The novel Animal Farm, written by Eric Blair under the pseudonym George Orwell, is a novel written as an allegory (a story with a double meaning) on the Russian Revolution

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The novel Animal Farm, written by Eric Blair under the pseudonym George Orwell, is a novel written as an allegory (a story with a double meaning) on the Russian Revolution. Blair, a passionate believer in justice, freedom and equality, wrote this book as a warning to all of those who hold a powerful political position.

The novel is written on several different levels. It is written as a 'Political satire', written with a critical attitude with wit and humour for the purpose of mocking or ridiculing the follies of man's political behaviour and comments. To be an effective satire, the novel must show that the central ideas to the cause are noble, but man's nature prevents them from being implemented. Man simply cannot resist the temptation of power. Orwell has fulfilled this criteria very well as the teachings of Old Major on Animalism (based on the teachings of Marx about Communism) were noble but the power the pigs gained led them from one corruption to the other with the pigs growing ever more power-hungry and the tyrannical reign of the chief pig, Napoleon. Napoleon, who represents the powerful leader, Stalin, is an aggressive animal who gradually increases his personal power and privileges, while simultaneously tightening his control over the other animals. The way that Napoleon is described is in the way that a typical tyrant had been described throughout history. He is illustrated, in chapter 2, as 'a large, fierce-looking Berkshire boar with a reputation for getting his own way'. This, to a reader's mind, immediately conjures up images of a ferocious animal with inappropriate ideas. Just as with Stalin and his regime, Napoleon's corruption was the downfall of the cause of Animalism. However, Snowball, who represents Trotsky, is put across as a more vivacious animal who is quicker in speech and more attentive than his comrade, Napoleon. Snowball is portrayed as a brilliant speaker and as a sincere and selfless worker for the benefit of all of the animals. The same could be said of his real life person, Trotsky. This could have been what eventually lead to his downfall.

Orwell also tried to write the book as a simple story, so that it could be understood within all the community and wasn't just for the rich upper classes. He wanted everyone to understand what could happen if man gained power and he used the book as a warning against the one supreme power.

The book is also in the style of a fable, in the sense that all of the characters have it's own personality and human characteristics. The animals think ,meet, act and do every other kind of human activity. But the animals are also used to describe the fallings, follies and foibles of the humans. As a fable, the story is warm, amusing and friendly on the surface. Underneath, there is great meaning, for it becomes a political fable on the story of the Russian Revolution and its betrayal of the people. It is also a modern animal fable in which the events that occur in an animal utopia are parallel to the post revolutionary development in the Soviet Union.
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The major theme of the novel is the triumph of evil over good. The animals try to create a utopia, a paradise where all society is equal and there is good everywhere. Unfortunately, the animals that gain control of Animal Farm begin to act in a manner similar to the humans in greed and corruption.

Examples of all of this can be seen in an extract of the text starting at the bottom of page 100.

In the extract of the text, Animal Farm is proclaimed a Republic. This in itself is ironic. Who ...

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