farm, wide spreading the message that was conveyed to them through propaganda. Presenting the propaganda method “Repetition”.The animals in the book “Animal Farm” hoped to achieve a better quality of life, freedom and individuality, in result of the revolution. This was achieved at the beginning of the revolution, which made it a success, but in the end the revolution was a failure.The farm, in many ways, was very prosperous when the revolution began. The animals were given an education, “the reading and writing classes were however a great success,” which made them feel equal to the humans because they were now learning in the same way the humans did. Singing would unified the animals. Even when animals were receiving no orders,The animals quality of life, did also improve for a little while.
They were able to be their own bosses, ” no more Jones,” and worked for themselves. This all went very well for a while, but the revolution had a major downfall. The animal’s freedom and individuality was slowlybeing taken away. Napoleon took the dogs freedom away and obey him only. The animals also began to have no freedom of speech, which shows us that the farm was no longer run by all the animals but only by the pigs, anything they say was right and the animals were not allowed to argue. The animals now all had to be the same, which in a werid way could be taken as equality, but it was taken to the extreme.
The animals had to call each other, “comrade,” and they weren’t allowed to stick out at all. In the soviet union, the vision fell short because of the men that were put into power. Joseph Stalin who had won the power struggle, was slowley slipping the rights away from the citizens of the Soviet Union. According to the author, George Orwell, the fall of communism happened because of the greed from the men who were asked to run it. The flaws were such in both Animalism, and Communism that the men were greedy and tyranical leaders who would strip away the rights from all of their citizens claiming that it was for the good of the country.
