Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Reading Response on Animal Farm by George Orwell

In the world, persuasion and influence is necessary in the pursuit of power.  George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm, is the story of a group of mistreated animals who revolt against their owner, Mr. Jones, and take over the farm.  Through the ability of the pigs, who become the ruling class, to exert influence over the other animals, it is made clear the power of persuasion on the vulnerable.
Early on in the story, the animals first agreed to the idea of rebelling against Mr. Jones because of the pig, old Major's influence on them.  Before his speech, old Major was already well respected on the farm and had stature that gave him authority over the other animals.  The book states that, "Old Major … 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."  Looking back on it, I find it very interesting that so early in the book the seeds of pigs being viewed with distinction are coming through.  Had one of the other animals gave a speech, I presume that they would be considered insane.  When oId Major does give his speech he gives the animals hope of freedom and utopian society.  In his speech, old Major states that " 'Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. AImost overnight we could become rich and free.' "  Old Major is speaking of a utopian world and persuading the animals by giving them hope.  At this point all the animals on the farm strongly believe in the ideas of the Rebellion, due to old Major's ability to persuade.  Old Major ends his speech with the singing of a song that he vaguely remembers from his childhood and recently rediscovered, The Beasts of England. The singing of the song represents the first use of propaganda in the book.  It is made clear early on in the story that in order to gain the support of the animals a strong influence is needed.
The pigs use different forms of influence to gain the animals' support both before and after the Rebellion.  After old Major died, his ideas were composed by three pigs, Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer, into the principles of Animalism.  The animals soon begin the teaching of these principles to all animals.  By spreading their ideas through education the pigs are able to force all of their teachings onto the animals, young and old, they normalize their ideas.  Particularly in the less intelligent animals, who don't think for themselves, the pigs gain easy support for the rebellion.  After the Rebellion occurs the animals throw materials that were used to maim, kill or harness the animals as well as clothing (the mark of man) were thrown either down the well or onto a fire.  When one horse, Mollie, asks to keep ribbons that go in her hair, Snowball states that " ‘Ribbons,’ he said, ‘should be considered as clothes, which are the mark of a human being. All animals should go naked.’ "  Mollie is the first, and one of the only, animals in the book to be dissatisfied with the farm under the rule of the animals.  But because of their superior intelligence, the pigs are able to govern the animals over what is and isn't allowed and gain the support of almost all of the animals.  Without their influence over the animals, the pigs would not have been able to effectively institutionalize their beliefs.
When the pigs become power hungry and their original prospects fall apart, they continue to exert their power through propaganda.  After its creation, the ideas of Animalism are reduced to seven commandments.  To compensate for some less intelligent animals', namely the sheep, inability to grasp the commandments, Snowball created the maxim, "Four legs good, two legs bad."  When Napoleon ends the tradition of Sunday-morning meetings in which all of the animals vote on questions concerning the farm and replaced it with a special committee of pigs, four young pigs protest but are drowned by the sheep's bleating of "Four legs good, two legs bad."  Every time these four pigs protest they are drowned out by the same bleating.  This form of propaganda not only increases support for Animalism, it also represses any protests the animals may have.  Napoleon realized that as he grew more powerful it was necessary to get rid of any thing that got in his way, this included both protests and Snowball, who Napoleon has chased off the farm.  As the pigs begin to break the original seven commandments, they write in changes to them.  The first of this is the commandment stating that "No animal shall sleep in a bed" being replaced by "No animal shall sleep in a bed with covers," when the pigs move into Mr. Jones' former house.  This is followed by the replacement of "No animal shall drink alcohol," with "No animal shall drink alcohol in excess" and many subsequent changes in the commandments.  When Napoleon realizes he wants more than what he originally wanted, he and the other pigs change the rules that the other animals so closely follow.  The destroying of the commandments signals the complete totalitarianism.  Towards the end of the story, the pigs walk on their hind legs and Squealer teaches the sheep to now bleat, "Four legs good, two legs better."  At the same time the seven commandments are replaced with "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."  By playing on the sheep's inability to think for themselves, the pigs are able to control all of the animals and subdue the animal's free will.  The pigs are able to have total authority by the end of the book by suppressing the previous ideas of autonomy.
In  Animal Farm, George Orwell makes it clear that to gain power, an ability to sway the opinions of a group of people, or in this case animals, is necessary.  This story which parallels the rise of the Soviet Union, is a message to many people around the world to not just do what their told but to think for themselves.  While the Soviet Union was in power, the government used different forms of propaganda to persuade its citizens to blindly follow their rules and ideas.  But around the world people achieve power by influencing others.  Everyday we see billboards and ads all over, which are all ways of influencing people to buy a product so the company can get economic power.  This book teaches readers to not accept what they're told and become independent people.

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ELI'S READING LIST

  • Into Thin Air by John Krakauer in January
  • Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang in December
  • Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell in December
  • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi in November
  • Animal Farm by George Orwell in November
  • The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick in November
  • Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire in October
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky in October
  • Crooked House by Agatha Christie in October
  • Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn in October
  • Nothing But the Truth by Avi in September
  • Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher in September
  • The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway in September