...Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution The years of leading up to the Russian revolution were bleak for the Russian population. Russians were poor, starving, and fed up with the Tsar. The revolution began with the ideas of Lenin, which carried on to Trotsky and ultimately Stalin, who completely changed Russia. The resemblance between these three leaders of the Russian revolution and the three leaders of Animal Farm, Old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon, shows that the movie Animal Farm is an allegory to the Russian Revolution. Old Major, the original leader of Animal Farm, closely resembles Lenin. The most notable similarity is that both Old Major and Lenin are both the original leaders and they both place the idea of revolution into the minds of their followers. Besides the fact that they are the original leaders of their revolutions, Lenin and Old Major share the common ideas of freedom and equality as well. They are also avid believers in the ideas of Karl Marx, who had written about the bourgeois rebelling against the proletariat. Lenin uses the ideas of Karl Marx to encourage the poor and famished workers in Russia to revolt. He promised them peace, land, and bread which are three things the Russians did not have. As a result, Lenin is able to overthrow the tsar and make a socialist government where everyone is equal and everything is owned by the state. Old Major does something similar by convincing the farm animals that removing the humans, who are essentially the proletariat...
Words: 668 - Pages: 3
...Animal Farm by George Orwell is a 1940’s novel that draws many parallels to the events leading up to, throughout, and after the Russian revolution. The older generation in Russia were apart of the working class, and knew what the revolution would do. In Animal Farm the older generation is shown through the farms oldest animal Benjamin. The older generation and Benjamin parallel each other because they both were aware of the changes going on, they were both well educated, and they both benefited the same after the revolution. In Russia during the time of the revolution the older generation were were stubborn, and unwilling to join the revolution. “Windmill or no windmill, he said, life would go on as it has always gone on that is, badly”(Orwell 51). Benjamin says this after the farm discusses the windmill project and how Snowball and Napoleon would use the windmill. This is an example of the attitude of the older generation and how they were unwilling to join in the revolution....
Words: 534 - Pages: 3
...AP Literature The classic novel Animal Farm written by George Orwell unravels the story of a group of farm animals who craved freedom from humans. Many of the characters in Animal Farm relate to ideas and people involved in the Russian Revolution such as, Joseph Stalin, Karl Marx and the idea of communism. George Orwell tends to give animals on the farm characteristics of those who lead the Russian Revolution. The novel is simply a reflection of this time period with the twist of the people involved being portrayed as animals instead. George Orwell's novel Animal Farm is directly related to the Russian Revolution in several ways. In the novel Animal Farm, Mr. Jones treats his animals extremely poorly and fails to give them enough food to be healthy (Orwell 18). He is sometimes cruel in which he beats his animals with whips and on the other hand he is sometimes kind by mixing milk into the animals' mash. This relates to Czar Nicholas II of the Russian Revolution. He was a poor leader compared to his western kings and he was sometimes cruel and brutal with opponents, and other times he was kind and hired spies to make money (CITE). Old Major is also a character that can be compared, he taught animalism as Karl Marx had taught and invented communism. Major also spoke of how the animals did all the work while the humans kept all the money and for that reason the animals should revolt against mankind. Marx believed that the workers of the...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...The book Animal Farm was written by George Orwell, a famous political satirist in England. The book compares the details of the Russian Revolution with the events of Animal Farm. There are lots of similarities between animal farm and Russian revolution though the scheming of Napoleon and Stalin. There are several of events of Napoleon are similar to the events of Stalin of the Russian revolution. For example, Napoleon looked friendly to Pilkington but he had sold the pile of timber to Frederick. (Page 66) however, the similar thing for Russian revolution was Stalin signed non-aggression pact with his enemy, Hitler in 1938. They both renegaded on their friends. Not only that, the behaviour of Napoleon for satisfy his own goal is also the same as Stalin’s. Napoleon expelled and did wrong to Snowball in order to keep his status. (Page 56). Stalin did as well as he expelled Trotsky in 1928. All in all, there are lots of similarities between Napoleon and Stalin. From Animal Farm, we can get that exploiting weak and trusting individuals is the nature of human begins. Napoleon is a typical example, he used Boxer who is a henchman of animal ideology. Boxer follows and believes him all the time, however, Napoleon deceived to Boxer and he sold Boxer to a slaughter horse trader. (Page 82) In the Russian revolution, China was a country that believe and support socialist country. But during the World War II, Stalin didn’t help Chinese because he didn’t want to offend America. Over all...
Words: 546 - Pages: 3
...The Fairy Story we all know so well is not a fairy story at all, it is a very real event, and it happened right under our noses. George Orwell's “Animal Farm” was an allegorical novella written about the Russian Revolution. Set on a farm with a cast of almost exclusively animals Orwell used this novel to illustrate how Russia had failed in their revolution in a way that was easy to understand and translate. In the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, many animals represent important figures and groups from the Russian Revolution. This is proven in particular by three animals, all with uncanny resemblances to Russian Revolutionaries. The first animal with a Russian counterpart is Snowball the pig, who represents Leon Trotsky, the Russian politician...
Words: 1304 - Pages: 6
...So if the government diminishes the society that their in charge of securing misusing their power rebellion is inevitable, so the outcome is the same as provoking a beast and expecting no repercussions. As expressed, in the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell the struggle of farm animals to gain proper care and equality to that of humans: This elaborated on the situation through the symbolism that correlated to the downfall of the Soviet Union in the Russian Revolution. Also, the novel a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens put the reader in the setting of the French Revolution, where treachery and societal injustice was prominent. Furthermore, the article “Iranian Revolution” by Janet Afary highlights the depression that was drawn upon the...
Words: 1085 - Pages: 5
...Snowball and Leon Trotsky “Animal Farm was meant to help destroy the Soviet myth.” – George Orwell. Orwell was a democratic socialist and this led him to denounce that what was going on in the Soviet Union had anything to do with socialism. As people equated the Soviet Union with socialism, he thought no one could appreciate what democratic socialism is. Orwell doesn’t criticize the act of revolution itself but the misery it could cause if the leaders go corrupt, shortsighted, and greedy. George Orwell’s Animal Farm demonstrates a symbolism of the Russian Revolution through features of Snowball and the historical figure of Trotsky. Animal Farm is an allegorical novel written by George Orwell in 1945 that reflects the social issues of the Soviet Union in the time period of 1917 to 1943. This essay will explain about who Snowball is, who Leon Trotsky was, similarities and differences between these two characters, and the author’s purpose of using Snowball to represent Trotsky in his novel. Snowball is a Napoleon’s rival who contends for control of the Animal Farm after the rebellion. In Animal Farm, chapter two on page 16, it describes Snowball as an eloquent, inventive, and vivid leader. He is most clearly attuned to Old Major’s thinking and devotes himself to actualize it. Snowball insists that in order to defend Animal Farm and strengthen the reality of Old Major’s dream without human beings, the animals should stir up rebellions in other farms throughout England. He brings...
Words: 1617 - Pages: 7
...The novel Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, tells a story about the irony of the Russian Revolution-how the people traded one cruel form of government to another. The lives of the animals in Animal Farm symbolize the lives of the Russian citizens before, during and after the revolution. The problem with the government before and after the revolution was corruption. All of the animals ultimately suffer, because of the corruption of the pigs. This essay will cover the people, their actions and decisions throughout the book Animal Farm. Mr. Jones was the owner of Manor Farm; he is cruel to his animals by under feeding them and over working them. During Mr. Jones's rein over Animal Farm the animals felt that they must do something so that they can be free of the Tyrant Mr. Jones. The animals of Animal Farm are symbolically representing the lower class Russian people during the reign of Czar Nicholas II. Mr. Jones was corrupt with power, because he had control over all of the animals. He controlled how much food they received and how much and how hard they were forced to work. The way Mr. Jones controls the animals on the farm parallels how Czar Nicholas II controlled the Russian people. There was an old pig called Old Major, who symbolizes Karl Marx, in that, Old Major convinced all of the animals to rebel. Before the rebellion took place Old Major died, the same as Karl Marx. In the Battle of Cowshed which parallels the Russian revolution, one pig named Snowball stood...
Words: 675 - Pages: 3
...The main cause of the Russian Revolution was the corrupted leader. The czar was very unfair since not everybody had the same freedom (“Russian Revolution”). He would make some people more free than others. In the passage it says, “by 1917, most Russians had lost faith in the leadership ability of Czar Nicholas II” (Russian Revolution History.com). He was also the main cause of the revolution. The people he ruled for were not happy people. They didn't like him and wanted him gone. Germany finally made peace in the end. All though the revolution was over, a civil war breaks out a few years later (Russian Revolution History.com). The role of Czar Nicholas II was to lead his people into a good life. He was supposed to do things right, instead,...
Words: 320 - Pages: 2
...Animal Farm An Allegory of the French Revolution By Travis Booker English 1302 Mrs. Simpson April 18, 2012 What is an allegory? Allegory is a device used to present an idea, principle, or meaning, which can be presented in literary form, such as a poem or novel, in musical form, such as composition or lyric, or in visual form, such as in painting or drawing. It is also seen in scriptural passage. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions, or symbolic representation. Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric; a rhetorical allegory is a demonstrative form of representation conveying meaning other than the words that are spoken. As a literary device, an allegory in its most general sense is an extended metaphor. As an artistic device, an allegory is a visual symbolic representation. An example of a simple visual allegory is the image of the grim reaper. Viewers understand that the image of the grim reaper is a symbolic representation of death (Kennedy 142). During a time when there was much change and the spirit of rebellion was all around, Animal Farm was written by George Orwell. George Orwell used allegory in his novel Animal Farm to parallel the Russian Revolution and resulting totalitarian regime to the revolutions of the animals and the pigs' corruption of absolute power. The novel's characters, events, and corruption of ideas paralleled the pattern that took place among the Russians during and following the...
Words: 2472 - Pages: 10
...in writing Animal Farm was to portray the Russian (or Bolshevik) Revolution of 1917 as one that resulted in a government more oppressive, totalitarian, and deadly than the one it overthrew. Many of the characters and events of Orwell's novel parallel those of the Russian Revolution: In short, Manor Farm is a model of Russia, and old Major, Snowball, and Napoleon represent the dominant figures of the Russian Revolution. Mr. Jones is modeled on Tsar Nicholas II (1868-1918), the last Russian emperor. His rule (1894-1917) was marked by his insistence that he was the uncontestable ruler of the nation. During his reign, the Russian people experienced terrible poverty and upheaval, marked by the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1905 when unarmed protesters demanding social reforms were shot down by the army near Nicholas' palace. As the animals under Jones lead lives of hunger and want, the lives of millions of Russians worsened during Nicholas' reign. When Russia entered World War I and subsequently lost more men than any country in any previous war, the outraged and desperate people began a series of strikes and mutinies that signaled the end of Tsarist control. When his own generals withdrew their support of him, Nicholas abdicated his throne in the hopes of avoiding an all-out civil war — but the civil war arrived in the form of the Bolshevik Revolution, when Nicholas, like Jones, was removed from his place of rule and then died shortly thereafter. old Major is the animal version of...
Words: 977 - Pages: 4
...Animal Farm Chart Comparison of characters to Russian Revolution Animal Farm Russian Revolution Mr. Jones •irresponsible to his animals (lets them starve) •sometimes cruel - beats them with whip •sometimes kind - mixes milk in animal mash Czar Nicholas II •a poor leader at best, compared to western kings •cruel - sometimes brutal with opponents •Sometimes kind - hired students as spies to make $ Old Major •taught Animalism •workers do the work, rich keep the $, animals revolt •dies before revolution Karl Marx •invented Communism •"workers of the world unite", take over gov't •dies before Russian Revolution Animalism •no owners, no rich, but no poor •workers get a better life, all animals equal •everyone owns the farm Communism •same •all people equal •gov't owns everything, people own gov't Snowball •young, smart, good speaker, idealistic •really wants to make life better for all •one of leaders of revolution •chased away into exile by Napoleon's dogs Leon Trotsky •other leader of "October Revolution" •pure communist, followed Marx •wanted to improve life for all in Russia •chased away by Lenin's KGB (Lenin's secret police) Napoleon •not a good speaker, not as clever like Snowball •cruel, brutal, selfish, devious, corrupt •his ambition...
Words: 639 - Pages: 3
...On one specific night, farmer Jones had drunk much more than was healthy and he returned very late, noon the next day. Neglecting to feed the animals, he went straight to sleep. He slept long through the afternoon and evening. The animals had finally had enough. After not being fed for an entire day, they broke into the barn and began to devour the food. Farmer Jones and his men tried in vain to drive back the animals, but after being kicked and bit were finally driven from the farm. The farmer's wife quickly fled after them, leaving the farm to the animals. The victorious animals rejoiced in the successful rebellion and charged over their newfound territory with zest. The pigs, the smartest of the animals, immediately rose to the top of the...
Words: 1560 - Pages: 7
...words, you will compare and contrast. Make sure you know the basis for comparison The assignment sheet may say exactly what you need to compare, or it may ask you to come up with a basis for comparison yourself. • Provided by the question: The question may ask that you consider the gradual loss of morals by major characters in Yann Martel’s Life of Pi and George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The basis for comparison will be the loss of morals by central figures in each text. • Developed by you: The question may simply ask that you compare the two novels. If so, you will need to develop a basis for comparison, that is, a theme, concern, or device common to both works from which you can draw similarities and differences. Develop a list of similarities and differences Once you know your basis for comparison, think critically about the similarities and differences between the items you are comparing, and compile a list of them. For example, you might decide that in Life of Pi, Pi simultaneously experiences a gradual loss of morals as his chances of survival are put more and more at risk, whereas in Animal Farm, Napoleon always possessed questionable morals which become further corrupted as...
Words: 1578 - Pages: 7
...the Manor Farm, has just stumbled drunkenly to bed after forgetting to secure his farm buildings properly. As soon as his bedroom light goes out, all of the farm animals except Moses, Mr. Jones’s tame raven, convene in the big barn to hear a speech by Old Major, a prize boar and pillar of the animal community. Sensing that his long life is about to come to an end, Major wishes to impart to the rest of the farm animals a distillation of the wisdom that he has acquired during his lifetime. As the animals listen raptly, Old Major delivers up the fruits of his years of quiet contemplation in his stall. The plain truth, he says, is that the lives of his fellow animals are “miserable, laborious, and short.” Animals are born into the world as slaves, worked incessantly from the time they can walk, fed only enough to keep breath in their bodies, and then slaughtered mercilessly when they are no longer useful. He notes that the land upon which the animals live possesses enough resources to support many times the present population in luxury; there is no natural reason for the animals’ poverty and misery. Major blames the animals’ suffering solely on their human oppressors. Mr. Jones and his ilk have been exploiting animals for ages, Major says, taking all of the products of their labor—eggs, milk, dung, foals—for themselves and producing nothing of value to offer the animals in return. Old Major relates a dream that he had the previous night, of a world in which animals live without...
Words: 1137 - Pages: 5
